《The Conspiracy of the Elites》


 Chapter 1: the age of exotics and technology

    Ding!! Ding!! Ding!! Clark was startled awake from the familiar ringtone of his military pocket phone. ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t disturb me,¡± he complained in a grumpy tone, as this just destroyed his sweet sleep experience.


    ¡°Wait what says the time?¡± He suddenly questioned in alarm, as his consciousness quickly cleared up.


    His eyes immediately flew wide open, as he stood up to search for the phone. ¡°Oh, thank God, time¡¯s still at 5:30 am, I still got 30 minutes before the morning drill,¡± he exhaled in relief.


    He went off to wash his face with water, before he suddenly recalled, ¡°why did the phone ring if there is still time? Oh shit,¡± he cursed as he bolted back to his room.


    There he saw the phone, he unlocked it and a message notification was displayed.


    He opened it reading, ¡°Good morning Cadets, there¡¯s been a change in plans. All cadets will start the advanced technology training today. So be prepared, wake up early, and freshen up for this new phase of training. Good luck, from Captain Spoky.¡±


    ¡°What!!?¡± He questioned while jumping up; ¡°we are starting the advanced training today? Oh my God that¡¯s awesome,¡± he exclaimed in surprise.


    He rushed to dress up as he reminisced inwardly on the lessons, he learned about the advanced technology training. All cadets looked up to when the training commences, as it meant graduation day is nearby.


    And because of the rumors spreading about how the government provides some of their machinery, elite armor clothing, guns, and other ammunitions for the cadets.


    Rumors even talk of the provision of the legendary stealth armor, used in the assassination of the former Aragan president to the best cadet, after points are calculated.


    Araga is the largest, most populated, strongest, and most prosperous country in the world at the moment. His country tsk tsk, is just a small country at the corner of the world here, with slightly middle-grade military strength.


    Sparta, yes that¡¯s the name of his country, named after the ancient Greek civilization. Sparta is among the lower-ranked countries, in terms of military power and technological development.


    This is the 22nd century, the age of exotics and technology. Technology is at its peak in humanity at the moment, quoted a famous professor from his country¡¯s military. At this age, there¡¯s nothing like going to school, only virtual learning.


    Technology has advanced to the state where all children are augmented with implants to boost strength, intelligence, and other attributes, as well as to access the internet through their implants.


    These augments are now compulsory in every country, that as from the age of 10, every child is expected to be augmented and to learn everything, he/she needs through the implant online for a period of 5 years.


    Then as from the age of 15, most children are allowed to focus on any profession they want. Butt 95% of parents push their children to the military to help build their country¡¯s strength, by becoming soldiers.


    This is kind of like the primitive ages, where strength speaks. But in this case, military strength and technology speak. Through the combination of exotics and technology, advanced military and medical techs have been produced to the extent of treatment being made available for life prolongment.


    Law and order are in the hands of the new superpowers, the 5 biggest organizations in the world. The Mercenary alliance, The Apocalypse military organization, The Sea Farers alliance, Oakland, and Araga. Araga is widely known as the strongest force with the most territory.


    Araga and Oakland are the only 2 superpower countries. The 5 superpowers always fight and restrain themselves for exotics, to gain more technology to be the strongest power in the world.


    This tug of war has not yielded any significant impact for decades, as the big 5 are mostly evenly matched in military strength. Even if one was superior, the margin was too small to small to make a significant impact.


    This even concentration of power led to the suppression of all other lower countries and organizations. Which brought the law of fight for survival.


    Invasion between lower countries is a must, because of the low concentration of exotics and resources left by the big 5 being too low to serve the needs of all other powers.


    The suppression by the big 5 led to a lot of resentment, but at this age, only the ones with the biggest fist get to speak. Clark came from a relatively average family, with both his parents dead. They both died on the battlefield.


    The dream of every country is to get a soldier, who is exceptional enough to be recognized by the big 5. This indirectly led to a sharp increase, in the number of people becoming soldiers in the last few decades.


    If a soldier is picked from a country by any of the big 5, that country will immediately undergo vigorous changes for the better as they can lean on that superpower. Every other occupation is no longer as attractive, as only soldiers are better paid and treated, especially the exceptional ones.


    In his cadet training base, he was not the best but he was definitely among the better ones. He had to make mama proud in heaven, by joining a superpower.


    By this time, he already had his bath and was set. As he quickly got ready to go.


    ¡°Clark!! Clark!!¡± An exceptionally loud voice suddenly started yelling his name, startling him, almost making his thought process go haywire from the noise.


    ¡°Ahh, who is that?¡± He ran to the door, fully dressed in the standard Spartan cadet uniform and boots.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon, where are you? Shit, this fool will make me late again,¡± Leonard grumbled. Leonard is Clark¡¯s friend from camp, both of them are 18 years old. They met on camp 3 years ago, and they flowed together well, personality-wise hence their friendship.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Leonard the drunken hands. I¡¯m coming¡± Clark replied sarcastically, as he quickly identified his friend¡¯s voice.


    ¡°My name is Leonard Bane. Clark try me this morning, and you will get your fair share of pummeling.¡± Leonard retorted with a dark face.


    Leonard is fair-skinned, slightly too muscular for a boy his age. Unlike Clark, who is slightly dark-skinned and has a mild athletic build. Both of them are of the same height, as they face each other stone-faced after Clark opened the door.


    The tension built as they just stood there before Clark burst out laughing and bunked his friend¡¯s head.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready bro, let¡¯s go for training before 6:00 am knocks. Or do you want to earn the Captain¡¯s ire?¡± He asked, as he slightly raised his brows.


    ¡°No Penrabbit¡±, Leonard replied as he tried keeping a poker face, but he failed miserably as he immediately laughed the next second, before gesturing for them to go.


    [Thank you for reading my book I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately. This is my first book, I hope the first chapter did not disappoint. Cheer me up.]

 Chapter 2: first phase of the advanced tech training

    ¡°FORWARD MATCH!!¡± Anderson yelled as the young cadets did their daily morning parade. He is the best cadet among this batch. Very good in leadership, marksmanship, and fighting abilities.


    He is dark-skinned and slightly muscular, just like Clark. He stood out from the rest cadets, as he led them throughout the parade.


    Sitting to the side with a batch of soldiers in Spartan military uniform behind him, is Captain Spoky, the leader of this military base leisurely watching the cadets.


    He suddenly stood up, after they ended their parade, as he faced the cadets. ¡°Good morning cadets¡±.


    ¡°Good morning captain,¡± they yelled in reply.


    ¡°I know a lot of you are excited because you will start your advanced tech training today. Let me give you a piece of advice cadets, don¡¯t be too excited because your suffering begins today¡±.


    ¡°No time for pampering. Your training is two years early, so I expect you to all be two years more competent. After three months of rigorous training, I expect all of you to be officially soldiers of the Spartan republic, so act like one.¡±


    ¡°Your training today will not be the usual one,¡± he continued while keeping his stern face.


    ¡°The government provided standard guns and bullets for you all. So be prepared, because you will all be going to the forest. Your first training is to survive by yourself in the tropical forest for five days¡±.


    ¡°Do not expect to go there and sleep, because the government personally provided genetically modified predators, more dangerous than anything you¡¯ve seen before¡±.


    ¡°Your implant may have boosted you in various ways, but so are the animals. Don¡¯t be too hopeless though, because after these three months is over, the survivors from you three hundred will be given benefits you didn¡¯t expect¡±.


    ¡°Good luck cadets, be dismissed for thirty minutes for preparation. Do not carry any accessory,¡± he reminded before they left.


    ¡°All you need will be provided by the military here. Your three months of suffering starts here,¡± he said, as a grin slowly morphed on his face.


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh, shit. Leonard I¡¯m dead, we are going to the forest alone. They want to kill us; I swear, they want to kill us¡±. Clark blurted out, looking troubled as soon as they reached his room.


    ¡°Shit, stop it. Clark, stop behaving like a fly and let¡¯s think of how to survive this man¡± his friend replied.


    ¡°What are we thinking of drunken hands, you can¡¯t possibly think we are guaranteed to survive right?¡±


    ¡°I know Clark, no guarantee, but it is also not a sure way to death. Clark, I thought you were the fast and accurate guy, skilled in fighting and marksmanship. Just because of going to the forest, you want to soil your pants, chill man¡±. Leo said in a slightly provocative tone.


    ¡°Hey, I know. I am going to be the greatest soldier alive, helping my country ally with any of the big five, but I¡¯m just being rational man. You understand what I mean¡±. Clark replied with a grin.


    ¡°Yes, I know Clark. Yes, you are the greatest. So, how are we going to go about this?¡± Leo finally asked the big question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, what else? Go there, survive and save the country, that¡¯s all. Or is there anything else?¡±. Clark asked, with a stop asking me stupid questions expression on his face.


    ¡°Ok Clark, be careful though, I want to eat before going, let¡¯s go¡±. Leo ignored his friend¡¯s expression, while calmly diverting the direction of their conversation.


    ¡°Ok Leo,¡± Clark calmly replied, as he also wanted to eat.


    There was not much they could plan, so Leo [i.e short form of Leonard] quickly forgot about their little conversation, as they got ready to go. After eating, they both returned to the parade ground.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey, he¡¯s here man,¡± Clark nudged his friend.


    ¡°Leo, I said the Captain¡¯s here. Keep quiet,¡± he raised his voice a little before his friend heard.


    ¡°Ok cadets, you¡¯ll be divided into groups of ten,¡± Captain Spoky didn¡¯t waste time as he directly started giving instructions.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to follow the sergeant your group is assigned to. Follow the sergeant leading you, to your designated helicopter. You will be dropped in segments, one by one. Good luck.¡±


    Luckily, both friends were placed in the same group. Though temporarily, Clark still rejoiced as they had time to talk a little. ¡°Leo, I saw you talking with Anderson, what was the talk about?¡± He suddenly asked as he leaned forward a little, to get closer to his friend.


    ¡°Oh, he is in the other group. Ahh!! Bro come closer, what I heard from Anderson was surprising,¡± Leo exclaimed, as he suddenly remembered something.


    ¡°Bro, Anderson told me the reason that our advanced tech training was brought forward. It¡¯s because the Moca republic wants to invade our country earlier than expected, so the change of plans.¡±


    ¡°Shit, those blood-sucking Mocans. I hate them,¡± Clark blurted out in hatred. His overflowing hatred was not without basis, as he had a rather huge beef with the Mocan republic.


    ¡°Leo, if that¡¯s true, then good. I will prove myself during this invasion and massacre those bloodsuckers. If that¡¯s the reason, then I¡¯m more eager to survive this training and trash those Mocans¡±.


    ¡°Me too Clark. I wish you luck bro,¡± Leo said, as he also understood his friend¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°You too¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 3: the moca republic

    The Moca republic is a country with middle-grade military power, directly opposite the Sparta republic in terms of territory comparison. They were neighbors in a sense, but that was just a title without any close sentiments attached to it this era.


    Due to invasion being a norm in this century, the Moca republic has always coveted the Sparta republic¡¯s territory. The Moca republic is more advanced than the Sparta republic technologically, but not by much. This has served as a catalyst, for the Mocans aggression against the Spartans.


    Spartans are indoctrinated into the hatred between the two countries from birth, so there is hardly any good interaction between them.


    No business transactions are made. Instead, they trade blows through small skirmishes and a major invasion attempt from either side. But the Mocans are more enthusiastic about it, as they are slightly stronger.


    Clark, as a Spartan, was naturally indoctrinated into this hatred between both states as well.


    He sat close to Leonard in the helicopter, as it flew into the big tropical forest. The only ammunition provided to them by the military, is a pair of daggers, a standard Spartan cadet uniform, a pair of boots, a pair of military gloves, and a sword made from reinforced steel.


    What made them resentful, was that the government refused to provide guns for this part of their training.


    He silently observed his ten teammates, who were all serious and stone-faced. He silently prayed, when he felt that no one was looking in his direction. He felt slightly nervous, ¡°God give me the strength and brains to blast through this training¡±.


    He suddenly felt ridiculous, when he realized what he was doing. ¡°Am I afraid? No, shit, that¡¯s for cowards, plants like Leo. I¡¯m not afraid, I will crux through this man.¡±


    As he thought, his friend suddenly turned to look him in the eye with a grin. His expression saying, ¡°hahaha, nervous piece of shit¡±.


    He almost wrestled him there immediately before Leo chuckled, suddenly saying, ¡°Clark don¡¯t die, please.¡± He jerked a little in his position, as his heart softened.


    No matter how his friend pulled at his nerves, they were still bosom friends at the end. These little antics were not harmful, as it¡¯ll only make their bond stronger.


    A friendship without any antics, nor mischievousness, is just a farce. He told his friend, you too, as this was the best answer he could muster. In his mind, he just fought a fierce battle.


    Being 18-year-olds, there was a lot they have not encountered yet. This is their accumulation years; they were not ready to waste the joyfulness in it by being serious all the time.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to use this training to train my reflexes and obtain real battle experience,¡± he muttered to himself silently, as he slowly clenched his fists.


    Fifteen minutes later, Leonard was dropped in an unknown part of the forest. Ten minutes later, Clark was the last cadet remaining about to be dropped, he looked at their escort Sergeant Leroy.


    The sergeant noticed his stare. He turned to look at him, smiled, and spoke. ¡°Clark of this batch of ten cadets under me, you are the most exceptional, don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    He only smiled in reply, as he quickly dropped down from the sky. After the helicopter departed, he exhaled.


    ¡°Variant beasts, come on. I¡¯m ready bro,¡± he suddenly said sarcastically, to improve his spirit for the training. You never know, the smallest gesture now, can be what will save your life in the future.


    The area of the forest he was dropped, was kind of swampy, he wisely decided to leave this area to a drier environment. Five days of survival in the forest are not beans, he reminded himself to be self-conscious of his surroundings.


    At last, he finally found a dry area. He quickly prepared and set up a tent to pass the night. He unsheathed his sword to cut down some trees nearby, to get their broad leaves.


    As he worked, he was startled as something suddenly crossed his front with abnormal speed. He picked himself up with fast reflexes, as he hurriedly backed off. He looked, and to his surprise, it was a cat. He looked closer before realizing it was an augmented cat.


    ¡°Shit, this piece of shit scared the hell out of me,¡± he thought in slight anger and embarrassment.


    ¡°Shoo!! Get out of here, I don¡¯t want to kill you,¡± he said out of sympathy, the main reason was mostly that he didn¡¯t want meat at the moment.


    To his surprise, this punk started hissing with obvious hostility. It suddenly lunged forward with startling speed, almost reaching his face in an instant. He was also very fast, as he reflexively blocked with his sword.


    Dang!!! His sword was knocked away, as the cat tried to strike and claw at his face with its claws.


    He remembered the fundamentals, as he immediately rolled back. He stabbed forward with a dagger which was stored in his boot. It connected to the cat¡¯s back, as it meowed in pain but still kept its aggression.


    It clawed with its other claw at his hand, as he suddenly felt a sharp pang of pain, almost disorienting him. He concentrated harder and pulled the dagger upwards to the cat¡¯s neck, widening its injury.


    Already expecting its retaliation, he jumped back. He left the dagger behind, as he quickly got his other dagger. He threw it with practiced precision, it connected to his target¡¯s left eye.


    Before jumping, he already calculated where his sword fell on. Upon landing there, he picked it up and immediately did a backward slash. The cat accelerated to him but it was within his calculations.


    The sword connected, removing its neck with ease. Blood spurted out of its neck, as his tense nerves finally relaxed a little.


    After killing it, he immediately turned around, scrutinizing his surroundings the way he had never done before. After feeling a little safe, he returned to the body of the cat. He stood there in a daze just staring at it, as he was still shocked.


    ¡°Jesus, man, augmented animals are really scary,¡± he blurted out, still shocked. ¡°It seems I won¡¯t be cruxing past this test after all.¡±


    He picked the leaves that he cut down previously and arranged them in a slightly covered shape, to protect him from prying eyes in the night.


    He scouted the surroundings for any latent threat, seeing none at the moment he lit up a fire. He roasted the cat and nursed his injuries with the forest medicinal herbs he got in his way. This was just common knowledge, he learned through his implant.


    After eating a little, he suddenly wanted to sleep as it was already late. ¡°What says the time? Where is my watch?¡± He asked himself before he remembered where he was, suddenly feeling foolish.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the forest, I almost totally forgot for a second there. Ok, I can do this. Just close your eyes after entering your tent to sleep.¡±


    He did just that, feeling satisfied that he could at least use the sun rays and his shadow for keeping check of time tomorrow. ¡°That¡¯s better, God is still with me¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 4: the wolfsbane

    Clark woke up feeling refreshed and revitalized. ¡°Man, this is just like a VIP room, so comfortable,¡± he moaned with satisfaction.


    He looked at the tree leaves makeshift bed with a satisfied look, ¡°I¡¯ll miss this experience.¡±


    He stood up to observe his surroundings, the sun rays were shining as resplendently as ever. He suddenly started grinning, as he recalled that he was enjoying free vitamin D. ¡°Oh what a free world,¡± he exclaimed feeling satisfied.


    He washed his face with water from a nearby pit, and also filled his water bottle. He looked at his shadow and determined the time to be around after seven in the morning. ¡°I should eat before leaving,¡± he thought.


    After eating, he stored the remaining meat in a make-shift bag, hand-made by him from the tree leaves. Improvisation is a must-learn skill for all cadets.


    ¡°Ok, I can¡¯t stay in one place to hide my time away. If I do that, I can¡¯t call it training again. Let me explore a little for the remaining four days,¡± he thought.


    ¡°Why am I wanting to be an adventurer now?¡± He wondered aloud, ¡°maybe¡­, for the experience. Yes, for the experience,¡± he encouraged himself, to clear his mind of any misgivings. Decisiveness was an indispensable trait that any soldier should have.


    ¡°To be better equipped I need locally made weapons, I need to prove to my country that I can improvise¡±. His brain went to work, as he searched for ways to improvise to make his situation a little better.


    He scrutinized his surroundings a little, before continuing his aimless walk. No, better still survival. ¡°Survival sounds more badass, yes. I¡¯m a survivor on a survival journey¡±.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll write a book on my experiences here after this. It should be named, Clark¡¯s five days survival through hell¡±. His thoughts kept on imagining things, as he continued his survival walk. He has always been an avid thinker, and his brain was renowned for his unconventional imaginations.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. Man, come on. This is the typical behavior of a clueless person,¡± he was already doubting his decision, but he conveniently tried to ignore this thought completely.


    Loneliness is a disease, which already started proving itself. His brain kept on spilling random thoughts, as it was probably already bored to death. Maybe it was the youth syndrome, his hormones were just too hyperactive.


    As he walked, he started actively looking for things to empower himself with. His gaze suddenly sharpened, as he looked at a specific plant, ¡°is that what I think it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes!! Wolfsbane right? That¡¯s what it¡¯s called. Man, it seems even nature is helping me, thank God.¡±


    He directly chopped off the poisonous plant without hesitation, he settled down to mix it into a solution. After mixing, he added some of the solutions to the tip of his daggers and sword.


    This just proves the power of knowledge; with just a plant, he already got himself resources to make his weapons more dangerous.


    After a long walk of unknown length, he noticed a tree that was oddly placed, oddly shaped, and it felt like something screaming ¡°I want to be low profile, so don¡¯t notice me¡±.


    If he was not alert as a result of yesterday''s encounter with the cat, he would have neglected or overlooked it.


    ¡°What is that? Another poisonous plant or something?¡± He decided to be more cautious, and try poking it with his dagger. He got the shock of his life, as the harmless odd tree swiftly lashed at him.


    ¡°What!! A snake,¡± he thought aloud. ¡°A fairly big one at that¡±.


    Even with that, he was still fast. He withdrew his gloved hands, quickly blocking the snake¡¯s trajectory he allowed it to bite his hands.


    The snake¡¯s fangs failed to penetrate, as adrenaline flowed through him. He grabbed the snake¡¯s tail and used its forward momentum against it hitting its head against a nearby tree twice.


    ¡°Shit, another augmented animal¡±. To his surprise, the snake rebounded like a rubber band towards him, suddenly widening its mouth for a bite.


    He quickly retreated, as he picked his dagger from the ground, taking cover behind a tree. He unsheathed his sword and did a wide sideways swing with it. His gamble paid off, he cut the snake into two and quickly followed with a cut to its neck removing its head.


    Where he was now was slightly slanted, because of the momentum he used he stumbled backward, rolling back below where he previously stood.


    He slowly stood up, feeling slightly proud and satisfied for the smooth kill. He suddenly felt a chill go down his spine, as he swiftly re-unsheathed his sword again turning back.


    He almost started crying immediately, as he saw a big lioness behind him. It was bigger than normal, clearly indicating its status as an augmented animal. It started growling while facing him.


    ¡°I can do this, yes I can. It¡¯s just a big lioness¡±.


    ¡°I have two daggers and a sword with poison, why am I even afraid?¡± He questioned himself inwardly in a puzzled tone. He stared intently at the lioness, with the sword on his right hand ready to retaliate at any moment.


    ¡°Hey man, all you have are some dirty fangs and dirty claws, but I have a full set of shiny gear. You¡¯re screwed today,¡± he silently thought as the tension grew between them.


    ¡°What are you growling for? Attack fool, stop using tension to scare me.¡± As this thought crossed his head, he suddenly heard two other distinct nearby growls, as two other slightly smaller lionesses emerged.


    He suddenly felt like coughing blood, ¡°shit man, play by the rules. This was supposed to be one on one¡±.


    He didn¡¯t think too much. Turning, he bolted into the forest immediately searching for the path with the densest bush. The three lionesses followed behind while roaring at him.


    The three animals were faster than he was, as they quickly started gaining ground. He observed his surroundings as he ran, he saw a thick tree along his path.


    He quickly made a decision, as he rushed there and jumped at the tree. Using the momentum from the jump, he kicked the tree, accurately performing a backflip. He threw his two daggers toward the two smallest lionesses.


    They failed to dodge the daggers in time. They roared and were disoriented by the pain, but their leader, the biggest lioness turned to him abnormally fast with its fangs almost filling his face. He guarded reflexively with his sword.


    Ding!!! Sharp noise reverberated, as the force pushed him back. Before the lioness could pick momentum again, he already recovered. He jumped over it, swiftly stabbing it on the neck with his sword as he landed on its back.


    Using his spare left hand to support himself with its neck, he ruthlessly stabbed its neck repeatedly. The sound of metal meeting flesh sounded repeatedly, as it weakly fell.


    One of the other lionesses was already down to the poison from his dagger. Surprisingly, the other lioness still persevered to attack by biting down. He decisively leaped from the big lioness¡¯s back, did a backward roll, and conveniently placed his sword into its brain.


    It jerked a little before finally falling down.


    He slowly rose up, bloodied all over. ¡°Indeed, this training is surely a baptism of blood,¡± he muttered with slight excitement and dread on his tone.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 5: returning to the military base

    ¡°This is going to be harder than I thought,¡± Clark soliloquized, as he walked through the jungle looking for a place to wash the blood off his body and clothes. He found a stream nearby, he subconsciously looked around searching for any threat, having found none he quickly rushed to wash himself up.


    ¡°These four days remaining are surely going to be a pain in the ass,¡± he thought with resignation.


    He suddenly looked to the right, and to his surprise found a mango tree. His eyes brightened immediately, ¡°thank God, at last something better to eat¡±. He brought out one of his daggers and conveniently climbed the tree with it, while still being alert.


    ¡°My life is far more valuable than a mango tree, I can¡¯t let my guard down because of food. That¡¯s the behavior of fools and plants like Leo.¡± As he thought, he suddenly recalled that Leo was probably in this kind of situation also, making his expression dull.


    ¡°I hope you can scale through this bro; you don¡¯t have my permission to die yet so you better survive,¡± he muttered under his breath.


    After climbing, he conveniently enjoyed the mango fruits as he rested on a branch of the huge mango tree. He checked his injury, the one from the augmented cat.


    It was almost healed; ¡°augmentation is really good man; I don¡¯t even feel pain again.¡± The rest of the day went uneventfully, as he stuffed himself full of meat and fruits. He decided to camp here, as it was the most convenient place that he found so far in the jungle.


    ¡°Mango tree, it¡¯s like we are fated. Let¡¯s have a symbiotic relationship then, you provide food while the great General Clark protects you from jungle thieves.¡± He shamelessly blurted out a bunch of nonsense to a tree without sentience, just to justify his decision and conscience to stay there.


    Screw experience, when his spirit led him to such a comfortable place. ¡°It seems you fed the world in your other life, to get the chance and luck to encounter me and draw my attention¡±. He soliloquized.


    He suddenly started feeling sleepy, as his belly was already a little bloated from the fruit he ate. ¡°It¡¯s evening already, I guess I should rest,¡± and that¡¯s what he did.


    ¡­


    Upon waking up the next day, he decided to train around the vicinity of the mango tree. He proactively went to train, massacring the unlucky nearby creatures as a form of practice targets for his training.


    He met a few situations where he brushed teeth with death, but his increasing battle experience helped him scale through. He did this as a routine, for the next three days.


    ¡­


    He woke up the last day feeling revitalized and fresh, the only setback was his smelling body, as he refused to remove his military uniform to have a proper bath during the last few days.


    ¡°You never knew what lurked in the depths of the stream, or when an augmented beast will suddenly cross your way¡±, he reasoned. ¡°At least, this part of the training is over,¡± he comforted himself.


    ¡°I survived, that¡¯s the best outcome. Who cares about body odor? That¡¯s girls¡¯ problems, I¡¯m a man¡±.


    He sat down at the foot of the tree waiting. He was not anxious because he knew that the military placed a GPS [i.e Global Positioning System] tracker, on every military cadet during their implant operation.


    Whirr!!Whirr!! He looked up due to the sound, as the familiar helicopter drew nearer, it stopped in a slightly opened space. He stood up and went closer, he immediately saluted on seeing the Sergeant.


    ¡°Good morning sir,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Good morning cadet, climb in.¡± The sergeant didn¡¯t waste any time with words, as he invited him in. He didn¡¯t hesitate either, immediately going in.


    The helicopter took off to base, he silently heaved a sigh of relief as his 1st phase training was officially over.


    After entering the helicopter, he looked around searching for his friend. He finally saw him at the corner, smiling at him. Leo nodded at him with a smile, he smiled and returned the nod.


    He exhaled again in relief, as he suddenly felt a burden leaving his heart. ¡°Thank God we both survived,¡± he muttered under his breath.


    To his surprise, he later found out that all ten in his batch survived. ¡°This is simply miraculous,¡± he thought in surprise, as not everybody was as exceptional as him and Leo. Praising oneself is kind of shameless, but who cares when it¡¯s the truth.


    On reaching the military base, the first thing he did as they stood in a line was a search for someone. He saw him at the forefront of the line. Anderson, being exceptional as ever looked more mature than five days ago.


    ¡°I will be the best cadet for this batch,¡± he silently encouraged himself. This was one of his silent dreams, that he didn¡¯t even dare tell his friend.


    Captain Spoky broke him from his thoughts, with his familiar but unusually loud voice.


    ¡°CADETS,¡± he boomed; ¡°I am glad to see that 280 cadets from the original 300 survived¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good result. I am happy, so today is a free resting day for you all.¡± He smiled, which didn¡¯t help in lightening the mood, as it made him look even more ferocious and ugly.


    But nobody dared to tell him the truth, he is the captain after all. ¡°I guess only his future wife, will probably have the guts to tell him,¡± Clark thought mischievously.


    He silently exhaled for the 3rd time in relief, as they would have been forced to do the day¡¯s drill if they had performed poorly.


    ¡°Rest and prepare yourself today, cause your suffering continue tomorrow,¡± the Captain said with a grin. ¡°The government provided all of you with 500 Spartan credits. Take it, buy some beer, eat some meat and enjoy yourself,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Dismissed¡±. They saluted and left orderly.


    Clark grouped with Leo as they left, ¡°Leo I can¡¯t believe the government gave us 500 credits, that¡¯s awesome. Let¡¯s add it to our savings to get more money for our gear, after becoming soldiers.¡± he muttered excitedly.


    ¡°Yeah Clark, I¡¯ll give you mine. Keep it, let¡¯s eat the normal food¡± Leo replied.


    ¡°Clark, how was it?¡± Leo suddenly asked. ¡°The jungle hustle, you know what I mean,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°Ah Leo, that? You know me, I bulldozed my way through it killing tons of animals, I even killed a dinosaur. The training was too simple man, it was not even enough for me to stretch my muscles.¡± Clark answered with a straight face.


    ¡°Yes, I know Clark. I know the dinosaur you mean is your grandpa, right? You brutalized him.¡± Leo replied, also keeping a straight face.


    ¡°F**k off Leo,¡± Clark said, as he bunked his friend¡¯s head.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 6: the megalodon

    Beep!! Beep!! Clark woke up to hear the familiar alarm ringtone of his phone. ¡°It¡¯s 6:00 am already. Man, I didn¡¯t get enough sleep,¡± he grumbled as he quickly got up, brushed his teeth, and had his bath.


    Fifteen minutes later, he is ready in his new military cadet uniform which was provided yesterday. With his daggers and sword both also ready, he left his room feeling surprised as Leo always woke up before him.


    ¡°What happened to this guy now?¡± he questioned himself again in a contemplative tone. ¡°This piece of shit,¡± he cursed as he quickly went out, reaching the opposite room in less than 10 seconds.


    Bam! Bam! Bam! He banged his friend''s door as he called out, ¡°plant, what the hell are you still doing?¡±


    ¡°Hey!! Clark, stop banging my door I woke up late. I¡¯m almost there, I¡¯m coming,¡± Leo yelled in reply.


    ¡°I said it; when the sun, rises normal people respond fast to the stimulus by getting up. But you, a typical plant respond slowly. What a bad influence you are, be fast man,¡± he urged his friend with an impatient tone.


    Thud! Thud! Thud! He finally heard the sound of Leo running. His friend quickly reached the door, opening it without wasting time. ¡°Hey Clark,¡± Leo greeted.


    ¡°Good morning weed, let¡¯s go before it¡¯s late,¡± Clark greeted back naturally, as his expression morphed back to its normal outlook.


    ¡°Clark, who did you just call a weed?¡± Leo fired back, feigning anger as his expression darkened.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the guy behind you, not you bro¡±.


    Leo turned around to look, seeing no one he bellowed "I''m going to kill you one day Clark¡±.


    ¡°Chill man, let¡¯s go, remaining only ten minutes,¡± Clark said with a smile, ignoring his friend¡¯s fuming face as they both left.


    In the parade ground, all the cadets stood orderly as they silently waited for the arrival of their Captain. Captain Spoky finally came with his entourage of soldiers, as they all saluted.


    ¡°Good morning Captain,¡± they greeted.


    ¡°Good morning kids,¡± Captain Spoky replied with a smile planted on his face. ¡°I hope you all enjoyed yourself because your second training will follow the regular routine¡±.


    ¡°Group yourself in batches of two, because you are all going to the Zeigra branch of the Spartan exobiologist forest reserve. I advise you to group with your best friend. You need it because it will save you, as you are both expected to watch each other¡¯s backs¡±.


    ¡°Those without best friends here, I can only sympathize with you".


    "All of you who survived the first training, will all receive ten marks out of the total 360 marks. I know you¡¯ve all been informed that the best of this batch of cadets will receive the legendary stealth armor. Though it¡¯s of the lowest quality, it is still more valuable than anything you currently have¡±.


    ¡°All you are required to do is to help your teammate, so you both can kill as many exobeasts as you can. I know you all know about exobeasts from your learning years. But cadets, a piece of advice¡±.


    ¡°These are completely different beasts entirely from the regular augmented ones. These are beasts that are heavily modified to move faster, bite harder, and also have high intelligence for a beast¡±.


    ¡°To you, they are stepping stones to your graduation. But don¡¯t get complacent, because to them you are all just free food delivered to be devoured¡±.


    ¡°The total points for this training are 150 points, try to kill as much as you can".


    "The government provided a pair of automatic rapid laser fire pistols to each cadet for this training, so you won¡¯t have to worry about bullets. And they also provided one sniper rifle for each group of two, so you¡¯ll have to decide among yourselves who is to get the sniper rifle¡±.


    ¡°You already know your sergeant, Sergeant Modric. He will be your escort to the forest reserve. The one thing you kids are lucky for is that the government provided the fighter warship, THE MEGALODON for this training¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m even envious of you guys this time. When I was your age, something like this was still just like stuff of legends to me¡±.


    ¡°Cherish your chance and luck, as even some veteran soldiers have not seen a ship like the Megalodon in their many years of service. Good luck kids, I hope I can still see your faces after a month¡¯s time. Dismissed¡±.


    The cadets walked orderly but excitedly to the clearing where the ship was docked. They had a dozen reasons to be excited, as the Megalodon is a warship at a very high level in Spartan technology. It is the best ship in the southern protectorate of the Spartan republic.


    All the cadets here in south Sparta can recognize the shiny massive ship immediately on sight. Since they were small, they¡¯ve heard the legends of the Megalodon. Of how it whipped the Moca republic military¡¯s ass several times, during small- and large-scale battles.


    It is a warship with near supersonic speed. It has heavy firepower with its installed war weapons and very resilient armor. The perfect word to summarize its description is just¡­, BADASSISM.


    ¡°Clark, the government is being very generous by providing us with this ship,¡± Leo commented as they walked.


    ¡°Yeah Leo, I¡¯m so lucky to be a part of this batch of cadets. I can brag about this for the rest of my life man,¡± Clark said excitedly.


    They quickly arrived under the airborne warship, as it lowered its strong steel ropes to the ground. They climbed each rope individually, as they quickly scaled up to the ship. The hatch opened, allowing them entry into the massive warship.


    Sergeant Modric was already waiting for them inside, so they immediately saluted on seeing him. He nodded at them as he proceeded to bring them inside.


    Inside the ship was very luxurious, painting the scenery in a very beautiful light. They looked around curiously, as the sergeant showed them to their seats.


    Clark was enchanted completely by the beauty of the warship, even his sergeant¡¯s next words became fleeting clouds to him as his eyes sparkled in admiration.


    The Megalodon is a very massive warship. It has a disc shape, just like the fictional spaceships depicted in novels and fiction movies if viewed from outside. The inside was lit up completely with blue lights, illuminating everywhere with a bright glow.


    The cadets finally sat down and belted up, as they continued admiring the warship¡¯s interior.


    After seating, the sergeant addressed them, ¡°Cadets, be prepared. A group will drop down on each stop, and each individual group will be separated from the other groups¡±.


    ¡°The ship is being controlled by an A.I [artificial intelligence]. According to its estimates, 20 minutes later the first group will be dropped and the rest will be dropped subsequently at 5 minutes intervals¡±.


    ¡°I wish you good luck. Try your best and most of all, try not to get killed,¡± Sergeant Modric said without much emotion in his voice.


    Clark clenched his fist in anticipation, as he still focused on his goal of being the best in this training.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 7: the black panther

    Some minutes later, both friends were finally dropped in a mountainous region. As soon as they landed, Clark observed their surroundings as he slowly nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°I prefer this man. At least, I can see far and have more obstacles to take cover,¡± he told his friend, who was also observing the area.


    ¡°Clark, I want us to come out on top, this competition. Let¡¯s find a place to camp, as our defensive fortress before advancing¡±. Leo said in a soft tone, as he turned to look at his friend.


    Clark simply grunted in reply, as they quickly found a cliff with enough cover to keep them from the prying eyes of the exobeasts. They dropped their bags, prepared, and went outside to set up a defensive perimeter.


    Clark decided to naturally wield the sniper, as he was better than his friend in marksmanship. Or better still, Leo was just bad with accuracy hence the drunken hands'' nickname. They quickly set their makeshift perimeter up, without any further delay.


    After settling down, Leo decided to go down and search for any exobeast nearby. They had no intention to laze around. Clark warned him to not leave the range of the sniper rifle before he left.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the bullets for the sniper are limited, so we¡¯ll have to limit its use¡±, Clark lamented, as his friend quickly disappeared from his sight. Exobeasts are not your everyday beasts, so it was only natural that it took time to find one.


    As Leo searched, he found an augmented snake and a cat. He conveniently killed them both for meat as he kept them in a designated spot, to retrieve them when going back. Not long after he killed the cat, he was beginning to get distracted before he heard loud thudding sounds coming from his front.


    He decisively retreated, as he remembered that exobeasts had a highly sensitive sense of smell. He was not sure if he encountered an exobeast, but it was still better to be cautious.


    ¡°There¡¯s a high chance that it¡¯s coming for the cat, following the scent of its blood if it is an exobeast. Shit, I can¡¯t take on an exobeast alone,¡± he worriedly thought.


    As he thought in distress, Clark arranged himself to get a good shot angle as he already saw the animal. It was a ferocious-looking black panther. It quickly reached where his friend kept the cat and immediately bit down, wolfing down the fresh meat.


    He kept his aim on it, as he allowed his friend to stealthily retreat to their little fortress. After Leo was near, he hid behind a rock while quickly making a sign with his hand for the operation to begin.


    Boom!! Clark initiated the battle, as a bullet quickly left the rifle. The bullet arrived at its destination in less than 2 seconds, accurately destroying the big cat¡¯s left eye. It hissed in pain as it glared up with its other eye in rage, while blood flowed down.


    He conveniently released another bullet, as it quickly flew off. He slightly expected to just get its other eye but was not too surprised as the panther shifted its head with extreme speed. The bullet scraped past its skin. Blood came from the shallow wound, as it finally charged forward in rage.


    Its speed was above his expectations. Combined with the rocky hills on the way, he could hardly see it. He still shot at it despite this; another bullet finally connected to its leg. It staggered a bit, but still bolted forward despite the pain it must be in.


    On seeing this, he quickly made some calculations as he left the sniper rifle behind. He rushed forward a little to the front of where his friend hid brandishing his dual automatic laser pistols.


    Due to the extreme speed, it was moving at, the panther was so near now that it directly faced him. He fearlessly unleashed hell on it, as the pistols sprayed red laser fire on its thick hide. It avoided being hit on its head, but the laser beams still sprayed at its hardened back flesh, inflicting shallow injuries on it.


    The big cat dived forward, baring its fangs at him. He already predicted this reaction, as he fell backward while still shooting at it. It suddenly clawed at his hands with increased speed, as it realized that it couldn¡¯t get to him due to the momentum it was moving with.


    He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hands as blood flowed freely from his hands. He dropped the pistol from that hand due to the pain. He forced the scream trying to escape from his mouth back, as he quickly got up.


    Fortunately, somebody got his back as Leo quickly leaped at the falling panther.


    With his sword in his right hand, one dagger on his left, he landed on the panther as he stabbed its neck with his sword. Steadying himself with the sword, he tried stabbing its head with the dagger repeatedly.


    Unfortunately for him, this panther was far more resilient to damage and intelligent than he thought. It moved and struggled hard despite the pain, as he was thrown off its back.


    He was caught off guard, as he bashed his head against a rock. It seemed the big cat finally recognized their strength as it suddenly hesitated on if to retreat.


    Its innate bloodthirstiness quickly overwhelmed its intelligence after hesitating for only 3 seconds. Despite all the pains it felt and the blood gushing from its neck. The panther persevered and tried to finish its opponent off with a bite to his neck, as it saw him dizzy.


    Luckily, Clark already recovered as he quickly unsheathed his sword slashing at it. The panther noticed as it jumped forward dodging the sword strike.


    It immediately turned around growling. He expected it¡¯s turning around as he threw a dagger at it, trying to get its other eye.


    The black panther realized late, but instinct kicked in as it reflexively clawed with its front limbs. It succeeded at its motive as the dagger¡¯s trajectory was altered, only slicing its face.


    Blood sprayed down, almost covering its whole head. It finally realized that its life was threatened as it bolted away at full speed, blurring Clark¡¯s vision.


    Instead of being sad about his prey escaping, Clark felt relieved as he suddenly discovered that his back was drenched with sweat. He finally remembered his friend, as he ran to him and helped him up.


    Leo was bleeding from his head as his partner helped him to the tent they made.


    Clark tied his friend¡¯s head with his shirt, as he told him to rest. Leo could finally relax his tense nerves, as he slept almost immediately due to tiredness.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± he sighed as he suddenly felt weak after recalling the fight. ¡°Jesus, just our first encounter and we almost died¡±, he exclaimed trepidatiously.


    He silently encouraged himself as he lied down to rest; ¡°you can do this Clark; I will later remember these experiences and smile one day. I hope so¡±. It sounded weird, but it was an impressive source of motivation to him.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 8: the spiky impaler formation

    Leo woke up and glanced around, ¡°where am I?¡± He asked while trying to stand up, which brought a wave of dizziness to him. This cleared up his brain a bit as he touched his head. He felt the itch from the cloth bandage, before recalling what happened.


    He sighed; ¡°it¡¯s already evening, I wonder where Clark went to". He soliloquized while glancing outside.


    During the construction of their make-shift residence, they both placed the rocks together to form something like a cave before all that happened- the exobeast encounter. He finally went outside to find his friend by a lump of fire-eating roasted meat.


    ¡°Ah!! Bro, you¡¯ve woken up, how¡¯s your head?¡± Clark asked casually as he munched on his meat.


    ¡°Clark..., I don¡¯t know. I still feel a little dizzy though¡±. Leo replied as he supported his head with his palm.


    ¡°Leo my guy, you¡¯re tougher than this. Come and eat roasted meat. I conveniently killed an antelope as you slept. It¡¯s delicious, come and eat¡±, Clark invited with a smile.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Leo replied moving forward, as he suddenly felt a wave of hunger wash over him. He ate voraciously, as the atmosphere between them freed up.


    ¡°Clark¡±, Leo abruptly called, as they ate.


    ¡°Yes, Leo what is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you think we can kill these exobeasts? I mean, you saw how the panther alone almost made short work of us,¡± he discretely glanced at his friend to see his expression as he asked this question.


    ¡°Yes man, don¡¯t kill yourself because of that one defeat. At least we¡¯ve known its style, we¡¯ll hunt it again tomorrow".


    "I think he¡¯s the king here. This is his territory, so I think it will still be around here. Cheer up brother, we¡¯ll kick its ass tomorrow. Just try your best to recover¡±.


    ¡°Ok..., thanks, Clark. I¡¯ll go and rest. Wake me up if a situation arises.¡± Leo left directly to rest.


    He sighed on the way, ¡°why did I even ask? This guy will forever remain the same, being confident all the time. This time, I don¡¯t know if he is being overly optimistic¡±, the short fight with the panther still gave him goosebumps.


    Clark just sat on a smooth rock watching the darkening sky, while in deep thought. ¡°Mom, Dad, I¡¯ll kill this panther. I and Leo will clear this training and I will be the best cadet this batch, I promise. Those Mocans who killed you, I¡¯ll kill a million of them to avenge you¡±.


    Sometimes declaring something confidently, can give you the required competence to reach your goal. Even the bible of his religion quoted that death and life are in the power of the tongue.


    He knew that he was somethings overly optimistic, but it helped a lot in building his confidence. If it helped the legendary footballer, Zlatan of old, then it can help him also. Sometimes, just having faith that you can do something can enable you to do it.


    ¡°Haha,¡± he laughed while wiping the teardrop threatening to fall from his eyes.


    ¡°I should improvise to make our situation better here,¡± his year''s training as a cadet was not in vain. At least, he knew how to improvise in some common difficult situations.


    He stood up and started gathering the nearby rocks. He remembered a defense structure that the Spartan military used in defending against major Mocan military raids and invasion attempts.


    He planned to make an imitation using rocks. The spiky Impaler formation used by the Spartan military uses exotic steel, shaped in the form of a lance or spear for the main material. The lances are then connected with exotic steel wires in a row.


    The exotic steel is made slightly elastic, to make the setting more flexible. After standing the spears, the soldiers tie a rope across the formation, to be used to drag the spears down with force.


    The highly durable rope keeps it in place, as a soldier with a sniper rifle is assigned to keep an eye on the rope. When the Mocan offensive proves to be stronger than expected, the leader or commander of that Spartan military division commands an orderly retreat.


    When they have retreated past where the formation of spears is hidden under the ground, the sniper quickly fires at the rope holding the hidden danger.


    Pa! Pandora¡¯s box is opened, as the spears are quickly released with huge force and momentum. Any Mocan soldier facing the spears has a guaranteed free pass to death, as the exotic spears can impale any soldier on armor facing it ruthlessly.


    The elite Spartan military hardly uses this formation, keeping it as a trump card. So, in major battles, the Mocan soldiers fighting are basically gambling with their life that the formation will not be used.


    This formation is not undefendable though, as this is not the age of formations but the age of exotics and technology.


    Military battles this age mostly revolve around who has better tech. Formations and all other add-ons are just compliments. But formations used in conjunction with high-grade tech are deadly. So, overall, it has its pros and cons.


    Anytime the spiky Impaler formation is used, the Spartan military almost always emerges victorious as they ride on the momentum provided by it to quickly defeat the opposing force.


    But this is mainly used in defensive battles. The main reason for the victories though, is that it is a formation used in conjunction with high-grade tech.


    ¡°I know I don¡¯t have access to all the materials the formation requires, but I¡¯ll improvise. Black Panther, be careful because you are about to get robbed¡±, Clark went to work as he chuckled darkly at the thought of his plan.


    He selected the slightly pointy ones from the rocks he picked. He sharpened their edge further with his dagger, as he slowly arranged the formation.


    He could only get 5 sharp-pointed rocks in the limited time he had. He quickly dug them down. He bent them down while connecting them together, using a makeshift rope from the branch of a tree he saw nearby.


    As a tree surviving in a mountainous area with countless rocks, it was only natural for its branches to be thick. He also used a branch from the tree as his rope, to drag the formation down with force. To his relief, there was no need to cover the formation as the makeshift spears were of the same color as the rocks.


    After everything, it was already getting late. So, he went inside their cave. He slightly covered the entrance to the cave with a rock before going in.


    He found Leo sleeping peacefully, he laughed softly to himself on seeing this. He knew that Leo only slept deep like that because he believed that his friend will surely protect his back during times like this.


    Controlling your sleep was basic fundamental military training, so they were both adept at it.


    ¡°Yeah bro, you can sleep all you like. But wake up strong tomorrow because we are going hunting.¡± He finally cleared space for himself in the cave to sleep.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 9: the 2nd exobeast

    Leonard Bane woke up to see the golden sun rays shining down on him, from the corners of the cave. He admired the rays a bit as his eyes cleared before he looked at his shadow reflection.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s 8:00 am already. Why didn¡¯t this piece of shit wake me up?¡± He cursed as he quickly got up, going outside the cave. There he saw Clark, diligent as always, doing push-ups.


    ¡°Diligent my ass, this guy only did his push-ups daily to keep his 6 packs, to impress girls. F**k,¡± he couldn¡¯t help but curse again, as the scene left a bad taste in his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, Leo you¡¯re already awake. "I thought you¡¯ll sleep like a log of dead wood for the rest of the day. Good morning plant.¡± Clark finally greeted his friend properly after his regular exchange of insult greeting.


    ¡°Clark, my head injury is healed, don¡¯t try me. If you call me a plant again, I swear I''ll skin you alive,¡± Leo retorted while gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Shit, Leo you¡¯re such an ungrateful bastard. I protected you throughout the night, already prepared morning meat for you, and a warning is the first thing you say in response to my greeting".


    "I''m better off throwing you to that exobeast as food, you are both kin from the same family, the same genus, the same species. No wonder you are just like a black panther.¡± Clark fired back, feigning anger.


    ¡°Oh, Clark that''s so thoughtful of you. You prepared meat for me. I¡¯ll get you a good wife after graduation, ok?"


    He quickly started digging into the meat. "Hmm, your roasted meat is delicious. Good morning Clark.¡±


    This time, Clark was completely left speechless as he gaped at his friend. ¡°What¡¯s the relationship between getting a wife and what we are talking about,¡± his brain could not relate.


    ¡°Leo, you¡¯ll never change. A shameless piece of shit, that¡¯s what you are.¡± He finally recollected himself, as he retorted back sharply. Leo just chuckled, ignoring him as he enjoyed the meat.


    ¡°Eat fast Leo, I¡¯m raring to go hunt and slay this exobeast. Jack is the giant slayer; I¡¯ll prove to you today that Clark is the exobeast slayer.¡± Clark said with slight excitement, as imaginations of himself beheading the black panther already started filling his head.


    ¡°I know Clark. You are hulk, ironman, and captain America altogether. Yeah, the exobeast slayer,¡± Leo praised sarcastically as he directed a thump up at his friend.


    ¡°Is that all you can say? Those characters from the ancient marvel cinematic universe, those are completely old school man¡±. Clark glared at his friend, accusing him with his eyes for comparing him with such ancient superheroes.


    He finally stood up after accusing to his fill, going over to eat a second round of meat. He finally relayed his plans to Leo, about the makeshift formation as they ate.


    ¡°Wow, Clark that¡¯s awesome. You¡¯re the one great with this kind of situation that requires thinking a lot,¡± Leo praised exaggeratedly.


    Clark beamed a little with pride on hearing this. He completely ignored the sarcasm in his friend¡¯s tone, as he explained his thoughts and plan to him on how the epic hunt will go.


    After eating they rested for about 30 minutes according to their rough estimate, before they both started preparation.


    Clark quickly set-up his sniper rifle, as he increased its range to the maximum. After experiencing how dangerous exobeasts are in close range, they opted for the safer option. He observed through the sniper, as they waited and watched patiently for any activity.


    They persevered like this, waiting for hours before they finally saw movement from the east through the sniper rifle. In the same direction, the black panther was spotted. Due to the dust created by whatever creature was coming, Clark''s visibility was impaired so he couldn¡¯t see the animal.


    Not long after the creature became clearer and to his surprise, the creature was the same exobeast from yesterday. ¡°It¡¯s the black panther,¡± he announced to Leo as his friend quickly came to see it.


    He was excited for a short time before immediately feeling despair, as he saw a second exobeast coming together with the panther. He cursed angrily on seeing this.


    He thought exobeasts were supposed to be prideful creatures with dignity as they have their territory. They normally don''t allow other exobeasts into their territory.


    This black panther was not so, it shamelessly called for help from a fellow exobeast.


    Leo saw it too as their expression quickly became grave. They steeled their mind to fight to the death as Leo unsheathed his sword. There was no need for him to hide as the intelligent predator already knew they were 2, they both prepared to face them head-on.


    Clark focused, as all distractions and sounds left his mind. Only 2 exobeasts to be killed remained, occupying his sea of consciousness. As his mood stabilized, he accurately and fluidly released a bullet from his sniper rifle.


    The panther turned its head swiftly as the bullet scraped its skin. It was just like it expected the bullet, but was not fast enough to avoid it entirely.


    What came as a relief to him was that he saw that yesterday''s injuries still affected the big cat, as it was slower and less agile than yesterday.


    After it dodged, he finally caught a glimpse at the other exobeast behind it. It was a huge leopard; it was slightly smaller than the black panther. He quickly informed Leo of his finding; his friend acknowledged by nodding solemnly as he was also completely focused on this clash.


    Clark released another 3 bullets at the leopard, it jerked from the impact but continued forward. 2 bullets connected to its right hind limb; the last bullet scraped its back as blood flowed from the injury.


    Both exobeasts ran behind a cliff which obstructed his view, so he decisively left the sniper. Exobeasts are easily recognized compared to other augmented animals, as they are bigger and are more ferocious looking. He unsheathed his sword while telling Leo about his discovery that both exobeasts strengths differed.


    They didn¡¯t wait long as the black panther leaped from behind a rock, appearing in their front. Their laser-powered pistols don¡¯t require bullets, so they unleashed hell on it as laser beams pelted its thick hide.


    As expected, it held strong despite the firepower. Even though the laser pistols provided to them are of the lowest grade, they can still pack a punch. This just describes how hard and thick the panther¡¯s skin is.


    They became quickly absolved in all the laser beams and the black panther that they forgot a very important detail, the leopard exobeast. They paid for that, as the leopard sped up from Clark¡¯s side unexpectedly. It was too fast; he was not fast enough to guard with his sword as he saw it clearly aiming for his head.


    Instinct kicked in as he ducked and tried rolling away. He dodged its deadly bite, but its claws were faster. It clawed at his face, giving him a deadly scar on his right cheek as he rolled back. He felt a sharp pang of pain as blood flowed. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he retreated. He yelled at Leo to retreat also.


    Despite the pain he was feeling, he grinned as the panther entered the formation¡¯s range. ¡°Your death is near,¡± he thought as he quickly pulled the trigger.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 10: the first exobeast kill

    Due to it being stretched very thin, the makeshift rope snapped in 2 with just one laser beam.


    BOOM!!! His hard work was finally put to use, as the handmade spears quickly sprang up. It was just an imitation, so the spears didn¡¯t have enough force to shoot off from the ground like the ones used by the Spartan army. But this was just the right force to inflict enough damage to the big cat.


    It seems like the panther sensed the danger, as it tried altering its jump trajectory but it was already too late. The spears ruthlessly impaled its exposed belly, it growled in rage and pain as its bowels and blood freely flowed out.


    Due to the force and momentum from the panther¡¯s moving speed, the spears conveniently cut it from where it impaled on its belly to its leg as one of the spears got stuck in its leg bone.


    Still refusing to underestimate it, Clark leaped at it as it fell, stabbing with his sword at its neck.


    More blood rained down as the panther struggled violently, but he steadied himself despite the shaking. He quickly stabbed its other undamaged eye with immaculate precision, successfully blinding both eyes. He stabbed with his other dagger repeatedly on its head, as he got bloodied all over from the blood spurting out.


    On Leo¡¯s side, after the Leopard gave Clark a scar, he bravely clashed with the exobeast as they quickly entered a bloody melee battle. He persevered as his injuries accumulated, while he tried injuring it also.


    He witnessed how the panther was caught in the formation, and how Clark dealt with it. So, he restrained himself a little, stalling by focusing on defense and waiting for his friend to finish the panther off so he could help him kill this troublesome leopard together.


    Not long later, the panther grew weak as it now barely clung to its life. As Clark saw how it was still alive but weak, he glanced towards Leo¡¯s battle. Seeing how bloodied his friend was, he decisively left the panther with his dagger stuck on it.


    Even though the leopard was weaker than the panther, it was still an exobeast. It was already impressive that Leo was able to hold on for so long without dying.


    He picked his sword up and sprinted forward to meet the leopard, the intelligent big cat tried to retreat immediately as it already saw its stronger companion dying. But its mistake was for it to not have retreated since. Leo sensed its attempt to retreat and did a reckless bash on it with his body.


    After the reckless charge, he immediately felt dizzy as he tried to remain sane while the leopard staggered towards his friend as it was obvious it didn¡¯t expect that.


    Clark thrust his sword forward with outstanding force, as the air parted to allow the sword to move faster. An exobeast is naturally a different beast entirely with inhuman instinct, as it displayed its insane battle reflexes.


    It clawed with its limbs despite its staggering posture while trying to bite at his head. He was surprised, but due to his increasing experience, he pulled back releasing a sideways swing at it with his sword.


    Pfft!! The sword connected accurately to its neck as blood rained down, it roared in pain as it fell. During all this, Leo was already clear-headed. He followed by jumping up as he smashed down with his sword at the wounded exobeast¡¯s neck.


    The leopard¡¯s head rolled away from its body, as it twitched on the ground. Both friends quickly turned to face the panther alertly after this, they were both relieved as they found that it already breathed its last breath.


    Pheew!! They both exhaled exaggeratedly in relief as they plopped down to the ground tiredly.


    Leo suddenly burst out in laughter as he roared, ¡°Clark we actually killed an exobeast. Not one, but two exobeasts,¡± he exclaimed with joy. He continued laughing as he felt a strong sense of joy and fulfillment engulf his heart. Clark couldn¡¯t help it; the joy was infectious as he also burst out laughing.


    So there, 2 bloodied friends lied, as they both vented their craziness without restraint.


    They rested like that for 30 minutes before they stood up to wash themselves up. They found a small water reservoir nearby, they rejoiced as they quickly washed themselves up. It didn¡¯t feel good being drenched in blood.


    ¡°Leo this will be my first time getting exobeast meat. I¡¯m really tired, let¡¯s eat before we tend to our injuries¡±, Clark suggested as they were both famished. That¡¯s exactly what they did, as they roasted the meat and ate to their satisfaction.


    To their surprise, they found that time was already around 4:00 pm, so they decided to rest and that¡¯s what they did.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 11: the persian tigers organization

    Clark woke up the next day feeling great. He dreamt of food during the night, the type that turns heads. He saw himself as an emperor as his maidservants served him lots of fruits, meats, snacks, and beverages.


    After waking up, he was disappointed as he didn¡¯t see any luxurious palace, no maidservants, but the now-familiar handmade small rocky cave he made with his friend.


    ¡°Oh man, my life¡¯s a complete disappointment,¡± he thought in resignation.


    "I wish I could be an emperor forever.¡± Most of his dreams always feel kind of blurry when he wakes up, but he still remembers the most essential parts.


    Since he was small, that was how he always had dreams on intervals. You know, sometimes, what you think and want is what you see in your dreams. It is backed by science, that you only dream of what you have seen once or you have imagined.


    So, if you imagine a lot, you¡¯ll surely dream a lot. He fell into this category of avid imaginers, so dreams pop out like beans to him during his sleep time.


    He stood up, suddenly feeling very hungry, ¡°where is Leo? Shit, we didn¡¯t eat before sleeping, no wonder I¡¯m feeling dizzy. No¡­, we ate meat,¡± he thought, as he crooked his head to the side.


    ¡°Hmmm, I guess eating meat is not proper food,¡± he grumbled.


    He touched his head as he still saw blood flowing from his cheek. ¡°This ruthless leopard exobeast, I¡¯m going to eat your meat today,¡± he said with indignation as he still felt bad for his slightly disfigured face.


    He comforted himself to help endure the pain and shame. ¡°All you could do was give me a facial scar. Hahaha, I killed you in return piece of shit, and I¡¯m going to eat you.¡± He soliloquized while moving to the cave entrance.


    He immediately stormed outside as he smelled the scent of roasted meat. ¡°Oh, Clark you are already awake?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°No, Leo, I¡¯m waiting for you. Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m still sleeping¡±, Clark retorted immediately.


    Leo laughed off the comment, as he invited his friend to eat. Yesterday when they washed with water, they also treated their injuries with an herb they recognized on the way.


    After seating down, Clark directly asked, ¡°which of this meat is from the leopard?¡±. His friend casually pointed at a lump of meat already roasted by the side.


    He grinned as he picked up the meat. He immediately started stuffing himself full of meat.


    After the eating session, they rested casually on a smooth rock surface, while conveniently tapping vitamin D from the sun. They brushed their teeth casually with chewing sticks which they cut from a nearby tree.


    Due to their injuries, they were clearly not fit enough to hunt other exobeasts for now. So they conveniently killed the augmented animals around for meat and as training targets.


    Their schedule became rest, hunt, eat, sleep, wake up and repeat the sequence. It felt like they were on a vacation instead of a life-threatening training program.


    They slowly polished their skills, as they grew further in strength and experience. This training was slowly building them both into qualified Spartan soldiers.


    As they followed their routine, they sometimes talked about the advanced technology part of their training during their leisure time which would be the final training that they¡¯ll have to go through.


    This final training will task them to infiltrate the local terrorist organization which opposes the Spartan republic. The terrorist organization who called themselves the Persian Tigers, believe in the ludicrous ideology that Sparta, the big 5, and all other countries are tyrants.


    They believe that they make use of soldiers as their cannon fodders, that the leaders sit in their luxurious offices while they, the soldiers kill each other for them. Their reasoning was sound, but the argument was ridiculous.


    Everyone knows that the big 5 are tyrants. But in this age, where strength speaks better than words and reason, that¡¯s just a load of crap.


    According to Clark¡¯s dad, actions speak louder than words. This phrase is the best to describe this era. The phrase would be more perfect if actions can be changed to fists.


    The government makes use of soldiers, yes, we know. If you don¡¯t want to be cannon fodder, work hard. Be a general, be a commander, and the reverse will be the case.


    The leaders of this terrorist organization brainwash the citizens of Sparta with this ideology to get members, in the fake promise of fighting for their freedom.


    They named themselves Persian tigers as a taunt to the Spartan government that they are Persians, that they will overwhelm them the way the Persians overwhelmed the 300 Spartan warriors in history.


    They''ve always been a pain in the ass to the Spartan government, as they steal prospective soldiers from them on a yearly basis. Even going as far as working together with the Mocan military at times to attack the Sparta republic.


    But they spread their hypocritic ideology only here in the Spartan republic, as they know that expanding from the republic now is biting more than they can chew. All the talks about the big 5 and the world being tyrants, they wisely keep it to themselves here in Spartan territory.


    They don¡¯t have one specific base as they frequently move from one place to another, always evading the Spartan military¡¯s surveillance. The military gets lucky at times, meeting one of their main camps. When they meet the terrorists, a bloody fight always erupts as their brainwashed soldiers do not listen to reason.


    The cadet''s final training every batch is to infiltrate a temporary Persian tigers side camp and kill as many terrorists as possible, the terrorists are all valued in points.


    A regular terrorist is worth 10 points, while a squad leader is worth 50 points. The cadet who is strong, skilled, and lucky enough to kill the overall leader of that base gets 100 points.


    Both friends discussed with anticipation and dread, as then they would finally be allowed to use standard military ammunition, armor, etc- during the last training. Leo talked in excitement as Clark replied, sometimes continuing from where his friend stopped.


    After arming themselves and checking their things, they finally left in the morning as they entered another phase in their journey of exobeast hunting.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 12: the third exobeast appears

    The 2 cadets journeyed for hours, as they intended to leave this mountainous region entirely.


    They tried to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible, as they possibly can¡¯t account for all the dangers in this region. They did not want to engage any beast horde now, exobeasts were their main focus.


    They rested sometimes on the way, as they conveniently ate from the meat, they packed on their bags to regain their energy.


    ¡°Shit, man I didn¡¯t know this rocky territory was this large. It¡¯s evening already, and we are yet to sight another terrain¡±, Leo grumbled in frustration.


    Clark chuckled at the way his friend grumbled, but he also felt helpless. ¡°I hope that we leave this area soon¡±, he muttered.


    They camped for the night to rest and continued their journey the next day. As they walked, Leo suddenly bumped his friend on the shoulders excitedly, almost making him fall from the applied force.


    Clark was about to complain, but he kept quiet as something else captured his attention. They started seeing a forest gradually appearing in insight.


    Despite the excitement they felt, they decided to be cautious as they decided to rest here for the night before going deep into the jungle tomorrow. After washing up, they slept at the corner of a nearby rock as they got prepped up for the next day''s hunt.


    Almost at the same time the next day, they both woke up feeling endless strength and dread for the day¡¯s journey. They both set off early before the day was fully lit up by the sun; as they moved, they referenced knowledge from their learning years about forest exobeasts.


    All exobeasts that have their territory in a forest, tend to have the mentality that only them the leader of the so-called territory are allowed to kill and hunt in large quantities.


    Any other strong augmented animal that tries to be a tyrant by killing in large numbers for sport, is seen as a challenger to the true tyrant of that territory. The exobeast quickly hunts and kills that animal to reinforce its image as the strongest in the territory.


    As the forest was too huge to find a single exobeast just by looking for it, they quickly decided to start massacring all animals on sight. This move will draw their opponent to them voluntarily.


    As they killed, they sometimes met strong opposition in the form of large mobs of augmented animals. But they always emerged victorious due to their increased experience and strength from the last few days.


    Their encounter with the 2 exobeasts in the mountainous region was more of a combination of luck and various other factors, as exobeasts were very hard to find.


    For the whole day, they spent their time killing animals, rest, eat, and killing animals again. The whole region they went through was left with a mark of blood;


    Clark was amazed as he excitedly discussed their improvement with his friend. This training was already bringing them tangible benefits, beyond the normal benefit of graduating.


    ¡°Leo, I didn¡¯t know that we¡¯ll improve this fast. During the first training session, I struggled to kill a single augmented cat. But in just a matter of days, I can now massacre a whole mob of augmented animals wielding only my sword and daggers¡±.


    ¡°This graduation training is really a transformation training, it¡¯s a baptism of blood.¡± he chattered away excitedly. His words were not without basis as compared to before, they were now countless times more proficient in battle.


    To their disappointment, no exobeast came throughout the day, but they were not impatient though.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a whole month¡±, Clark said. Maybe as a form of comfort, or encouragement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even think some groups have completed their first exobeast kill by now. We''re completely off the charts now," Leo added.


    After all their pointless conversations, they turned in for the night without worry. They did not need to worry as they knew that no augmented animal will have the guts to attack them unless an exobeast came, which was extremely unlikely that night.


    Because they were both killing the augmented animals for fun didn¡¯t reduce these beast¡¯s lethality and intelligence to lower-skilled cadets.


    They were just too strong now for them. All animals in the territory recognized their strength and wisely steered clear from them.


    The next day, they continued their routine of killing other animals as they advanced. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t have to wait too long as the third exobeast they¡¯ve encountered in this training showed up.


    It was a very massive and ferocious-looking ape. It roared, as it glared at them proudly while beating its chest repeatedly in an aggressive manner.


    Clark was surprised, as he gaped at the scene before them. Not at the exobeast, but at the huge company of apes, it brought to fight.


    ¡°Shit Leo, how can we be this unlucky?¡± He cursed bitterly while questioning without restraint.


    Exobeasts were divided into 2 categories in terms of their style of fighting. Most exobeasts naturally prefer going solo, as they are very proud creatures and they view all other creatures with contempt.


    But there were these peculiar exobeasts that prefer having their personal army. They recognized the strength in numbers, so they proactively rally other creatures to join their army, especially creatures of the same species.


    This ferocious-looking ape was clearly one of those peculiar exobeasts. ¡°How unlucky,¡± he grumbled, but still got ready for the fight.


    As he quietly grumbled to himself, Leo already launched himself into the formation of creatures. Splash!! Splash!! Blood sprinkled everywhere as he bulldozed his way in, skillfully killing a good number of the subordinate apes in less than 30 seconds.


    Clark didn¡¯t hesitate either, as he quickly started shooting with his laser-powered pistols. He kneeled beside the sniper rifle which he already set up.


    The exobeast quickly became irritated and enraged as it saw its subordinates get killed in its presence. The ape was augmented more towards defense, unlike the previous 2 exobeasts that were more or less all rounded.


    Due to its relatively average speed, Leo firmly controlled the tempo of the battle as he used its underlings as obstacles to avoid clashing with it head-on. As he fought, his friend conveniently shot down the apes in his range while also quickly finishing off those that managed to come near with his daggers.


    As they continued the slaughter, the intelligent exobeast finally realized that it was being led by the nose by these challengers.


    It roared in rage as its eyes grew red; the air suddenly became very tense and offensive as it directed his focus at one of the cadets while preparing energy for a charge.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Leo almost fainted as he suddenly felt goosebumps all over his body. His breath was practically seizing as he felt like he was placed in the butcher¡¯s board, awaiting his death. He quickly retreated without hesitation.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 13: the rage phenomenon

    Too late? Maybe¡­, the exobeast charged towards Leo, fully displaying its enhanced speed. As he ran, flashbacks quickly emerged in his head, as he recalled information about the rage phenomenon.


    Information is power, if you have information about your opponent, you are halfway to defeating him.


    The rage phenomenon is a state an exobeast enters after it gets agitated and angered to an extent. After this transformation, it receives a special surge of adrenaline. Which leads to a great increase in its strength, lethality, aggression, and a lot of other attributes.


    This phenomenon causes it to possess a special strength, in the form of pressure. The area around it produces great pressure which affects enemies psychologically. This hardly occurs, as it requires a lot of conditions to be met before it is activated.


    The pressure exerted by the exobeast increases exponentially due to this phenomenon, as it feels like the victim is placed in a sea of poisonous snakes, which affects concentration considerably.


    It is recorded that 5% of cadet¡¯s death in the graduation training comes as a result of cadets encountering this situation.


    Clark quickly realized the danger his friend was in, as he quickly retrieved the sniper rifle. 50 sniper bullets were provided to all groups for the training and he already used 10 bullets in the last exobeast battles. He quickly released 12 bullets in quick succession, as he accurately aimed at the exobeast''s eye.


    The ape brought its head down as it predicted it, the bullet flew past it harmlessly. It avoided any bullet hitting its eye, but tanked the rest bullets with its thick skin.


    Clark immediately became focused, as he freed himself of all distractions. Leo was fast but the exobeast was faster, their distance kept getting nearer as the exobeast¡¯s subordinates also charged forward in pursuit.


    All he saw at the moment was the exobeast, as he shot another 8 times consecutively. Poof!!! Blood flowed as the 8th bullet got its eye. It bellowed in rage as it glared with its other eye at him. His co-ordination has already improved considerably with Leo since the start of their training.


    Immediately after the bullet connected, the ape glared at him. Leo took hold of this lapse in concentration to release a powerful backward sword strike. Ding!!! The sword accurately connected to the ape¡¯s neck; blood flowed, but unfortunately for them, this exobeast was simply a tank.


    The injury was not too deep, so he decisively pulled back. To his surprise, the sword refused to move as it got stuck in its throat. The ape slammed down with both its hands-on him, as he still struggled to pull the sword out.


    He skillfully dodged the slam rolling backward, but this was not a tv show where the protagonist gets away stylishly. The shockwave alone from the slam hit his back, as he coughed out blood.


    He staggered backward, but still recovered as he immediately leaped further backward, his face pale. Cold sweat soaked his back, as he realized that he just brushed his teeth with death. But the ape was surely not going to allow him to rest, as it pulled the sword from its neck and threw it at him.


    He was caught off guard, so his reaction slowed considerably. He closed his eyes in resignation, as he failed to react in time. He reflexively raised his hands in a futile attempt to block the sword.


    Ding!!! Surprisingly, Clark was already there as he blocked with his sword. He was already on his way when his friend engaged the exobeast. His entrance was just like a superhero arriving at a desperate moment to save the day.


    But he didn¡¯t get relish in it for long, as the ape spoiled the mood by roaring at him in a rage with its awful voice. Its strong and deep vocal cords enhanced the sound it made, as the air visibly distorted from the extreme sound.


    After the clash, he skillfully caught the free-falling sword, threw it to Leo as he re-engaged the ape. This engagement clearly indicated his genius and how fast he improved over the last few days.


    Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! He bravely fought with the exobeast, and surprisingly the beast was forced to stop its offensive as it defended with its fists passively. Its subordinates finally arrived, as 3 apes quickly lunged at him.


    He didn¡¯t even look, as he stabbed 3 times to the side swiftly before ending the combo with a huge slash at the exobeast, which it defended against with its fists.


    Leo gaped in astonishment at how his friend suppressed the exobeast, conveniently squashing 3 subordinate ape¡¯s brains in the process also. The 3 attacking subordinate apes died, each from a stab to its brain.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh, as he wondered, ¡°this guy is this strong now. He has been hiding his real improvement¡±. To be precise, it was better to say not hiding his strength but that the situation simply didn¡¯t call for it.


    ¡°I still have a long way to go¡±, he silently muttered as he re-entered the battle. As they both fought the exobeast, its underlings died in droves as it constantly grew angrier the more it fought.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 14: a battle of attrition

    Even though they both suppressed the exobeast, the ape was still a bonafide tank tyrant as its injuries accumulated extremely slowly.


    The fight turned into a battle of endurance, as they both killed all the primate''s subordinates but it still fought aggressively. The ape sometimes pulled unexpected maneuvers, but they scaled through, persevering and adapting due to their increased battle experience.


    Clark never felt this good in a battle. During the battle, as he continued exchanging blows with the exobeast, he felt like this is what he should be doing. It felt absurd and stupid, but he felt that this was his calling.


    ¡°I was born to fight, to dominate and bring glory to my country¡±, he muttered in excitement as his inner battle spirit took over.


    His current mood is similar to when you are doing something you love with passion; adrenaline was currently overflowing in his blood in waves.


    The surroundings of the battlefield became dyed red with blood, as exhaustion started hitting them hard. But this thick-skinned beast of an ape, shamelessly refused to give up as it kept fighting, abusing its thick skin.


    The fight reached an extent where they both started rotating. One of them will retreat a little to rest, attacking with his laser pistols, while the other continues the bloody melee.


    This time, their battle potential was drawn out to the extreme. This was the ideal opponent to test, know your limits, and break your limits.


    The ape fought to an extent in its bloodied state where its mind became muddled. The only thing still carrying it on was brainless stubbornness and instinct, as it swung its fists back and forth repeatedly.


    It was already evening but they still fought like mad. The ape was already bleeding all over its body, from every orifice. Despite the exhaustion they felt, they just suffered from some superficial injuries as their already maturing experience enabled them to avoid countless injuries.


    They were dyed mostly from the blood of the exobeast and its underlings, which showed how much they¡¯ve both improved compared to their last fight with exobeasts.


    This ape was a stronger and more heavily augmented exobeast compared to the black panther and leopard. Lasting this long despite fighting their more experienced and stronger self, was already an indication of its strength.


    Not long after, the exobeast¡¯s right leg was cut off as this disadvantaged it further. They both quickly increased their offensive in tacit understanding, as they continuously hacked with their sword at the thick-skinned ape.


    The exobeast finally gave up the ghost, after persevering for over 6 hours. As soon as the exobeast fell dead, they just dropped to the ground like salted fish from exhaustion, as they sighed in relief.


    Despite the situation being in their favor, any slight mistake would have resulted in their death. And they feared that they¡¯ll die from exhaustion before the exobeast even died from its countless injuries.


    Fortunately, the winds blew to their favor as they secured a kill in the most dangerous battle they¡¯ve ever had in their life.


    ¡°Clark, we did it¡±. Leo muttered silently as he rolled on the ground.


    ¡°Thank God, I thought we were going to die¡±, he continued while gasping for breath.


    Clark just smiled in reply, as he was just too exhausted to even talk. Even the smile on his face was a strained one due to the exhaustion.


    According to their estimate, they lied there in the pool of blood for over 30 minutes before Leo suggested that they find a place to rest properly. They stood up, picked their swords as they tiredly searched around for somewhere slightly comfortable to sleep.


    They quickly found a huge tree to their right as they directly went under it, plopped down, and slept.


    They didn¡¯t even bother to clean their bloodied body and clothes, they simply slept with them. That night, the whole jungle was strangely silent as all creatures in the jungle marked them with the fatally dangerous tag.


    The ape exobeast only controlled a part of the forest as its territory, but it was still undoubtedly the strongest exobeast in the whole jungle. Its death led to a lot of upheavals by the intelligent augmented animals, as they vied for who to claim all the now ownerless territory.


    Blood rained that night, as a new leader took over the territory temporarily before another exobeast comes to take it.


    That night, Clark¡¯s imaginations prevailed again as he dreamt of himself being the king of Camelot. He led his army, wielding the legendary sword ¡°Excalibur,¡± as he invaded and conquered all nearby kingdoms.


    He challenged the legendary dragons, as he extinguished their race. ¡°Oh, what a dream! I wish I could just stay there forever,¡± he muttered in his sleep, as he turned on the ground to get a more comfortable sleeping position.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 15: an unexpected breakthrough

    Clark woke up very early the next day feeling refreshed and energized, the only inconvenience was the heavy smell of blood.


    He wasn¡¯t too irritated though, as part of their cadet training was a period when they get very close to blood and sleep in a vicinity covered with blood to get used to it.


    This was to allow them to adapt to situations that proved dangerous, tedious, and intolerable to others. In the future, when they encounter a situation where they see themselves in bloody areas, this training can come in handy. He coped very well, as he didn¡¯t puke because of the smell.


    Even though he woke up energized, he was still resentful as he preferred dwelling in his dream than to be in this smelly place, under a huge tree, in the middle of nowhere.


    ¡°Shit man, life is not fair at all. It¡¯s just like a transition from the palace to pit¡±, he grumbled.


    As he cursed under his breath, he began noticing some changes in his body. He felt like he was always half-dead before, but now he was given life in abundance. He felt like he was blind before, but now he could see.


    He noticed an increase in his perception. He could see sharper, concentrate harder, and he felt like he also increased in physique and strength.


    ¡°Wait, is this what I think it is? I can¡¯t believe it, I broke my limits; I had a breakthrough,¡± he suddenly blurted out in joy.


    As he relished in his joy, he suddenly felt wind blow by his ears as he felt something cold on his neck. He almost fainted in shock as he quickly yelled, ¡°it¡¯s me, Leo. Leo, it¡¯s Clark.¡±


    The dagger was slowly withdrawn, as Leo rubbed his eyes in astonishment. He awkwardly laughed and apologized, on seeing the situation that he placed his friend in.


    ¡°Sorry Clark, I didn¡¯t know what came over me. It''s just, I drew the dagger subconsciously¡±.


    ¡°I felt like drawing the dagger was the right thing to do, it¡¯s just like instinct and I feel weird man. I keep having the feeling that I improved considerably overnight, I feel like I can knock you out with one punch. It feels stupid Clark, but that¡¯s really how I feel.¡±


    ¡°Wow". Clark gaped at his friend incredulously as he blurted out, ¡°we both had a breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°What!!? Clark you mean that¡­, yeah right. I think it¡¯s a breakthrough, I feel stronger than ever before. No wonder".


    Leo suddenly jumped in excitement, ¡°we actually fulfilled the requirements, we broke our limits, Clark. I think it¡¯s a result of the yesterday legendary battle between the great Leo and the exobeast.¡±


    Clark rolled his eyes at his friend, ¡°so you thought it¡¯s because you slept like a plant?¡± He sarcastically replied with a question.


    According to their knowledge from what they learned; a breakthrough is a phenomenon whereby an excellent soldier breaks his/her limits through battle, especially a fast-paced battle of high intensity.


    The theory behind it is just like the way weight lifters continuously strain their muscles by carrying very heavyweights. The weak muscle fibers in their hands break, while new and stronger ones develop to replace the old ones.


    A breakthrough is like they sapped their body of every single ounce of strength. Every single juice, as they fought with their life on the line.


    As a result, or better still a reward for their hard work, they broke their limits as they stepped into a new phase of existence entirely. A cadet who already had his first breakthrough can fight and defeat 10 ordinary cadets.


    A breakthrough brings a very huge leap in strength, and all sergeants are soldiers with one breakthrough already under their belt. In this age where strength is the most effective word, breaking through is what guarantees a soldier¡¯s rise through the military ranks.


    The 2 friends felt dizzy with joy, as this directly gave them a free pass to becoming sergeants straight after graduation.


    After rejoicing for who knew how long, they finally realized that they were still smelling and were very much still bloodied all over.


    They awkwardly stopped their rejoicing in tacit understanding; they went to a nearby water reservoir they encountered on the way and washed up.


    Due to their increased strength, they were no longer under pressure like before. They leisurely stripped and had a bath in the forest, which they needed terribly. They washed their clothes with the water and spread them on the grass, to allow the sun to dry them up.


    They relaxed on the grass leisurely as they talked about their already many experiences.


    No exobeast nor augmented animal dared to get near them again, as they ate their stored food, slept, and enjoyed the whole day as a vacation from their rigorous journey and battles.


    The next day, they dressed up with swag as they blatantly moved around the forest, searching for the other exobeasts.


    Unlike the previous exobeast, the remaining exobeast avoided them like the plague despite how many augmented animals they killed. They were able to detect that there was more than 1 exobeast in the forest, from its size and some other calculations.


    They searched for a whole week without results, as they later discovered that the forest was too big to house only two exobeasts. They found out that 2 exobeasts were remaining in the forest but they both kept on hiding.


    After another 2 days of searching, they found the 2nd exobeast. They fought it, killing it without any suspense but it ground at their energy as it only thought of running and escaping.


    They fought and pursued it for a long time, before finally killing it. They decided to turn in for the day, as they felt exhausted from the day-long pursuit.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 16: the night rakshasha

    Rustle!! Rustle!! The leaves swayed to the rhythm of the night, as the wind blew in the silent darkness.


    As the leaves swayed, a pair of eyes watched from the darkness as the moonlight reflected the glow of the eye. The owner of these eyes slowly moved silently to where the two cadets slept.


    During that time of the night, Clark and Leo were both already fast asleep, unaware of the danger sneaking close.


    After getting close enough to see the new tyrants of the jungle, a cold glint flashed past the eyes of the black creature as its muscles contracted to prepare for a ruthless charge.


    It was a Night Rakshasha, a black creature that evolved from the union between a black panther and a tiger.


    A Night Rakshasha that evolved to become an exobeast is augmented towards extreme speed. They can fight with their four limbs down like a normal animal, and they can also fight while standing only with their two hind limbs like a human being.


    They are nightmares, to any soldier that encounters them in the wild at night. They move and hunt only at night, hence their name, as they see better and fight better at night.


    As they both slept, Clark¡¯s face twitched at intervals as his danger instincts were already screaming in alarm. Despite this, the sleepy side of his brain still dominated as he enjoyed his sleep.


    Boom!!! The Rakshasha suddenly moved forward with astonishing speed, as its figure blurred reaching him in an instant. It clawed with its sharp nails, as all the alarm bells in his head screamed danger.


    Leo also finally felt the danger, as he woke up while hastily rolling away. Unfortunately for Clark, he was the Night Rakshasha¡¯s first target.


    He was fast, but the Night Rakshasha was faster as its claws ripped a good portion of flesh from his cheek. Blood flowed freely as the other side of his handsome face, was given another scar.


    He endured the pain while gritting his teeth, as the pain finally made him wide awake. He quickly threw a dagger at the exobeast, but the Rakshasha was too fast as it swatted the dagger away like it was just a mischievous bug, but not a deadly dagger.


    Already understanding the situation, Leo jumped as he cut down with his sword with great strength. The Rakshasha dodged, but he quickly followed with a fast sideways slash.


    Swish!! Blood flowed as the sword connected, the Rakshasha quickly retreated after receiving the injury. Clark finally turned to look at his friend and sighed in relief. "Thank God I have such a reliable buddy¡±.


    He didn¡¯t get to soliloquize for long, as to his surprise the Rakshasha bolted again to his side with speed.


    He was surprised but he still reacted fast, experience already thought him to never let his guard down. He ought to confirm first that the battle is over before relaxing.


    He swiftly cut ruthlessly with his sword backward, with sufficient momentum to make maximum impact. Vroom!! The air vibrated as he missed, the Rakshasha dodged at the last minute by bending down. But this didn¡¯t stop its offensive as it continued towards him.


    Unlike the hybrid exobeast, he as a human couldn¡¯t see clearly in the night. But the unique glow of its eye was very glaring, which kind of acted as a beacon of light in the darkness.


    He already calculated for a scenario like this though, as he did a backflip and threw his other dagger forward in midair. The Rakshasha didn¡¯t expect this and reacted late, as his dagger dug into its left eye.


    It hissed in pain and tried retreating, but Leo was already here. He quickly engaged the Rakshasha, as the exobeast quickly became suppressed. But surprisingly, it held on.


    Clark joined the fight, as they engaged in a bloody melee. The Night Rakshasha was an extremely fast exobeast as it dodged most of their blows, receiving only shallow wounds. But still, it couldn¡¯t attack them again either as it passively defended.


    Despite having only one eye now, it held on as it looked for a means of escape. They thought the ape was the strongest exobeast in this forest, but they were proved wrong by this Night Rakshasha as it fended all their blows.


    After hours of exchanging blows, it finally found an opening and it decisively slipped away, escaping.


    Clark yelled at it in rage as it ran, he almost cried. ¡°Why is it that it¡¯s only me you exobeasts know to attack the most, and only my handsome face you like disfiguring?¡± He grumbled in rage; despite the pain, he was currently feeling.


    Leo comforted him; ¡°you know. Clark, right now you are the stronger one between the both of us, so they¡¯ll want to exterminate the strongest quickly to make the fight easier¡±.


    Clark rolled his eyes at his friend¡¯s ridiculous words of comfort. He didn¡¯t know if his friend was right, but it definitely didn¡¯t feel good being the first target.


    That night they were still spooked, so they refused to sleep again as they ended up doing a night watch. Forget about how they suppressed the exobeast after composing themselves, this one was not your regular evolved beast. An exobeast that favors assassination is far deadlier than your regular ones.


    A death you didn¡¯t know how it came about, was the most terrifying one to soldiers. A beast like the Night Rakshasha can sneak on you and kill you, without as much as a struggle from you.


    They silently thanked their lucky stars, as they thought, ¡°the moon saved us tonight¡±.


    If they fought with-ought the moon to provide slight visibility, there would have been an eighty percent chance that they died from the encounter.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 17: the battle finale

    The sun slowly rose from the east, as the two cadets still stayed alert with bloodshot eyes. They carefully watched their surroundings for any threat.


    After the sun fully rose, they finally relaxed their tense nerves a little as they knew that Night Rakshashas were nocturnal animals. As they watched, fatigue eventually overwhelmed their cautiousness, making them both fell asleep.


    ...


    Leo woke up around the afternoon. He sighed as he saw his friend¡¯s injured and bloody face. He drew nearer to wake him up, as he knew that staying further in the forest was no longer a good idea.


    It was not a pleasant experience, but Clark still forced himself to wake up.


    ¡°Leo, you¡¯re already awake?¡± He asked, as he forcibly cleared his sleepy head.


    ¡°Yes, bro. Let¡¯s wash up and leave this forest for good,¡± Leo answered. Clark agreed without a word of objection, as the battle still gave him goosebumps.


    During their vigil session, they both already decided to leave the forest to hunt other exobeasts elsewhere as the Night Rakshasha was a freak. The pressure from it alone prevented them from sleeping at night, which was torturous.


    After packing everything into their bags, they embarked on another journey to leave the forest. They traveled for the remaining parts of the day.


    During the night, they divided the vigil between themselves. Leo will stay awake during the early hours of the night, while his friend slept. Then Clark will later wake up to continue the vigil for the remaining last hours before daybreak, while Leo sleeps.


    They could have employed better methods that they knew from their training to guard against the exobeast. But, having not slept well for more than a day after having 2 back-to-back fierce battles, they were too exhausted to employ better-sophisticated methods.


    They used this clumsy rotation method, as they traveled for 2 days without stop. Even though they had a breakthrough, it was still very hard to persevere under so much pressure.


    Hell finally broke loose on the third night, as Leo stayed awake during the early hours of the night. After a long day of non-stop traveling, not sleeping again at night was the greatest torture that they have ever encountered.


    As he did the vigil, his figure swayed gently with the tree leaves as the wind blew. He was fighting a great battle between sleep and staying awake, as he almost dropped down numerous times.


    The Night Rakshasha is a very patient and intelligent exobeast. It waited for the pressure to slowly accumulate in them for the past few days, bringing them more fatigue.


    It selected today as the finale of their encounter, as it figured that the two boys would be very exhausted by now. It harbored a great grudge against them due to the eye it lost to them, so it never thought of allowing them to leave its territory alive.


    It went on the hunt today as its instincts told it that the time was right.


    Night Rakshashas have a unique strength of smell and detection, as they can track any of their rivals or prey miles away. This ability was a very practical one in battles that requires tracking your opponent, without them finding you.


    As Leo struggled with sleep, he suddenly stiffened as he felt a familiar feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. He was confused at first but he quickly searched through his brain for any reference. He suddenly gasped in his mind. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s the Rakshasha,¡± he thought, astonished.


    He figured that it was probably watching them right now. He felt a chill go down his spine when the thought of a pair of eyes watching them from the dark, surfaced in his mind.


    He worried about how he would alert the sleeping Clark so that they could maybe mount a sneak attack on it. He forced himself to sway the way he was doing before he felt the big beast''s presence, as he secretly glanced at his friend¡¯s position.


    To his surprise, his friend''s eyes were already wide open. Clark''s eyes shone slightly under the glow of the moonlight. ¡°How could I ever forget the presence of this son of a bitch¡±, he thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely eat a barbequed meat from you after your death¡±, he silently muttered in hatred as a vicious glint flashed through his eyes.


    The unsuspecting Night Rakshasha moved closer silently, with practiced fluid movements. Seeing this, you will directly know that this guy has probably sneaked on other exobeasts countless times, killing them which led to this much confidence and experience in its stuff.


    Both cadets frequently glanced behind each other, as they both cleared their thoughts of every distraction. All their focus was on stealthily finding the exobeast¡¯s location and sneak attacking it, without it being aware.


    Clark found it first, it was behind his friend as it silently inched closer without making any sound. It was completely focused on Leo, as it probably felt that its other opponent was fast asleep, due to exhaustion.


    Yes, they were exhausted, but it failed to add in its calculations that it was facing 2 cadets who already had their first breakthrough. This was probably it¡¯s first-time meeting humans who already broke through, and may possibly be it''s last.


    Clark secretly blinked at his friend; they didn¡¯t need words, Leo understood immediately as they got prepared.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead today sneaky bastard¡±, he swore inwardly, as he saw it drawing nearer.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 18: the death of the terror of the night

    Swoosh!! The Night Rakshasha moved with its usual breakneck speed, as it suddenly closed in rapidly.


    Not even thinking first, Leo quickly turned around while swiftly unsheathing his sword, as he unleashed a tyrannical backward slash with the maximum speed that he could muster.


    The big cat''s confident movements faltered a bit, as it was certainly caught unprepared. It widened its eyes in shock, it didn¡¯t know how these weak humans still got the endurance to be so alert and fight back.


    Despite being shocked it still reflexively retreated, but it was a little too late. The sword still connected cutting a bloody wound across its chest. Before it could recover its composure, it suddenly hissed loudly again in pain as it received another blow to its belly.


    Its belly was exposed, as it preferred fighting while standing upright like a human. This blow was not from Leo, but from Clark as his friend was simply not that fast.


    The moment Leo attacked, he also quickly stood up and dived at the Night Rakshasha in a precisely calculated trajectory. He unsheathed his sword and stabbed at its belly with speed.


    His reasoning can be summarized as, ¡°you¡¯re good at speed and average in defense. Ok, we¡¯ll just kill you with your most famed strength, SPEED¡±.


    The Night Rakshasha was so preoccupied with dodging its first opponent''s strike, that it didn¡¯t notice the other threat. It yelped in pain as Clark ruthlessly pulled out the sword while getting ready for another attack.


    This time, it was extremely intimidated by the two swift strikes that dealt it serious injuries. During its short but eventful life, it could not remember when last it was this injured.


    It tried to retreat, but will the 2 cadets allow that? ¡°Dream on, after pressuring us for 3 days you later came to fight again but you have the guts to contemplate retreating after only 2 strikes.¡±


    Clark cut its escape path off, as he joined his friend. They unleashed a flurry of cuts, strikes, and swings at the nocturnal exobeast with their sword. The exobeast was extremely intimidated but instinct kicked in.


    It retaliated aggressively with its flurry of hacks, claws, and bites, as it suddenly felt ashamed of its decision to retreat.


    It retaliated in a way that screamed, ¡°if you think because you are stronger than me, I¡¯ll beg you to give me a swift death. You¡¯re mistaken, f*** you¡±.


    The 2 cadets were slightly startled due to its brainless offensive, but they just shrugged it off and increased the frequency of their blows.


    Unsurprisingly, despite its aggressive counterattack, it failed to land a single blow on either of them. But its injuries continued to increase at a worrisome rate, as it started feeling dizzy and seeing double.


    As already previously explained, the Night Rakshasha is a stealth-oriented exobeast. Calling it an assassin, was the best to describe its combat style. It was never an exobeast that favored direct combat, the 2 friends knew this as they firmly grabbed at the opportunity, not giving it any chance at escape.


    The fight continued for over 30 minutes that way, as the big cat refused to die without even inflicting one injury on its oppressors. It fought like never before but still failed to land a blow on the two humans. It felt more humiliated and regretful as the fight continued.


    It was the infamous terror of the night that ruled over the whole forest. Other exobeasts cower in fear, at the sight of its unique fur alone. Augmented animals die from fear at the mention of its name, but these two humans want to toy with it to its death.


    Roar!! It roared in rage and humiliation as it thought, ¡°even if I die today, my pride and reputation will not die also¡±. At times, even animals had dignity and a reputation to uphold.


    The Night Rakshasha suddenly left its defense, as it charged forward with a reckless burst of power. It must preserve its pride even if it dies. Then, who did it attack with its last burst of power?


    ¡°F**k man!!¡± Clark blurted out in rage and shock. ¡°Am I the only one fighting you?¡±


    Why is it that all exobeasts always use their last burst of energy on him? ¡°Am I this unlucky?¡± he sighed in resignation, as he quickly prepared his defense.


    Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! Swish!! After 3 consecutive rapid claw attacks, it finally succeeded in one of its attacks connecting.


    Clark hissed in pain, as blood flowed from his hands. The Night Rakshasha clawed him on his hands but paid for it with its life, as Leo used this window of opportunity to remove its head.


    Splurt!! Splurt!! Blood sprayed and splashed everywhere as the exobeast, the Night Rakshasha, the terror of the night died with dignity.


    After the battle, the 2 victorious cadets sat down in exhaustion as Leo burst out laughing at his friend. He had more than enough reason to laugh, as they killed the infamous Night Rakshasha. And more importantly of how unlucky his friend was.


    Apart from when he hit his head against a rock, he hadn¡¯t suffered any other significant injuries. But Clark during this same time had conveniently received a pair of tribal marks on both cheeks, as well as the deep claw injury now on his hands inflicted by the Night Rakshasha.


    He felt glum throughout, as his friend helped him tie his injury up with his cloth. They finally decided to sleep after Leo got tired of all his grumblings.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 19: continuous exobeast kills

    They slept for the rest of the night peacefully, without any pressure. Clark dreamt that night of himself becoming the ruler of the whole world. Everything felt blurry to him, but he captured that all the presidents became his subordinates, as the world prospered under his rule.


    He aspired to break King Solomon¡¯s record in the bible, of having the most wives and concubines in history, and that¡¯s exactly what he did.


    All the Presidents provided the most beautiful maidens from their countries to him, as he selected 2000 from the maidens. He directly broke Solomon¡¯s record, even doubling it.


    ¡­


    He finally woke up, feeling weird and puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s me, I don¡¯t run after skirts. I guess staying with Leo influenced my sweet dream, adding the ridiculous wives¡¯ part to it¡±.


    ¡°Where¡¯s that piece of shit?¡± He cursed, turned around, and saw his friend by the side, already eating the roasted meat of the Night Rakshasha.


    ¡°Gulp¡­,¡± he suddenly felt hungry on seeing this. He swallowed, as he got up to meet his bosom friend.


    ¡°Good morning Clark. I heard you muttering something about me influencing your dreams negatively. So, as a good friend, I decided to not interfere in your problems again bro.


    This roasted meat is mine, don¡¯t worry your raw meat is there,¡± Leo pointed at a corner. He started the morning with this ridiculous conversation, as soon as his friend came out.


    Clark glanced at the corner. Seeing the stored raw meat of the Night Rakshasha, his eyes twitched slightly as he resisted the impulse to curse and fight with his friend on the spot.


    ¡°What the hell do I do with this bunch of raw meat? Hmmm, calm down, calm down.¡± He soothed himself inwardly. Arguing will only delay the time he was supposed to use to be eating, he comforted himself.


    He calmly walked to his friend as he replied, ¡°Oh, Leo you¡¯re still so funny and attentive¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that ridiculous side of me bro, we¡¯ve passed that stage in our friendship. We¡¯re buddies, don¡¯t you know? Partners in crime, that¡¯s what we are. You know what I mean.¡±


    As he chattered on, he already sat next to his friend as he started wolfing down the meat without hesitation. Leo only glanced at him with a profound smile planted on his face, before ignoring him as they continued their feast.


    After eating, they went to a nearby water reservoir to wash themselves up and their clothes. They relaxed for the whole day to clear their mind of the harrowing encounters over the last few weeks.


    They mentally rejoiced, as they''ve succeeded in registering their 4th exobeast kill in less than a month. The day quickly went on without any peculiar happenings nor encounters.


    ...


    The next day, they continued their journey to leave the forest to other territories with exobeasts. They traveled for 3 days uneventfully before they finally reached another territory, a savannah grassland.


    They were already experienced in entering new territories, so they quickly adapted as they started looking around for their new prey.


    They searched for more than two weeks before they encountered the exobeast lording this part of the grassland. The fight was without suspense, as they boxed in their 5th exobeast kill.


    They searched for another week before they discovered and killed the other exobeast ruler of the savannah grassland, getting their 6th exobeast kill.


    Compared to other groups, their kill rate and speed were simply out of this world. They spread terror in every territory they passed, as they continued their travels.


    Their next location was another forest, but it was far smaller than the forest where they killed the Night Rakshasha. The Night Rakshasha was, without doubt, the strongest exobeast they¡¯ve encountered. They finally met their last exobeast, as time was almost up. This time, their opponent was a Boa constrictor.


    This was the only exobeast that came close to the Night Rakshasha in strength, apart from the ape. It only caused them slight troubles before it was killed, netting them their 7th exobeast kill.


    The 2nd phase of training was finally over as they waited to be picked up. They both experienced a lot from this training, they came back entirely different cadets compared to 2 months ago.


    If 2 months ago, they were just noobies in terms of battle experience. Now, they were veterans with rich battle experience. They were not at the peak yet; it was still a long way to go. But they were now among the upper ranks of soldiers.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 20: the 2nd phase training ends

    Not too long later, the legendary warship ¡°The Megalodon¡± finally arrived as it deactivated its stealth systems, becoming visible. It lowered ropes to the cadets, as they both quickly climbed the ropes and entered inside.


    Sergeant Modric personally welcomed the cadets, as he stood, waiting at the hatch. He was surprised, as he felt a familiar presence from the both of them.


    ¡°You both had a breakthrough,¡± he asked. They nodded without hesitation, as they saluted him. They had no reason trying to hide their breakthrough in strength, the republic always welcomed high-grade soldiers with open arms.


    ¡°Good morning Sergeant,¡± they finally greeted.


    The sergeant smiled as he responded, ¡°good morning sergeants to be¡±.


    He immediately changed the way he addressed them; He dropped all airs, as he spoke casually with them like equals as they went deeper into the airship.


    After the hatch closed, the warship quickly rose higher and picked up speed, leaving immediately.


    They were not too surprised when they learned that Anderson also had a breakthrough. Only 3 of them achieved a breakthrough from this batch, which was already outstanding as in some batches only 1 cadet achieved a breakthrough.


    After picking up the rest survivors, the warship accelerated as it flew to base. After the A. I of the warship did a headcount, it was discovered that 60 cadets died in this training.


    The rest cadets didn¡¯t feel much pity towards their fallen comrades as they all knew the danger they were signing for, before participating. Now, only 220 cadets were still left alive.


    The advanced technology training was not compulsory. Cadets that are afraid, have the choice of deciding not to participate. The only penalty was their inability to become bonafide Spartan soldiers.


    After the rest cadets graduate to become soldiers, these cadets graduate to become semi-soldiers.


    They are not treated as real soldiers, as their job after graduation is to serve the real soldiers in their different military divisions. Their work is to oil and to maintain the military ammunitions for the soldiers, and they serve as errand boys to the soldiers in the military division they apply to.


    Despite the scorn, such soldiers receive for being cowards, their pay is still higher than any average civilian receives, except those in the medical sector.


    Before, they were 464 cadets in this base. 164 refused to participate, opting to graduate as semi-soldiers instead, which left only 300 cadets for the training.


    ...


    It wasn¡¯t even 10 minutes since they departed when they arrived at the military base. After coming down, they moved orderly to the parade ground where the Captain was already waiting. Captain Spoky puffed out smoke, as he slowly removed the cigarette on his lips.


    They all greeted immediately on seeing the Captain, ¡°good morning captain¡±.


    ¡°Good morning kids. I can see that this batch is something,¡± he praised.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed that 220 cadets survived, and 3 had a breakthrough. That¡¯s countless times better than the last batch. Congratulation¡¯s cadets, you have 2 days to rest before the last training commences¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get complacent yet, the last phase is the hardest phase of this training. The government provided 1000 Spartan credits to all survivors and an additional 2000 credits to all cadets who broke through¡±.


    ¡°Go to Sergeant Hank¡¯s office later to get your money. Enjoy yourself for these 2 days, in preparation for passing the last hurdle blocking your path to graduation¡±.


    The cadets saluted and left orderly to their various rooms in relief and joy, not forgetting to take their cash rewards before going.


    Clark decided to go to Leo¡¯s room, as they had their first proper bath with soap and clean water in 2 months. After they had their bath, Leo cooked and they ate normal food after 2 months of only eating meat and the occasional fruits they found on the way.


    They relaxed, watched a movie, and slept for the rest of the day. This was a luxury that they were not going to waste. They utilized it to its full potential by sleeping for the rest of the day, into the night, and to the next day.


    According to Clark, every life is an adventure, live yours to its fullest and that¡¯s exactly what they were doing. If you don¡¯t live your everyday life to the fullest fruitfully, one day, you¡¯ll regret on your death bed for the decisions you made.


    Naturally, they both didn¡¯t want to regret their decisions, that¡¯s the reason they worked so hard to become exceptional soldiers.


    But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. During times of rest, they will not use it for work and training. There is a time to train, a time to be work, and a time to rest.


    ...


    Surprisingly, the next day, Anderson visited them for the first time since they started the cadet training course. He told them that he didn¡¯t expect they would breakthrough.


    He also congratulated them, asked for their number, and suggested that they stick closer together as they were the only cadets who broke through from this batch.


    Clark replied perfunctorily, while Leo kept quiet throughout the conversation. Anderson quickly left not long later.


    ¡°What does this guy mean by he didn¡¯t expect us to breakthrough?¡± Clark couldn¡¯t help but ask with slight anger on his tone, as soon as their visitor left.


    Anderson, they weren¡¯t really close, but everyone knew him as he was the one who led in almost every activity in the base. He beat him only once in marksmanship, in their yearly progress assessments. Thinking of this, his mood improved a bit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know his surname tsk tsk, we¡¯ll see how the relationship goes¡±. He said while facing Leo.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 21: helix the conqueror

    Clark and Leo were relaxed, as they leisurely watched the new famous cartoon series, ¡°Tom and Jerry Return¡±. This series was a continuation of the famous blockbuster cartoon, Tom and Jerry.


    The difference between both series is that the plot is different, and a lot of high-grade technology is utilized in it to enhance the experience of those watching it.


    Movies are far more interesting this age, due to the huge technological adaptations made to them.


    It was just a pity that at this age, practically everyone had a muscled-filled brain, falling in love with only the professions that are related to the military. You hardly see a kid that will proudly proclaim that he wants to become an artist in the future. Instead, they''ll all want to become soldiers.


    During the duration of their 5-year course cadet training, they were practically cut off from the rest of the world to undergo training. Thankfully, because of the pressure caused by the Moca republic, they¡¯ll have to graduate 2 years early.


    Apart from Leo, Clark had no other friend, or better still he didn¡¯t have the spare time to make other friends.


    Before the graduation advanced tech training started, they trained from morning till evening every day. Only Sundays were allocated for them as a day of rest.


    A century ago, humans couldn¡¯t have a breakthrough in strength, nor do they even have an idea of the phrase, breakthrough in strength.


    Due to the discovery of exotics and the rapid increase in technological skill, some military organizations decided to push their soldiers harder, to match their strength with the increasing knowledge and technological breakthroughs.


    They did this by engaging them in more rigorous training and exposing them to more harrowing encounters. After the advent of implants and augments technology, the military decided to adopt the technology on animals, leading to the first augmented animals.


    Their intent at first was to create more dangerous training partners for their soldiers. But through a mixture of luck, and a lot of other factors, the first exobeast was created.


    This is an abomination created from peak human technology and the uniqueness of living beasts, given to them by God, ¡°The creator of all life¡±. Currently, the strongest exobeast alive can take on a soldier who already had his/her 5th breakthrough.


    As big as the Sparta republic is, the strongest soldiers around are those who already had their 5th breakthrough. Higher leveled soldiers are mostly found in the big 5 organizations and countries, including some other organizations with deep foundations.


    Humans experience the breakthrough phenomenon only because of the presence of exobeasts. Exobeasts have a kind of pressure field, always around them.


    Normal soldiers going solo against exobeasts was always a far-fetched dream. But this mentality changed after the legendary Aragan soldier, ¡°Helix the Conqueror¡± emerged.


    Helix was the first human to experience a breakthrough, as he led the Aragan army to dominate in this era of exotics.


    After leading and emerging victorious from a lot of military campaigns during the great war, the source of his strength was later discovered. The whole world thought it was a superpower, but it was later proved as a marvel of science.


    After a lot of calculations, research, and experiments by some big-name doctors and scientists. It was later discovered that there was a 1% chance for soldiers to experience a breakthrough if they break their limits when fighting an exobeast.


    The percentage becomes slightly higher when said soldier emerges victorious.


    By soaking yourself in the pressure exerted by an exobeast during a battle, and if possible defeating it, humans can evolve into higher existences.


    Through this phenomenon, they receive boosts in strength, endurance, intelligence, and a load of other attributes. High-grade soldiers don¡¯t have superpowers, they are just humans that broke their limits.


    After a breakthrough, the soldier''s body metabolism rate and other essential body functions increase exponentially, bringing increased strength and intelligence. It is just like they are constantly under the influence of adrenaline. This increases, as a soldier undergoes other subsequent breakthroughs.


    This discovery led to countries relying mostly on soldiers who already had breakthroughs as the main force in battles. Helix once said that a high-grade soldier armed with weapons created from high-grade exotics is invisible.


    He was not wrong, as this has been proven countless times in battles and wars involving countries.


    The big 5 used their high-grade soldiers in the great battle of supremacy to dominate, which was one of the main reasons why they snowballed to become the winners.


    Soldiers who already had breakthroughs were categorized as high-grade soldiers, while their normal counterparts were categorized as low-grade or just normal soldiers. The great battle of supremacy 50 years ago, solidified this hierarchy between soldiers.


    Due to the increase in the need for exotics, the relationship between countries became thorny as they eyed each other¡¯s exotics and resources. This escalated into the great battle, as all hell broke loose.


    During this period of war, the big 5 came into power as their high-grade soldiers spearheaded their offensive, as they bulldozed and massacred. Offending military soldier¡¯s death became rampant, as countries fell almost every week.


    They solidified their rule during this period of chaos, as they spread the terror of high-grade soldiers throughout the earth.


    Every child grew up knowing the strength and terror of the big 5, including the prestige and strength of high-grade soldiers. So, when Clark and Leo had their breakthrough, they were naturally ecstatic. It was just a dream come true to them, as they rejoiced for being among the lucky 1% who did it.


    Throughout the rest of the day, they both excitedly discussed the legend of Araga and Helix the conqueror.


    ...


    That night, Clark dreamt a very weird but satisfying dream. He dreamt of being the good buddy of the legend Helix the conqueror, as they both demolished and conquered countries left and right.


    They spread their terror to all corners of the earth, as through combining their strengths and making up for each other''s weaknesses, they became invisible on the battlefield.


    His imaginations during the day were finally materializing as a dream to him.


    He smiled throughout his sleep that night. Oh, how sweet the feeling of boundless power.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 22: the advanced technology training begins

    Clark woke up in his familiar room, to the alarm ringtone of his phone. He stood up feeling boundless energy and power as he grinned, on remembering his dream the previous night.


    He didn¡¯t linger in one place foolishly though, as he knew that if he was a second late, Captain Spoky would not care even if he met God in his dreams, punishment must follow.


    ¡°Who dares say he does not fear the Captain¡¯s punishment?" Forget the fact that they were training to be soldiers? Even soldiers with their 1st breakthrough, quake with fear at the mention of Captain Spoky¡¯s name, when they are wrong.


    ¡°His punishment is basically walking through hell¡±. He muttered dramatically, as he quickly stood up while trying to distract himself from the thoughts revolving around his head.


    He had his bath, did every preparation, and was set in less than 10 minutes. This was simply the miracle and charisma of being a boy.


    Unlike girls who can spend a minimum of 30 to 40 minutes just to have their bath, an additional 20 minutes to dress up. The female cadets don¡¯t bother to apply make-ups, as the sweat released from training quickly wipes it off, thus saving them some time.


    After his discussion with his friend yesterday, he finally decided to return to his room to sleep on his familiar mattress.


    The room was very tidy and well-kept, he observed ironically. Only legends understand what he meant. He ignored the overflowing tidiness, and slept in peace feeling like, ¡°I¡¯m back bro, you miss me?¡±


    ...


    After getting ready, he went outside and was not surprised to see his friend also getting out.


    After coming out, Leo glanced at him with undisguised surprise, ¡°Clark, you¡¯re being unusually early these days. What¡¯s the secret?¡±


    He didn¡¯t bother answering, as he simply snorted in disregard. He made a sign with his hands to his friend to shut his trap and follow. Leo only smiled in retaliation, with his usual sageish and wise expression.


    This was a very impactful retaliation, as he cursed under his breath, ¡°this bastard of a melee fighter dares acting wisely in front of me. Oh man, life is full of weird people, with even weirder personalities¡±.


    They both arrived early to the parade ground, as they joined the slowly increasing line of cadets. Anderson took the lead, as they did their first parade in months. It felt nostalgic.


    ¡°Damn!! We¡¯ll really graduate and leave this familiar-looking military base in about a month and some weeks¡¯ time,¡± Clark muttered with a nostalgic expression on his face.


    Don¡¯t underestimate female cadets because they prepare in hours, they are always among the first cadets to appear on the parade ground.


    Clark and Leo deduced that when they enjoy their sleep, these diligent girls were probably already awake, getting ready countless minutes before them to appear early for the morning parades.


    Clark admired the diligent girls, as he thought, ¡°this will probably be our last parade together as cadets¡±.


    After the end of the parade, all the cadets stood in attention, facing the podium with serious expressions.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long, as the familiar burly figure of Captain Spoky gradually approached.


    After climbing the podium with his entourage of soldiers staying behind, he addressed the cadets. ¡°Good morning cadets¡±.


    ¡°Good morning Captain,¡± the cadets greeted back.


    ¡°I like the serious expression on all your faces. Keep it, as this last training will require your seriousness and full attention,¡± he continued.


    ¡°The advanced technology training will officially begin today; I don¡¯t have much else to say, but I wish you all good luck. Go to the armory to retrieve the weapons of your choice, you will be given more in-depth direction there also¡±. The cadets saluted and left the parade ground orderly.


    They quickly reached the armory of the military base, where sergeant Modric was already waiting for them. They all saluted him on sighting him. He acknowledged with a nod and told them to go inside to select the weapons of their choice.


    ¡°After the weapon selection, meet me at the table to get a more in-depth understanding of this training,¡± he informed the cadets before they left to pick their weapons.


    After entering the armory, they were finally able to see why this training was called advanced tech training.


    Leo stuck close to his friend, as they were both amazed at the sheer size of the armory and the different weapons on display.


    They felt like they just entered the belly of a fictional beast. From swords to sharp sabers, to lancers, spears, to historical and mythical weapons, the weapon catalog was simply endless.


    These were not your regular swords and daggers, as, through the use of exotics, these weapons were massively upgraded and given other additional attributes.


    All these weapons had force fields that cover them, and they can be used versatilely in fights between armies to block incoming bullets, and a lot of other uses.


    A high-grade sword made from exotics can cut down tanks, bullet-proof vests, and armored vehicles of the 21st century with a single swing when wielded by a high-grade soldier.


    The available exotic swords were of the lowest quality, but they were several times better than normal swords made from reinforced steel.


    The gadgets and technological devices catalog almost blinded their eyes, as they saw hacking devices, highly optimized rifles, pistols, combat armor, and a lot of other goodies.


    ¡°Shit man, this is heaven,¡± Clark blurted out excitedly, as he bumped his dumbstruck friend on the head.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 23: preparation

    He selected an exotic sword, a pair of exotic daggers, 2 rapid-fire automatic pistols, a 2-form gun, and exotic armor.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready man,¡± he thought excitedly after getting the pieces of equipment he wanted.


    ¡°This is what it feels like to be badass," his expression slowly morphed into a grin. "Man, let¡¯s do this¡±.


    The automatic pistols he selected this time are not like the ones they were given for the second training.


    These are entirely different beasts, as they use bullets with a very strong punch and can release 20 bullets per second. The 2-form gun is one of the results of the technological advancement of this century.


    A 2-form gun is a gun that has 2 forms, and they can be changed manually or verbally to the form you want. The 2 forms of the gun he chose are a sniper rifle and a machine gun.


    The badass armor he chose was also a result of this era¡¯s technological breakthroughs. It is very convenient to use when activated, and it¡¯s just like a military uniform when in use, but can resist a lot of heavy fire from any opposition.


    When in use, it surrounds the user with a faint blue energy film. The exotic armor is not like conventional armor, it''s energy-powered gear. When paired in conjunction with a camouflage device, the blue glow from the energy film can be hidden.


    The low-grade armor he picked can withstand continuous fire from any machine gun of the 21st century for hours, if not days. It can still withstand a lot of firepower from enemies this century. An armor to a soldier is just like his/her second life.


    Unlike him, Leo selected an exotic sword, a pair of exotic daggers, 2 rapid-fire automatic pistols, a box of throwing knives, and an exotic armor. The cadets were only allowed to take 5 equipment; he chose a box of throwing knives because he is a more melee-oriented fighter.


    Both friends didn¡¯t pick their weapons on a whim, they both already researched and decided that this set of weapons was most suited to their style of fighting.


    What even sealed Clark¡¯s choice was that he once dreamt of himself wielding this set of weapons. And most especially, it looked badass and he liked the style so he went for it.


    After picking their weapons of choice, both friends admired themselves a little before going to meet sergeant Modric at the central table. Other cadets were already there, so they waited as others were attended to before it came to their turn.


    Clark went first. As one of the few cadets who had a breakthrough, he naturally received better treatment. Sergeant Modric smiled at him as he transferred the data he needed to his implant.


    He received a backpack in which was stored abundant bullets for his pistols and sniper rifle, a wristwatch, and a hacking device was also stored inside. All the information he needed was already transferred to his implant, so he saluted the sergeant as he got up to leave.


    Leo also went to get his, as his friend quickly went over the information transferred to his implant. It was a video recording of captain Spoky.


    "Good day cadets. For the advanced technology training this batch, you are required to infiltrate a temporary base of a Persian Tigers regiment or division".


    "Do not get overly worried, these bases are the lowest in terms of quality of soldiers and technological resources. We know your capability, we did not give you anything impossible at this stage".


    "Try to be recruited by them, it will greatly ease your infiltration. After entering, bide your time before using your military hacking device to hack their database¡±.


    ¡°Check for the number of soldiers and high-grade soldiers that they have. After that, plan your assault properly to give yourself an advantage¡±.


    ¡°The backpack given to you has an inbuilt jamming device and a camouflage device. This is the main advantage you have over the terrorists, as your gadgets are of a higher quality than the one they have".


    "The jamming device will help you disguise and hide your military-grade weapons, without getting detected by their surveillance devices. The camouflage device will distort your outward look to present you as a normal homeless youth. You already learned how it¡¯s operated, so I won¡¯t elaborate. The rest is up to you¡±.


    ¡°The wristwatch on the backpack will be your guide; only you can activate it. It will look like a normal wristwatch to anyone else who observes it¡±.


    ¡°Only one cadet will be sent to a specific base, you will all be sent to different bases. The wristwatch will show you the way to the terrorist base and will also provide you with your escape route when you think it¡¯s time to retreat".


    "The duration for this last phase of your training is a month and 3 weeks. Good luck cadets, I hope I can still see your faces a month and 3 weeks from now in the joy of graduation¡±. Captain Spoky gave his trademark ferocious smile as the video recording ended.


    After Clark finished watching the video, he discovered his friend beside him still immersed in his implant.


    He patiently waited, not long after Leo finished the video. He opened his eyes and glanced at his friend who was also staring at him.


    Clark simply bumped his broad shoulders to dispel the awkward air, before telling him seriously.


    ¡°Good luck bro, I hope we see each other on graduation day. Don¡¯t die," he added with a stern face.


    Leo glanced at him for a while before suddenly chuckling. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you already missed me this much. Don¡¯t cry bro, I can scale through this¡±.


    Clark rolled his eyes on hearing his friend''s speech, as he cursed resentfully. ¡°Prick, who¡¯s missing you? Dream on, you pathetic piece of shit¡±.


    He bunked his friend''s head again, as he resolutely turned around to leave. They were not girls, so they were definitely not going to do any dramatic form of farewell.


    All the cadets were given 500 Spartan credits for transport and other necessities. With this, all of their expenses to cruise through this last phase were already in stock.


    So, it started, Clark¡¯s legendary story of greatness as he left in high spirits to face the world again after 3 years of isolated training as a cadet.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 24: clarks childhood flashback

    Clark grew up in Vatican City, a relatively small city when compared to other big cities in Sparta.


    Due to the introduction of implants, children from the age of 10 hardly have any physical friends. After he received his implant at the age of 10, he was exposed to the amazement of the outside world virtually.


    His childhood friends became more distant, as curiosity overwhelmed all of them. They spent less and less time together, instead, they spent almost all their time on the internet or learning new knowledge through their implants.


    He made virtual friends online, but never really got close to them as they didn¡¯t meet physically.


    His situation was slightly worse than that of his friends, as both his parents were soldiers. They hardly stayed at home, as they were always deployed to various places for missions and other assignments by the government.


    Due to this, his parents also became a little distant from him as he spent more time on his implant, while they spent more time on their deployments.


    They refused to hire a nanny nor maidservant in the house, as they always reasoned that humans were untrustworthy.


    So, they opted for the safer but more costly option of installing an A. I in the house. The artificial intelligence was in control when his parents were out, as it prepared his food, prepared his water for bathing, and provided services for all his other necessities.


    He quickly learned more about soldiers, the military, and most especially high-grade soldiers through his implant. He was fascinated and attracted to the feeling of being a soldier, which led to his decision to be a soldier which his parents happily supported.


    After knowing his passion, his parents saved the money for his military cadet training when he was still 12 years old. They saved for the best they could afford as they aimed for the best cadet training institution in southern Sparta.


    His parents didn¡¯t know the name and location of the institution as the military regarded it as confidential information. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t get the best, so they settled for the second-best military cadet training base.


    His parents were by no means high-grade soldiers, but they served in the military for years thereby accumulating some wealth.


    In the street he lived, Elegant street, his parents were one of the richest. They had their own house, a 3-bedroom apartment.


    At this age which seemed more like people were under military rule, the government was the owner of most apartments. Personally having a 3-bedroom apartment was already a great achievement.


    He never visited any of his relatives nor was he visited by any of them. They were in a very fast-paced and technologically developed economy, so he mostly had an impression of his relatives from the internet.


    Sparta republic is divided into 4 regions, the northern region, the southern region, the eastern region, and the western region, or you can refer to them as protectorates.


    Vatican City is only a middle-sized city in the southern region of Sparta. The northern region is the capital region of Sparta, where most resources are concentrated and where most high-grade soldiers aspire to be.


    The president of Sparta is also the commander in chief of the whole armed forces of Sparta, Commander Maiker Lionel. He is a high-grade soldier who already had his 5th breakthrough, placing him at the peak of individual strength in the whole Spartan military.


    Clark¡¯s parents worked for the southern military, the Vatican division. His parents died when he was still 14 years old. He didn¡¯t get to see their dead bodies, as the military reported that they were burned to death by the Moca republic soldiers.


    Since then, he vowed to work hard as a cadet, graduate, and kill any Mocan soldier he faced as revenge for his parent¡¯s death.


    The military provided compensation money to him as he was their next of kin. The A.I his parents bought controls all finances after their death, as it paid for his enrollment into the institution selected by them the next year after their death.


    So, it began, training, training, and training again, as he was pushed together with the other new cadets to break their limits by their cadet training instructors.


    After finding Leo on his first day, they quickly became friends as they flowed together. Unlike him, Leo¡¯s parents died when he was at the tender age of 5. His parents were not rich, so he became homeless when his house rent became due.


    When he celebrated his 14th birthday, the government scouts went to his community in search of prospective soldiers. He was selected, as he passed all their tests and became a prospective candidate for a breakthrough.


    If observed critically, he was slightly too muscular for someone his age after years of living in the streets. Unlike his friend, he fought his way into this institution which was something Clark always respected him for.


    Clark sat with 4 other cadets in a military jeep, as the jeep brought them near civilized areas where they came down from the jeep.


    The 4 cadets separated, following directions from their wristwatches as they went their different ways, going to their designated Persian Tigers base.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 25: the persian tigers base

    Clark quickly arrived in the nearest town, as he inquired about the name of where he was. He found out that this was a town close to Bahamas city.


    Bahamas city is a highly developed city in the southern region of Araga, more developed than Vatican City.


    After asking for directions, he discovered that Bahamas city was not where the wristwatch¡¯s direction pointed to. He asked for where the watch was pointing to led and discovered that it was a nearby small town, which deals mainly in agriculture.


    In this era, it was hard to see communities that rely on agriculture as their main source of income, as all focus was on technology.


    Despite this, agriculture is still an indispensable part of humanity that provides food for humans. Unless a technological gadget is made that can enable humans to forfeit food, agriculture can never be abandoned.


    Due to increased technological skills, the government was able to create and provide machines and instruments to farmers, to help them produce agricultural products more efficiently and to help them produce nutrient packs.


    Nutrient packs are biscuit-like noodles that provide the six main classes of food nutrients, compressed in a small noodle. They are produced cheaply in high quantities and are mostly used by soldiers to recover strength swiftly, as they are practically tasteless.


    The community where the watch pointed to specialized in producing nutrient packs. Clark nodded, as he felt it was normal for the hypocritic Persian tigers to camp in such a community, to avoid attention from the military.


    He boarded a vehicle as he embarked on a journey to the community. The car moved after it was filled with passengers. His current look was that of a homeless teenager with unremarkable clothing and appearance.


    The camouflage device given to him was very effective. His clothing looked very rough, which was in line with his plan, as he planned to act like a gangster or better still a thief.


    The car traveled for over 30 minutes before reaching the town. He came down after paying 2 Spartan credits for the ride. The town was not too technologically equipped, as he saw adults coming and others going to the nearby farm to work manually with modified cutlasses.


    He followed the directions of the watch, as he walked deeper into the town. Some people avoided his path on the way, as they looked at him with hostile expressions saying, ¡°get away from here you lowly thief¡±.


    It felt funny to him, but he continued as his mission or better still training was more important than people¡¯s opinion of him. That was a good sign, as it showed his excellence. People looking at him with scorn is proof that his disguise is perfect.


    As they said, a good assassin moves unnoticed. So is it also for his current mission, a good spy is the one that can be mistaken for something or someone else entirely.


    After moving for over 30 minutes, the watch finally flashed green while pointing at a compound nearby.


    He acted naturally, trying not to look at the compound for long, as cameras were installed around its walls. He went to a restaurant opposite the compound, as he thought of how to make these hypocrites recruit him into their ranks. He also felt excited and apprehensive for already seeing the terrorist base.


    He prepared before coming, but still, he could not help but feel nervous. He ordered a plate of rice and a soft drink, he ate as his nerves gradually calmed down, while he thought about the situation.


    After thinking for a bit, he decided to act like a penniless hoodlum as this terrorist organization mostly recruits such individuals. After eating, he drank the soft drink slowly, as he thought of how to make the commotion, he was about to cause more eye-catching.


    He glanced around and his eyes immediately lit up, as he found someone eating with a knife. After observing the situation, a bit, he stood up carrying his plates.


    The waiter nearby quickly came to help him carry the plates. ¡°Game on,¡± he muttered inwardly to boost his confidence.


    Boom!! He turned and released a punch at the waiter, making the poor guy fall pathetically while groaning in pain. He dropped the plates while quickly running to pick the knife, as a commotion started.


    The female customers screamed as they started running outside. He reached the cashier''s side in an instant, as he placed the knife to his neck. ¡°Start bringing all the money you¡¯ve sold for the day, and be fast,¡± he whispered in a menacing tone.


    ¡°Shit,¡± He cursed in resignation, as some male customers in the restaurant bravely confronted him to release the hostage. The cashier went to work, arranging the money sold for the day while shaking in fear for his life.


    His hand shook unstably, as the customers interceded on his behalf. No matter where you find yourself, there are always men who try to play brave and handsome.


    Clark was pretty sure that of these men confronting him, only 10% of them did it because they are opposing evil. The majority of these spoilt brats confronted him, only to act bravely in front of girls.


    As the commotion continued, he was surprised to see a customer calmly eating like all that was happening around him was air. He was startled but quickly removed his attention from him while continuing to throw threats around. "If anybody moves a step closer the cashier dies," he threatened.


    He already knew that the police were called, which was something he already calculated to make the commotion more attention-grabbing.


    As the cashier arranged the money, it did not take long before the police arrived. He hurriedly picked the packaged money, as he went on the run, but these brave customers were determined to capture him.


    He dodged a customer¡¯s punch, as he quickly gave him a knee strike to his abdomen.


    ¡°Ahh!!,¡± the man screamed in pain as 3 other customers used this opportunity to block his way.


    He simply lunged forward with speed as he broke out of the blockade with his forward momentum alone. Unfortunately, due to the pressure he was under, he dropped the money bag and the knife, so it seemed to the spectators.


    He pretended to be in a great panic, as he quickly ran outside, crossing the street with speed. The police already formed a blockade, as 3 policemen showed up with batons.


    He already decided not to be too exceptional as he ran into a corner, bypassing the 3 policemen. They quickly pursued, and he was sure that they already reported his whereabouts via their implants.


    He started planning for routes to take to drag this on, for as long as possible. He came out in another street only to find 2 police cars there, he immediately turned back but saw a policeman behind him.


    ¡°So fast,¡± he exclaimed in surprise. He sighed as he thought, ¡°I¡¯ll still have to fight, my plan was not perfect enough¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 26: escape plan

    Whoosh!! The wind howled fiercely as Clark ran to meet the policeman head-on. The policeman waved his baton, trying to strike him but, in his eyes, this guy was just too slow.


    ¡°Sorry bro,¡± he thought, as he quickly dodged the blow. He expertly retrieved the baton from his opponent¡¯s hand, while conveniently knocking him out with a slap to his neck.


    He turned to continue forward but was surprised again as 3 policemen were already coming from his front, while 2 others approached behind him. He immediately knew that this was a well-trained police unit, their strategy, planning, and movements were top notch.


    He observed his surroundings, while rapidly making calculations inwardly. His initial plan was to try his best to give the police a hard time catching him, but he was ready to be detained by them.


    Due to his outstanding but controlled maneuvers, he was confident that the terrorist organization will break him out to make him earn their gratitude and join them. One of the biggest and well-known traits of terrorists is that they never leave prospective recruits behind.


    After observing his surroundings, he discovered that he was sandwiched from both sides by 2 compound walls. He quickly jumped up, scaled the wall, and flipped over to the other side of the fence.


    He heard the startled shouts from the policemen, as they clearly didn¡¯t expect that he could do that. The fence was a relatively tall one, they couldn¡¯t scale it, so they simply turned back to enter from the main gate.


    After dropping down inside the building, to his surprise, the compound was very wide, housing many connected-story buildings.


    Connected story buildings are like estates built by the government, where government workers usually stay during work hours. They call them connected because the whole compound is controlled and monitored by a single-A. I [artificial intelligence], and the buildings are built very close to each other.


    His expression quickly soured, as he knew in detail the capabilities of an A.I. They can erect different technological defense and restraining structures against intruders, they can also attack and do a host of other things.


    Despite this, he still decided to enter inside the buildings, as the compound was probably already surrounded by the police. He sprinted into a nearby building, the doors were open, so his entry was easy and straightforward.


    He quickly found the stairs, as he acrobatically scaled upwards without slowing down. The workers were slow to react to the situation, but after seeing the police outside, they understood as some workers started screaming.


    They probably thought he was a murderer or something. The police quickly arrived inside the building, as they chased him upstairs. The story buildings were not too tall, around only 2 to 3 stories at most. The building he entered was a 3-story building.


    As he reached the second-floor, security personnel in the building already mobilized, as they quickly converged on the second floor, chasing after him. He steeled his mind, after making some calculations.


    His original intention was to create commotion and stall for time. So, he didn¡¯t engage them as he sprinted to the window closest to where he was.


    Boom!! He dived as he leaped from the first building, aiming to land in the second building. Not everything went according to his calculations, as a policeman shot at him from below with an electric gun.


    Zap!! Zap!! He was electrocuted, as he landed roughly on the second building. He felt numb due to the electricity as he cursed his luck. He threw stalling for time to the wind, as he engaged the security personnel who came to intercept him in the second building.


    By now, he already discovered that the connected building''s A. I was a very low-tier one, as it didn¡¯t erect any defense structures, only revealing his location to his pursuers.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! He attacked recklessly with the baton he got from the policeman, as the security personnel shot more electric shocks at him. He jerked every now and then, but he persevered, striking 2 personnel on the face.


    As he slowly began feeling dizzy, he saw a shadow emerge behind the security personnel. They were concentrated on incapacitating him, so they didn¡¯t notice the nearby threat.


    Thud!! Thud!! Thud!! Three security personnel dropped down, losing consciousness, as they were knocked out by the mysterious intruder within seconds.


    The remaining 4 personnel quickly turned in alarm to face the unexpected new threat, but the mysterious intruder was simply too strong and fast, as he knocked them out in only a couple of moves.


    Clark was amazed and shocked despite feeling dizzy, he recognized the man. He was the silent weird customer he saw in the restaurant.


    He already suspected initially that he was one of the terrorists, but he simply didn¡¯t know that this guy was a high-grade soldier. Just like him, this guy already had his first breakthrough.


    He could only thank his luck for restraining himself, as this guy would have recognized his strength as a high-grade soldier if he had performed more exceptionally.


    He tried his best to keep his face normal vigilantly, despite grinning inwardly. ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked cautiously.


    This guy decided to take the mysterious route, as he said, ¡°who I am doesn¡¯t matter, all you have to know is that I am here to save you¡±.


    ¡°I know you are suspicious, but the choice is yours. You can decide to trust me and I¡¯ll save you immediately, or you can decide to remain stubborn and the police will detain you¡±.


    Clark just stared silently at him, while feigning vigilance. ¡°You only have one minute to decide, before the police get here,¡± the terrorist quickly added.


    He finally said ok, while trying his best to act desperate. It was only normal for a hoodlum to be desperate when being chased by the police. Good was the terrorist''s only reply, as he advanced to knock him out.


    Clark could have resisted, but why would he resist when this guy was giving him free passage into his organization.


    Pah!! He fainted immediately, as he put his trust in the fact that even if this guy tried to kill him, his armor can withstand it, giving him enough time to wake up.


    ¡°But I hope everything goes according to plan,¡± he thought for the last few moments before fainting.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 27: first encounter with the terrorist organization

    Clark woke up to see himself in a room with very dim light. The dim light, paired with the silent atmosphere painted the room to look like the interrogation dungeons used in fictional movies.


    After waking up, he was very self-conscious, he remembered everything that happened before he was knocked out. He inwardly heaved a huge sigh of relief, as this meant that he was not drugged.


    He calmly glanced around, trying to see his surroundings more clearly. Suddenly, the dim light brightened as the door to the room opened. He squinted his eyes, as he frowned while trying to adapt to the change in light intensity.


    The man who knocked him out came in, he recognized him mainly because of the vibe he exuded.


    This was the first time he saw this guy''s face under bright light. He was in a very dangerous situation, as he was already deep behind enemy lines. He felt nervous but tried his best to still act like a regular criminal.


    ¡°Why did you lock me in a room when you said you wanted to save me,¡± he quickly recollected himself as he asked, his tone anxious. ¡°Leave me alone, I¡¯ll go far away, I¡¯ll never come back please,¡± he pleaded.


    The man didn¡¯t bother answering the question, instead, he asked his question. But first, he snapped his fingers.


    2 soldiers came into the room, donning dark blue military uniforms with a flaming tigers¡¯ badge on the arm part of the uniform. The 2 soldiers were armed with non-exotic machine guns, they both had a stern look on their faces as they glared at their prospective recruit.


    The atmosphere became very tense, Clark gulped unconsciously. This was not an act; he was really intimidated this time, as he felt the aura of war veterans radiating from these 2 soldiers.


    He was sure they were not high-grade soldiers as they listened to the orders of the man who brought him, but they had this type of air around them that simply screamed danger at him.


    As the silence dragged on, increasing the tense atmosphere, the man finally broke the silence. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He asked.


    Clark couldn¡¯t control himself, he answered immediately, ¡°my name is Clark¡±. He became alarmed immediately after, ¡°shit, this guy is using psychological pressure on me¡±. He quickly guarded himself mentally.


    ¡°What are you doing in this town?¡± His interrogator continued.


    He answered immediately, as he didn¡¯t want to arouse their suspicion. ¡°I was hungry after coming from the other town, that¡¯s why I went to the restaurant to eat, and I just decided to steal their money when I saw no security around¡±.


    ¡°I asked you what you are doing in this town,¡± the man emphasized with a raised voice.


    ¡°Oh, I traveled here because a lot of people already recognized me in the other town, so I couldn¡¯t steal again to earn a living¡±. Clark formed an excuse on the spot, his 3 years of training were not wasted after all.


    ¡°How and where did you learn to fight and move the way you did, under the cop¡¯s pursuit?¡±


    ¡°I learned to fight after I became homeless, and I trained my instinct for escape after numerous beatings by the people who caught me stealing¡±.


    ¡°Good,¡± the man finally said with a nod. His captive''s answers already convinced him, as some talented hoodlums become strong and gain experience when exposed to such circumstances. Clark was not the first to gain such skills.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Persian tiger¡¯s organization,¡± he finally asked the big question.


    Clark nodded fearfully. ¡°I hear people talk about the organization a lot,¡± he added timidly.


    After his captive answered all his questions, the man finally relaxed and smiled, dissipating the tense atmosphere. He was confident that his intimidation method brought out all the truths, in this small talent he found.


    ¡°Ok Clark, my name is executioner Elliot. I¡¯m a leader in this Persian tiger¡¯s base, I¡¯m the third in command here. Do you know what high-grade soldiers are?¡± He asked in a more casual tone.


    Clark nodded and suddenly widened his eyes exaggeratedly, while quickly standing up. ¡°You are a high-grade soldier?¡± He asked in a shocked and slightly fanatical tone. The man smiled, enhancing his mysterious and bossy behavior, as he calmly nodded.


    ¡°After noticing you during the police chase, I found out that you have a lot of potentials, so I saved you from those self-righteous cops. I officially invite you to use your skills better here in the Persian tiger¡¯s organization.


    You will not steal pettily for food again, and we will provide you with the resources you need to fight back against those who beat you up before¡±. He finally said in a self-righteous and caring tone. Well, the caring here is not the normal one, this is the one in terms of criminals.


    Clark widened his eyes further as he repeatedly said, ¡°thank you, sir, thank you, sir¡±. He played his part so well to the extent of almost spitting on his interrogator''s face, due to the many thank you sirs he said to him.


    The man smiled and stood up; ¡°Clark, follow me, let me show you around the base. Oh, I almost forgot, we didn¡¯t find anything in your bag. If you want a bag, we can provide a better one for you, or are you emotionally attached to it?¡±


    Clark nodded as naturally as he could, ¡°it¡¯s something I think of as a battle trophy¡± He blurted out nonsense.


    ¡°I stole it from someone who beat me up as a form of revenge, so I like wearing it as it makes me feel invisible¡±.


    ¡°Ok,¡± the man simply nodded and made a sign for him to follow.


    As they left, the soldiers who stood by the corner finally greeted him with a smile, ¡°welcome brother¡±. They both said in unison. Clark simply thanked them in response.


    ¡°This man really knows how to indoctrinate someone; I would have decided to be their brothers if I was not on a mission¡±. He thought, as he inwardly sighed in relief.


    After going outside, the man [Elliot] brought him to a part of the house that looked like a restaurant, where he gave him a very luxurious meal.


    After he stuffed himself full, Elliot told a soldier to bring him a specific gun and dagger. The gun was an ordinary non-exotic automatic pistol. Well, this was simply out of reach to a town thief like the current Clark.


    He naturally acted his part, as he thanked him profusely, fawned on him, and even already started worshipping him.


    It seems like Elliot was satisfied, as he told him to join his brothers and sisters to train, and that¡¯s what Clark did.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 28: adapting to being an infiltrator

    Recruits like Clark were many in this Persian tiger¡¯s base as they all trained with vigor. He played along, as they taught them basic marksmanship and fighting techniques.


    He later figured out that the terrorist group stopped in this base to train the recruits. He sighed, as he watched the recruits train in high spirits, trying to outdo each other in results.


    After hours of training, he finally brought his training results up a bit, as he directly matched this base¡¯s top recruits in results, drawing gasps from others as he only started training for a single day.


    After the day¡¯s training, he quietly entered his assigned room, together with 4 other recruits. He didn¡¯t try anything funny, as he knew that he was probably still being watched and monitored, to further confirm if he was a real stray criminal.


    So, a new routine started for him, as he trained daily with the recruits. It was a fairly boring routine to him, but that''s why it was called a mission, not a vacation.


    After a week of training, he increased his grades again, becoming the best among this batch of recruits. That evening the high-grade soldier who recruited him, Elliot, came to his room.


    They all immediately stood up and greeted him, the other recruits also knew that he was a high-grade soldier. Elliot singled Clark out from the group to talk, leaving the other 4 recruits to watch in envy.


    He first congratulated him on his achievements before informing him that his boss, the overall commander of the base would like to see him tomorrow, as he was the best recruit they got from this town.


    Clark was extremely excited inwardly and showed it outwardly also, as it was the expected reaction from any recruit. He fidgeted nervously, as Elliot watched him.


    The executioner chuckled before he told him to sleep well tonight, that he will come to get him tomorrow morning and he also revealed some vital information to him.


    The leader of this base was a high-grade soldier who already had his 2nd breakthrough. Clark was glad and afraid at the same time; he was glad because Elliot already started trusting him with vital information, and also afraid because of this base commander¡¯s strength.


    For every breakthrough a soldier undergoes, there is an increase in strength, endurance, and other attributes, but the increase is limited after the first breakthrough.


    It is just like during the first breakthrough, you broke your limit. So, the second and other consecutive breakthroughs are just like expanding or upgrading your limits, which limits the overall increase in strength.


    It''s only intelligence that is not shackled, as every breakthrough leads to a sharp increase in intelligence, analysis, and thinking abilities.


    As a high-grade soldier with one breakthrough more than him, he was naturally afraid of the leader, as he was stronger than him despite the difference not being much.


    The terrifying problem is that the leader can play him, or better still trash him in any psychological battle or things related to thinking and manipulation.


    He was restless for a long time, but he still steeled his heart as he slept that night. ¡°No pain, no gain,¡± he reasoned.


    The next day, Elliot was very punctual as he came around 7:00 am. Clark followed him after exchanging greetings, as he was already ready by then.


    So, it began, his journey to gain more trust and infiltrate deeper into the terrorist circle.


    Not long after, they arrived at the centermost part of the compound, Elliot knocked on the door 3 times before stopping, as they waited quietly. ¡°Come in,¡± a deep voice echoed out, about 10 seconds later.


    ¡°Good morning commander,¡± Elliot greeted respectfully. Clark didn¡¯t dare lag behind, as he echoed the executioner''s words, greeting the commander also.


    The commander nodded expressionlessly, as he finally raised his head to look at the 2 men before him. ¡°Sit down,¡± he said, which they did.


    ¡°Clark, right?¡± he asked in a curious tone. Clark responded by nodding his head respectfully.


    ¡°I read about how Elliot recruited you last week, welcome to the Persian tigers¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Clark humbly replied.


    ¡°According to observations, we¡¯ve discovered that you have a lot of potentials. And if groomed properly, you could potentially be our next high-grade soldier.


    What are your thoughts about this organization?¡± The commander suddenly asked.


    Clark tried hard to keep a straight face as he replied, ¡°sir, I don¡¯t have much of an opinion about the organization. But I believe in its goal to rid the world of the hypocritic Spartan high officials, who use their soldiers as cannon fodder¡±.


    ¡°And I also like the environment between us recruits, we are just like brothers and sisters¡±.


    ¡°Damn, I think my ability to lie while keeping a straight face has improved a lot since starting this mission,¡± he thought after he finished speaking.


    The commander smiled for the first time since they came in. "Good, I like your spirit, so I¡¯ll give you a goal to work towards,¡± he said. ¡°The organization provides an exotic sword and armor to any soldier who breaks through.


    We have spares here in the base, so if you want to wield the weapons those hypocritic soldiers of the Spartan army wield, work your ass off towards getting it. That will be your goal,¡± he said with a smile planted on his face.


    After all the talks and advice, Elliot stood up to leave as Clark followed behind him thinking about all the information he got.


    He was very happy; first, the meeting was without hiccups, and secondly, the temporary base had a spare exotic armor and sword. As he already received some from the government, he could simply sell them for money if he got them, he thought excitedly.


    He also learned another confidential news; this base will move to another town, as the local police force already started suspecting this compound as a hub for criminals.


    They were very close to the truth, if they knew this was a base of the Persian tigers, they would have stormed in aggressively since, which led to the commander¡¯s decision to move.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to change some of my plans,¡± he thought.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 29: unexpected encounter

    For the rest of the day, training continued as usual, as he continued besting the other recruits in marksmanship, close combat fighting, and other areas that the organization focused on in their training.


    ...


    The next day during training, the commander of the base came to visit them for the first time. Clark was probably the only recruit, who already met him before now. All the recruits greeted, as the commander addressed them.


    His burly and muscular figure was enhanced further when he faced the recruits from an elevated platform. After a week of indoctrination and training, there were already some fanatics in their midst, as they shook with excitement, knowing that this was the overall leader of their base.


    The commander first announced to them that they will all graduate today, which clearly showed the difference between standard military training and the farce of training, done by this terrorist organization.


    After the announcement, a lot of recruits rejoiced, as they thought they were already invincible as graduates.


    Following the first announcement, the commander announced that they will be leaving this town the next day and that this base will probably receive another mission in a week, which brought more excitement to the recruits.


    Clark joined in their joy, but felt sour inwardly, as a mission meant that they will probably attack a town or a government military base.


    ¡°Maybe, I can use this as an opportunity to just complete my training,¡± he thought.


    ...


    The next day, the base became busy as every soldier started loading their vehicles with the organization¡¯s equipment. They were prepared to leave. Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t always go according to plan, as the base welcomed an unexpected attack from the local police force.


    Boom!! A grenade exploded in the camp, as a commotion immediately started. It seems the police already discovered the identity of the base, as they came with heavy weapons that held heavier firepower.


    Ka! Ka! Ka ka! A rain of bullets was let loose from an approaching artillery armed military vehicle. The terrorist soldiers who failed to react in time quickly started dying in droves, as the others quickly returned fire.


    ¡°It seems the terrorist base has a back exit that I didn¡¯t know about,¡± Clark thought, as after listening to a command, all the vehicles started moving to the backyard.


    He didn¡¯t linger in one place, as he quickly jumped and latched into a moving pick-up vehicle. The car quickly picked momentum, speeding forward. A lot of soldiers, especially the recruits couldn¡¯t get into the vehicles, as they were left behind without hesitation.


    The terrorists were not intending to endanger themselves further, by waiting for some incompetent soldiers in their midst. Clark simply thanked his lucky stars, for unearthing his bag from where he kept it the previous night before the day started.


    Seeing them trying to retreat, the police force simply refused to yield, as they started blocking the terrorist¡¯s escape route.


    This was the decision they regretted, as the veteran soldiers and high-grade soldiers of the base finally came down to clear a path on the Commander''s orders. After hesitating for a moment, Clark decided to join them, to earn some battle merits.


    As the police force was just a local one, despite them being well trained, there was no high-grade soldier among them which disadvantaged them.


    2 high-grade soldiers led the charge, as the terrorists retaliated with force. Luckily, this police division didn¡¯t overestimate themselves, as they came with energy shields.


    Despite the protection from the shields, the policemen started dying in the dozens from the strong firepower. They also retaliated, reaping a lot of lives from the terrorist force.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! The first high-grade soldier arrived on the battlefield, as he unleashed hell with his shotgun. The thick red beams being shot out and the huge sound accompanying it, sounded so intimidating as they started impacting the policemen.


    The shields erected by the policemen broke like paper from his firepower, while he used his other hand to slaughter with his sword, as the police offensive quickly faltered. Despite the firepower on him, his armor held, as he dodged most of the shots focused on him.


    The second-high grade soldier arrived, as he also started a slaughter with his 2 swords. His 2 swords left afterimages behind, as he cut policeman after policeman in 2. The terrorist organization regained the upper hand immediately, as the police force finally decided to order a retreat.


    As they drew back, they still shot at the terrorists who were rushing back into their transport cars.


    During the shooting, Clark tried to minimize death shots as much as possible by spreading his shots in a wider area. Some terrorist soldiers noticed, but they shrugged it off, as this was to them his first real shoot fighting.


    It was already commendable that he didn¡¯t cower in fear like the other recruits, and most importantly he survived the shooting which was shocking as some veteran soldiers died in this battle.


    ¡°My worth probably rose a few levels in their hearts after this battle,¡± he thought with satisfaction.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 30: infiltration successful

    The terrorist group traveled deep into the nearby forest, to ensure they were not followed before they stopped for a death count.


    They suffered a huge loss from this battle, as they lost 60 recruits from the original 115 recruits, and also lost 20 old soldiers. The loss was huge, but it was within their tolerance range.


    After the death count, the commander finally came out to meet the soldiers. "There have been new unexpected changes,¡± he announced.


    ¡°The old soldiers are already familiar with this, so my advice is for the recruits. There is a high chance that the police force of all nearby towns is already being deployed to intercept us, that is why we didn¡¯t clash aggressively with the first police force¡±.


    ¡°We could have killed them completely, but in return, we would have been surrounded from all sides without an escape route. We would have won the battle, but lost the war¡±.


    ¡°Get prepared, because we will be breaking out from a strong and very prepared opposition now. All recruits who recently transited into soldiers, you have my permission to take better weapons of your choice from the armory. Clark, follow me, I have a present for you¡±.


    Under the envious gazes of all the soldiers, Clark followed the commander to his car. He went inside the car after the commander, he slowly closed the door after entry while calming his emotions.


    Despite grinning inwardly, he still tried to be extra cautious, as this man was simply stronger and more perceptive than he was.


    ¡°Clark, I didn¡¯t expect such a performance from you. I watched you, despite not killing a single police officer, it is still commendable that you shot at them and managed to survive long enough, till we broke out¡±. The commander said with a smile.


    Clark smiled nervously, as he didn¡¯t expect this man to know that he didn¡¯t kill any policeman. For a second there, he thought his cover was blown.


    The commander continued, ¡°I¡¯m impressed, Clark. If you continue with this brave performance of yours for the organization, you¡¯ll surely be rewarded immensely¡±.


    ¡°Congratulations, I already nominated you to be the one from this new batch of soldiers to go to the organization¡¯s exobeast reserve. There is a high chance that you¡¯ll have a breakthrough if you go. After observing you for all the time you have spent with the base, I am confident in you¡±.


    His expression suddenly became stern, after he finished his long words of praise, as the atmosphere became tense and stiff in the car.


    Clark¡¯s heart almost leaped to his throat, as his brain quickly went to work, thinking of the reason for the commander¡¯s sudden change in expression.


    ¡°I have only one warning for you Clark, don¡¯t ever get complacent and forget your training,¡± the commander finally broke the silence, as he spoke solemnly.


    Seeing how shaken Clark was, he smiled again and said. "Good, don''t ever forget this. Complacency is the killer of dreams¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I told you I have a present for you. Our break out will not be as easy as I made it seem. There will be lots of casualties, so I want to give you a present in advance to protect your life¡±. Clark finally relaxed on hearing what the commander said while heaving a huge sigh of relief inwardly.


    After he finally calmed down and recollected what the commander said, he grinned inwardly as he already knew what he was about to be given.


    The commander didn¡¯t betray his hopes, as he continued. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the exotic armor in advance. Use it wisely, and prove to me that you are worthy of it in the upcoming battles.


    Don¡¯t get your hopes too high about the exotic sword, you¡¯ll still have to break through first to get it¡±.


    He suddenly snapped his fingers and a soldier opened the car door. ¡°Take him to the advanced tech armory vehicle,¡± he told the soldier.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the soldier answered, as he made a gesture at Clark to follow him. In his mind, Clark yelled in relief, "FINALLY!!¡±


    He was finally able to see the huge armored vehicle, housing the terrorist''s armory. Before being taken there, he naturally asked for an excuse to bring his bag, which was approved. The soldier escort stood outside, as he told him that he was the only one allowed to go in.


    He went in with confidence, as his brain already started fantasizing about what he would see inside.


    The first thing that caught his eye on entering the car was a huge computer by the side, and a safe at the front, directly facing him. Both eye-catching gadgets were, without doubt, the things with the greatest value here.


    The back of the vehicle here was blocked, so the driver could not see him nor could he see anything here, but he was sure that there were hidden cameras here. He brought his bag down as naturally as possible, before discretely activating the jamming field device.


    ¡°This is the greatest mistake you¡¯ve ever made, for allowing me here,¡± he thought with a grin on his face. He didn¡¯t show remorse, as he hacked their database using the hacking device to get all the information that he wanted.


    With the help of his superior gadget, he was able to bypass every firewall, without triggering any alarms.


    To his surprise, this small terrorist base had 4 high-grade soldiers who already had their first breakthrough. ¡°Combined with the commander, damn, that¡¯s 5 high-grade soldiers,¡± he thought resentfully.


    His resentment didn¡¯t interrupt his actions, as he quickly checked all their weapons and armor. They naturally had exotic armor and a sword, but they were of slightly lower quality compared to his standard military gears.


    What came as another surprise to him, was that one of the 4 high-grade soldiers had an extra exotic weapon apart from the commander. This was an unexpected discovery, as he just got himself another formidable opponent.


    This soldier was the only long-range specialist among the 4 high-grade soldiers, and he is also the 2nd in command, in the whole base. His other exotic weapon was a very powerful sniper rifle, about the same grade as his military 2-form gun. Clark mentally marked him as his first target to eliminate by all means.


    He discovered that he was beginning to take too much time, he quickly checked the safe, and the code to unlock it was written there.


    He inputted the code in quickly, as the safe opened with a soft click sound. He found only the armor in the safe, which kind of disappointed him, he expected to see more. He quickly wore it on, while also checking the database for where the exotic sword was kept.


    He finally found it, it was hanged to the walls of the vehicle and concealed with a camouflage device. These measures employed, succeeded in hiding it in plain sight. He left it, but mentally noted down, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you for the d-day,¡± he muttered silently.


    After coming out with the armor on, the soldier respectfully cleared the way as he went back to thank the commander.


    After all, was done, he settled down as the commander instructed that they¡¯ll be storming off the next day. A lot of soldiers were enraged because of the assault today. So they prepared themselves, while some boasted that they will vent their anger by killing a specific number of policemen.


    The area became chaotic, as the soldiers argued on who would have the most kills. As all these happened, Clark silently found a place to sleep peacefully.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 31: the battle begins

    Rustle!! Rustle!! The forest leaves swayed gently to the rhythm of the wind, as activities began in the temporary terrorist camp.


    Clark joined the other soldiers, as they checked their weapons, before proceeding to load their resources for the inevitable battle. After taking the armor yesterday, he went to the other armory where normal weapons are stored.


    In there, he dropped his old gun, exchanging it for a better machine gun and a sword made from reinforced steel. Almost all the other newly graduated terrorist soldiers made the same decision.


    He was assigned to be in a vehicle, at the forefront of the formation of vehicles. The 2 high-grade soldiers who fought yesterday, to ensure their escape, were in the same car with him. The engines of the vehicles roared to life, as they started moving forward orderly.


    Vroom!! Vroom!! The vehicles moved with such momentum like they were going to a world war, as their hardened tires left deep trails behind in the forest surface.


    Well, their situation was similar to war for survival in a sense, so the description is accurate. The advancing line of vehicles didn¡¯t have to travel too long, as they encountered the first police blockade.


    "We already met the police, so fast," Clark thought in trepidation, as he prepared himself for battle.


    The policemen acted fast, as they immediately erected exotic shields to form a blockade. This battle formation was mainly used by the Spartan soldiers when fighting international wars. Clark figured that they probably paid a high price to obtain these goodies.


    After observing the situation, the 2 high-grade soldiers'' expressions became grave, as their irises constricted in alarm. Exotic shields used in such huge quantities were not normal, the cost was simply astronomical.


    They both steeled their minds, as they transmitted their order to all the vehicles through a military voice transmitter. Attack!! They yelled as they both launched themselves from the vehicle with force. Clark decided to be more prudent, he already recognized that this was going to be harder than he thought.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Bullets rained down on them, as the policemen unleashed hell without restraint.


    Most of the terrorist soldiers jumped down from their vehicles to get better positions, as they returned fire. They immediately started using the trees around for cover, to avoid taking their opponent''s full and concentrated firepower.


    Boom!! The trees fell, as grenades were released by the policemen into their midst. Huge, red explosions rocked the forest, as the soldiers started dying in the dozens, while their vehicles continued forward.


    The 2 high-grade soldiers finally arrived at the center of the battlefield, as they used their exotic swords to demolish the police shields obstructing their way. They focused on destroying the shields, as their soldier¡¯s bullets just couldn¡¯t penetrate them.


    They already lost dozens of soldiers, but no single police had died because of the shields erected. Clark was prepared to show himself in this battle, but he secretly changed his bullets with temporary paralysis bullets.


    These bullets will make his victims lose control of themselves and faint for hours, instead of dying. Despite him being with terrorists, he was still a soldier. He had morals to follow, to control himself.


    As the 2 high-grade soldiers slowly broke the combined shield made by the countless policemen, the space they created gradually became big enough to allow a large group of soldiers to shoot through at their opponents.


    As the soldiers hid behind trees shooting cautiously, Clark finally took over the battle.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! He openly dashed out of his position, his figure blurred, as he moved towards the central police blockade while his gun sprayed bullets out in waves at the unlucky policemen facing him.


    He aimed to only get headshots, to increase the speed of the paralysis and sleepy effect of his bullets. With this, no one noticed his trick due to how chaotic the battle was.


    He waited patiently till the battle was chaotic enough before he acted, as he was sure that the commander¡¯s keen senses couldn¡¯t see his actions clearly in such a chaotic battle, but could still see his magnificence.


    The policemen focused fired him, as a bunch of bullets was shot out at him. He started dodging while leaving the bullets he couldn¡¯t dodge to his armor.


    As the battle raged on, he arrived quickly among the policemen but declined to use his sword on them. He simply maneuvered between them like a fish in water, as he shot them down in droves, clearing a path in the middle of their formation.


    They were not fighting a battle to get the last man standing, this was a battle against time to escape.


    The first terrorist-owned vehicles finally drove into the path that he created, as the others quickly followed, driving closer. The police concentrated their firepower here, as more soldiers also joined him to defend the path that he created.


    The battle became heated, as a policeman and soldier died every second. 30 minutes later, all the vehicles finally got past the blockade as the soldiers shot while rushing forward to re-enter the vehicles.


    The policemen didn¡¯t relent either, as they still shot at them. After they boarded their vehicles, they picked up speed as they quickly left, but the policemen still chased after them. The terrorist¡¯s large entourage of vehicles was simply too large a target to evade police pursuit, after just a single maneuver.


    They were on the run, but luck simply refused to be in their favor. ¡°The police reinforcement, shit,¡± a lot of soldiers cursed, as they encountered a new police division.


    The new police vehicles came from their front with momentum like a beast tide, as they already started firing at them. No one gave a new order, so the terrorists continued forward, as they tried to bulldoze their way out.


    The policemen stood their ground, as they retaliated with as much force as their opponents gave them. Due to the rapid-fire circulating, some vehicles quickly went on fire as the commotion increased, including some police cars also.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the original pursuing police force caught up. The pressure that the terrorists faced increased exponentially, as they received fire from both sides.


    They didn¡¯t come down this time, as they shot at their opponents directly from their vehicles.


    ¡°Retreat into the forest¡±, they finally received a new order directly from their commander, which they acknowledged as they all tried retreating into the forest.


    Their intention was clear, but these muscle-brained policemen refused to relent, as they advanced to block their retreat.


    Some new soldiers already started feeling despair, as the temporary leader of the policemen yelled at them to surrender.


    His voice echoed around the battlefield, through a voice amplifying machine. He was well protected by a special exotic shield, which their bullets couldn¡¯t penetrate, and he was positioned deep behind the police formation lines.


    Boom!! As morale ran low, everyone suddenly heard a very glaring gunshot sound reverberating around the battlefield, drawing all attention. Clark¡¯s eyes widened, as the well-protected police leader¡¯s brain exploded into a bloody mess.


    ¡°Who shot that,¡± he wondered in astonishment, as the policemen watched in horror.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 32: 3 weeks of attrition

    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! 3 other shots were released in quick succession, leading to the death of three other leading officers as the police offensive quickly faltered.


    Clark was finally able to pinpoint the shooter this time. He was standing in a car, in the middle of the retreating terrorist''s vehicles.


    Executioner Dave, Clark recognized him immediately. Everything seemed to pause in time, to better decorate this moment. The executioner''s long hair waved with the wind, as he watched keenly with his hawk-like eyes.


    Most of the new soldiers¡¯ eyes sparkled in admiration, as the Executioner''s face suddenly seemed to be covered in a unique heavenly glow.


    Clark was sure that most of the female terrorist soldiers were probably already screeching inwardly with excitement, right now.


    ¡°To the forest,¡± Executioner Dave repeated the order, as the soldiers quickly took advantage of this chance to force their retreat.


    The police decided to wisely stop the pursuit, as they also retreated. Clark finally heaved a sigh of relief, as the entourage of terrorist cars went deeper into the forest.


    After retreating for over an hour, they finally stopped to erect a new base. They camped inside the forest, as they quickly set up a defense perimeter.


    The atmosphere within the camp was very gloomy, as the terrorist base lost 10% of its armed forces just from this one clash. Clark could¡¯ve taken advantage of the chaos to complete his mission, but the chaotic battle was not under his control, anything could happen at any moment.


    He was surprised, as the commander of the base called for him an hour later. On reaching his car, the commander first congratulated him for his performance. Before telling him not to be to set on the death of his brothers, that they died for a good cause.


    ¡°Whose brother, you hypocritic piece of shit?" He snorted inwardly, but planted a pained expression on his face, as the commander continued.


    He finally told him to drop his armor for repairs, as it sustained a lot of damages from the battle.


    After dropping the armor for repairs, he thought of the last words of the commander as he returned.


    The commander said that if everything goes according to his calculations, they will be delayed for a week or more, making them miss the time for the mission assigned to their base. He said the last part while shaking his head with a bitter smile.


    On thinking of the fact that they would miss the mission, Clark suddenly felt better. After a long day of battle and run for survival, he finally retreated to sleep for the night.


    ...


    For the next few days, the terrorist organization laid low, as they licked their wounds. Surprisingly, the high-grade soldiers gradually got close to Clark, as they already thought of him as their future comrade.


    His recent performance assured them, that he would most likely become a soldier of the same rank as them, thereby heralding a new executioner.


    They gradually opened up, revealing their secrets to him, excluding only the ranged specialist among them. This guy Dave, was simply a hermit as he barely even smiled. He hardly replies, even if the other high-grade soldiers engage in a conversation with him.


    The commander¡¯s calculations and predictions were rendered useless after the police found the base¡¯s hideout in the forest, on the 4th day.


    They decided to take the dirty route, they harassed and attacked them every day as they refused to let them recover their strength.


    This slowly morphed into a battle of attrition, as the police attacked while the terrorists defended. During these small-scale skirmishes with the police, some soldiers shined by performing exceptionally, while others simply died and were forgotten.


    This dragged on for 3 weeks, as the terrorist organization was gradually reduced to 40% of its original strength.


    The commander finally became concerned, as he ordered that they are charging out the next day. He was ready to personally spearhead their breakthrough, as he already got fed up with the police harassment.


    After 3 weeks of staying with them, Clark already perfectly integrated with them and he also learned other confidential secrets. He finally learned why the commander always never participates during battles.


    The commander got injured in a great battle against an army division by the division¡¯s commander, who was also a high-grade soldier with the 2nd breakthrough under his belt.


    The injury almost incapacitated him, but after treatment, he finally recovered a bit. He could still battle, but every battle will worsen the injury, bringing him closer to death.


    He could receive better treatment, but he didn¡¯t have the qualifications to visit the higher ranked terrorist bases, to receive treatment there.


    His deciding to enter the battle, was an indication of how dire the situation was. The whole base started preparing for the next day with heavy hearts, as the base was at an all-time low since the new soldiers were recruited.


    That evening, Clark received his armor. They refused to give it to him back previously, as the commander said that he didn¡¯t need it for all the last skirmishes against the police. The commander advised that he needed the experience, as training.


    That night, he was somehow excited about the battle, and also worried for the policemen. ¡°This is the first time that I¡¯ll see a high-grade soldier, higher than me in the rank fight,¡± he thought in anticipation.


    The next day, everything was ready as they got up and left very early in the morning around 6:00 am. The atmosphere among the soldiers was tense, but the new soldiers were excited, as they were going to see their commander fight for the first time.


    All the vehicles moved with speed, as the terrorists planned to get as far as possible before encountering any police force. After more than 2 hours of traveling, the inevitable finally came, as they met the first entourage of police vehicles.


    The commander didn¡¯t say any words of motivation, he only growled in the transmitter an order to advance.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 33: the commanders invisibility

    They didn¡¯t waste time, as the terrorist soldiers already saw the policemen as their archenemies. They exchanged fire aggressively, as the area quickly became chaotic. But this time, the organization decided to rule in the chaos.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The commander entered the battle with style, as his figure shot forward at the police vehicles. He moved like a phantom on the battlefield, as his guns, shot bullets out in rapid succession.


    The 4 other high-grade soldiers also joined the battle, as they were determined to destroy this police squad to its last vehicle and policeman. Clark also joined the battle, but most of his attention was focused on watching the commander¡¯s battle.


    As the policemen didn¡¯t have enough time to set-up a shield, they died in droves from the unexpected direct and aggressive offensive. The commander was using 2 not too impressive machine guns, but what was frightening about him is his precision and calculation.


    He could always find the right spot to shoot at in a police vehicle to make it explode, only requiring a couple of shots.


    This era¡¯s vehicles, especially military-owned vehicles are made and fine-tuned to be more resistant to damage. They are designed to prevent as many explosions causing scenarios as possible.


    This only went to show the commander¡¯s skill, as, during this short time he appeared on the battlefield, dozens of police vehicles already fell victim to him


    This was not the scariest part yet, as he finally reached the policemen''s ranks. On reaching there, he casually threw away the two machine guns as he rolled under a police car. Clark focused on only dodging, as he watched him keenly.


    Boom!! The car suddenly exploded, as he came from under the vehicle. The red-hot explosion succeeded in killing all 8 policemen in the area.


    Clark looked more carefully, and to his horror, the commander wielded 2 exotic swords.


    He was astonished not because the commander wielded 2 swords, but because his second sword was of a higher quality than his military-provided sword. He was able to tell from the force field being released from the sword.


    They couldn¡¯t take the police cars, as there were trackers installed in them, which would only expose their location. So, the commander simply destroyed them from left to right.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Cars exploded now and then, as he sliced them apart with his two exotic swords. Clark was further astonished, as the commander¡¯s armor withstood all the explosions, while also withstanding all the concentrated firepower directed at him by the police force.


    He felt a chill go down his spine, as he directly canceled his suicidal and stupid goal to assassinate the commander when he was weak from exhaustion after all the fighting.


    He simply thanked his lucky stars, that he did not impulsively attack without knowing the commander¡¯s strength. "The 3 weeks I waited is completely worth it, with this information alone,¡± he thought, while still feeling spooked.


    The police finally ordered a retreat, when they noticed the unusual aggression from the terrorists. But the commander refused to let a single soul escape, as he led his soldiers to bite back hard.


    He commanded the 4 executioners to block all their paths of escape, as the one-sided slaughter continued.


    Clark felt pity for the dying policemen, ¡°but their superiors should know better than to force the terrorist organization to desperation,¡± he thought. These policemen were basically sent on a suicide mission.


    The killing continued, as he finally joined the fight so as not to arouse any suspicions. The chaos already receded a little, he was not ready to let his cover be blown after persevering for so long.


    30 minutes later, the police squad was wiped out, leaving not a single soul or vehicle intact. The commander¡¯s armor was dyed all over with the blood of the policemen, as he announced for his soldiers to advance without resting or washing up.


    The entourage of vehicles resumed their advance, as the soldier¡¯s morale increased exponentially after seeing their commander¡¯s invisibility.


    It seems that the police found out about the battle, as the terrorists encountered no other police squad for an hour later. But this only increased the pressure that they had to face.


    The executioner Clark sat next to in the car, predicted that their opponents were probably converging to form a large blockade. As he was already close to the executioners, he was allowed to sit in the same vehicle with them.


    To date, he didn¡¯t know why the organization called their high-grade soldier''s executioners.


    The atmosphere was stiff and oppressive, as the terrorist''s vehicles plied through the forest. They finally encountered another police squad, after traveling for another 30 minutes. There was no battle, as this police division quickly fled on seeing them.


    The soldiers rejoiced; they cursed the policemen for being cowards. But the executioners were not that na?ve, as they informed Clark that the squad was probably used as scouts to check if they changed their escape path.


    They didn''t deem it necessary to tell their soldiers though, as it would only bring down morale. They allowed them to vent their anger and bottled-up frustration, to allow them better cope with any other complications that arise.


    They could have changed their trajectory, but the executioners argued that it was longer. And that would have led to them encountering multiple well-planned battles of attrition, from the policemen, if they could not restrain them in one location.


    As high-grade soldiers didn¡¯t have infinite strength and endurance, they couldn¡¯t choose that option. If the high-grade soldiers became tired, then that is the end for this branch of the terrorist organization.


    After traveling for another 30 minutes, they finally met the predicted blockade. When calculated, the police left them to travel safely for a cumulative total of 2 hours.


    Clark was scared shitless from the sight before him. The huge blue energy shield erected, towered up, and extended for as far as his eyes could see.


    The policemen spread across the forest, like an organized swarm of locusts. The huge number alone, the formations they prepared, and the weapons they wielded painted a very intimidating sight.


    ¡°Shit man,¡± Clark blurted out in a shocked tone. His worldview was impacted enormously, this time. "Will the organization survive a battle of this scale?¡± His thoughts completely went haywire, as he started cooking up thoughts to get a means to save himself.


    ¡°If I say I¡¯m a soldier of the Spartan republic after accompanying this organization for about a month, will they believe me? Damn, I¡¯m screwed this time¡±.


    He was completely clueless on a way to save himself; he forcibly suppressed his panic, as he glanced at the executioners.


    On glancing at the 4 executioners, he didn¡¯t see the expected expression of fear. He only saw a resolve to fight to the death and a feeling like they were welcoming an old friend, or better still welcoming their days of battle and glory.


    The atmosphere was infectious. As he sat with them, he suddenly felt the urge to give his life to the organization. ¡°Shit, psychological manipulation again,¡± he cursed inwardly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a terrorist for God¡¯s sake¡±. Despite his inner grumblings and thoughts, no one paid attention to him, as this was probably going to be the organization''s most fierce battle for a long time. While this was undoubtedly his most fierce battle.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 34: battle arts the bullet encyclopedia and the frenzied maneuver

    Boom!! The organization finally started revealing trump cards, as the commander was launched from his car like a rocket.


    Clark was shocked, as he knew that this was a result of high-grade air compression technology being used. The commander was launched straight at the giant erected shield, they quickly collided with a loud sound.


    Bang!! Bang!! Bang!! He started the battle immediately, as he wreaked havoc on the shield. The part where he landed, shattered on contact with his swords. His response to the police blockade was fast and decisive.


    The sight quickly fired up his soldiers, as they felt their blood pressure gradually going up. He worked on expanding the shield crack, while he ignored the heavy firepower raining down on him. He meant it when he said he was going to spearhead their escape.


    A lot of soldiers jumped down in a frenzied state, including the 3 executioners, as they charged into the battle. The policemen retaliated with as much aggression as their opponents, they reaped lives every second.


    This status quo only stayed for about ten seconds, before the ranged specialist, executioner Dave finally showed his worth as the second in command in the base.


    Clark was astonished as the man started executing a battle art, ¡°The bullet encyclopedia¡±. His heart changed gears in shock, due to the abruptness at which the situation was changing.


    He couldn¡¯t think deeper, as bullets were released randomly on the battlefield. Anti-gravity bullets, shield weakening bullets, stun bullets and a myriad of other bullets flew out in rapid succession.


    After cadets graduate and become soldiers, any high-grade soldier that emerges is eligible to learn a battle art. Lower-grade soldiers didn¡¯t have the strength, endurance, and mental capacity to perform a battle art.


    Battle arts was first created by Helix the conqueror, which later became a very essential gauge for a high-grade soldier¡¯s capability. There is a very high probability, that high-grade soldiers with a battle art can completely crush the same graded soldiers without one.


    Complete mastery of a battle art is very useful, as to normal soldiers, it¡¯s just like a superpower. Most battle arts were created, via the study of some martial art maneuvers and techniques.


    Now, Clark finally knew why this guy had an extra exotic weapon. It''s because he mastered a battle art.


    The police didn¡¯t expect this, as anti-gravity bullets landed on dozens of policemen. The unlucky policemen were disoriented, as the law of gravity became inverted for them. They rose from the ground, floating in the air against their will, as they became floating targets to the soldiers.


    Zap!! Zap!! Zap!! Dozens of other policemen were electrocuted, as they all stiffened, becoming static targets to the soldiers.


    Clark was frozen in fright and shock, as the executioner expertly rotated between the bullets, directly changing the momentum of the battle.


    The bullet encyclopedia was a very famous, and hard-to-learn battle art, as it could directly change the trajectory of a battle if paired with high-grade bullets.


    The bullets the executioner used were of the lowest quality, as high-grade anti-gravity bullets could make the police cars float and high-grade stun bullets could electrocute a very wide area.


    The policemen¡¯s offensive faltered, as the ranged high-grade soldier coordinated with the other 3 executioners impeccably.


    Despite this advantage, they still needed a miracle to escape, as the sheer scale of the policemen from all the nearby towns gathering was simply mind-blowing. Clark didn¡¯t have to wait long, as the commander finally decided to execute his battle art.


    ¡°The frenzied maneuver,¡± he thought in recognition while watching the commander keenly.


    Boom!! Boom!! The commander activated his sword¡¯s force field, as he cut the remaining 2 police vehicles obstructing him in two, clearing a path forward.


    With the force field, his sword was far sharper and carried more impact force. He fought in a frenzy, as his attacks became more precise, stronger, and faster through channeling his battle art.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Heads flew everywhere he went, as he beheaded every policeman obstructing him, with them being unable to resist.


    His advancing figure seemed like an asura here to take lives, as his sword grew dark red from the blood of the policemen. He left a trail of blood behind, as the first terrorist vehicle finally crossed the blockade.


    Every minute of the battle, policemen died, as the battle became a war of attrition. A battle art drains a lot of energy and endurance. After over an hour of executing it, the commander finally stopped, as he helped his soldiers cross the blockade.


    The ranged executioner already stopped his battle art long ago, as he was still just a soldier with only one breakthrough. His endurance was far lower than that of the commander.


    But despite that, he was still undoubtedly the man of the battle, as his battle art was simply a game-changer. The perfect scenarios he set up for their soldiers, helped a lot in them being able to create an opening. The attrition continued for over 4 hours, as both sides lost a lot of men.


    Due to how chaotic the battle was, Clark spent most of his time watching the fight of the high-grade soldiers and dodging to reduce the damage his armor received as much as possible.


    Well, the commander was busy, so what prevents him from taking advantage of them? After a lot of ups and downs, the last intact terrorist vehicle finally passed the blockade, as they quickly went on the run, despite their extremely hot engines from all the explosions.


    They fled quickly, while still shooting back from their vehicles to disrupt the police''s pursuit. The policemen pursued them relentlessly, as they still exchanged fire for 2 hours before they finally lost their pursuers.


    Despite the flashy displays by the commander and the executioners, the atmosphere among the terrorists was very sad, as the losses today were simply too much.


    They continued traveling for hours, as the police aggression frightened the hell out of them. They tried to travel very far away from this area, meeting another police ambush was a nightmare they didn''t want to encounter again.


    Night finally came as darkness covered their fleet of vehicles, but they were still on the run as the commander refused the executioner¡¯s requests to rest.


    The only thing illuminating the night was the headlights of the fleet of vehicles, they traveled in the darkness like a clan of immigrants.


    After being on the run for about another 2 hours, they finally decided to stop and camp in the nearby forest. The towns were now becoming too dangerous to enter.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate it. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 35: the night sabotage

    Rustle!! Rustle!! The wind blew fiercely as the whole camp was silent just like a graveyard. Clark opened his eyes to see the starlight shining down, yesterday¡¯s battle was simply too much of an energy drainer as he figured everybody in the camp was already asleep from exhaustion. He slowly stood up with apprehension as he got ready to complete his training.


    After seeing the strength of the high-grade soldiers especially the ranged specialist, he became more prudent as he directly removed the commander from his list of targets. The commander was simply a monster to a soldier like him but despite the ranged specialist¡¯s strength he still targeted him as he was also a high-grade soldier and he specially aimed at executioner Dave¡¯s myriad stash of bullets.


    Clark picked up his bag as he deactivated the camouflage device, he opened the bag and grinned as he saw his military grade gears safely inside. He distanced himself a little from where the soldiers slept as he admired his bag again for its space expansion ability. The military bag had the ability to expand inwardly when a lot of things are placed inside. ¡°Technology is really too convenient,¡± he thought with a smile. He smiled again as he envisioned the wealth that he would probably walk away with from this camp.


    Clark donned his armor as he removed the terrorist provided armor keeping it in his bag. After arranging all his weapons, he grinned as he felt that he was ready. ¡°You¡¯re getting robbed tonight,¡± he muttered excitedly.


    He quickly went to the vehicle where the high-grade armory was and hacked the door with his hacking device. He silently opened the door, entered and hacked the security program keeping the sword safe. Clark felt like an armed robber as he carefully removed the sword conveniently placing it in his bag. He silently left the vehicle after his successful robbery.


    ¡°What robbery? This is serving my country; I took something that would have been used to harm my fellow citizens away. I¡¯m even supposed to be rewarded for this by the president,¡± Clark soothed his grumbling conscience with this as he prepared to continue his operation.


    ¡°First mission successful,¡± Clark silently noted as he quickly located where the ranged executioner slept. Before everyone slept, he noted where all the high-grade soldiers slept including where the commander slept. He silently went to where he slept as he found him snoring in exhaustion.


    Clark took out one of his daggers as he advanced slowly to where the executioner slept. He was slightly nervous but he still advanced as he quickly reached where his target laid, he raised his dagger to stab him decisively but was surprised as executioner Dave¡¯s eyes suddenly snapped open. As Clark brought his dagger down, Dave caught his hand, adrenaline kicked in as Clark quickly used his other hand to block his mouth to prevent him from shouting. The look in his eyes showed that he recognized him despite the armor covering his face.


    Clark ignored his look as he finally exerted the strength of a high-grade soldier after a long time of holding back. Dave made him drop his dagger as Clark quickly retaliated giving him 3 punches to his stomach.


    Dave was clearly fatigued as the punch weakened his grip on Clark. Clark wielded his other dagger while quickly stabbing his opponent on the neck. Dave struggled as Clark tried keeping him in place with all his strength while repeatedly stabbing him. This continued for about 2 minutes before he finally died, Clark didn¡¯t heave a sigh of relief after his target¡¯s death as he was sure that the small noise released from his struggle alerted some soldiers.


    Fortunately, the executioners removed their armors for repairs or he wouldn¡¯t have the guts to initiate this sabotage. Despite him dying Clark admired Dave¡¯s cautiousness as he arranged his sniper to his side for an emergency which was clearly to Clark¡¯s favor. He quickly bent down as he used the sniper rifle to watch where the other executioners slept.


    Clark cursed as he saw 2 of the executioners already awake watching around cautiously. ¡°Damn it,¡± he yelled inwardly as he quickly aimed at the last sleeping executioner. Boom!! The sound of the bullet flying past reverberated breaking the silence of the night as the last executioner¡¯s brain exploded.


    The whole camp was aroused by the sound as all the soldiers woke up shouting disorderly. Clark tried his luck shooting at the other 2 executioners, he underestimated high grade soldiers as they quickly dodged with speed, picked their machine guns and returned fire to where he was as the other soldiers followed their actions.


    Ka!! Ka!! Ka!! Clark¡¯s armor withstood the bullets exposing his position as he quickly dismantled the sniper rifle, kept it in his bag and brought out his 2-form gun. Where he stood was an elevated platform compared to where the other soldiers stood.


    Machine gun Clark softly whispered as his 2-form gun changed into the exotic machine gun configuration. He searched hastily for Dave¡¯s stash of bullets, after finding them he kept them quickly and finally clicked on the finish mission flashing on his wrist watch¡¯s screen. An escape route quickly appeared; he memorized the general direction quickly as he jumped down from his elevated platform.


    Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Clark¡¯s military machine gun rained down bullets as he killed the 3 soldiers blocking his path. He sprinted into the forest following the direction provided by his watch.


    Bullets hit his armor repeatedly, others flew past him as all the soldiers in the organization pursued after him. He ran with dread as he silently prayed against the commander joining the fight.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he cursed as luck refused to favor him this time.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 36: a battle against the commander

    Boom!! Clark heard the familiar sound as the commander was launched straight to where he was by the air compression device. Bam!! The commander sliced his armor with his sword as he landed while Clark responded by hastily dodging to the right.


    ¡°Warning!! Durability reduced by 20% after that blow,¡± the low-grade A.I of Clark¡¯s armor finally reported a warning for the first time. Armors don¡¯t naturally report damage but if one blow dealt too much damage, the armor¡¯s A.I can alert you as a precaution. Clark cursed as he quickly attached his gun to his back, he unsheathed his sword as he jumped forward trying to run again.


    ¡°Clark I am disappointed and angered,¡± the commander shouted as he rushed forward to engage him.


    The commander wasn¡¯t wearing any armor so Clark simply attacked him back, the commander parried the first attack force with his sword as he suddenly asked in surprise. ¡°You are a high-grade soldier?


    ¡°Hmmm, you know villains die because they talk and ask too many questions in a battle. Talk later if you can catch me, save your saliva¡±. Clark snorted feigning disregard as he turned to engage the commander.


    ¡°¡­,¡± the commander was completely speechless as he didn¡¯t expect the normally calm and obedient Clark to be so sharp tongued.


    Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! They quickly started exchanging blows as Clark completely focused on fighting the commander. The commander dodged all his blows after discovering that he was a high-grade soldier as he cautiously retaliated giving his armor slight cuts here and there. He fought this cautiously only because his armor was kept for repairs. Despite fighting handicapped like this the commander succeeded in keeping the battle at a stale-mate.


    Clark began to panic as the 2 executioners and the other soldiers gradually drew nearer to their battle ground. His brain went into overdrive as he started rapidly thinking on how to escape this situation. The commander completely focused on stalling him as the battle dragged on.


    Clark quickly made a decision as he left his defense, he paid for this decision as he received a huge blow to his armor. His armor diligently announced another warning that he received 5% damage. He used the force and momentum from the blow to jump backwards as he threw a dagger at the commander. The commander dodged sideways while preparing to charge at him again. As Clark moved backwards, he did a back flip quickly storing his swords as he brought out his dual automatic pistols in mid-air. Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Bullets sprayed out as the commander hastily blocked with his sword activating the sword¡¯s force field, the force field from his sword protected his face.


    Ptui!! Ptui!! Clark heard the sound of bullet entering flesh as blood flowed out of the commander¡¯s shoulders. He rolled backwards immediately hiding behind a tree, Clark picked himself up as he ran away with speed.


    Whoosh!! The air parted as the commander threw one of his swords at him, he dodged swiftly as he didn¡¯t want to take the damage that it will deal to his armor.


    After dodging Clark turned back to shoot some more but his eyes widened as he cursed his luck, ¡°why is the commander using so much effort despite his condition?¡± He lamented exasperatedly.


    The commander started his battle art ¡°The frenzied maneuver¡± as he rushed into the midst of Clark¡¯s flying bullets. Whoosh!! Whoosh!! The commander sliced the bullets in 2 while he dodged the ones he couldn¡¯t slice as he advanced to Clark¡¯s position with speed. Clark made a calculation instantly as he threw his 2 pistols up while bringing his 2-form gun. Sniper, he whispered as the gun transformed into a dangerous looking sniper.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Clark shot 3 times at the commander as he was launched backwards from the force of the bullet, he blocked it with his sword though. He rolled with inhuman speed as he dodged the second bullet, Clark aimed his last bullet elsewhere as an emerging soldier¡¯s head was blown to bits. The commander hid again behind a tree as Clark kept his 2-form gun in his back. His armor had a designated spot at the back for holding weapons during a battle which was a very good add-on during battles. He caught his 2 automatic pistols as they finally came back from their brief flight.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Clark released fire as 2 other soldiers fell down dead. he was disappointed as the 2 executioners dodged hiding behind a tree. He picked the commander¡¯s sword conveniently placing it in his bag as he continued his escape sprinting away. ¡°Despite how dangerous of a situation, I find myself, I don¡¯t forget to make profit the sword was a gift¡±. Clark muttered with a chuckle as his figure disappeared into the jungle.


    The soldiers shot at him as he ran faster into the forest while the damages to his armor accumulated further. The commander finally decided to stop as he told his 2 executioners to continue the chase. He already suffered too many losses as him fighting will only deteriorate his health further. Clark finally heaved a sigh of relief on noticing this as he continued his escape.


    Clark was focused on running but was still calm enough to know that all his kills amounted to only 160 marks. He decided to get full grades as he tried shooting back at the pursuing soldiers as he ran.


    Clark killed six other soldiers as he retaliated making them more cautious as they pursued while trying to find cover. This increased the distance between them as he eventually emerged from the forest after 30 minutes of constant running. He saw a town nearby, he checked and was ecstatic as his watch pointed to the town.


    After another 10 minutes he finally reached the town as he found the local vigilante of the town on a patrol. The terrorist soldiers finally retreated as they saw the vigilante group.


    Clark ran closer to the vigilantes as they pointed their guns at him and yelled at him to stop. ¡°Finally, civilized people,¡± he thought in relief.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 37: chapte 37 dream the legend of the secret agent

    ¡°My name is Clark, I am a cadet of the Spartan republic on training,¡± Clark announced loudly as he was hand-cuffed. ¡°You can call 223 to confirm,¡± he added as he deactivated his face armor revealing his face. As Clark introduced himself some vigilante members already went after the terrorists who pursued him here.


    Clark waited for over 10 minutes as they did a lot of procedures before finally confirming his identity. The way they spoke to him immediately changed as they politely started asking him some questions. ¡°Who were those pursuing you,¡± they asked?


    Clark told them the truth conveniently placing the terrorist organization base in another precarious situation. They were surprised but nodded seriously as they directly informed the local police force.


    ¡°Do you need anything?¡± The one who seemed to be the leader of the group asked.


    ¡°No, only a hotel to rest for the night,¡± Clark answered.


    They prepared a hotel for him as he booked a room to spend the night. 30 minutes later Clark was dropped in the hotel, he entered and quickly located his room. The first thing he did after dropping his bag was have a proper bath as he hardly had time to bath during his time with the terrorist organization.


    ¡°Oh man this feels good,¡± Clark moaned in satisfaction as the warm water from the shower washed over him.


    Clark felt like a new born as he plopped down on the big king-sized bed. He checked the time and it was already to 4:00am in the morning. He was famished and exhausted but he still used his last energy to look at his military watch where he found training completed showing on it. He grinned in satisfaction as he finally succumbed to his exhaustion sleeping and smiling with contentment.


    ¡­


    That night it was a different mood entirely in the terrorist organization temporary base as the soldiers returned in a sad and defeated atmosphere. The 2 executioners silently went to meet the commander as they narrated what later happened. The commander kept silent as he listened to his subordinate¡¯s narration with a grave expression. ¡°Announce to the soldiers that we are leaving tomorrow,¡± he kept silent for some time again before continuing, ¡°burry our fallen soldiers and high-grade soldiers¡±.


    The commander said the last part with a pained expression as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Clark, enjoy your victory for the time being I will make sure I hunt you down when the time is right,¡± he swore.


    As the 2 executioners went to inform the soldiers about the instructions, they both discussed with dread. ¡°Elliot to think that you recruited such a demon into our ranks, you actually recruited a high-grade Spartan soldier in our midst¡±.


    ¡°Stop it Daniel, I deeply regret my decision to bring in Clark but you were also close to him you didn¡¯t suspect anything so don¡¯t just blame me¡±. Elliot retorted while feeling a sense of loss.


    ¡°What pains me most is the death of our fellow high-grade brothers and the loss of the limited exotic weapons and armor we have¡±. Elliot silently muttered. He felt very guilty for bringing in such a demon into the base.


    After the news of their departure was released and that they¡¯ll likely face other police assaults the soldiers despaired. They further lost confidence at the announcement of the death of 2 of their executioners. Clark succeeded in wreaking havoc on this base, they were now at their weakest.


    ¡­


    That night Clark dreamt of himself being a secret spy for the Spartan republic. He joined a team of professional spies as they infiltrated the Aragan capital city. They were so good that they evaded all the advanced country¡¯s detection. They succeeded in their mission as they assassinated the president of Araga.


    Complications came during their escape as they encountered an elite Aragan military division. To his surprise they met a team led by the legendary Helix the conqueror which led to him clashing directly with this legend.


    ¡°Damn!! When did I become this strong and skilled?¡± Clark was surprised as he fought and suppressed the first high grade soldier humanity breed. He conveniently killed a lot of his teammates while still fighting him. He spearheaded his team as they successfully escaped after assassinating the Aragan president. Despite their identity not being known people referred to them as the mysterious super assassins, they became famous overnight.


    Their fame especially that of Clark as the leader of the team spread to all corners of the earth as parents even use their story to scare their children to sleep. He became a legend as even 2-year-olds knew him as the mysterious secret agent. He was really badass as he led his team again to other successful missions.


    ¡°Man, this is sweet,¡± Clark yelled in his as he basked in the glory of being a legend only for light to illuminate his face as he recognized the ceiling of the hotel, he booked last night.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 38: going to church

    ¡°Shit this is probably the first time that I woke up directly from a dream. What a stoke of bad luck,¡± Clark grumbled as he got up. He looked around and finally did a proper survey of the room that he booked as he admired the decorations and scenery.


    He was too exhausted to glance around yesterday so he looked to his fill. ¡°The vigilantes did a proper job reserving this hotel for me,¡± he thought. Clark soliloquized while resting back and rolling on the king-sized bed.


    ¡°Ah! Today is a Sunday,¡± Clark suddenly recalled, ¡°I¡¯ll just use this opportunity to visit the church¡±. ¡°Man¡­it¡¯s been years since I last entered a church¡±.


    He glanced at his wrist watch which indicated that the time was 33 minutes after 8:00am. ¡°Oh, no rush then I¡¯ll just go to the third service around 10:00am¡±. He decided as he went to the bathroom to have his bath as he felt that his whole body was not clean enough to his satisfaction.


    Clark hummed a song as the water poured down from the shower over his body. He broke his record for the longest time in the bathroom as he bathed for over 30 minutes, the water was simply too enjoyable making him reluctant to leave the bathroom. After bathing and everything he realized that he didn¡¯t have any other clothes so he directly ordered online for a suit, a pair of shoes to match the suit, a pair of jean trousers, a trending fashion polo shirt and a face cap.


    ¡°Man, I¡¯m famished¡±. Clark exclaimed as he called the hotel operatives to order breakfast. 5 minutes later the food was brought over by a female waitress, she smiled lavishly at him after he opened the door and placed the tray of dishes on his table.


    ¡°Mr. Clark do you need any other service from us?¡± The female waitress asked politely.


    ¡°No, no need thank you very much for the service I¡¯ll pay for everything later¡±. Clark replied with a smile. She smiled again at him before going.


    In the 5 minutes that he waited he already brushed his teeth and did every other necessary thing. It was hard but he persevered as he refused to bring out his bag to check his battle loots or better still trophies. ¡°I¡¯ll sort them out when I come back from church,¡± he reasoned.


    After eating he waited a little more before his package was delivered. ¡°30 minutes, their delivery time is quite fast,¡± he thought.


    Clark paid the delivery man a total of 65 Spartan credits for the goods with an additional 4 credits as transportation costs. ¡°The trending fashion polo shirt is 5 credits, a face cap is also 5 credits, what a rip-off and the face cap is even on a 20% discount so they said. Some online trading companies are completely crazy,¡± Clark cursed as he quickly went to dress up after a lot of grumblings as time was not on his side.


    ¡°Man, I look sparkling¡±. Clark blurted out as he looked as he looked at his reflection from the mirror. ¡°After combing my short hair, I look more handsome,¡± he thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s been long since I wore standard suit and shoes almost forgetting how handsome I looked¡±. After more than 15 minutes of preparation he was finally set for church, he picked 100 credits from his stash for offering as he glanced at the time.


    ¡°Shit, remaining only 10 minutes before church begins¡±. Clark went outside with speed going to a nearby car as he already hired a car from a transport company online.


    ¡°I forgot the keys, shit,¡± he cursed as he ran back to get the car keys. He quickly returned, entered the car as he got prepared to go.


    Clark was stunned speechless after entering the car, ¡°when did a car hired for 2 days at 20 credits become this luxurious?¡± He thought while shocked. The whole car was very neat, he even noticed now that the glasses were tinted. He felt cool and relaxed as the air conditioner blew in cold air.


    ¡°Wow this feels good I thought, are you sure¡­? No let me check the website again¡±. Clark succumbed to his curiosity as he checked. He suddenly felt an urge to cry as he saw his name, time and the amount of money which was taken from his account.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I actually paid 100 Spartan credits for a hired car for only 2 days, is this retribution for the things I looted yesterday¡±. He thought sadly. It was now that he looked clearly and to his surprise it was a Mercedes sports car, despite centuries passing Mercedes was still a popular brand for ordinary cars without exotics.


    Zoom!! Clark drove across the streets as he followed the car¡¯s GPS direction to the nearest church. About 15 minutes later he arrived at the church, it was an Anglican church. He didn¡¯t go to an Anglican church when he was young but he does not discriminate either.


    Clark drew a lot of attention as his sports car entered the church compound. Late comers passing by stared at his car with curiosity as he entered the parking lot.


    Clark felt good as he came down from the car under the stares of everyone, ¡°I guess my money was not wasted with this alone,¡± he thought. He didn¡¯t stand in one place like a fool after coming out as he walked towards the church entrance. Church was already in session as an usher came out to lead him into the church.


    ¡°This way sir,¡± the usher said respectfully as Clark confidently marched after him. After entering the church, he finally calmed down as this was not a party now a show room, this was the house of God.


    ¡°Amazing grace¡­how sweet thy sound¡­¡± The hymn was being song by the choir as he entered. He was led to a seat at the middle of the church as the service continued. Clark freed himself of every worry as he laid all his worries before God, it was a very nostalgic and wonderful feeling.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 39: the virtual black market for military equipment

    The church service ended around 12:00 noon as Clark stood up following the other members as they orderly left the church premises. He felt happy and fulfilled as he took in the fresh air outside, ¡°I¡¯ll be a bonafide soldier soon¡±. He thought while remembering his parents.


    After entering the car, he didn¡¯t go back straight to the hotel as he drove to a nearby pizza shop. He bought a plate of pizza and a bottle of ice cream as he relaxed on the chair provided. There was a television set-up for customer¡¯s entertainment placed at the top of the shop. He looked over and was surprised by the news on display, ¡°the local police force attacked a nearby Persian tiger¡¯s base but it seems that they expected the assault as they all escaped without casualties¡±. The local reporter fluently read the news as Clark listened.


    He suddenly chuckled; ¡°the police really hate this bunch of hypocrites,¡± he thought.


    After relaxing for over an hour Clark entered the car as he drove back to the hotel. He entered the huge parlor as he slumped down on the sofa. He grinned as he stood up after some seconds to get his bag, he brought it back to the parlor as he sat down again on the sofa. He activated the jamming device as a jamming field was created, the hotel could have placed hidden cameras here in the parlor or the room he was not taking any chances.


    Clark finally opened the bag with joy, his smile grew wider as his battle lootings were safely kept. This time he got one exotic armor, 3 exotic swords and 1 sniper rifle. ¡°Man, I¡¯m rich,¡± he exclaimed excitedly.


    An exotic sword is worth 8,000 Spartan credits if bought from the military but Clark can decide to sell it for up to 10,000 Spartan credits in the black market, an online platform or any other method. This armor can easily be sold for 20,000 Spartan credits in the black market unlike his military provided armor which can easily be sold for 30,000 Spartan credits. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a very good bargain,¡± he muttered contentedly. The sniper rifle can easily be sold for 15,000 Spartan credits, if he is lucky, he can sell it for up to 18,000 Spartan credits.


    ¡°Man, I can¡¯t wait to turn these loots into cash, let me go online to search first,¡± Clark muttered excitedly. He went online through his implant; his consciousness was quickly drawn into the virtual world. Using your implant to go online is like leaving your body for an outside exploration. Technology has grown to the extent where the internet has changed to become a different world virtually. If you know the name of a website you can just think of it, your implant will do the rest. It will bring your consciousness to the virtual world where you¡¯ll have an A.I as your guide for the first time. This was clearly not Clark¡¯s first time entering the virtual world but this was his first time entering the virtual world for trading military equipment. It¡¯s just like an online black market.


    ¡°Good afternoon Mr. Clark, welcome to the black market for weapons and other military equipment. My name is A-11, you can decide to change my name to the one of your choice if you like¡±. The A.I continued as Clark stared curiously at it, it took the shape of a man on suit exactly like the one he was wearing right now.


    Clark¡¯s implant simply projected the suit that he wore from the material world, he can decide to customize but no need he thought. ¡°I have goods to sell, show me to where I can place them for sale,¡± he demanded.


    A-11 quickly transferred some co-ordinates to him, after seeing it he thought of going there and he immediately appeared there. Here in the virtual world things are done at the speed it requires to think. Very fast and convenient.


    Clark appeared in an area that was bustling with activity, he looked up at the huge signboard which read, ¡°welcome to the home of military equipment¡±. It was decorated with a picture of guns, armor and a host of other things some he recognized while others he didn¡¯t. He quickly navigated his way through the large group of people to meet the person in the counter for presenting equipment for sale. He made sure to change his face through the customize option before going.


    ¡°Good afternoon bro, you¡¯ve got stuff to sell?¡± The counter guy greeted with a virtual chocolate on his mouth.


    ¡°Yeah, yes, I got some stuff to sell,¡± Clark replied as he observed him.


    ¡°Then what are you waiting for bro bring it on¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Clark didn¡¯t know why but he was a little peeved from the way the counter guy talked and the way he dressed, just like an annoying thief. Cough, cough, he coughed a little to clear his thoughts before he projected an image of the items that he brought for sale.


    ¡°Wow!!¡± A wave of exclamations rose as all the nearby people crowded over. This was clearly a low tier virtual black market, exotic weapons and armor were probably VIP stuff here Clark thought. ¡°Thank God I customized my face,¡± he thought as he quickly projected the prices.


    ¡°Wow!!¡± Another wave of wows rose again as they exclaimed when they saw the prices but the people here clearly didn¡¯t have the money to purchase anything, they just ohhed and ahhed while discussing excitedly. Clark waited a little as he figured that the huge crowd will probably draw a prospective buyer closer. He didn¡¯t have to wait too long as the first prospect came also on suit.


    ¡°Oh, you got an exotic armor here,¡± was his greeting as this guy came to face Clark.


    ¡°How much,¡± he asked before he glanced at the price. ¡°20,000 credits¡­, good pack it up I¡¯m taking it¡±. He is simply my style was the only thought on Clark¡¯s brain at the moment.


    Clark grinned inwardly as he rejoiced while keeping a calm face as he led him to a corner to discuss on how they¡¯ll proceed.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 40: a day full of enjoyment and relaxation

    ¡°How do I get the stuff after paying,¡± the man directly asked?


    ¡°Oh, about that you don¡¯t have to worry I¡¯ll send the stuff to the black market in your area or you can tell me any other place, I¡¯ll send it through a way bill¡±. Clark replied after contemplating for 10 seconds.


    ¡°Ok, good I thought that you came to sell without reading the warnings and instructions. You¡¯re trustworthy I¡¯ll pay for the items now, send it to Bahamas city¡±.


    Clark was already ready to go before the man suddenly held his arm, he stared at him sternly in the eye. ¡°If the product is delivered properly, I¡¯ll patronize you again but don¡¯t try me, you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re dealing with if you decide to run with my money¡±. He threatened in a deep tone.


    The man didn¡¯t even finish before Clark received an alert; he just received the money. Clark smiled at him while completely ignoring his blatant threat; ¡°you¡¯re welcome to patronize again expect your stuff tomorrow¡±.


    Clark didn¡¯t wait for the man¡¯s reply before leaving directly, on returning he immediately packaged the armor in a suit case. 10 minutes later he was at the bus top as he gave the taxi driver 20 credits while handing over the product after negotiating.


    Clark didn¡¯t warn the taxi driver or threaten him about anything as it was the best assurance. The taxi cab would have most likely been attacked by bandits if the news ever spilled out about an exotic armor being transported in the car. Also, the taxi driver was trustworthy as he already had a reputation for safely delivering products and even if there were any complications he could simply track and hunt the armor back. Well, the main reason why he didn¡¯t tell the taxi driver is because he indirectly saved 80 Spartan credits. There was a very high chance that the taxi driver would have demanded for 100 Spartan credits if he knew that he was transporting an exotic armor.


    Clark finally went back to the hotel in high spirits as he felt like a rich man. ¡°I believe that Leo is still doing his mission, I¡¯ll surprise him when he gets back,¡± he muttered in a satisfied tone.


    Of the initial 500 credits that Clark was given he only had 150 credits remaining. He directly ordered another suit, a pair of shoes, a pair of jean trousers, a trending fashion polo shirt and a face cap. He bought exactly those of the same type and colors as the previous ones, ¡°I¡¯ll surprise Leo with these,¡± he thought.


    Clark also ordered for 2 pairs of shorts and a fitting polo shirt as casual wears for the both of them. He spent 66 Spartan credits again with an additional 30 credits for the 2 pair of shorts and polo shirts. After all these spending, he was finally left with only 54 Spartan credits.


    Clark slept peacefully on the sofa feeling like, ¡°man, my life is finally moving forward in the right direction¡±. He woke up when the day was already dark, he checked the time and it was already 7:30pm. He ordered dinner from the hotel which was delivered shortly after, he ate to his fill before slumping back on the sofa after allowing the food to digest for 30 minutes.


    Clark called the hotel personnel to come for the empty plates after 20 minutes of rest and asked for his cadet uniform to be delivered. He sent his uniform to the dry cleaner previously in the day as it suffered a lot during his time with the terrorists. 5 minutes later the already familiar female personnel came with his uniform, thanked him for patronizing them and took the empty plates away.


    Till now no other one of his stuffs were ordered, He was not too surprised as not everybody had 20,000 Spartan credits to spend. After having another thorough bath, he went back to sleep with a smile planted on his face.


    That night Clark finally dreamt a normal dream as he saw himself and Leo become Generals of the Spartan army. They became role models to a bunch of young cadets as all the cadets aspired to be like them. They were both blessed with a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter and a handsome son. What a dramatic coincidence.


    Their lives were filled with joy and people saw them as a pair of twins which was a misunderstanding they didn¡¯t bother to correct. Both families were very close as both their sons grew up together to become best friends. They were further blessed with joy as both their sons graduated becoming the only high-grade soldiers created from their batch of cadets.


    Clark woke up the next day with a wide smile planted on his face, ¡°it feels so good living your dream life in your dreams with your best friend,¡± he thought. He took his time as he had a morning bath, brushed his teeth, dressed up before ordering breakfast.


    Clark sat on the sofa with his bag beside him as he waited. Not long later the familiar female hotel personnel arrived with his hot breakfast. He smiled when the sweet aroma of the food wafted our, ¡°good morning Ms. Lily,¡± he greeted politely.


    ¡°Good morning Mr. Clark,¡± she greeted; ¡°you really look good on your uniform,¡±. She said with a smile.


    Clark¡¯s smile grew wider as he replied, ¡°thanks for the compliment you also look good on your uniform¡±. She smiled again, thanked him and left after she placed the food down.


    ¡°This morning is just filled with smiles and laughter,¡± Clark muttered silently as Lily¡¯s figure gradually disappeared.


    It was thanks to Lily being there that he hadn¡¯t pounced on the food yet. Click!! As the sound of the door closing reverberated, he sat straighter as he enjoyed the delicious food. After eating to his fill, Clark stood up, donned his face cap not forgetting to pick his bag as he strode out of the house.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely miss this hotel,¡± he thought with a smile. He mentally took note of the name of the hotel, the service here was really superb.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 41: returning back to the military base

    Thud!! Thud!! Thud!! The sound from Clark military boots echoed in the corridor as he went straight outside. He walked straight to the payment building where he met the cashier of the hotel. ¡°Good morning, I am here to pay for the services and everything, you know what I mean. My name is Clark Pen¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry for the interruption I know who you are Mr. Pendragon¡±. She smiled at him as Clark asked her to total his bills.


    ¡°Mr. Pendragon the total cost for all the services is 120 Spartan credits¡±.


    ¡°Good,¡± Clark replied with a smile as he directly paid. He already did his research, even the price for their services is good despite the excellent service provided. After sorting out the bills he left going directly to his car.


    Zoom!! Clark placed the key on the ignition of the luxurious car as he quickly started it, he drove stylishly out of the hotel compound. After getting out he checked his military wrist watch, the direction pointed to the east so he took the highway.


    It felt really good riding you own car; Clark savored the moment with obvious relish as he sped up on the highway. Even though they were trained on how to drive different cars the feeling was completely different when he knew it was his own hired car. ¡°I¡¯ll propose buying an exotic car to Leo as our main goal after graduation,¡± he thought with a grin on his face.


    Clark drove for 2 hours before his wrist watch flashed green pointing at an open field ahead. After reaching the field he waited, it wasn¡¯t even a minute before he heard a whoosh sound above his head. He looked up to see the Megalodon descending in its full glory, he froze in place as he couldn¡¯t help admiring the stunning sight. He was quickly brought back to reality as the ropes of the warship dropped down. He didn¡¯t linger in one place as he directly scaled the warship through the ropes with his bag safely kept on his back.


    Clark entered the ship to see a smiling Sergeant Modric, ¡°good morning sergeant¡±. He greeted while also saluting.


    ¡°Good morning Clark, congratulations on finishing your graduation requirements,¡± he replied with a smile. Clark returned the smile as they shook hands while the sergeant introduced the soldier standing to his side.


    ¡°Clark this is John¡±. Clark greeted him as they both exchanged a hand shake.


    ¡°John will help you return your hired car so tell him where he¡¯ll drop it¡±. Sergeant Modric continued.


    Clark thanked the soldier, told him where to drop the car as he scaled down from the warship after receiving the keys. Clark suddenly smiled as he received a notification from his implant that a buyer is asking to meet him to purchase 2 of his stuff. ¡°Man, this is simply free money falling into my pockets,¡± he thought as the warship sped up to the military base after activating its stealth mode.


    About 10 minutes later they arrived in the military base as Sergeant Modric and Clark scaled down from the warship. Clark didn¡¯t receive any welcome party or anything of the sort, graduation day will be the main and only party for him and his fellow cadet survivors.


    The Sergeant told him that he could do anything he wanted for the remaining days of the graduation training. Clark went straight to his room as he dropped his bag while admiring the room.


    ¡°In about 2 weeks¡¯ time I¡¯ll leave this room, I will finally become a soldier of the Sparta republic and a sergeant at that. Life is really unpredictable man, who knew that the small Clark of yesterday will grow up to now be a sergeant¡±. Clark¡¯s emotions were in a roller coaster as he observed the room, he stayed in for over 3 years now.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like something from an action movie or a fiction action-based comic,¡± he thought. ¡°Oh, right I received a notification about a prospective buyer let me log in,¡± Clark recalled as he quickly logged in through his implant.


    His consciousness was dragged in as he came to the now familiar virtual world. The guide A.I no longer appeared as this was his second time visiting this website or better still virtual world.


    Clark moved directly to the virtual base where he projected his stuff for sale. As he reached the virtual shop, he saw a person on suit walking directly towards where he stood. ¡°He probably set his implant to notify him when I come online,¡± Clark silently thought as he straightened up to meet his prospective buyer.


    ¡°Good day Mr. weapon collector¡±.


    ¡°Good day sir,¡± Clark greeted him back without much emotion on his tone. He changed his name to Weapon Collector the other day to avoid unfortunate circumstances where his customers will try robbing him directly after knowing his identity.


    ¡°I received a notification that you are interested in 2 of my stuff so I came as soon as I can,¡± Clark didn¡¯t bother beating around the bush as he went directly to the point.


    ¡°Yes, I want an exotic sword and the exotic sniper rifle¡±. The man was also very decisive directly naming what he wanted.


    The prices were already projected so Clark just added that he accepts no bargains on the first transactions. ¡°I¡¯ll consider bargaining with you if you come back again for a 2nd business transaction with me¡±. He added. The man looked at Clark with a meaningful smile, he chuckled but directly sent the money to his account.


    ¡°You just received 28,000 Spartan credits from account no. 00¡­,¡± Clark¡¯s implant notified him. ¡°Thanks for patronizing my stuff,¡± he thanked the man and they quickly started discussion on how he¡¯ll get his bought goods.


    After all the procedures were done, Clark finally returned. He relaxed on his bed as he grinned in satisfaction. ¡°What a profitable business looting is,¡± he muttered silently.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 42: leos infiltration plan

    Somewhere in a small town called Atique, Leo trained with his fellow terrorist soldiers as sweat beaded down his face. Unlike Clark, Leo didn¡¯t attack the locals to grab the organization¡¯s attention. He disguised as an errand boy for a local gang in the community, the leader of the gang took him as his puppy as he sent him on errands to steal and do a lot of other unconventional things.


    After a week Leo became a bonafide member of the gang as he rose through the ranks with abnormal speed. After another 2 weeks of being in the gang he finally attracted the terrorist organization¡¯s attention as they saw him to be a promising soldier. He was directly kidnapped by the terrorists; the organization didn¡¯t see him talented enough to use other crafty and underhanded means to gain his trust.


    They directly flexed their strength using the, ¡°if you still love your life join us and if you don¡¯t love your life you can refuse,¡± method. After he joined, he was added to the growing bunch of new recruits to train.


    After 2 days of training, Leo also began using Clark¡¯s method as he slowly increased his performance during training. About a week later he became a grade above the normal recruits as one of the best in the base. He stopped improving his performance after this as he was afraid that he would be suspected and then get caught.


    Luckily for him after another week passed, he was sent on an errand to the base¡¯s high-grade armory by one of the executioners leading the base. There he quickly hacked the base¡¯s database and to his astonishment the base actually had 6 high-grade soldiers including the overall commander of the base.


    As he only had limited time his mind didn¡¯t even go to looting high grade equipment only lingering on how to finish his training safely, despite his limited time he didn¡¯t forget to check the executioners ranks and equipment. Fortunately for him the commander of the base was a high-grade soldier with only one breakthrough, despite him being stronger than a normal soldier with one breakthrough he was still weaker than a soldier with 2 breakthroughs.


    The other 5 high-grade soldiers also only have one breakthrough also. The commander had an exotic armor, an exotic spear and an exotic vision enhancer.


    A Vision enhancer is an exotic device that is built like eye glasses and is worn like eye glasses. Its main function is to increase the perception and vision of the user. A high-grade soldier with an exotic vision enhancer can even calculate the trajectory of a bullet to dodge it, it can expose the weak points in an opponent¡¯s armor or any other exotic gadget and it greatly improves accuracy for ranged fighters.


    Leo was slightly confused as the commander was clearly a melee fighter, vision enhancer is better utilized in the hands of a ranged fighter, well he couldn¡¯t predict everyone¡¯s thoughts and preferences.


    He quickly looked at the other high-grade soldier¡¯s equipment, 3 of them were armed with both an exotic armor and an exotic sword. The 3rd one was further armed with an exotic machine gun, to his relief the 2 remaining high-grade soldiers were armed with only ordinary weapons. ¡°But why,¡± he silently asked himself in puzzlement.


    After checking the base¡¯s database further Leo found that the 2 high-grade soldiers had their breakthrough not too long ago. Their exotic equipment was still on hold as the headquarters of the terrorist organization needs to confirm and go through a lot of procedures before sending the equipment.


    ¡°These 2 are my high-grade targets,¡± Leo mentally took note as he quickly left the armory.


    ¡°What took you so long?¡± The executioner asked as Leo presented what he sent for.


    ¡°Sir, I couldn¡¯t find it at first so I had to check around for some time before I found it,¡± Leo replied respectfully.


    ¡°Hmm, who knew you were this foolish,¡± the executioner snorted in disdain before he ordered Leo to place the device down.


    Leo placed it down respectfully as he quickly left. ¡°That¡¯s just one of the things you suffer as an ordinary soldier in this organization,¡± Leo thought ruefully as he left.


    After planning for a long time Leo finally decided on the next day as the day of his sabotage. He trained as usual with the other soldiers as the veteran soldiers of the organization supervised them.


    The day was a very long one to Leo as he was excited about his plans for tomorrow. This terrorist base has been in this community for more than 2 months already as the police never disturbed them nor even knew of their existence in the town. The commander of this base was ready to recruit as many soldiers as possible from this town before he would even think of leaving, the only exception was if the base received a mission.


    It was not long before night came as a lot of the soldiers slept early leaving only the abnormal soldiers with eccentric behaviors. Leo also decided to sleep early so he could wake up very early for his daring plan tomorrow. He talked a little with his 4 roommates before he quickly slept. These unlucky roommates will probably become 4 unlucky dead souls tomorrow morning.


    In the cadet military training base Clark relaxed on his bed. ¡°It¡¯s remaining only 2 weeks before the training ends, I wonder how Leo is faring, be fast I¡¯m waiting for you bro¡±. He muttered as he slowly savored the taste of the soft drink on his hand.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 43: leo strikes at the terrorists

    During the cold late hours of the night a pair of eyes blinked open as it tried to adapt to the dim lighting. Leo slowly stood up, he looked outside as the light from the moon illuminated the dark room a little. Like Clark he also found an excuse to keep his bag, his lie was even more extreme as he lied that the bag was his family heirloom.


    Leo silently moved to where he kept his bag as he quickly checked his wrist watch for time. ¡°It¡¯s 5:40am already,¡± he muttered silently as he donned his exotic armor and all his other equipment stealthily.


    Leo equipped his throwing knives in designated places in his armor, he felt nostalgic as he finally wore his equipment again after more than a month of wearing only his camouflaged cadet uniform. He already made elaborate plans for this attack as he went to a corner where he brought out another bag.


    He grinned as he saw the stolen rope and grenade perfectly kept and in order. He stole the grenade when he was among the batch of soldiers to get the weekly equipment supplies for the base from outside. He only took one grenade as he was afraid of his cover being blown.


    Leo quickly brought out the grenade and the rope as he silently went to where the four soldiers who were his roommates slept. He placed the grenade down while he tied the rope to one of the soldier¡¯s uniform while attaching the other end to the tip of the grenade. After this he silently opened the door and moved outside as he started executing his well laid out plans.


    The police station of this town opened around 6:30am in the morning, Leo¡¯s plan revolved around the police force as a place to lean on when the going gets too tough.


    Leo navigated expertly to where the 2 new high-grade soldiers slept. What came as a relief as well as a surprise to him was that the 2 new high-grade soldiers were brothers so they slept on the same room, this information was not recorded in the base¡¯s database. He still dreaded and resented the organization as a lot of their set-ups already made him revise his plans countless times thanks to his hacking device.


    The headquarters of the terrorist organization gives a life detection device to all their bases which always stays with the commander of the base. Any death in the base can easily be detected by the device which will quickly sound an alarm alerting all the soldiers of the base. Clark can be said to be lucky as the life detection device of the base he joined was faulty.


    This is why Leo aimed at the high-grade soldiers first as they will give him more points and the fight would be much harder when the whole base is alerted by the alarm. A different reason fueled Clark¡¯s decisions to start with high-grade soldiers but it was still because the fight would be harder when others are alerted.


    After moving for who knew how long Leo finally arrived at the window to the room where the 2 siblings slept. He checked the time and it was already 3 minutes after 6:00am, ¡°it¡¯s now or never,¡± he silently muttered as his sabotage officially started.


    Leo brought out one of his daggers which he used in cutting an opening silently in the glass window. He stealthily went inside as he approached the siblings. He got distracted a little as he saw the extravagance of the sibling¡¯s room, he sighed ¡°high-grade soldiers are really treated on a different level entirely compared to normal soldiers¡±.


    This didn¡¯t cause him to linger in one place as he quickly approached them, he acted decisively as he stabbed the closer soldier on the neck.


    Ptui!! The dagger connected as the soldier struggled while waking up, the brother was already awake after the sound as he quickly rolled down from the bed. Leo threw his other dagger at him which he dodged while moving further back. Leo ignored him as he focused on restraining and killing the first target. His target¡¯s struggle didn¡¯t last as he used his sharp dagger to remove his head.


    Wom!! Wom!! Wom!! The alarm sounded glaringly across the base as all the soldiers started waking up. The other sibling already understood the situation as he shouted in anger while quickly retrieving his sword as he advanced to meet Leo. Leo welcomed him as he kept his dagger while unsheathing his sword, they immediately started exchanging strikes as Leo gave him 2 deep cuts to his elbow and knee.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡± The soldier shouted while recoiling in pain as his brain quickly became clear. ¡°What!! A high-grade soldier equipped with an exotic armor, who is this¡±. He questioned inwardly with dread and resentment. He became afraid but his pride as a high-grade soldier pushed him to attack again in a frenzy but this time with greater caution.


    Somewhere else in a room, after the alarm rang 4 soldiers quickly rose up alarmed as they questioned each other. ¡°Are we under an attack?¡±


    Due to their confusion, they didn¡¯t notice that their roommate was absent and most especially they didn¡¯t notice the grenade whose lid was snapped open as the rope was stretched by one of the soldiers. Boom!! The room exploded as the special structure of the building contained the fire to that room preventing the explosion from affecting other rooms.


    This explosion only confirmed that they were under an attack as the whole base mobilized their strength. All soldiers quickly went to their posts to defend the base not knowing that the attack was from inside the base.


    Clank!! Clank!! Clank!! Whoosh!! After about 2 minutes of fighting Leo finally beheaded the other high-grade soldier as he quickly picked his dagger while silently going outside. He felt panic seeping in as he figured that he spent more time than he estimated in the fight but he forcefully calmed himself as his brain went on overdrive calculating.


    Leo¡¯s calculated escape route was already blocked as the soldiers would have blocked all the exits by now. He sheathed his sword back while activating his camouflage device as he decided to blend into the normal soldiers.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Unfortunately, things became complicated as he was shot at repeatedly by an unknown shooter.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 44: narrow escape

    WARNING!! Durability reduced by 5%. Warning!! Durability reduced by ¡­, Warning!! Durability reduced by ¡­ ¡°Shit,¡± Leo cursed as he quickly figured out the mysterious shooter. ¡°The commander, how did he discover me so quickly,¡± he thought rapidly.


    He immediately jumped behind a car as he brought out his dual automatic pistols. He didn¡¯t know that the commander¡¯s machine gun was this strong, ¡°another unknown variable disrupts my plan again,¡± he thought in resignation. There was a high chance that the commander upgraded his gun¡¯s quality outside.


    Leo was not fighting a glory battle with the commander; this is a sabotage and escape situation. ¡°If the commander is here, the other high-grade soldiers are probably on their way here, screw it¡±. He quickly made a leap of faith forward while shooting back at the tank of the car behind him.


    Boom!! The firepower was too much as the car quickly exploded, Leo bolted forward with speed as he saw 2 other familiar high-grade soldiers coming from the right. He moved to the left as he quickly determined the direction of the east gate.


    The 2 high-grade soldiers pursued him as he ran with all his strength. Leo quickly despaired as he saw the last high-grade soldier blocking the east gate, he hardened his heart as he decided to force his way through. Unlike Clark, his high-grade pursuer¡¯s armor was intact so they were more proactive.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Leo engaged the soldier with his sword as normal soldiers gradually started popping out from all corners surrounding him. He became completely focused as he suppressed the high-grade soldier but he couldn¡¯t break out from the fight or win immediately. The surrounding soldiers shot at him as he fought their executioner. Ptui!! Ptui!! 2 soldiers fell down dead as Leo shot at them with his spare hand while still engaging the executioner.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Leo shot again randomly as dozens of soldiers were injured from the maneuver. He became more focused on escaping as the 2 pursuing high-grade soldiers drew nearer. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t break out fast enough as the other 2 high-grade soldiers joined the battle making it a one vs 3 battle between high grade soldiers.


    Boom!! Boom!! Leo fought with vigor as he withstood the suppression from the 3 high-grade soldiers. It seemed like the commander found it beneath him to fight in a 1 vs 4 situation against a same ranked opponent as he remained hidden, Leo heaved a sigh of relief on seeing this.


    The fight continued for about 10 minutes while the ordinary soldiers gathered to watch as they couldn¡¯t participate in such a fast-paced battle lest they shoot at their own executioners. The only thing keeping Leo alive at the moment was his better exotic armor.


    Whoosh!! Blood finally flowed as the terrorist high-grade soldier dodged but the sword still connected to his hand removing it completely. ¡°Ahh!!¡± He cried in pain as his left hand was ruthlessly severed.


    The 2 other high-grade soldiers were startled affecting their rhythm before they realized that their comrade¡¯s armor¡¯s durability finished. Leo took hold of this opportunity to run for the gate as he activated his sword¡¯s force field. Boom!! The gate divided in 2 as he hacked down with his sword, he thanked God in relief as his armor already indicated that only 3% durability remained.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Bullets rained down on Leo from behind as his armor¡¯s durability quickly fell. ¡°Hmmm,¡± he grunted in pain as a bullet connected to his abdomen, another one to his shoulder. He staggered but gritted his teeth as he bolted forward into a nearby street. The commander looked up from where he hid, ¡°he still escaped,¡± he muttered without any emotion on his tone.


    Thud!! Thud!! Thud!! The terrorist soldiers swarmed at Leo pursuing him as they discovered that his armor¡¯s durability was down. Leo ran as fast as his legs could carry him while he endured the pain from the shots to his abdomen and shoulder.


    Fortunately, the time he wasted in planning finally paid as he ran and leapt into unexpected and hidden routes to confuse the pursuers; his route was a faster way to the police station. Civilians who saw the pursuit already notified the police; the police responded immediately by dispatching some cars to stabilize the situation.


    After minutes of running the police and the terrorists finally clashed as Leo maneuvered bypassing them. He arrived in the police station after over 20 minutes of running.


    ¡°Put your hands in the air,¡± this was their welcome greeting as policemen came outside to handcuff him, bringing him in. They first attended to his injuries after he confirmed his identity. Leo informed them about all the information he knew about the terrorists.


    They immediately became alarmed after they heard they were facing the Persian tigers. They immediately ordered their sent cars to retreat while they requested for backup from the nearby town¡¯s police force.


    Fortunately for Leo the terrorist base was not too united unlike the one Clark landed on. The terrorist high-grade soldiers transmitted to their commander about the police interception.


    ¡°Retreat, we are leaving immediately,¡± was his reply as his soldiers started retreating without delay. ¡°Thank God, this infiltrator didn¡¯t get any exotic weapon we are short on them,¡± the commander was deeply relieved.


    ¡°Those two siblings, who cares about them they were beginning to get too ambitious. They were actually planning on overthrowing me as the commander of this base. I already started forming a plan to eliminate them, this was just a gift package sent to me. Being talented does not make you the commander pieces of shit¡±. The commander cursed as he quickly organized his base to retreat.


    Unlike Clark, Leo didn¡¯t get any strong enemy as he even indirectly helped the commander but he was ignorant of this fact. Leo was afraid that the terrorist organization retreated temporarily to organize a better and fiercer offensive so he directly clicked end training on his wrist watch as the watch directed him to where he¡¯ll be picked up.


    A police car carried him there as they already confirmed his identity. ¡°Oh man, I really escaped. Leo thought in relief as he was taken to the military base.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 45: his majesty clarks greatness

    Somewhere else a cadet escaped as he sometimes retaliated killing the ordinary soldiers going after him. Only 1 high-grade soldier pursued him with a bunch of ordinary soldiers as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. ¡°I can¡¯t die here, I must graduate, I need to be a soldier of the Sparta republic to make my parents proud,¡± he thought as he ran.


    His armor¡¯s durability was already depleted as he received bullet shots. Despite being bloodied all over he persevered as reinforcement finally came, the policemen from the nearby town arrived, they helped him as he survived. ¡°I did it,¡± he thought in excitement as he finally fainted from exhaustion.


    ¡­


    A girl maneuvered between the encirclement of the terrorist soldiers conveniently killing some as she tried her best to escape. She was the cadet assigned to this terrorist base.


    She focused as she forced herself to break through the tight encirclement of soldiers. Fortunately, the high-grade terrorist soldiers disdained to pursue her giving her the perfect opportunity to escape. She finally escaped after a 50 minutes battle of wits.


    ¡­


    In a forest covered in trees and weed; a cadet ran with his full might as he tried using the trees as cover to prevent the durability of his armor from going down further.


    He was unlucky as the female commander of this terrorist base was launched from her car at him. He tried to dodge but she was a high-grade soldier while he was not. Ptui!! The spear cut him in two as his armor¡¯s durability finally depleted completely from the blow.


    ¡°Kid the mistake you made was trying to use my soldiers as training material for your graduation,¡± the female commander said to the corpse beneath her feet. ¡°You paid the price for it,¡± she snorted coldly as she went back to the temporary terrorist camp in the forest.


    This sort of situations happened in different places to a lot of cadets as they desperately tried to finish their training so that they could graduate.


    ¡­


    Leo finally arrived at the military base looking pale and exhausted. He scaled down from the warship as he walked straight to his room.


    As soon as Leo entered his room Clark heard the familiar sound made by his friend¡¯s door as he quickly got up, ¡°Leo is back,¡± he blurted out in joy. Clark raced to the opposite room, on reaching there he knocked the door loudly. 10 seconds later a pale looking Leo came to open the door.


    Whoa!! Clark was startled as he jumped back in surprise, ¡°what happened to you bro?¡± Clark quickly entered the room as Leo went back in, closed the door and listened as Leo narrated his experiences. Leo demanded for Clark¡¯s experiences also after he finished but Clark declined asking him to rest first, Leo obeyed as he quickly slept. He was really exhausted this time.


    Clark went to the medical section of the base as he bought some pain relievers and anti-bacterial drugs for Leo. ¡°Though having a breakthrough provides stronger resistance to diseases and infections at the end we are still humans not some superheroes from some wuxia novel,¡± he muttered. On his way back Clark was surprised as he met Anderson.


    ¡°Good afternoon Clark, did you just finish your training?¡± Anderson asked on seeing Clark.


    Clark fought back the urge to roll his eyes at him, he greeted back politely as he thought, ¡°all the cadets who came back is this how clean their uniform is?¡± He finally answered after the short mental tour, ¡°no, I already finished mine since¡±.


    ¡°Oh, ok I finished mine last week¡±.


    Clark replied him with a simple ok as he told him that he had something to do before leaving.


    Leo woke up in the evening feeling better than when he just came back. Clark already prepared food for him so he ate to his fill before Clark forced him to take the drugs that he bought for him.


    After eating and everything Leo finally couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity as he asked about Clark¡¯s experience. Clark rubbed his hands gleefully as he excitedly told his friend his story while conveniently exaggerating some parts of his experience to make it more interesting and of course more captivating.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Leo exclaimed as he ohhed and ahhed throughout the story session. When Clark finally told him about the exotic weapons and armor that he stole, Leo practically worshipped him.


    ¡°For real Clark?¡± Leo asked for the 10th time since his friend¡¯s story started. Clark sighed in resignation as he showed Leo their account details. Due to a couple of reasons, Leo and Clark saved a lot of the money they got throughout their training to be used after they graduated.


    Leo trusted Clark to the extent of allowing him to safeguard all their money in his bank account and that¡¯s what they did. After 3 years of training, they managed to save 15,000 Spartan credits, added to the 10,000 credits Clark¡¯s parents prepared for him for his training they had a total of 25,000 credits.


    On showing Leo the account balance, this guy practically almost fainted as he saw the amount showing on the screen. The balance showed that they had a total of 93,000 Spartan credits as Clark already sold all his stuff online. That¡¯s a humongous amount of money to any ordinary soldier not including civilians as with this amount of money they are practically billionaires to civilians. According to Clark¡¯s childhood pastor, this amount of money can be better referred to as a palm sweating amount of money to civilians.


    ¡°Man, you¡¯re really resourceful,¡± Leo exclaimed again sincerely. ¡°Shit man, I don¡¯t know what to say that¡¯s awesome Clark¡±.


    ¡°Hahaha that¡¯s what I want to hear,¡± Clark said as they both burst out laughing. ¡°We are graduating rich Leo,¡± he said again with a grin.


    ¡°But Clark you really have guts to be thinking of looting during such a situation when others would probably be freaking out. I¡¯m beginning to be more impressed and awed by you man¡±. Leo said with the typical I¡¯m proud of you son tone.


    ¡°Your majesty, thou art great oh, accept this humble offering¡±. Leo joked as he suddenly stood up, he pulled his pants down imitating the way it was done in the ancient Indian movie ¡°The 3 idiots¡±.


    It was simply a gesture of respect sincerely from his heart, Leo felt this was the best way to express it so he did it. Clark on the other hand just rolled his eyes as he chuckled with delight.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 46: graduation preparation begins

    The next day Clark woke up to meet Leo already awake as he laid on the bed silently watching a morning show on the television. Clark slept in Leo¡¯s room so he conveniently prepared breakfast for the both of them after he woke up.


    Ding!! Ding!! As they both relaxed after enjoying their food, they both received a message alert through their implant. ¡°Good morning cadets, this is your captain speaking, all cadets are to prepare for the graduation ceremony which will be held 2 weeks from now. All cadets are to get their formal military uniform from the armory before the ceremony commences¡±. On checking their implant Captain Spoky¡¯s loud but rough voice was heard on the audio message.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, Leo yesterday we were crying on how we¡¯ll pass the first training session but now we already finished it and we are now waiting for the graduation ceremony,¡± Clark said in a nostalgic tone. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot I got some goodies for you, I¡¯m coming,¡± Clark said as he quickly ran to his room.


    He came back shortly after with a well packaged bag. ¡°Clark what did you buy for me,¡± Leo asked as he opened the bag. He was surprised when he saw the bag¡¯s contents, ¡°Clark you bought clothes and all these for me? I guess it didn¡¯t cost you much because of the increase in our funds, but still thank you Clark I really appreciate¡±.


    Clark just smiled; ¡°you¡¯re welcome anything for my buddy¡±.


    Leo rolled his eyes at this comment, ¡°hmm you are now acting like a generous sage again,¡± he commented sarcastically.


    They both had their bath after some time of lazing around, they donned the identical pair of shorts and the fitting polo shirt that Clark bought. They both smiled as they came out of the room, they looked just like a pair of twins. They felt like strolling around after wearing the new clothes so they simply did a tour round the military base.


    2 weeks quickly passed as the Captain finally ordered for an assembly of all the cadets. That morning the cadets did their first parade in a while as they stood in attention awaiting the arrival of the captain. Captain Spoky finally arrived with his entourage of soldiers, he smiled as he climbed the podium to address them.


    ¡°Good morning Captain,¡± they greeted.


    ¡°Good morning soldiers to be,¡± he greeted back with a wider smile.


    ¡°I feel like just smiling forever,¡± he finally continued. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you all, cadets you broke another record under my watch. Of the initial 220 cadets who participated in this last training session, 5 died in the training while 3 others failed to get the cut off mark of 50 points. I am glad to announce that 212 cadets from this batch graduated to become soldiers and a very exceptional soldier emerged from your midst or better still 2 soldiers came from your midst who broke the individual records for most points obtained¡±.


    All the cadets stared at the only 3 high-grade soldiers from this batch as they were sure that the 2 exceptional soldiers were from the 3 of them. They stared more acutely at Anderson as all the cadets believed he was among the exceptional cadets; the captain finally broke their staring contest. ¡°I would be honored to announce the name of the 2 soldiers but I¡¯m restricted as their identity will be revealed on your graduation ceremony¡±.


    ¡°2 days from now which is on Monday is your graduation day at the Southern Sparta military headquarters. Cut your hair and be as neat as possible because it will be an experience that you¡¯ll forever cherish and remember. The 5 weapons you took for your training will be the weapon you¡¯ll use after graduation so take them as your personal stuff now¡±.


    After all the speech the captain finally dismissed the cadets as he also left. Clark and Leo went directly to the armory to get their new uniforms, they met sergeant Modric there who smiled generously at them as they exchanged greetings.


    Sergeant Modric showed them to where the uniforms were kept as they saw them hanged in a row. The unique color blue, black, and white of the Spartan military uniform stood out as they quickly started looking for their size. After finding their size they found a suit case where they kept the uniforms after folding them.


    They also picked the standard black military boots which were kept to the side. They took one each for the both of them as they quickly left after that, as they left Leo continually talked about the awesomeness of the military boots.


    The military boots were really useful as it had a wide variety of transformations and added gadgets, most importantly it was made using exotics. The boots can adapt to practically any situation as they can become magnetic if the situation requires it, they can produce an anti-gravity field which makes the user lighter to make them move faster and perform unreal maneuvers that are impossible in normal gravity. These are just a small portion of their capabilities as higher-grade boots can even enable the user fly and do other inconceivable things.


    They reached Leo¡¯s room after about 5 minutes of walking; they both entered the room as they stored the suit cases in a safe place before starting their exercise sessions.


    Sweat beaded down Clark¡¯s face as he wiped it off with his right hand, after a long session of stretching and contracting their muscles they finally rested as both of them laid down on the floor.


    ¡°I think you really broke a country wide record Clark, getting 360 points out of 360 is still pretty inconceivable to me¡±. Leo suddenly said is they rested. ¡°There is probably going to be a huge reward prepared for you,¡± Leo rambled on in excitement.


    ¡°I also really hope for a great reward,¡± Clark commented with slight anticipation.


    They spent the rest of the whole day doing meaningless things and lazing around as the date of their graduation ceremony slowly drew nearer.


    ¡°We are finally being released from the constant training and drills bondage,¡± Clark thought while smiling. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to reach Monday, it¡¯ll probably be the biggest day of my life,¡± he muttered with a smile.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 47: the graduation ceremony begins

    The much-anticipated Monday finally came as cadets came out from their rooms in the brand-new Spartan military uniform. Clark came outside alongside Leo, after admiring how good they looked on the uniform they smiled before moving forward to the assembly ground.


    Captain Spoky smiled as he addressed the cadets. ¡°Cadets¡­, he became slightly dazed a little before he quickly recovering, I won¡¯t call you cadets again as from today you are all bonafide soldiers of the Sparta republic. Some of you may already know but this cadet training base is the 2nd best training base here in Southern Sparta¡±.


    ¡°It is a great honor for all of you to take the warship The Megalodon to the ceremony on your graduation. Try to behave yourself as well as possible because the warship will carry us together with the cadets from the best training military base here in Southern Sparta¡±.


    After an elaborate session of advice and instructions by the captain they finally went out as the warship arrived. Captain Spoky accompanied them together with the 5 sergeants in the base.


    This time they didn¡¯t have to climb ropes as the warship released a teleportation field. They walked into the field and instantly disappeared as they appeared inside the warship. It was a very novel experience to the cadets. Clark moved forward with the others still awed from the use of the advanced technology, this was probably all the cadet¡¯s first time entering a teleportation field. Teleportation fields is a marvel created from the increasing technological skills used by humans.


    After entering they moved forward to the main compartment where they saw another group of soldiers already seated. ¡°These are probably the graduating soldiers from the best Southern training base,¡± Clark thought while silently observing them.


    A fair skinned burly looking soldier stood up from this new group of cadets as he came to greet their captain with a smile. ¡°Spoky after such a long time we meet again my good brother¡±. The man said while smiling broadly.


    ¡°Really, Spoky is that wrinkles on your face I¡¯m seeing. Hahaha, old age is finally catching up to you,¡± he laughed loudly as he advanced to give Captain Spoky a handshake.


    Captain Spoky returned the handshake while slightly smiling as he remarked, ¡°old age is catching up to the both of us so pipe down mate. Stop talking and acting like a kid¡±. They behaved like 2 naughty kids who finally saw each other after a decade long separation. After bickering back and forth for some time, the burly man finally spared the cadets some attention.


    ¡°Good morning captain,¡± the sergeants greeted as the cadets also quickly greeted having already recognized his identity by now. The man just laughed as he scrutinized Clark and the rest cadets, ¡°hmmm these little guys really look ferocious¡±. He commented with a laugh.


    ¡°They really look like record breaking cadets to me,¡± he casually replied.


    ¡°All soldiers are expected to be seated as the warship is ready to move,¡± the emotionless voice of the warship¡¯s A.I finally intervened as it spared the cadets from the blabbering of the 2 captains.


    The cadets quickly located seats at the side as they sat down while they observed the other cadets sitting beside them. The other cadets reciprocated as they also observed them. While this happened their 2 leaders sat together nonchalantly ignoring their staring contest, talking of their youthful glory days. The warship finally moved away as it flew straight to the Southern Sparta military headquarters. None of the soldiers talked except the 2 captains as the warship silently moved forward.


    Minutes later the warship finally decelerated as it arrived at the huge government building. The huge graduation hall was only a small part of the military headquarters but itself alone was already extremely long and wide. The huge hall was already filled with a sea of people, as the main protagonists of the ceremony they naturally came last. After teleporting them down, the soldiers from the best training base moved in first as Clark¡¯s group followed shortly after.


    It was just like a red carpet show as the lights focused on them while their captain led them forward. Clark felt a little shaken from the huge crowd but very excited also as thousands of eyes looked at them and admired them as they moved forward uniformly.


    They were allocated the front row seats together with the soldiers from the best training base. The military cadet training bases had no names as the government called them based on their ranks.


    Other bottom ranking training bases frequently fluctuate in the rankings but the 2 best training bases in South Sparta never changed ranks as their cadet¡¯s performance were always the best. Despite them taking most of the limelight they were not the only graduating soldiers as thousands of graduates from other training bases sat behind them.


    After their arrival the ceremony officially started as the Spartan national anthem was played from the hidden sound amplifiers. The atmosphere felt very epic to Clark as the national anthem played on.


    After the national anthem the officials of the ceremony did a lot of procedures before we they finally asked to take the military oath.


    All the new soldiers spoke with vigor as Clark also said the oath. ¡°I Clark Pendragon pledge to always abide by the rules and regulations of the Sparta republic, I promise to not betray the republic but to protect it and its citizens with my life, I promise that I will listen to my superior¡¯s orders and to never do anything that will endanger the republic and I promise to not become complacent but to continue working hard to become a strong pillar of the Spartan military, so help me God¡±.


    A wave of applause rose from the audience as Clark felt on top of the world. ¡°Mom, Dad I finally did it, I¡¯m now a bonafide soldier of the Spartan republic,¡± he muttered in a melancholic tone.


    After the oath taking was done the ceremony finally moved to its most anticipated part, the price giving ceremony to exceptional soldiers.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 48: award presentations

    ¡°Get ready folks because the last and most memorable event of this ceremony is about to begin,¡± the mc of the ceremony said with a grin. ¡°Please I want you to give a wave of applause as I invite his excellency, General Maks Vincent, the leader of Southern Sparta as he comes on stage to present the gifts to the exceptional soldiers of this batch¡±.


    The applause was deafening as everybody rose up including Clark to welcome their leader. The General smiled and waved at the audience as he stood up walking straight to the podium.


    ¡°Good afternoon my fellow Spartans,¡± the General greeted. From his deep voice alone, you will know that he is a man of power.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long day and I am excited as much as you are as I carry out the last event of the day. I am very excited and proud to present the gifts to the exceptional soldiers of this generation, they¡¯ve made us and the nation as a whole proud as there are some soldiers among them who broke our existing records¡±.


    ¡°Thank God,¡± Clark thought as the General didn¡¯t waste time on baseless talks like the master of ceremony, he directly began the gifts presentation.


    Following the normal format, the General awarded the soldiers from the least to the best. A medal was provided to every soldier as his/her reward for successfully graduating to become a soldier. Don¡¯t underestimate the value of the medals even though they can¡¯t be sold, soldiers are already significantly better treated than other people of different occupations. Having a medal is akin to having a scepter of authority and nobility as normal citizens always respect and adore soldiers.


    The awards presentation continued for about 10 minutes before Clark¡¯s cadet training base was finally called out. After presenting gifts to the training bases which took 2nd and 3rd positions respectively, they were finally called to the podium.


    ¡°Captain Spoky, lead your soldiers to the podium so that we¡¯ll present to them their gifts¡±. The General announced as Captain Spoky quickly acknowledged the command. He led all his cadets as they walked to the stage while the General smiled at them.


    ¡°This is the 1st time in 15 years that this military training base produce better soldiers than our best training base, I¡¯m really impressed¡±. The General praised as the group of soldiers quickly reached the podium.


    ¡°For becoming the best group of soldiers in this ceremony I¡¯ll first provide you all with 100,000 Spartan credits each and 200,000 credits to your captain who trained you to become what you are today. The government also provided 100,000 credits to the sergeants who acted as mentors to you. All these monetary gains are sub-standard compared to the greatest gift of all, the medal of excellence. All of you will be presented with the medal of excellence which is a great honor to you as soldiers¡±.


    ¡°I am still astonished by the fact that this training base broke the overall record of the Southern Sparta army. The last record was created by the best training base in south Sparta here at 207 survivors but this group of soldiers defied all odds as they directly broke the record by 5 extra survivors equaling 212 survivors, it¡¯s simply outstanding. They are only 3 survivors behind breaking the national record¡±. The audience exploded with a wild wave of applause as all the cadets on stage felt fulfilled, ¡°our hard work paid off¡±.


    ¡°Congratulations Captain Spoky, due to the achievements of the soldiers under you, you are no longer a Captain as you are directly receiving a promotion, you are now a lieutenant of the Spartan army¡±.


    Captain Spoky now Lieutenant went wild with joy as he smiled at the crowd while repeatedly thanking the General. It was a huge cause of celebration as only high-grade soldiers with their 4th breakthrough are eligible to become lieutenants. The audience continued clapping relentlessly after every announcement.


    ¡°As for this group of exceptional soldiers who broke our record, you¡¯ll all be given an additional 200,000 Spartan credits and will be given the Sparta medal. The Sparta medal signifies the hard work you all put in for the last 3 years, you will be recognized anywhere in Sparta as the best of the best soldiers with this medal¡±. After the presentations the General called them to come closer as they were captured in a picture with him.


    Clark at this moment felt on top of the world. ¡°Me entering a picture with the leader of the whole of Southern Sparta, not only that he is a General, a soldier with the 4th breakthrough under his belt. Man, this is a privilege of the highest grade,¡± excitement alone was undermining Clark¡¯s current emotion. He was ecstatic.


    ¡°Citizens of Sparta, be relaxed and enjoy yourself as we¡¯ll quickly enter the individual awards. I am very proud to call out 4 exceptional soldiers who broke our existing individual record. Sergeant Clark, Sergeant Anderson, Sergeant Andy, Sergeant Leo,¡± the audience clapped with vigor as the 4 soldiers climbed up into the podium again.


    ¡°This batch of soldiers are really exceptional,¡± the General said with a wide smile on his face. These 4 soldiers directly bulldozed and broke our existing individual record.


    ¡°Congratulations the 4 of you, you really made me proud. The 4 of you will each receive 300,000 Spartan credits and the medal of bravery and courage. Anderson scored a total of 310 points, Leo scored a total of 330 points, Andy scored a total of 320 points, Clark is the best of them all but I¡¯ll keep his points announcement for later¡±. The General ordered the other 3 cadets now Sergeants to go leaving Clark behind.


    The General smiled at him, ¡°Sergeant Clark, well what can I say, through ought my whole career as a soldier you are by far the greatest graduating soldier I¡¯ve ever met. My fellow citizens of Sparta, as I said Clark is the best soldier of this batch of graduates¡±.


    ¡°Clark you will be presented with another 300,000 Spartan credits as well as the medal of perfection, this is a new medal that was made by the military to reward you as your achievement is a first of its kind¡±. The audience clapped wildly as Clark smiled while waving at them.


    Hahaha, the General faced the audience as he suddenly laughed, ¡°do you think only these achievements will make him the greatest graduating soldier I¡¯ve ever met?¡±


    The General asked this question in a joking tone, he grinned at the audience as he slowly said. ¡°Sergeant Clark achieved the unachievable, he did the undoable in this graduation training¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 49: the 10000000 spartan credits exotic car

    ¡°Thank you, Clark, thank you for letting me witness such an achievement in my lifetime. Citizens of Sparta, Sergeant Clark broke the national individual award of excellence. Clark shocked me and the whole Spartan military as he achieved perfection in his graduation training, he scored a whopping 360 points out of the 360 allocated as the milestone. What astonished me most was that he scored more than the allocated 360 points but there was no place to further increase his points tally. What a genius¡±. General Maks spoke with so much emotion in his voice.


    ¡°When Arthur, the prodigy from North Sparta broke the record setting it at 340 points the whole country was shocked. Arthur is now a great pillar of the Sparta military; he is now one of the few soldiers who already had their 5th breakthrough. But I, General Maks believe that Clark can do better. Clark is simply out of this world, he is more than a prodigy, he is more of an alien¡±. The General grinned again as he suddenly snapped his fingers.


    All the lights in the huge hall darkened as a single big projection lit up facing the audience. It was just like the ballon dor award given to footballers centuries ago as projections of Clark¡¯s battle were being shown. Clark was surprised but not too astonished as a lot of things were now possible due to increase in technology.


    Clark didn¡¯t even know that his fights were recorded. Clark smiled as footages from when he fought the black panther were shown, when he fought the ape exobeast and the Night Rakshasha. The whole hall was eerily silent as footages of when he assaulted the terrorist base was shown, gasps escaped from the audience as footages of his ferocious fight with the terrorist commander was shown. Cheers erupted from the audience when he fended off the commander¡¯s attacks, still killed some of his subordinates while conveniently stealing his exotic sword.


    Kpa! Kpa! Kpa! Kpa! A thunderous sound of applause followed immediately after the footage finally ended. The lights went back on as the audience cheered and clapped wildly without any sense of fatigue. Clark couldn¡¯t help it, he smiled suddenly feeling the urge to cry. This is the feeling he always felt in his dreams when the whole world appreciated him.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok my fellow Spartans,¡± the General finally intervened after more than 2 minutes of cheering and clapping.


    ¡°I know, if not because of time restraints I would¡¯ve approved celebrating this genius till the next day even for the rest of the week. Clark is simply a legend to all up and coming soldiers, I know he is already a role model to thousands of other cadets and soldiers who are watching this ceremony from their home or are here physically¡±.


    ¡°Sergeant Clark, I won¡¯t keep you waiting forever. I will now present your awards to you,¡± the General said with a smile. Today the General¡¯s smiles alone were enough to make him 10 years younger.


    ¡°Clark the Spartan government provided an exotic car worth 10,000,000 Spartan credits as a congratulations to you¡±. The crowd erupted into another wave of cheers and applause while Clark was completely dumbfounded. The General continued breaking Clark¡¯s thought process as he stared at the him, a dump look on his face.


    ¡°The exotic car has an inbuilt stealth system and other high-grade technologies of the Spartan government. It is one of the best machines the country can create with its technology at the moment¡±. Clark was simply lost for words, a 10,000,000 credits car. He was sure that his parents accumulated income for all their life was not even 10% of the car¡¯s worth.


    The other graduating soldiers felt it more, ¡°a 10,000,000 credits car. What the¡­,¡± a lot of soldiers started feeling deep admiration from their hearts. There were naturally those who felt deeply envious.


    ¡°Clark, this is a sign from the Spartan military that we have faith in you, work hard and you will surely become the next pillar of the Spartan military¡±. The General said with a genuine smile planted on his face.


    Clark felt a lot of emotions run through him, he felt very happy, he felt fulfilled and accomplished, he felt lucky and proud of himself and most especially his desire to serve and be loyal to the Sparta republic just shot up by over a thousand points.


    He finally spoke into the voice amplifier placed at his front. ¡°Thank you, sir, I¡­, I don¡¯t really know what to say, I¡¯m deeply flattered by the government¡¯s generosity and trust in me. I promise to always serve the Sparta republic from the bottom of my heart, that¡¯s the least I can say and do to repay this favor¡±. Clark¡¯s voice was completely solemn as he made this personal oath.


    ¡°Clark no need for all the complications, I General Maks personally know that your heart belongs to the Sparta republic. But Clark don¡¯t get complacent, continue to be hardworking and surpass our expectations. I can¡¯t wait to hear the continuation of your legendary story¡±.


    ¡°The government also provided you with the golden Sparta medal. The golden Sparta medal is a medal which shows your status as a legend of the Sparta republic. It will help smoothen your road as a soldier considerably, make good use of it¡±.


    The General finally took a photo with Clark before leaving the stage for him, a lot of other high-grade soldiers quickly came forward to also take a photo with him. He also took a photo with Captain Spoky, ¡°Clark you¡¯ve come a long way I¡¯m really proud of you¡±. Captain Spoky said emotionally with the I raised you well signature look on his face. ¡°Continue breaking limits as you walk forward in your career as a soldier¡±.


    The ceremony finally ended; Clark didn¡¯t get a stealth exotic armor anymore but the car he got was far better.


    Surprisingly 3 of Clark¡¯s childhood friends also graduated as soldiers. Angela, Harry and Mike came together as they congratulated him while also asking for a photo with him. Clark talked with them a bit as they haven¡¯t talked for a long time after receiving their implants. They congratulated him and left shortly afterwards.


    Finally, Clark¡¯s bro, his partner in crime came to meet him as they smiled at each other. Leo stood opposite him as they simply smiled at each other for 10 seconds before wrapping themselves in a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m really proud of you bro¡±, Leo said. He congratulated Clark sincerely from the bottom of his heart before they left together.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 50: the python military division

    A week later after all the hustle and bustle created from the graduation ceremony Clark was finally assigned to a military division of the Spartan army. After graduation all the new soldiers are to be sorted out there in the Southern Sparta military headquarters where they¡¯ll be assigned to different military divisions. Clark applied to be in the same division as Leo which was finally processed and approved after a week of waiting.


    200 soldiers were assigned to each military division bolstering their ranks. Clark, Leo and 198 others were assigned to the Python military division in Delhi city. 200 of them sat in the military airplane as they flew to Delhi city. They finally arrived after 6 hours of travelling.


    After arriving they were led straight to the assembly ground which was already filled with thousands of soldiers as an emergency assembly was formed after their arrival.


    The leader of this military division is a high-grade soldier called Captain Daniel; he is a soldier with the 3rd breakthrough under his belt just like Captain Spoky who recently became Lieutenant Spoky. Captain Daniel was a middle-aged soldier probably younger than Lieutenant Spoky Clark figured. They saluted him before saluting their new fellow soldiers.


    Captain Daniel sternly looked at them as he said, ¡°soldiers welcome to the Python military division. We already know your identities so no need for introduction¡±. From this alone they knew that their new superior was a very direct man.


    ¡°Here in the Python military division, I entertain no complacency and no disobedience or stubbornness. I expect every soldier under me to respect and obey me no matter your background. I will personally punish any new disobedient soldier,¡± he continued coldly.


    ¡°Sergeant Clark, Sergeant Leo, Sergeant Benny we welcome you to our military division¡±. The thousand or so soldiers immediately saluted as they greeted the 3 of them. Sergeant Benny was also a new high-grade soldier who graduated with us but was from a low ranked military training base.


    The Captain continued after the exchange of greetings, ¡°all the new soldiers, you are all expected to do anything you want and socialize with your fellow soldiers for a week before you officially report for duty. The 3 new sergeants should follow me to the hall for the high-grade soldier¡¯s assembly¡±.


    The captain directly turned around walking to the hall as they quickly followed him. About a minute later they reached the base hall where they found some soldiers already seated. The captain went to the forefront of the hall and sat on the luxurious chair there as the 3 new high-grade soldiers stood before him.


    ¡°Good evening soldiers,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Good evening captain,¡± Clark, Leo and Benny greeted back.


    ¡°You are welcome again, these soldiers seated here are going to be your comrades,¡± the Captain spoke while facing them.


    ¡°We have 18 high-grade soldiers in this military base including me, the addition of the 3 of you will make us 21. Mark and Clinton there are my second in commands, they both already have their 2nd breakthrough. The other 15 are of the same rank as you are, try to socialize and mingle with them¡±.


    ¡°The great Clark, your legendary achievement already spread throughout the whole division,¡± the captain suddenly said. ¡°Your achievement is indeed great, yes but here we don¡¯t talk with points, we talk with our fists. A lot of the people here are very eager to challenge you, don¡¯t disgrace your medals. You have a week to settle down and finish all of your side necessities before you officially resume¡±.


    The 3 of them didn¡¯t linger again after the talks as they directly left after the captain informed them to read the military division¡¯s guide. Before leaving most of the high-grade soldiers came to greet them as they entered small conversations before, they left. The other high-grade soldiers simply nodded in greeting at them before they left. Clark, Leo and Benny were assigned to stay in the same building as the quickly located the building. The house was very wide and luxurious, it was a 3-bedroom apartment built for the division¡¯s high-grade soldiers.


    They were tired so they just lied down on the sofa while Leo and Clark asked Benny to tell them about himself after telling him about themselves. Benny was older than the both of them, he was already 20 years old this year. His mother is a doctor while his father is a factory worker. His father works in a nutrient pack producing company.


    His parents were fairly average in terms of wealth and age, they were still middle-aged. His parents didn¡¯t save money for him like Clark¡¯s parents, they directly enrolled him in a military training base they could afford.


    He was also very passionate about being a soldier, his mother strongly opposed the decision as she felt that soldiers undergo to much risk. His father was the direct opposite as he readily agreed reasoning that his son will bring more money to the house as soldiers received the highest pay in today¡¯s economy.


    Clark and Leo were completely speechless as they laughed when they heard about the reasoning of this guy¡¯s father, so far so well they got along pretty well. They decided to invite him as they both planned to go on a tour with Clark¡¯s new car for the free week of grace. Benny readily agreed as they joked about a lot of other things.


    Clark¡¯s new car was brought to the military division base today before he was handed the keys. After a lot of talks and jokes they finally fell asleep as they were clearly exhausted from jet lag.


    Clark slept in peace as he finally fulfilled a highly anticipated dream of being a bonafide soldier of the Spartan republic.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 51: the young millionaires

    They woke up the next day feeling refreshed and full of strength. Clark smiled as he breath in the fresh air coming in through the window, ¡°this is a sign of good fortune today,¡± he thought.


    Leo yawned as Benny greeted the both of them, ¡°good morning Leo, good morning Clark¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, good morning my night was good probably the best I¡¯ve had in a while,¡± Leo answered while stretching.


    ¡°Who asked about your night,¡± Clark and Benny thought simultaneously. They chuckled as they got up to brush their teeth and prepare for the day.


    After they almost finished dressing up, Clark received a message notification from his implant. He looked at Leo and Benny, he immediately realized that they also received a message notification from their expressions.


    They continued with what they were doing as they checked the message mentally. ¡°Oh, they already sent the guide for new soldiers,¡± Clark muttered with surprise due to the efficiency of the message delivery. The message was the guide the captain talked about; Clark quickly opened the message to check it out. After dressing up, he sat down to concentrate better.


    ¡°Good day soldiers, this is the guide you need to know things about the python military division including its rules and regulations. The python military division is a subsidiary of the Southern Spartan army. Our job is to protect Delhi city citizens from any form of threat most especially in the form of the Persian Tigers terrorist organization and the Moca republic¡±.


    ¡°All soldiers are expected to report only to the captain of the military division or any of it¡¯s second in command. As a high-grade soldier, you need high quality equipment and battle arts. You can exchange for them with military achievement points or pay directly with credits¡±.


    ¡°Military achievement points can be gotten through participating in military offensives against an external threat and a lot of other activities. Any remarkable achievement in a raid or fight is also rewarded with remarkable points also. You can also get military achievement points by breaking any of the records set by soldiers of your rank during training. If you want to know the price of a specific equipment or battle art you can inquire by visiting the library. You can also be promoted in the military division after you accumulate enough battle records and experience¡±.


    ¡°As a high-grade soldier with one breakthrough your salary for a month is 20,000 Spartan credits. Your paycheck will increase if you are successfully promoted to a position in the military division. Work hard so you can fulfill your dreams as soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s unique, I¡¯ll probably visit the armory first before going¡±. Clark soliloquized silently.


    Benny went out to get food as both Clark and Leo were too lazy to cook that morning and they didn¡¯t even have any foodstuffs to cook a meal. ¡°We¡¯ll sort all these out on our journey,¡± Clark thought. After they were isolated, Clark finally called Leo closer so that they could check their bank balance after all those recent rewards. Leo rubbed his hands excitedly as Clark projected their balance through his implant on the television.


    Account name: Clark Pendragon.


    Account number: 007785610.


    Account balance: 1,593,000 Spartan credits.


    Bam!! Leo directly fell from where he sat down. ¡°Hahaha, Clark we are millionaires, 1.5 million credits oh man I feel like I have a fever, my temperature is rising please switch on the A.C¡±. Clark was dumbstruck also, a stunned expression on his face as he asked no one in particular, ¡°is this f***ing real?¡±


    Forget about the fact that the government provided him with a car worth 10,000,000 Spartan credits that was just a miracle. Having over a million credits in your account, that¡¯s something 80% of Spartan citizens have never seen in their life.


    Leo felt like crying but it wasn¡¯t appropriate, 3 years ago he was an insignificant hoodlum on the streets, now he had a best friend who is already a Spartan legend and they both have over a million credits in their account. ¡°Damn!! Life is unpredictable man, just yesterday I had to steal before I could get one breakfast for the whole day but now, I¡¯m ordering meals¡±. Leo thought as his emotions went through a roller coaster.


    Clark was also considerably shaken but he hugged his friend to comfort him as he saw his constantly fluctuating expression.


    ¡°Hey, get your hands off me, do you think I¡¯m a baby? Who needs your comfort?¡± Leo was startled at first before quickly recovering as he fired at his friend.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve never seen such money before? Back in the days when I worked as the president¡¯s secretary you were not even born yet. Then this amount of money was just pocket money to me, stop behaving like a country bumpkin¡±. Leo¡¯s emotions quickly recovered as he blurted out a bunch of nonsense at his friend.


    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re still as shameless as ever¡±. Clark let go of Leo as he retorted while laughing.


    Not too long later Benny returned with the hot fried rice, chicken and salad. They ate to their satisfaction before Leo regained his usual vibrant attitude while blabbering about how awesome Clark¡¯s car was.


    The car was really a beast. Its normal speed was faster than 300km/hour. Its tires were made from exotics as they can adapt to any terrain. The tires could grow spikes to move better in a rocky terrain, it could adapt to move better on a desert and other bad terrain.


    It had an inbuilt stealth system; it could change into a speed boat or a mini-submarine when required. Its armor could withstand the constant firepower from a large group of soldiers wielding exotic weapons for over an hour without its durability running low. It also had built in offensive weapons, it had an exotic machine gun, an exotic canon gun and a host of other weapons. Its add-ons are too numerous to quantify, it can only be described or illustrated with a simple word. ¡°BADASSISM¡±.


    After eating and everything, they finally went out going straight to the armory.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or if there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 52: purchasing their first battle arts

    The entrance to the armory was just like the one in their military training base. A middle-aged soldier sat at the counter facing them, he is the armory keeper. They recognized him; he was one of the high-grade soldiers that the captain introduced to them.


    ¡°Good morning Sergeant Morris,¡± they greeted. ¡°We want to check out the armory,¡± Clark added.


    ¡°Good morning Sergeants, of course you can check it out,¡± he said with a smile after returning the greeting.


    ¡°Just fill in your names here and the time you came, when you are going out fill in the time also¡±.


    ¡°Ok, thanks,¡± Clark replied as they quickly filled in their names before entering the armory.


    The armory still fascinated Clark on entering despite this not being his first time entering an armory. This armory was clearly more advanced than the one in their military training base. The countless weapons on display were simply mind blowing.


    None of the countless weapons and gadgets caught their eye before Clark saw an exotic shield. HIs eyes lit up as he went closer while announcing his discovery to both Leo and Benny. They both quickly came as they laid their eyes on the normal looking bracelet.


    Exotic shield was written on top of it, gadgets can be made in many different forms, this shield was made in the form of a bracelet. After wearing it, in a fight you can simply whisper shield and it will materialize in your hand just like a real shield but it is energy powered.


    The price was set at 30,000 Spartan credits, Leo said he wanted one so Clark bought for myself and his friend. Benny also bought one, as a high-grade soldier he could not be completely penniless. They continued forward after taking it, they didn¡¯t find any other thing of interest so they moved directly to the battle arts section. The other things on display were either too expensive to make them loosen their pockets or too high-end for soldiers of their rank.


    They were only allowed here in the battle arts section because they are high-grade soldiers, normal soldiers are restricted from entering here.


    There they saw a lot of battle arts on display, battle arts are confidential and strategic resources of a country so they are not allowed to be revealed to the public. Every country has specialists who are dedicated to researching new battle arts as they are very essential to a high-grade soldier. The battle arts are not written in books, they are kept as software and are transferred directly to your implant after purchase.


    A soldier is restricted from sending a purchased battle art to another person, not even to another soldier. Clark picked ¡°The bullet encyclopedia¡± directly as he already had a batch of stored bullets for the battle art, not only that he liked its versatility and most especially you look cool when using it. Leo picked ¡°The frenzied maneuver¡±, this was one of the most commonly used battle arts preferred by melee fighters. Benny picked ¡°The dead¡¯s echo¡±; it was a battle art preferred by ranged specialists as he was one.


    After selecting, the 3 Sergeants picked the fingernail sized device as they finally went back to the counter. Battle arts were classified as high-grade military resources, the battle art they choose all cost 100,000 credits or 80,000 military achievement points for one.


    Benny asked for a loan from Clark as he didn¡¯t have the required credits nor money, Clark borrowed him the money and he promised to pay back. Clark could have given him the money for free as a gift but they actually only knew each other for less than 3 days, he was not a charity center.


    They returned to the counter where sergeant Morris processed the devices and sent the information to their implants. After paying they left in high spirits.


    Leo and Clark wore the jean trousers, the polo shirt and shoes that Clark bought for the both of them. They looked just like brothers as the odd one Benny trailed behind them. They arrived at the park as Clark finally saw his car up close for the first time.


    The car was simply a work of perfection, it was currently black in color but a single button or voice order from Clark can change its color. It took the shape of a sports car but he could also decide to change its shape with just a voice order. It had a key but was just for formality as he could open it with just his voice. ¡°Open,¡± Clark ordered as the door immediately slid open.


    The car had an A.I who Clark already met through his implant; it could remotely control the car on my orders. The A.I that followed the car was a highly programmed and optimized one, it is an A.I created from peak Spartan technology. It¡¯s virtual defense and a lot of its other abilities are close to the cream of the top in the whole Sparta republic.


    ¡°Good morning master,¡± the A.I greeted sweetly as Clark configured it¡¯s sound to be like that of an adorable little girl.


    ¡°Yeah, good morning lily¡±. Clark greeted with a smile as he quickly entered the car, his friends also entered as they admired the interior of the car. He also changed its name to lily as Lily¡¯s services back at the hotel during his training was really superb.


    Zoom!! Clark started the car as he drove out of the military compound. A lot of soldiers recognized the car as they stared at it with admiration, some with jealousy and others with envy. Clark didn¡¯t give a damn about other¡¯s opinion as he rode out driving straight to the highway. He could¡¯ve commanded the A.I to drive but no, he wanted to feel the joy of cruising in his own car on the highway.


    Vatican City was pretty far from Delhi city but it suited him better. Zoom!! Clark drove along the highway with speed as he overtook other vehicles swiftly and precisely. As a soldier he was naturally taught on driving skills in case he was in a situation that needs it.


    As Clark drove with speed a song from a famous artiste played in the background. Leo and Benny trusted his driving skills so they relaxed despite the speed he was moving out, and it was not like anything would even happen to them if there was an accident, the car¡¯s armor was simply a cheat.


    Clark drove for over 5 hours before they finally reached Vatican City. He smiled in nostalgia as the familiar looking bridge greeted his sight.


    ¡°I¡¯m home man,¡± he yelled inwardly as he reduced his speed after reaching the crowded city.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or if there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 53: home sweet home

    Clark involuntarily smiled as he drove into the familiar looking street. The sports car drew a lot of attention from passersby, as a lot of people stared at the sparkling car. He already transmitted a message through his implant to his house¡¯s A.I. On arriving, the gate automatically opened as he drove inside the compound. They all came down after he parked the car at the parking lot.


    ¡°The house looks exactly the same as three years ago, technology really makes things more convenient,¡± Clark thought in appreciation. ¡°Benny, Leo, welcome to my home, it¡¯s not too big but it¡¯s better than some other homes¡±.


    ¡°Hahaha Clark what are you saying, the house is completely fine, it¡¯s even better than I expected,¡± Leo commented with a laugh. Despite the small talks they didn¡¯t linger in one place as they quickly entered the house.


    Clark plopped down directly on the sofa as he finally felt the strain from the 6 hours speedy journey seeping in. On the way he already ordered food from a local restaurant. The courier arrived with the food shortly after, as he already paid online, the delivery man returned directly after dropping it.


    The 2 guys were pretty famished also as Leo smiled gratefully at him before they wolved down the food together. Clark slept not too long after eating, Leo and Benny relaxed as they switched on the television watching a comedy program leisurely. They slept shortly after also, leaving the television on.


    Clark woke up in the night to find both Leo and Benny already asleep on the sofa. He decided not to disturb their sleep as he got a blanket to cover them with. The A.I finally welcomed him officially as it discovered both of his friends asleep.


    A. Is were designed to not reveal themselves to outsiders and visitors so that in case of any assault it can surprise the assaulters by erecting hidden defenses.


    ¡°Good evening master Clark, welcome back home,¡± the A.I communicated with Clark by speaking through the speakers installed in the house. It transferred a bunch of documents to his implant about the expenses for the last 3 years. He simply ignored it; ¡°I don¡¯t have the time for all that,¡± he muttered in a contemplative tone.


    Clark started planning on where he would take his two companions to tomorrow and a lot of other things. He finally slept in his bedroom after making some series of decisions.


    The golden rays of the sun shone into the room as Clark stretched, yawned before standing up. ¡°Woah!! It¡¯s already to 8:00am, I think those two guys are already awake¡±.


    ¡°Good morning master¡±, the A.I greeted materializing as a robot in the form of a projection. Clark already instructed it last night that it could appear before his friends. He went downstairs and saw the 2 boys watching another program on the television, ¡°as expected 2 uncultured pieces of shit,¡± he cursed.


    ¡°Ah, Clark you are awake, good morning, come and join us this comedian is really funny¡±. Leo immediately chatted away on seeing Clark while ignoring his glowering face.


    ¡°Are the 2 of you not hungry? You both woke up instead of cooking you are both here watching a comedy program¡±.


    ¡°Chill man, my guy Benny already cooked we were just waiting for you¡±. Leo replied with a stop behaving like a kid expression on his face.


    ¡°Oh¡­, if that¡¯s it lets eat then¡±. Clark said while feeling slightly awkward and weird. He knew Leo well enough to know his thoughts, but this new Benny was actually a diligent type. To even think of cooking after waking up was impressive in his perspective as he was sure that he nor Leo would do that, instead opting to eat in a restaurant.


    The 3 soldiers went outside on completely brand-new clothes after eating. Surprisingly Benny bought identical clothes and shoes for the 3 of them, Clark offered to pay but he vehemently refused. ¡°I can¡¯t pay for a battle art now, but this is completely within my budget so chill man,¡± he argued.


    They didn¡¯t take the car as they were prepared to go on a sight-seeing journey around Clark¡¯s neighborhood for the whole day. This was kind of a vacation to them and they were prepared to waste it in a way that they liked.


    The hallow of being the best student finally started showing as some rich men on luxurious cars frequently stopped to speak with them, after seeing them on the way. Most of these people asked for Clark to have a photo with their kids, he figured that most of these kids were probably his fans. Not everyone recognized them, a lot of people here especially the poor and average ones didn¡¯t recognize them as they didn¡¯t watch their graduation ceremony.


    Only the rich fellows recognized them as they frequently stopped to greet them politely. The identity of being a soldier alone was enough to propel them into the higher ranks of society. The first place Clark took his friends to was a place he went to almost on a daily basis when he was younger, his favorite restaurant ¡°Eat with delight¡±.


    They quickly arrived as Clark directly led them inside. Leo and Benny naturally complained about how they¡¯ve already eaten but Clark easily nullified their complaints.


    Clark smiled involuntarily on entering as he saw the owner of the restaurant, the ageing woman sat at her favorite spot as always. Despite it already being 3 years, she still recognized him on sight.


    ¡°Little Clark, is that you,¡± the old woman asked with undisguised surprise. Clark smiled wider on hearing this as he quickly went forward to give her a hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s really you, little Clark you are already this big. I thought you left this area after your parent¡¯s death¡±. Clark and the woman quickly ignored the 2 staring dumfounded boys as he told her about his experiences for the past 3 years. She smiled proudly at him as she continued listening to his story.


    This old woman occupied a very special place in Clark¡¯s heart, she was kind of his mom in a sense. His parents frequently brought him to eat here when he was small, that was when his parents still stayed mostly at home with him.


    Clark slowly developed a bond with her after some time. She took him as her child, as her husband was already dead and she didn¡¯t have any biological child. He grew so fond of her that when his parents started going for their deployments, he came to stay with her every day. Her food was also very delicious so he simply ate at her place for free. Clark felt a feeling of fulfillment fill his heart when he saw her proud expression after finishing his story.


    She joked with him a little before congratulating him on his graduation. She finally paid attention to Clark¡¯s ignored friends as she served them free food, she never took money from him even if he insists on it till forever.


    She packaged another food for them as take away before she sent them on their way. Leo complained severely as they left but Clark wasn¡¯t even listening to him as his mom¡¯s word of advice still resounded in his mind.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or if there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 54: the football legend lionel messi

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys, I take her as my mom so the little time I spent with her was precious to me. Besides we only agreed on staying at my place for 2 days before we go to your city so allow me to relish this opportunity¡±. Clark explained as Leo¡¯s complaints continued unabashedly.


    Benny only smiled as Leo finally stopped his complaints, he finally had the time to compliment the woman¡¯s food.


    ¡°Clark to be sincere you would have paid dearly but the delicious free food from your mom placated me,¡± Leo said while rubbing his fists. ¡°You have to thank her or you would probably be picking up your broken teeth by now¡±.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Clark laughed off his friend¡¯s sarcasm as he took them to other places.


    This time Clark took them to a computer games company that he loved visiting to play games when he was younger. This time none of his companions complained as they immediately fell in love with the place, so they just relaxed and played games for the rest of the day.


    The next day was just like the last but Clark ended the tour by taking his friends to a company called trailblazers. Trailblazers is a company that specialize in keeping recordings and highlights of legends of humanity from the last centuries.


    They engage in a business of showing these highlights to the public like a theater. Leo and Benny thought Clark wanted to watch highlights of war legends. No, they were wrong he wanted to watch the highlights of the football legend ¡°Lionel Messi¡±.


    Leo and Benny were perplexed as football was not too famous again this era, despite their doubts they still followed Clark without asking. If not because Clark learnt about high-grade soldiers, his original childhood dream was to become a footballer just like Messi.


    Despite being centuries ago, Lionel Messi¡¯s achievements and records were still unbroken and legendary. Lionel Messi is the main reason football is still being appreciated this era despite the attention given to it being low, other sports have already become stuff of legends and history as battle tournaments are now the main stay.


    Lionel Messi is the only player to have won the prestigious award the ballon dor which was given to exceptional players centuries ago for a total of 8 times. He won the UEFA champions league for a record breaking 6 times and also won the golden boot award for an astonishing 10 times. He won a lot of other football awards but these were the most mind blowing of them all.


    When Clark was younger, watching Messi highlights was simply his greatest source of joy, the feeling was just like floating in the heavens. Watching him dribble past players makes him keep shaking in excitement. Containing his excitement to himself was a problem he couldn¡¯t fix so he frequently pulled his friends along to watch together when he was younger. He was clearly aiming to do the same today as he excitedly pulled his 2 friends forward.


    Clark went inside quickly while pulling the both of them along after paying the gate fee. It was just like a cinema, but the projection was far clearer than normal and could be zoomed in different impossible angles to understand more clearly.


    ¡°Increase in technology is really a boon to society,¡± Clark thought excitedly as they quickly located a seat. They were lucky to be among the last batch of people to enter as the video started not long after as the hall was now full.


    The hall suddenly darkened as all light was switched off, leaving only the light coming from the huge projection. A picture of Lionel Messi was first shone as everybody on the hall erupted in cheers shouting wildly.


    A short biography of the legend was displayed before the highlight officially began. The voice of the commentator felt just like spiritual music to Clark as Messi¡¯s magic began being displayed. Messi tackled, Messi ran with the ball, Messi dribbled and then Messi scored.


    Clark felt the urge to shout but kept to myself as the sound dampeners were already activated to prevent any noise when the highlight begins. Even if he shouted on top of his lungs no sound will be heard. Despite the silence around the hall, the commentary and background music made the video too legendary and epic to look away from.


    Clark shook with excitement as Messi scored another goal. ¡°I respect you man, the king of football,¡± he thought inwardly with emotion. The highlight went on for 4 hours before it ended, Leo was also a football fan but despite Benny not being one he enjoyed the video as he kept blabbering about how awesome Messi was.


    Clark grinned on seeing this; he always felt great when someone compliments Messi. This was one of the reasons he liked bringing his friends to watch together.


    This was the best place Clark brought them to, Leo and Benny later confessed. Clark¡¯s mood improved considerably as he smiled throughout their journey back home.


    The sky was already dark as they strolled home, on the way Clark and Leo told Benny about Messi¡¯s other achievements and records. They ordered food which they ate after getting home, they watched a movie before they later retired to sleep in Clark¡¯s bed. The day was well spent, Clark prayed before they slept.


    ¡°It is finally time to visit my town man, give me the car keys Clark,¡± Leo said excitedly as they came out. Clark smiled at him before throwing the keys at him. They bought a lot of clothes during the last 2 days; they wore outing clothes before keeping all their other clothes in the car booth after packaging them in a new bag.


    Clark already instructed the A.I on how to take care of the house during his time of leave. So basically, he had no other meaningful business here.


    Zoom!! Leo started the car as he drove out. As his friend drove Clark finally did something he had been contemplating for the last few days. He hacked the old woman¡¯s account, sending her 20,000 Spartan credits. She would never have agreed if he told her probably arguing that he needed it more. He indicated his identity before smiling when he thought of the expression, she¡¯ll have on her face on seeing it.


    Leo¡¯s home city is Balmi city, the city next to Vatican City. He stepped harder on the accelerator as the car accelerated after reaching the highway. The journey took less than an hour before they saw the sign ¡°Welcome to Balmi¡±.


    Balmi is one of the most highly populated and barely developed cities in South Sparta. It was also one of the cities which is more prone to terrorist attacks and its security level is also pretty low. Leo drove into the city experiencedly as he navigated in the heavy traffic.


    20 minutes later they finally reached Leo¡¯s street, Clark and Benny were really shocked this time as despite the rumors they didn¡¯t expect a street in Sparta to be this underdeveloped and backwards.


    ¡°Is this where we¡¯ll spend our last days of vacation,¡± Clark blurted out with an I¡¯m finished expression on his face while staring at Leo.


    [Hey guys, I want to change the book cover. I have 2 options, I will post both designs on my facebook page. If you want to be involved in the decision making of which one I should choose, comment on the post I''ll post tomorrow so that I can know your opinion. Agbodo Mairo is the page name.]

 Chapter 55: the joy of being able to revisit your childhood

    Even Benny was completely gob smacked as he opened his mouth wide while staring around foolishly. The street was truly a shocking sight, despite this much increase in technology the road of this street actually had port holes.


    The appearance of this kind of sparkling car here clearly broke the equilibrium as Clark was sure that 100% of the people, they passed stared at the car with either greed or jealousy.


    ¡°Man, I think we should park the car in a better place before coming back on foot,¡± Clark gulped as he suggested to Leo. Benny seconded his suggestion without hesitation and even added that they should just go and not come back.


    Leo thought silently to himself for 5 seconds before he agreed to return the car to somewhere better, but he directly ruled out any thoughts of going and not coming back. He quickly did a U-turn as he drove back. As they drove back somewhere else in the street, someone on black clothes weaved expertly in between houses before reaching an uncompleted building.


    ¡°Commander, can I come in,¡± the strange person asked.


    ¡°Come in,¡± a deep voice answered.


    ¡°What happened,¡± the owner of the deep voice asked as the strange person walked in. If Clark saw this man he would have definitely been alarmed, it was the commander of the terrorist base he attacked.


    ¡°Commander you were right, I saw Clark¡¯s car enter the street today¡±.


    ¡°Did you confirm it was him?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t confirm as they quickly drove back afterwards¡±.


    ¡°Ok, call the others to look out for them, I¡¯m sure he is with his friend and will likely come back on foot if it was really him¡±. The Commander said as he slowly let out a breath of cold air.


    After Clark escaped from the terrorist base, they ran again as the local police force came after them. Fortunately for them, the commander was decisive this time as he led them to flee that night without rest.


    Luckily, they escaped but the terrorist base was now a just a shadow of its former self. After they settled down in a new location, the commander proactively researched about Clark.


    After a lot of research, they finally found his identity, the commander predicted after days of thoughts and calculations that Clark will probably use his week of leave to visit his hometown. The problem was that they couldn¡¯t barge into Vatican City as it was an advanced city so they gambled on him coming to his friend¡¯s town. It seems their gamble paid off as they already probably found him.


    All these undercurrents were unknown to Clark as they strolled back leisurely while discussing. They made sure to change their clothes to match the status of the people in the street a little.


    ¡°Seriously battle arts are too hard to learn,¡± Leo complained. ¡°This common battle art I bought I can¡¯t even perform it a little after 2 days of practicing it¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little frustrating,¡± Clark added with a sigh. ¡°During my simulations I¡¯m trying but I can¡¯t perform it yet¡±. Benny also complained as they followed Leo, only God knew where Leo was taking them. As the 3 boys walked, a pair of eyes watched them keenly with extreme caution from a corner, after confirming what he wanted the owner of the eyes directly left.


    In an uncompleted building, the commander stood with his back facing the 3 high-grade soldiers. After their misfortune, their terrorist headquarters gave them a little aid by sending them a new high-grade soldier who already learned a battle art.


    The commander finally turned as he coldly spoke, ¡°observe them for 2 more days while reporting your findings to me. We¡¯ll attack him on the 3rd day, the 3rd person with them try to find out if he is a high-grade soldier also no matter the cost¡±.


    ¡°Yes sir¡±, the 3 executioners all saluted before leaving simultaneously. After the soldiers left, the commander turned back to face the wall as he sat down. ¡°Clark your greatest mistake was killing 2 of my high-grade soldiers you¡¯ll surely pay for it,¡± he muttered while suppressing his raging emotions.


    Leo¡¯s parents didn¡¯t have a house of their own, they were provided shelter in the company where they both worked as cleaners. Leo slept there with them all his childhood before he became homeless after his parent¡¯s death.


    Leo brought Clark and Benny there, but they just passed as Leo basically didn¡¯t have any memories there. Leo smiled as he led them to were, he inherited most of his childhood memories.


    The stadium was one of the only resources the street had. Even the police were reluctant to patrol here as this street was one of the shadiest streets in the town leading to a lot of criminals settling here. Leo spent most of his childhood memories here in the stadium, where he played ball every evening with his friends and where he fought others alongside his friends. The military also recruited him from this same stadium.


    Leo smiled on seeing the familiar stadium, the stadium was scanty with few children playing as time was still around the late afternoon. Clark and Benny followed Leo¡¯s suggestion to buy snacks to eat and spend their time before 4:00pm.


    It was not long before 4:00pm passed, the stadium gradually began filling up as spectators from the surrounding and people came from various corners. Leo invited them to play, Clark readily agreed but Benny stayed behind as he was a complete newbie to football.


    Leo¡¯s old friends were surprised to see him but they quickly ignored it as they excitedly invited him to join them. The football game was a delight to both Clark and Leo as they enjoyed themselves. Clark scored one goal but Leo scored a whopping 3 goals which led to his teammates chanting his name.


    Leo felt like he went back in time as all his teammates chanted his name, he now felt really happy for agreeing to come on a tour with Clark on their one week of leave.


    Somewhere else Benny laughed as he cheered his new friends on. Benny was completely ignorant as a strange guy on black clothes weaved closer to where he sat.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or if there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 56: an unexpected ambush

    Benny cheered with others as Leo scored his 4th goal. The strange person also acted using this opportunity as he pretended to cheer while pushing Benny from where he sat down.


    Benny sat at the very top of the stadium seats and some people also sat below him. He was thrown off guard as he fell down but as a high-grade soldier, he reflexively balanced himself by doing a back flip. Bam!! He landed in a row below the one a group of girls sat, the girls jumped in fright and shock as someone flew over them landing on their front.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it,¡± Benny quickly apologized before he glared at the man who pushed him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was a mistake,¡± the man answered before leaving. Benny was confused but quickly forgot about it as he continued his cheering.


    The game finally ended as the day started getting dark. After having some idle talks with his old friends Leo came as they finally left. Clark already booked a hotel where they parked the car. After getting back to the hotel they ordered food, ate and slept peacefully after watching a movie.


    The next day they just walked around the town before coming back to the stadium around 4:00pm to play another round of football. It was already the 3rd day as they continued touring around, 2 days ago the commander already knew that Benny is a high-grade soldier so he altered his plans a little. The 3rd day¡¯s football game was far more exciting as Clark broke his record, scoring a hat-trick.


    After a long day of playing, they finally started going as Clark continually blabbered about how Messi-like he was, scoring goals here and there. Leo and Benny laughed his talks off as they continued walking forward, unknowingly to them some pairs of eyes watched them stealthily from the dark.


    Boom!! The air suddenly rippled as Clark immediately noticed a sharp looking sword stabbing at his head. He felt goosebumps all over as he quickly dodged while his armor activated instantly.


    Clang!! The sound of metal scraping metal sounded loudly as Clark fell back while Leo and Benny became alert, their armor also activating. Another soldier jumped out of a nearby building as the 2 soldiers quickly attacked Leo and Benny.


    Clark was confused, ¡°I thought they aimed at me first but now they are suddenly attacking Leo and Benny¡±. He could not comprehend these people¡¯s thought process at all.


    ¡°Where did all these high-grade soldiers come from,¡± Leo and Benny thought inwardly with surprise. What made them more resentful was that their weapons were kept in their bags in the car, only their daggers and other small weapons which could be kept in their armor was with them.


    Clark wasn¡¯t given the opportunity to think further as a 3rd soldier emerged wielding 2 swords. The soldier attacked him without hesitation as he suddenly heard a gunshot from above his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sniper, what can 1 bullet do when I¡¯m in my armor,¡± Clark soliloquized in a perplexed tone. He rolled back quickly dodging the first blow but he became astonished as the soldier moved faster than he did. Whoosh!! Blood flowed as the soldier slashed at him with his other sword carving an injury on his abdomen.


    Awnn!! Clark groaned in pain as he jumped back in horror with recognition written clearly on his face. ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± he asked?


    ¡°You should have expected it,¡± the commander replied back coldly as he prepared to continue his attack. Clark would¡¯ve fought on bravely on a fair situation but he recognized the battle art the hidden shooter used ¡°The dead¡¯s echo¡±. It was the same battle art that Benny bought and was now learning.


    The battle art was used to mainly decapacitate strong opponents and to restrain them. The bullet shot at him was an armor nullifying bullet which could render his armor ineffective for 5 seconds. Fighting a higher ranked soldier was on its own a disadvantage, the addition of this exponentially increased the difficulty of his survival.


    Clark¡¯s armor already recovered as he brought out his 2 exotic daggers. Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! Shockwaves swept the sand away as he moved backwards while trying to block the commander¡¯s assault. His brain geared quickly into overdrive as he thought of ways to prevent the ranged specialist from aiming at him.


    Tu!! Another bullet hit him as he jumped back in panic, a bullet was simply too fast and till now he had not discovered the sniper¡¯s position. The shooter was clearly an elite Clark thought in trepidation, he jumped back but the commander was faster as he gave him another cut to his chest. A combination of this kind of sniper with a melee fighter was clearly a cheat, his armor was basically being rendered useless.


    Ahh!! Clark screamed involuntarily as the pain felt unbearable. Tu!! Tu!! He hastily dodged despite the pain as the shooter released another two bullets at him, they were normal sniper bullets this time. He prevented the bullets from hitting his vital organs but he still flew back from the momentum as they incapacitated his left hand.


    Leo and Benny finally realized the severity of the situation as the battle was too fast paced. Leo suddenly bashed his opponent carelessly with his body to try rushing forward to help his friend but his opponent was too experienced as he calmly restrained him. Ahh!! Clark cried out again in pain as the commander stabbed his abdomen, he summoned strength as he jumped back while giving a command inwardly through his implant. Now he was completely bloodied all over.


    Somewhere in the hotel where Clark¡¯s car was parked. Zoom!! The car suddenly started on its own as it¡¯s lights lit up. ¡°Master is in danger, master requires assistance,¡± the emotionless voice of the A.I sounded as the car reversed with speed and accelerated towards the gate.


    It looked like the car was planning to bash the gate but the A.I already hacked the hotel¡¯s security. Kwang!! The gates opened as the car drove off with speed. The security man finally realized something was wrong as he ran outside, ¡°who opened the gate he asked in surprise?¡±


    The man received no reply as he coughed which was a consequence caused by the dust left by the car. He glanced forward and all he could see was a red light that became fainter by the second, the light finally left his vision as the car disappeared from his view.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. Please if there is any problem with the translation quality or there is any wrong spelling or sentence, indicate I''ll try to fix it immediately.]

 Chapter 57: the 10000000 credits car first battle

    Awnn!! Clark groaned again in pain as he received another cut to his leg, he narrowly escaped losing his legs by jumping backwards on time. He was already bloodied all over as he fought the commander in a narrow alley.


    He successfully directed the fight here after suffering enormously from the hidden shooter. Leo and Benny tried helping him repeatedly but to no avail as the 2 soldiers clung to them fighting like their life depended on it stalling the both of them.


    The fight already went for over 5 minutes which was out of the commander¡¯s calculations. He didn¡¯t think that Clark would hold up against him for so long, ¡°this boy is really talented,¡± he thought. ¡°But you are still going to die today,¡± he muttered with rage.


    Clark was already feeling mentally fatigued, only the will to live and adrenaline was keeping him standing at the moment, his own skill could not be underrated either.


    Clark suddenly heard the sound of another shot as he tried dodging but he was not fast enough. The bullet hit him on his back as the shooter finally came down to the alley where he led the battle. The commander didn¡¯t waste this chance as he stabbed him without hesitation. Clark¡¯s shield was already sucked dry of energy as it played a vital role in keeping him alive for this long.


    Ahh!! Clark released a muffled scream from pain as he coughed out blood. He finally felt powerless as he fell into the commander¡¯s arms, the commander held him while he twisted the sword in his abdomen bringing him terrible pain. He felt too weak to scream at this moment as he silently opened his mouth gasping for breath.


    The commander finally spoke into his ear, ¡°Clark do you remember the day you sabotaged my camp? I promised that I¡¯ll kill you and here I am to fulfill my promise, in your next life try to make better decisions. You would have made a good soldier but you decided to mess with me¡±. He twisted the sword further as he talked making Clark gasp in pain.


    Clark suddenly mustered effort to smile at him as he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t regret my choice commander I¡¯ll spare you by not pursuing you in the future but don¡¯t ever cross my path again¡±.


    The commander was a little confused, ¡°is that the new trend of saying your last prayer now,¡± he soliloquized sarcastically. Clark only grinned as he summoned all the remaining strength on his body to leap backwards.


    BOOM!! The air suddenly shook fiercely as a bullet quickly hit the commander, the force from the bullet alone was mind blowing as the commander was thrown at the wall from it. The commander hit the wall with force breaking it as he fell to the other side of the wall.


    The remaining terrorist high-grade soldiers watched in horror as Clark¡¯s car emerged from the other side of the street with speed. Boom!! It released another one of the monstrous bullets as the terrorist sniper¡¯s head was blown into a bloody mess.


    The 2 remaining terrorist soldiers acted fast as they bolted into a corner leaving Leo and Benny. Benny quickly recovered from the shock on his heart as he ran to where Clark was, he helped him up while Leo ran to check on the commander.


    Zoom!! The car finally arrived as it stopped at Clark¡¯s front in style. Well, Clark couldn¡¯t appreciate this style as his consciousness was already feeling muddled. Leo was astonished as despite that blow the commander was able to pick himself up and escape.


    Clark expected the commander to escape as he knew that the car¡¯s gun could not overcome the commander¡¯s armor in one shot. Leo quickly ran back as they helped Clark¡¯s bloody body into the car. ¡°Take me to the nearest hospital,¡± he whispered before he fainted from exhaustion. Leo panicked as he quickly checked his friend¡¯s heart beat, he exhaled in relief as he discovered that he was still breathing.


    Whoosh!! The car sped across the bumpy street as it modified its tires to adapt. The car sped towards the nearest hospital and reached there in less than 2 minutes. The gates of the hospital opened as Leo and Benny carried Clark hurriedly into the hospital. They revealed their identities as high-grade soldiers and the best doctor in the hospital came to attend to them immediately.


    Normal citizens didn¡¯t have the guts to impersonate soldiers talk less high-grade soldiers so they didn¡¯t even ask for their badges or identity cards as they admitted Clark directly. Leo and Benny were told to stay outside as Clark received emergency treatment.


    The doctors worked non-stop for over 2 hours before they came out. ¡°It would be many times faster in a military hospital,¡± Leo and Benny thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation doctor,¡± Leo asked immediately as soon as the doctor came out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your friend is alright,¡± the doctor replied with a smile. ¡°You just have to allow him to rest, he is exhausted. You can visit him tomorrow when he wakes up, if he responds well to treatment, he can even be discharged in 2 days¡¯ time¡±.


    ¡°Ok doctor, thank you very much for your time, so how much is the cost total,¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°Oh, not that fast sirs you¡¯ll have to wait till when we discharge him before you¡¯ll receive a bill list¡±.


    ¡°Ok, thank you very much doctor, we are very grateful¡±.


    The doctor left shortly after as Leo and Benny heaved a sigh of relief, they walked back to the car to sleep. They were also a little exhausted from the intense battle against their equals. As they went back Leo brought up a topic which made them both shudder in fear.


    The capability shown by the car still frightened the hell out of them. A single bullet shot and it turned the shooter¡¯s head coated in armor to a puddle of blood. ¡°That was too frightening,¡± they both thought in trepidation as they started having second thoughts about sleeping on it when Clark was not there.


    ¡°What if the A.I thought we killed Clark on seeing us returning without him, what if the A.I suddenly malfunctioned¡±.


    The what ifs became too numerous as they both suddenly stopped on their tracks like they read each other¡¯s mind, they turned back as they went to the room where Clark was admitted.


    Sleeping on the floor is better than being shot into a bloody mess.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book please leave your power stones behind to suppport it, if it crosses a certain milestone I''ll publish mass release on intervals.]

 Chapter 58: the little fan boy

    Leo and Benny woke up the next day to find Clark still asleep. Leo ordered food from a nearby restaurant for Clark and the both of them. After eating they sat on the chair provided as they talked on a low tone about their yesterday encounters.


    Around 10:00am in the morning Clark finally woke up as he felt bandages all over his abdomen and other parts of his body. He also felt the drip syringe attached to his wrist as he slowly stood up. Leo and Benny not realizing that the person they were watching was already awake they continued their lengthy conversation.


    Clark realized that his pains were already gone as he called out to his 2 blabbering companions.


    ¡°Oh, Clark you¡¯re already awake,¡± Leo blurted out as he rushed to forward to give him a light hug.


    ¡°How are you feeling, do you still feel pains, is there any discomfort?¡±


    ¡°No Leo, I¡¯m already fine,¡± Clark answered in resignation as he slightly rolled his eyes at his friend¡¯s shameful gesture. ¡°Hugging me, do you think we are still cadets? Shit, at this rate you¡¯ll never man up to become a real soldier,¡± he thought with a stop being a kid expression on his face.


    Clark after their brief emotional re-union finally removed the bandages to see all his injuries already healed. Only the deep cut on his abdomen still had a scar but he was not feeling any pains.


    The doctor was quickly called for, he arrived very fast with an excited expression planted on his face. They were confused by his expression but they still asked him for a diagnosis. After the diagnosis the doctor confirmed that Clark was good to go, he praised him lavishly for having such a great body as others would have spent 2 or more days in the hospital for such injuries.


    Clark secretly heaved a sigh of relief on hearing this as he didn¡¯t want to default on his first day reporting for duty as a soldier of the republic. He asked the doctor directly for the amount he needed to pay.


    This is when the weirdness of the doctor started being clearer, he fidgeted here and there like a little fan boy meeting his idol for the first time. ¡°Are you really the Clark who graduated this year as the best soldier,¡± he finally asked?


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s because he found my identity¡±. Clark suddenly felt weird, ¡°is that how famous I¡¯ve become?¡± He soliloquized in a surprised tone.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± he answered after being silent for some seconds.


    ¡°Great,¡± the doctor jumped in joy which scared the hell out of them.


    ¡°Pipe down mate,¡± Leo blurted out in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t you see how fragile you are, you are an old man for God¡¯s sake¡±.


    On hearing this, the doctor finally calmed down, he coughed awkwardly to dispel the weird atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that, sorry for scaring you. Personally, I admire you a lot Clark,¡± he emphasized by patting his chest as he turned to face Clark.


    ¡°My youngest son also takes you as his idol. He would like it a lot if I can get your signature for him,¡± the doctor finally requested.


    This¡­, Clark felt weird, Leo and Benny felt even weirder as they all looked at the middle-aged doctor.


    Clark finally snapped out from his daze after a minute of silence, ¡°oh a signature I can do that¡±.


    It seems the doctor came prepared as he brought a small polo shirt and a blue pen which probably belonged to his son. Clark simply wrote [Clark .P.] at the back of the shirt before returning it. He asked again for the amount he needed to pay but this fanboy rejected him with a tone that screamed no negotiation, the doctor fiercely insisted on him not paying.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my money,¡± Clark thought as he was quickly discharged.


    Leo and Benny followed behind Clark as they went to his car without any further waste of time. Clark finally recalled something as he asked the both of them if they picked the shooter¡¯s armor, his bullets and sniper rifle.


    ¡°You guys didn¡¯t pick a single thing?¡± Clark was extremely disappointed in them. ¡°Shit man, you guys actually left that kind of free money behind, the stash of bullets required for the battle art used alone is worth over 200,000 credits,¡± he muttered in a pained tone.


    On hearing Clark, Benny felt worse as he was also learning the dead¡¯s echo, he would have probably received the bullets or if it was to even take them on loan from them [i.e Leo and Clark] was better than leaving them behind.


    A depressed Benny entered the car last as Clark instructed the car¡¯s A.I to take them back to the military base. The car bolted off as they began their hours long journey back to base.


    The terrorist commander, well Clark already forgave the man as he also probably suffered in pain psychologically when he killed his 2 executioners. But he would make sure to be better prepared for any ambush of that type in the future. After over 8 hours of driving, they finally arrived at the Spartan military division base.


    Their arrival didn¡¯t create any waves in the military base as they went directly to their room. The room still felt oversized to Clark despite seeing it for some time already. After eating they arranged the new clothes they bought before retiring to bed. Tomorrow they¡¯ll officially resume work as soldiers.


    ¡­


    The captain of the python military division sat in his office as he read the report he received. Clark and his 2 companions were ambushed by high-grade soldiers, probably those from the terrorist base they sabotaged, the captain casually commented. ¡°This Clark is really something, he withstood the full attack of a 2nd rank high-grade soldier paired with a 1st rank high-grade soldier for about 10 minutes. Well, prove yourself first in the army before you receive a promotion,¡± he muttered with a chuckle.


    ¡­


    After the unexpected interference of Clark¡¯s car, the commander escaped but his escape was mainly due to his experience and will to survive.


    Luckily his armor was of a higher grade than those of his subordinates but despite that he tried as the force alone from the bullet was enough to make others on the same armor foolish or crazy by disorienting their brain. If you doubt, you can try it by allowing someone to only slap both your ears with force, then you¡¯ll know the difference between 6 and half a dozen.


    It was mostly due to his physique as a 2nd rank high-grade soldier that helped him pull through. His new subordinate that was killed, well what could he say he was the unluckiest of them all.


    What made him breathe a sigh of relief was that Clark and his friends forgot to loot the fallen soldier. He spent 80% of his savings over the years to purchase the stash of bullets for the soldier¡¯s battle art alone, soldiers hardly keep savings because of their need to get new and better equipment. He would have felt the urge to commit suicide if the bullets were looted, fortunately they forgot.


    Perhaps if he knew it was because Clark fainted, he would have been thanking his god by now.


    Having revenge, in his opinion that is already a past tense in his dictionary, he didn¡¯t have the guts to confront that insane car again.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it reaches a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 59: clarks first encounter with a mocan soldier

    The next day, Clark and his bros woke up feeling refreshed. They officially reported for duty today, as high-grade soldiers they were sent to different military checkpoints.


    Clark was sent to a military checkpoint in a small town in east Delhi. He was assigned as the overall leader of the soldiers in the checkpoint. He felt kind of weird as he became the leader of soldiers some of which were old enough to be his father or mother.


    Despite feeling that way, Clark still performed his duties to the best of his ability as he made sure that all the soldiers were performing their duties by thoroughly inspecting all the vehicles passing the checkpoint. He didn¡¯t bring his car as there were military cars provided by the division, he didn¡¯t want to feel and behave too special on his first day at work.


    Most of the time he didn¡¯t have anything doing so he just studied his battle art while simulating it inwardly through his implant. He studied and practiced through his implant for the majority of the day as there was no emergency requiring his attention.


    During this time, his squad caught 2 vehicles transporting hard drugs, they detained them before handing them over to the police. The day passed uneventfully as Clark returned with his squad to the military base while they were replaced by the night shift soldiers.


    After getting back Clark wrote down his squad¡¯s time of return as well as writing that his squad survived no casualties. This squad was placed directly under his care, as it¡¯s leader and sergeant he had to take care of the squad soldiers and protect them. After filling his record for the day, Clark went back to his room where he saw Leo and Benny already back.


    They greeted as Clark quickly dove down eating the food that Benny prepared; they shared their day¡¯s experiences as he ate. After eating Clark also shared his experience, surprisingly Benny¡¯s squad actually encountered a group of bandits.


    The squad stopped them as they killed most of the bandits while capturing the few who surrendered. Despite the action, Benny didn¡¯t get to act as they were local bandits wielding only ordinary weapons. The soldiers under him easily controlled the situation.


    After all their idle gossips they finally slept. The next day before going to his checkpoint with his squad Clark paid as he dropped his shield for its energy to be recharged. Clark¡¯s routine continued as he went to his checkpoint every day, ¡°working as a high-grade soldier is simply too convenient,¡± this was the joyful thought occupying his mind for most of the time now.


    After days of practice Clark finally started getting a hang of the battle art as he tried considerably better than days ago in his recent simulation practices. ¡°Just a little harder work and I¡¯ll master my first battle art,¡± he thought excitedly.


    Clark¡¯s boring streak of only studying, practicing and supervising his subordinates finally ended today as his squad faced their first major challenge and it was clearly not an ordinary one. The long line of vehicles was passing by and they happened to pass through his checkpoint.


    They first claimed that they worked for a certain influential company in the Sparta republic. When they saw how unyielding Clark¡¯s soldiers were during the supervision they directly attacked. Fortunately, all soldiers had armor, despite them being of a lower tier than Clark¡¯s exotic armor they can still withstand some firepower.


    Unlike Clark and Leo who received good exotic armor, some soldiers graduate with ordinary armor which is still better than terrorists or any private organization can provide. Their armor is better than the best bullet proof vest of the 21st century. Leo and Clark graduated from the 2nd best military training base in Southern Sparta unlike most of these soldiers.


    Some of the slightly unique soldiers with low-grade exotic armor stepped up as they led the assault. What was astonishing was that some of the men in this company actually had exotic armor which made things more complicated. ¡°Where did this group come from?¡± This was the question on every soldier¡¯s mind.


    The battle became heated as both sides rapidly exchanged fire, Clark¡¯s soldiers were better trained so there were no casualties on his side unlike the men from the opposition who already started dying despite some of them wearing armor. Clark finally got ready for battle as his men were clearly struggling.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! All it took was 5 bullet shots from Clark as the first soldier on exotic armor died from the opposition. Chaos quickly grew in the opponent¡¯s formation as Clark killed 2 other men from their side. All it took was one shot from his exotic sniper rifle as the ones with ordinary armor died in droves. His soldiers became motivated on seeing this as they fought harder killing more men from the other side as they witnessed their new sergeant fight for the first time.


    As Clark killed in the battle, he saw a suspicious man among the men from the self-proclaimed company as he maneuvered his way closer to where his men shot from behind their military vehicles and blockades. Clark turned to shoot at him but focused on him too late as he sprinted closer to his soldier¡¯s ranks.


    The soldiers reacted fast by shooting at him but his armor surprisingly held as he unsheathed his sword and sliced down.


    ¡°Dodge,¡± Clark suddenly shouted into the military communicator but the targeted soldier reacted late and was slashed cleanly in 2 without any ounce of resistance.


    ¡°He¡¯s a high-grade soldier,¡± Clark announced. ¡°Form the counter formation immediately,¡± he ordered in a tone filled with authority.


    The military created some tactics which are slightly effective against high-grade soldiers, this was to help the normal soldiers not become too completely clueless in a battle between high-grade soldiers.


    Things just got a lot more complicated as the soldier didn¡¯t bother hiding his identity again.


    ¡°A Mocan soldier,¡± Clark blurted out in surprise as his eyes gradually became bloodshot on seeing the uniform, that he loathed the most.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it crosses a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 60: a battle of wits and skill

    Clark always dreaded and anticipated the day he¡¯ll kill his first Mocan soldier as he hated them to the core. The appearance of this soldier lit up a concealed flame in his heart, he quickly whispered machine gun as his 2-form gun quickly rearranged its configuration.


    Despite him being a high-grade soldier, Clark was determined like never before to eliminate this soldier. The Mocan soldier saw him coming but ignored him as he did a sideways slash with his sword killing another soldier from the squad. This succeeded in angering Clark further as he pulled the trigger while sprinting to confront him.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Clark¡¯s machine gun sprayed out it¡¯s bullets as he controlled them to all land on the Mocan soldier. The foreign soldier was clearly not planning to run but rather increase the morale of his escorts as he charged at Clark. Clark felt excited and angry at the same time as the distance between the both of them slowly closed.


    All Clark¡¯s soldiers already prepared a battle formation as they quickly activated a shield to prevent the Mocan soldier from killing more of them.


    Boom!! The air shook fiercely as the soldier slashed with his sharp sword at Clark. Clark was already extremely focused as he quickly attached the gun to his back, he bent down while sliding forward as he dodged the blow. As he slid forward, he unsheathed his sword with dazzling speed as he slashed the Mocan soldier on his abdomen.


    Clang!! The sound of metal colliding with metal resounded as the soldier¡¯s armor held up, Clark already determined the quality of his armor after shooting at him for an extended period of time. The soldier¡¯s armor was around the same quality as his own.


    The Mocan soldier reacted fast after the unexpected maneuver Clark did, he leapt back as he stabbed at Clark¡¯s position with his sword. Clark dodged as he already expected it, their battle became more ferocious as slight shockwaves blasted out from their position.


    ¡°Wipe out his escorts,¡± Clark ordered his soldiers as they focused on wiping out the opposition while he kept their high-grade soldier occupied.


    Clang! Clang! Clang! Clark continued exchanging blows with the Mocan soldier as the durability of their armor rapidly fell. As they fought the Mocan soldier was secretly shocked, the first reason was that normally high-grade soldiers were not in this checkpoint before.


    Secondly, high-grade soldiers from the military hardly get involved in fights even if their soldiers were being killed by the opposition. There was too many people applying to become soldiers which led to a situation where thousands of soldiers can die in a single day, but the government wouldn¡¯t break a sweat. But the death of a single high-grade soldier is painful to the government.


    The Mocan soldier have been sent to other places before, he had also passed checkpoints with high-grade soldiers who thought it was a waste of their time, energy and resources to engage in fights with him. The military mostly ignores this complacency as high-grade soldiers where strategic resources in a war so why the hell was this high-grade soldier fighting him so ferociously?


    ¡°Warning!!¡± Armor¡¯s durability is below 5% the Mocan soldier received another notification. He was experienced in these kinds of situation though; he cursed his luck as he turned back planning to escape without hesitation. Clark could defeat him squarely in a fair fight but killing him or stopping him from escaping was going to be hard.


    ¡°Block him,¡± Clark yelled as his soldiers quickly obeyed blocking the soldier¡¯s escape path with shields. Clark sprinted after the soldier as he jumped with both his hands tightly wrapped around his sword as its force field activated.


    Bam!! Clang!! The attack was too fast for him to dodge as the Mocan soldier hastily raised his sword to block but the force behind Clark¡¯s attack was too much for him to handle. The air rippled as the Mocan soldier was slammed into the ground, Clark quickly stabbed at the position he landed on repeatedly as dust rose up hindering his sight.


    Clark suddenly saw a light reflection as the sharp surface of a sword inched closer to his face. He dodged reflexively but the sword still scraped his armor as he rolled backwards. After standing up he was surprised as the Mocan soldier already left the blockade, the Mocan soldier was clearly among the stronger ones in the 1st rank of high-grade soldiers.


    ¡°You are not going anywhere,¡± Clark growled as he threw his exotic sword at him while sprinting forward in pursuit.


    As he sprinted, he pulled out his automatic pistols as bullets sprayed out from it. The Mocan soldier was very experienced but Clark discovered that the durability of his armor was probably almost down which warranted his actions of throwing his sword at him.


    Whoosh!! As Clark was confident that he could kill him, so was the Mocan soldier also confident that he could escape. He moved sideways dodging with speed but he still reached his hand out to catch Clark¡¯s sword. He kept it without hesitation, he clearly was an experienced looter just like Clark.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret that,¡± Clark yelled as his bullets impacted the soldier¡¯s armor making clanking sounds. His escorts were waiting for him to come so that they¡¯ll escape, they shot at Clark¡¯s soldiers while hiding behind their entourage of vehicles.


    Ptui!! Ptui!! Clark¡¯s bullets finally met flesh as the Mocan soldier¡¯s armor finally deactivated.


    ¡°Awnn!!¡± He grunted in pain as he finally reached the cars, he immediately jumped behind a car. His escorts quickly responded as they came forward to block Clark¡¯s pursuit while they finally started switching on their cars.


    ¡°You are not going anywhere,¡± Clark bellowed again in rage as his automatic pistols cleared a trail of blood in the blockade while he sprinted forward.


    ¡°Get ready to use the exotic snipers,¡± Clark covertly informed his subordinates as he shot down more men. Forget his many yelling¡¯s, Clark was still pretty much clear headed.


    His squad were provided with 3 extra exotic snipers which are to be used only when needed, and it requires permission from him the Sergeant before the 3 best ranged specialists in his squad could use them.


    As the soldiers carried out his instructions, Clark finally decided to use a battle art despite not fully mastering it yet.


    [Thanks for reading this chapter I really appreciate. If you love this book please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it crosses a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 61: clarks first time using a battle art

    The Mocan soldier finally weaved into a car as he yelled at the driver to move. He grinned as he felt the exotic sword which he got from this unexpected encounter. ¡°You¡¯re still too green to stop me,¡± he said before he was startled as he heard screaming sounds all around him.


    Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! Boom!! Boom!! Clark wielded his 2 form-gun in its machine gun configuration as he unleashed a myriad of different bullet shots. All the cars obstructing his way floated up due to the anti-gravity bullets hitting them, he ordered his soldiers to shoot at their now vulnerable fuel tanks as he sprinted below the cars while shooting at other cars.


    Clark released emp bullets at other group of cars as their engines directly switched off. He hasn¡¯t mastered the battle art completely yet, so he couldn¡¯t combine shooting these unique bullets and normal bullets interchangeably yet.


    But he was not alone, as his unique bullets stopped and disoriented the opposition his soldiers shot at the now defenseless men as they started dying in droves.


    Clark succeeded in keeping all the vehicles from escaping as the cars exploded frequently due to the heavy firepower his soldiers unleashed. He was already surrounded in a sea of fire from the explosions as he focused on finding the Mocan soldier while maintaining a steady output of bullets using the battle art. At this moment, he looked just like a grim reaper harvesting lives as his sacrifices.


    Whoosh!! Clark finally noticed a shadow rush out of the sea of burning vehicles and people as he stopped his battle art immediately. He sprinted forward pursuing the shadow as he changed his load again to normal bullets.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Clark fired at the escaping person as he quickly closed in on him. Ptui! Ptui! His bullets finally connected as holes filled his opponent¡¯s head, blood rained down like a waterfall from his head as he fell down.


    Clark was excited as he ran closer to check but he immediately realized something was wrong after having a closer look, this person was wearing another cloth and most especially he died too easily for a high-grade soldier. This person is just a distraction, Clark immediately understood as his brain quickly geared into overdrive. He looked to his right and saw a tall tree by the road.


    Clark kept his gun in his back as he brought out his 2 new daggers to help him climb the tall tree faster. He quickly scaled up the tree as he supported himself with a branch of the tall tree. He brought out his 2 form-gun as he quickly changed it to the sniper configuration.


    He increased the sniper¡¯s vision range to the maximum as he checked around. After 15 seconds of checking, Clark grinned while also sighing in relief as he finally saw his target, he was already over 2km away as he sprinted despite his injuries. Clark focused completely as he aimed at him after confirming his identity from his uniform, ¡°this will probably be my first Mocan soldier casualty,¡± he thought.


    Boom!! Clark released the bullet as it swiftly flew forward, through the magnified view of the sniper rifle he saw his opponent¡¯s brain matter splatter out as he fell down. He quickly scaled down the tree while giving a command to his subordinates.


    A soldier quickly drove one of the military vehicles to where Clark stood, he entered as the soldier drove forward to the direction, he showed him. They finally reached where the Mocan soldier laid dead, lying in a pool of his own blood.


    Clark further confirmed that it was him from the presence he exuded despite being dead. He looked at him for 10 seconds before collecting back his weapon. He naturally also took this guy¡¯s armor and exotic sword, he grinned on checking the armor. Inside he found a pair of exotic daggers, a bunch of exotic throwing knives and a bunch of exotic explosives.


    Clark snapped a picture of the Mocan soldier as evidence before he returned to the military checkpoint with his subordinate soldier. On reaching there the battle was already over as his soldiers already started cleaning the battlefield up.


    The commotion from the battle already drew a crowd of people as they finally had the guts to take videos and pictures of the scene after they confirmed that the situation was under the soldier¡¯s control. But Clark restricted them from broadcasting it immediately until their investigations are over.


    Of the over 50 escorts who attacked his squad, only 7 survived as his soldier¡¯s hand cuffed them, all the others died in the battle. Unfortunately, Clark lost 2 soldier lives this battle, he was deep in thought as he came down from the vehicle.


    ¡°Burry all the dead attackers,¡± Clark ordered. The soldiers looked at him with genuine admiration this time as he saved their lives and he crowned it all after telling them that he killed the Mocan high-grade soldier.


    Some of them were looking at him with fanatic gazes already before he left to the room provided to him in the military checkpoint. The soldiers worked on burying the dead as cleaning bots were brought to clean all the debris and dirt from the battle. The road was damaged from the battle so they simply called for a road manufacturing company. They came and fixed the road in less than an hour, a result of increased technological skill.


    After all the hustle and bustle from the battle Clark finally had time for himself. He had a lot of reasons to be happy from the outcome of this battle, first of all he was happy for the successful kill. Secondly, he discovered that he improved a lot in the use of the battle art after his first real battle.


    ¡°I guess you improve faster with real battle experience but the cost is too much,¡± Clark thought in resignation. He also felt lucky for buying new higher-grade bullets for his battle art, he already sold the old ones that he stole to get this better one.


    ¡°A Mocan soldier appearing this deep in the Spartan republic territory, I guess the government was right Afterall about their new invasion plan. Those people who escorted him, there is a high chance that they are the thugs of some powerful individual or company who was bribed by the Mocan military¡±.


    ¡°Some Spartans are getting really more daring, I hope the military gets the identity of the secret helpers,¡± Clark thought as his face scrunched up into a frown.


    After all his silent musings Clark finally delegated attention to the loot that he gained from this battle.


    ¡°Battles are really the best way for soldiers to earn money, it is also the fastest way for soldiers to die¡±. He muttered in surprise.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it crosses a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 62: raiding the traitors company

    Of the loot Clark gained, he surprisingly discovered a bunch of exotic explosives which excited him to no end. ¡°My luck is simply off this world for even getting such stuff from a random 1st rank high-grade soldier,¡± he muttered excitedly while rubbing his hands together.


    Clark thanked his lucky stars that the Mocan soldier refused to use these gadgets of mass destruction. ¡°He probably thought he could escape without using them. He was probably sent on a crucial mission,¡± Clark thought as he carefully kept his new goodies.


    Any of these lethal explosives Clark got is enough to down the durability of his armor with one explosion and the bunch contained a total of 20 explosives. ¡°The cost of this alone is more than 500,000 Spartan credits, looters are winners,¡± Clark cheered in joy as he relaxed.


    The explosives were made to be very portable, it looked just like a mobile phone battery when comparing in terms of shape but it was as dangerous if not more dangerous than a full powered shot from his newly acquired car.


    Clark finally returned to the military division base in the evening, he quickly filled in his time of returning and he narrated the happenings of the day. The captain asked to see him directly when he heard that Clark was back.


    On arriving Clark described the whole encounter to the captain before showing him the picture of the Mocan soldier. The captain fell silent after Clark showed him the picture. ¡°Clark, you did well this time. This particular soldier has proved very difficult to kill to various checkpoints of our Python military division¡±.


    ¡°Check your military achievement points later, you¡¯ll receive a surprise soon if things go according to plan¡±. Clark stood up as he saluted the captain before going to his room.


    Leo and Benny already heard about Clark¡¯s encounter as the news already circulated around the military division. They bombarded him with different questions when he returned, they were astonished after listening to the full story.


    Fighting and killing a high-grade soldier of the same rank in a direct battle was simply an incredible achievement to a new high-grade soldier like Clark. The high-grade soldiers they killed in their graduation training was not through a direct battle. It was a sabotage, an ambush, that was what it was. An ambush is a different thing entirely in comparison to a direct battle. Their admiration for Clark shot up another notch again after this as they chatted casually.


    The next day Clark and his squad didn¡¯t go to their checkpoint as the military division discovered the identity of the Mocan soldier¡¯s helpers. It was a pretty big company owned by a man called Tim Haaland. His company deals in providing security to people, it¡¯s just like a mercenary company.


    The captain ordered him to raid the organization, he was ordered to capture them alive if possible but if not possible, he could kill them.


    That morning Clark took his car with his soldiers for the first time. He already started developing a bond with one of the soldiers, he was now his second in command. He was the only one who had the opportunity to stay with Clark in his 10 million credits car as the other vehicles trailed behind them.


    Leo during all this time at his checkpoint, he only encountered small bandits attacks which were easily nullified by his soldiers so he haven¡¯t really fought any battle for the whole week. But despite this, his mind was elsewhere as he thought of what Clark revealed to them yesterday.


    During their casual talks yesterday, Clark dropped another bomb which frightened the hell out of him and Benny. They stared at him in horror when he revealed that he performed his battle art during the battle.


    Till now, the both of them were still bashing their heads against the wall as they couldn¡¯t perform a tiny part of the battle art they bought. Their expressions no longer remained the same after the confession, they now looked at him like he was a monster.


    Even the captain of the division was shocked when he learnt that Clark could already perform a battle art after only one week of practicing it. He already started sorting out a position to give Clark as one of the leaders of the division. This speed of improvement was simply mind blowing.


    Clark didn¡¯t know the waves his actions already created as he led his soldiers to arrest the people of the said company. They rode for over 30 minutes before they finally reached the huge compound housing the company. A huge sign board hung facing the highway reading, ¡°Haaland¡¯s security company¡±.


    They stopped 2 kilometers away from the company as Clark instructed his soldiers to surround the building before, they continue. After all the preparations, he drove alone in his car closer to the huge company.


    Clark stopped and parked at the front of the company; his car¡¯s glasses were tinted so people could not see inside the car. He directly announced as his voice spread through the voice amplifiers installed in the car.


    ¡°TIM HAALAND, this is the Delhi military division. I am sergeant Clark of the military division; we have evidence that points that this company secretly helps the Mocan republic. If you are a worker here and you are innocent, kindly come out with your hands raised above your heads. We are arresting every worker in this company and Tim Haaland himself today¡±.


    ¡°Do not try to resist, you will regret it, one shot from my car¡¯s main cannon can obliterate a section of this company so be obedient and comply to avoid casualties. Make your decisions quickly, in 10 minutes if you are not out, we¡¯ll storm in ourselves¡±. After saying this Clark kept silent as he kept note of the time.


    On hearing Clark¡¯s last words, this spurred the workers on as they all started walking out in panic, some were confused but it was wiser to avoid death now and ask questions later. The company security thugs were also confused but they obediently complied as the ferocious looking cannon of Clark¡¯s car faced the company¡¯s gate.


    Clark didn¡¯t have to wait for 10 minutes before his scanners confirmed that everybody was out of the building.


    But things got complicated as Tim Haaland and his personal high-grade soldier bodyguard were nowhere to be found.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it crosses a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 63: visitors from the spartan army

    ¡°Hello, this is the Python military division headquarters speaking,¡± a deep but calm voice finally broke the silence after the call went through.


    ¡°Yes, this is sergeant Clark, connect me to the captain this is urgent¡±.


    ¡°Ok sir, please wait for a minute I¡¯ll get back to you shortly¡±.


    ¡°Bzzz!! This is captain Daniel, Clark what is the urgent situation you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Captain, I am at Tim Haaland¡¯s company right now. I already secured the company but there have been some complications, Tim Haaland and his personal bodyguard already escaped, I¡¯m sure they discovered our plans before now¡±.


    On hearing this the captain went silent in contemplation, he finally recollected himself after 10 seconds of silence as he replied. ¡°Ok Clark, you¡¯ve done a good job but try if you can discover any suspect from the workers you intercepted from the company¡±.


    Clark acknowledged his captain as he continued to do his work.


    ¡­


    ¡°Good morning my fellow Spartans, this is news from your favorite broadcasting station STA [Spartan Television Authority]. In Delhi city today, a company called Haaland¡¯s security owned by a man called Tim Haaland was intercepted and disbanded today by the regional military division¡±. The fair skinned female reporter read the news fluently without any breaks.


    ¡°The Python military division found evidence that the company was colluding secretly with the Moca republic. A military squad led by the new star soldier; Sergeant Clark was sent to carry out the interception. According to news provided by the military, the company was disbanded successfully but the founder Tim Haaland escaped with his personal high-grade soldier bodyguard¡±.


    ¡°Tim Haaland is presently still on the run, if anyone sees any of these 2 persons in this photo contact the military immediately, they are highly dangerous and are enemies of the Spartan republic. We¡¯ll enter a small break shortly; my name is still Michael Patricia please don¡¯t go anywhere¡±.


    ¡­


    Clark finally returned back to the military base; he went to report directly to the captain. According to the captain, all military squads are now on high alert looking for the 2 targets. The captain finally decided to give Clark a position in the military division but he kept the position a secret from him for now, Clark smiled slightly in satisfaction as he went back to his room while humming a lullaby.


    Leo and Benny came back very late today as all military squads were searching for the targets but to no avail. When Clark broke the news of his possible promotion to them, they just smiled and congratulated him like it was a very normal occurrence. By now, they were already used to him bringing back shocking news from time to time.


    Normally a high-grade soldier is expected to serve in his/her assigned military division for years before even thinking of a possible promotion. A soldier is expected to have a lot of military achievements under his belt before the attention of the regional captain is drawn to him/her to consider a promotion as a reward for his/her military service.


    Clark receiving a promotion under only 1 year of service is simply a miracle but he was not the first as some soldiers in Northern Sparta already achieved it. But despite this, it was still an incredible achievement.


    Days counted forward, weeks passed, after several months of serving in the military division Clark was going to celebrate his first Christmas as a soldier. It was already November 20th, the next month is December, the month of Christmas but the atmosphere in the military base was not too harmonious as the threat of war lingered around the corner.


    It was already almost a year since the Spartan army discovered the Mocan¡¯s plans to bring forward the date of their main invasion attempt. A year seemed long but it is nowhere enough to set up enough defenses against the enemies, there is no time to make elaborate plans and military strategies, no time to prepare a proper offensive and defensive military force.


    The Python military division, like all other military divisions were kept in the dark from the Spartan army¡¯s plans and strategies but they knew it required a very radical strategy to nullify this main invasion attempt like the ones over the past decades. According to estimates, the invasion attempt will likely kick off this coming year.


    During normal Christmas periods the military offers soldiers the choice to choose between going home to spend their Christmas with family and friends or to continue duty in the military base.


    Despite the joy of spending time with family and friends, some soldiers choose staying as the salary for that month is 3 times that of normal months, soldiers going back home are exempted from salary that month and besides a lot of soldiers don¡¯t even have family and friends. Clark and Leo decided to be on duty during the December period but Benny decided to visit his family.


    At exactly December 1st, as the home sick soldiers left, the Python military division received an unexpected guest. Clark and Leo rushed to the hall after they received an urgent message of 5 stars confidentiality.


    A 1st ranked high-grade soldier can only access information about 1 star ranked items. 5-star confidentiality meant the division¡¯s visitors were to receive the same secrecy as if the president visited the military division for a secret mission.


    In under a minute all the military division high-grade soldiers were gathered in the hall to receive the mysterious visitors, the captain was already there as he was the one who sent the message. On arrival Clark was astonished as he finally realized why the visitor¡¯s matters had 5 stars confidentiality.


    ¡°Damn, these visitors are actually from the Spartan army¡±. Clark felt excited as the visitors deactivated their camouflage devices revealing the distinctive golden armor of the Spartan army.


    [Thank you for reading this book, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it reaches a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 64: the mission tagged extremely dangerous

    This was Clark¡¯s first-time seeing soldiers from the Spartan army physically, he was excited but this only increased his dread and anticipation for the reason of their visit. On a normal sense, the Python military division is too small to attract visitors from this hegemon in the Spartan military.


    The Spartan army is the number 1 military force of the Spartan republic. The Python military division and all other military organizations in the Spartan republic are all under the banner of this huge behemoth.


    The leader of the Spartan army is a 5th ranked high-grade soldier, Commander Rashford. He is the Commander-in-chief of all military organizations in the republic and he is the strongest soldier of the Spartan republic excluding the President, ¡°The Legendary Slaughterer¡±.


    A high-grade soldier from a military division like the Python military division can only respect a normal soldier from the Spartan army. Their high-end weapons and gadgets alone can crush any high-grade soldier¡¯s skill and experience with brute force.


    Normal soldiers in the Spartan army are given the rank of private, normal soldiers in military divisions are simply not worthy of the rank. The end goal of practically every soldier in the Spartan republic was to join the ranks of the Spartan army.


    Their normal soldiers are recruited only from Northern Sparta as soldiers there are better trained and are mostly from big backgrounds. High-grade soldiers from other parts of Sparta need to be extremely talented or have a mind-blowing military achievement before even being considered by the army.


    As all these thoughts flashed through Clark¡¯s head the silence was finally broken by one of the soldiers who looked like he was their leader. ¡°Good morning soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Good morning sir,¡± they all hastily greeted as Clark felt like slapping myself. ¡°Damn we all actually forgot to greet¡±.


    ¡°My name is General Bakash¡±.


    Bam!! Clark almost blanked out for a second there. ¡°A what¡­, an esteemed General of the Spartan army actually visited us. Shit when did I wash my uniform last? Is it smelling? I didn¡¯t even iron it, what if the General gets irritated by my look, oh I¡¯m dead I didn¡¯t even comb my hair¡±.


    After a great mental battle, Clark finally relaxed and became completely serious. A General from the Spartan army coming here personally indicated that they were probably going to get ready for a huge mission, he focused further as his expression soured a little on the thought of the Mocan invasion threat.


    The General was displeased a little as he noticed all of them almost blanking out on just hearing his name. ¡°My name is General Bakash,¡± he repeated.


    ¡°I am here to take 2 high-grade soldiers to follow me on a very dangerous and important mission. As you may already know this is extremely confidential so I can¡¯t elaborate¡±.


    ¡°It is not by force to join this mission, there is an extremely high probability of dying but the reward is also very lucrative and if you die in this mission the whole Sparta republic will recognize you as a war hero. If you survive this mission, you will be able to immediately join the ranks of the Spartan army and you will be promoted directly to the rank of a captain despite any rank you are as a high-grade soldier. You will also receive a lot of small benefits when this mission is over, you have only 5 minutes to decide¡±.


    The benefits mentioned made all the soldiers there excited including the captain but they quickly cooled down after they analyzed the situation further. The thing is that the risk of dying was simply too high, wealth and a famous reputation is good but death is simply too high a price to pay.


    It is simply part of human nature, every soldier hesitates when faced with death directly unless you are either a fool, you are mad or you are on drugs. As they hesitated the 1st soldier from their midst stepped forward, to their surprise it was Corporal Mark. He was the most silent of all the high-grade soldiers of this military division but his strength could not be questioned as he was a 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    After a lot of hesitation and thinking Clark finally made up his mind as he stepped forward completing the quota of 2 soldiers.


    Leo¡¯s mind lagged behind for a while before he realized what happened. ¡°CLARK what are you doing? Do you know how dangerous this mission is?¡±


    Clark grinned as he looked at his friend, ¡°I don¡¯t know how dangerous the mission is but one thing I know is that this mission is definitely related to the Mocan republic¡±.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Leo finally understood as he shook his head in resignation.


    ¡°I always vowed to inflict damage back to the Mocan republic a million times the damage my parents received from them. Then if I¡¯m sure that this mission is to inflict damage to them so why hesitate¡±. Clark explained in a soft tone to his friend. Leo just looked down; his mind was completely overwhelmed at the moment.


    ¡°Good, the quota is filled,¡± the General finally commented.


    ¡°Take this wrist watch and put it on. You have 10 minutes to get your things and prepare to leave, press the done button on the wrist watch when you are done¡±. The General and his entourage of soldiers disappeared immediately after as Clark recognized that they teleported away.


    As Clark went back to his room, he thought of the 5 soldiers who stood behind the General, they never talked, not even once throughout.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it reaches a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 65: the baldhaired captain

    ¡°Clark this decision you made is terribly wrong,¡± Leo could not help but say again for the 5th time during the short time they walked back. ¡°Do you think your parents will be happy if they see you from heaven diving head deep into trouble because of them?¡±


    ¡°Forget it bro, I already made up my mind. If they really wanted me not to do this, then they wouldn¡¯t have died,¡± Clark replied as he quickly prepared his things.


    After a lot of fruitless persuasion Leo finally relented as he glared at Clark. ¡°I do not give you permission to die, remember I haven¡¯t given you the wife I promised¡±.


    Clark involuntarily smiled on hearing this as he turned to glare at him, ¡°who asked you for a wife get one for yourself¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re just 18 and you keep talking about wife and girlfriends. General Maks is over 60 years old but is still single, can¡¯t you emulate him?¡± Clark asked which made both Leo and Benny burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Unlike Leo, Benny didn¡¯t say much, he just wished Clark Goodluck.


    It was already over 8 minutes before Clark was ready. ¡°Goodbye guys I hope I¡¯ll see you sometime later, I¡¯m off to protect the republic¡±. He said with a smile as he pressed the done button on his wrist watch, his vision darkened suddenly for a moment before he reappeared in a dimly illuminated chamber.


    On arriving Clark felt someone staring at him which caused him to look to his right. He was confused to see Corporal Mark glaring at him like he killed his father. ¡°Hmmm, weird what¡¯s wrong with this guy,¡± as his thoughts already started drifting off to know what happened, he was stunned as the door of the chamber suddenly started opening slowly.


    ¡°Cough¡­, cough,¡± Clark coughed involuntarily while trying to avoid Mark¡¯s gaze awkwardly as he finally understood what happened. This guy probably rushed to prepare and finish under a minute, trying to impress the General with his speed but he had to wait in this cold chamber as the both of them were expected to go at the same time, so the door was locked to him.


    After trying hard to diffuse the tense atmosphere Clark finally led the way as they walked forward after the door opened completely. ¡°Wow,¡± Clark exclaimed in surprise as he entered a completely unexpected environment.


    Despite clearly knowing that this was a warship, he felt like he just entered a mansion, even Corporal Mark couldn¡¯t hide his amazement under his poker face as his eyes twitched a little. Despite how awed they were, they were both soldiers, they could not act like country bumpkins, they had a little something called reputation to uphold.


    Clark forcibly controlled himself on seeing the huge number of soldiers and people of other occupations discussing, while others walked around. The huge mansion like hall was completely filled with people, the people stopped to look at them very briefly before they continued their work.


    Beep!! It was at this point that their wrist watch finally beeped showing them a direction to go to. Clark silently followed Corporal Mark as they walked towards the direction their watch showed. As Clark followed, he finally had the time to secretly admire his surroundings while commanding his implant to take photos of the surroundings.


    ¡°Man,¡± Clark screamed inwardly as he admired the splendidness of this heaven. ¡°This is undoubtedly the most beautiful place I¡¯ve ever been to,¡± he thought in awe.


    Blueish white light shone down from the top of the warship illuminating the whole place, giving a beautiful but cold tone to the surroundings. All the soldiers and other workers were either talking casually or going into a different chamber. Clark didn¡¯t have the time to admire forever as his wrist watch suddenly beeped again.


    This time the watch directed the both of them to a door, the Corporal didn¡¯t even think first as he went to knock on the door directly, he already returned to his usual silent and sagelike behavior. On seeing so many people, Mark knew that he was probably just one among the multitude to the General, he was not going to be noticed anytime soon so he recovered his usual self.


    The door automatically opened as soon as Corporal Mark knocked. ¡°Good morning squad 008, this squad will be completed today,¡± as soon as they both entered an emotionless voice suddenly announced as the sound spread throughout the whole room. Clark keenly recognized that this was probably the warship¡¯s A.I speaking.


    The voice continued, ¡°welcome your new comrades, Sergeant Clark and Corporal Mark. As soon as the voice of the A.I finished Clark and Mark received a lot of data transferred directly to their implant. Clark stood petrified in one place as he listened to the new information processed by his implant as fast as possible.


    A video was played in his head through his implant, he recognized the owner of the voice, General Bakash. ¡°This is warship G-14 of the Spartan army; the Spartan army is recruiting 200 high-grade soldiers for a mission deep into the Mocan republic territory. According to estimates made by the government, there is an 80% chance that the Mocan republic will claim a small part of our territory this invasion which is unacceptable to the Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°You and 199 other lucky high-grade soldiers choose to participate in this mission. I call you lucky because, I¡¯m leading you all on a mission to assassinate high Mocan government officials and if possible, the president which is unprecedented since the beginning of both country¡¯s existence¡±.


    Clark slightly expected this, but this still successfully shocked him to his very bone marrow. Unlike the Sparta republic, the Moca republic does not elect their president based on strength. The current president of the Moca republic is a successful businessman whose influence have spread towards all the neighboring countries.


    Despite him being a normal human being, the amount of protection alone he has is top notch in the whole Moca republic, the inclusion of his many personal military forces is that, he is basically impenetrable and unkillable.


    ¡°If you have any question ask the warship¡¯s A.I, G-14. Try to integrate with the other high-grade soldiers in your squad. The inclusion of you 2 makes your squad a complete squad of 20 high-grade soldiers. Goodluck soldier, be always prepared for battle, from General Bakash¡±.


    Clark finally snapped out of his daze only to find Corporal Mark glaring at him again. Clark coughed as he tried to ignore him this time while going forward to greet his new teammates. ¡°2nd rank high-grade soldiers have a really terrifying mind he probably finished his video for a while,¡± Clark thought, finding it funny.


    ¡°Good morning guys,¡± Clark finally greeted with a smile.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Mark also greeted as this was not the Python military division where he could ignore others without any repercussions.


    Since when the A.I first announced their arrival the soldiers in the room already stopped their activities as they all curiously looked at their new squad mates.


    ¡°You are both welcome, I am Captain Briggs, I¡¯m the leader of this squad¡±. A bald haired man answered with a smile as he stood up.


    ¡°This is our captain,¡± Clark thought in amazement. The man¡¯s bald head made his announcement look extremely funny.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it reaches a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 66: sergeant sonias first appearance

    Despite him looking funny, the strength of this guy was the real deal. Clark¡¯s mouth and heart were sealed completely when he learnt that he was from the Spartan army. Unlike their military divisions, the Spartan army refused to let most of its precious high-grade soldiers into such a dangerous mission.


    The Spartan army brought only 20 soldiers out of the needed 200 high-grade soldiers for the mission, but that was already many Clark thought in silence. He also learnt some news about General Bakash, the 5 soldiers who always followed him were all 3rd rank high-grade soldiers. The Spartan army released another four-4th rank high-grade soldiers, and ten 2nd rank high-grade soldiers.


    Clark slowly integrated among his squad mates as they leisurely discussed, they were all high-grade soldiers so no one particularly gave him a hard time. From the discussions, he learnt that this big room was his squad¡¯s room and the place he thought of as a mansion was the gathering hall.


    Clark also learnt of a very agonizing truth; the Spartan republic released only 10 top grade camouflage devices for this mission which will be used by the strongest soldiers in this mission. ¡°No wonder I was told to prepare my weapons, I thought I was going to be provided with the Spartan army weapons and gadgets, what a rip-off,¡± he thought in resentment.


    He also learnt about 3 notable soldiers in his squad. The 3 were 2nd rank high-grade soldiers but they behaved like 5th rank high-grade soldiers. He already felt it weird how they looked at all the other soldiers in the squad in disdain until he learnt that they were from the Spartan army.


    Soldiers from the Spartan army always felt superior to soldiers from other military organizations. The captain of the squad was just an exception, unlike the rest he always tried to build harmony between members of the squad. From this day, Clark¡¯s view of the world completely changed as he started encountering technology that was far from his league normally. The A.I, G-14 organized virtual training courses for his squad to build up their co-operation and synergy as a squad.


    Being among the lowest ranked soldiers in his squad as well as the whole warship, Clark tried to act as modestly as possible. He chatted mostly with soldiers of the same rank as he was. His squad was surprisingly one of the best in the whole warship as they had a captain, 4 corporals and 15 sergeants. They had 5 female soldiers in the squad, one of them was a corporal from the Spartan army.


    After 2 days of continuous training and a lot of other things, all the soldiers required for the mission were finally ready as the General announced that they¡¯ll enter Mocan territory in about a week¡¯s time. Despite all the weird people around him, Clark tried his best to improve by training diligently during this period of time, he clearly knew what he signed up for. This mission was definitely not a vacation.


    During Clark¡¯s time in the python military organization, he already mastered the first battle art he bought, he already bought a new one for melee combat ¡°The Frenzied Maneuver¡±. This battle art was common, but its strength amplification was not to be underestimated.


    Clark trained seriously, repeatedly trying to break his records, when he took this mission, he came with a mindset to wreak havoc and survive, he didn¡¯t come here to die. He knew surviving in this mission was not beans, but he was determined to do it.


    After a week of travelling the warship finally reached its destination, a forest in Madara State in the Moca republic. Unlike the Sparta republic, the Moca republic is divided into 30 states and the federal capital territory being Freeborn. Freeborn is directly opposite Madara state in terms of territory comparison.


    The warship could¡¯ve landed in Freeborn directly, but the detection and scanning devices there would have probably discovered the ship as the best resources in the Moca republic were completely concentrated in Freeborn. They didn¡¯t build any camp on arriving, the warship was the Spartan soldier¡¯s camp.


    After a week of preparation, training and planning on the way, the perfect strategy for this mission was finally fully developed. All squads were presented with the blueprint for their different targets, no one squad knew the target of another squad. This was to prevent a complete leak of information in case a soldier from one squad was captured.


    The mission was codenamed ¡°The Spartan¡¯s Rage¡±, it symbolized the rage of Spartans after the countless invasion attempts from the Moca republic, reaping millions of lives every attempt.


    Clark¡¯s squad was assigned to take down the Governor of Madara state. It was a steep mountain to climb, but the squad had what it took to do it if they plan well. This was the first time; this huge number of high-grade soldiers were going this deep into the Moca republic from the Sparta republic and vice-versa.


    Despite the arrogance of the soldiers from the Spartan army, they were still their superiors so Clark and the other soldiers learnt to respect and ignore their frequent disdainful expressions. The day of the assault was planned to be on Christmas day when the whole Mocan republic will be celebrating. Most of the countries in this part of the world inherited Christianity as the main religion so most people celebrated Christmas.


    Clark¡¯s squad¡¯s mission for this first part was to try infiltrating into the Moca republic. After more than a week of staying in the warship, Clark already made some new friends, Sergeant Sonia was one of the closest friends he made during this mission. Captain Briggs ordered them to not be in groups more than 2 soldiers as the mission progresses to avoid suspicion from the locals and the local military divisions.


    On Clark¡¯s first-time seeing Sonia, his previously calm heart strings were finally pulled. Like, he felt that she was the perfect girl he had ever seen but he restrained himself from being silly.


    During his stay here, he already developed a crush on Sonia but he already decided not to get too engaged on female relationships before he became an accomplished soldier and was old enough. An 18 years old boy going 19 was too small to be thinking about relationships, he had more important priorities.


    Sonia didn¡¯t feel this way though, she always talked of how close the both of them were that the other soldiers already saw Clark as her boyfriend, which was clearly not true.


    During this mission of reconnaissance, she volunteered to be Clark¡¯s partner. Clark didn¡¯t object as having a beautiful soldier by his side will surely make his infiltration attempts smoother and more successful.


    And most especially, she was a fairly strong and reliable soldier also.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it reaches a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 67: mission reconnaisance

    They both activated their camouflage devices disguising themselves as regular citizens of the Moca republic. Clark adviced that they should disguise as siblings, but Sonia insisted on us disguising as a pair of lovers. After much argument Clark eventually relented as he finally disguised himself.


    Looking at the decision from the bright side, it was not too bad. Clark consoled his ego with this as they quickly located a boutique. He got dressed in a pair of ripped jean trousers and a polo t-shirt, while Sonia got herself dressed also in a pair of tight jean trousers and a polo t-shirt of the same color as the one Clark got.


    After some questioning around, they discovered that this town was called Danal, and to their relief this town was very close to the state¡¯s capital Vegas city. They quickly located a transport vehicle going to the capital.


    As they both entered the bus, they drew a lot of stares and attention as it was very rare to see a pair of lovers this young in this era. They were both still 18 years old, this age where there are already life prolonging medications a lot of people enter relationships and get married when they are between 30-50 years of age. It¡¯s not an unseen sight, but it was rare hence the attention.


    A lot of people in the vehicle admired their young love, while others looked weirdly at them, they didn¡¯t mind because this was their goal. They planned on behaving like a pair of young and mischievous honey birds who are from huge backgrounds in the state.


    Unlike the Sparta republic, here in the Moca republic being from huge backgrounds don¡¯t necessarily mean being from a military background. A lot of Mocans, that are businessmen and do other professions are big men as they can use their money to groom a huge number of soldiers under their family.


    In the Spartan republic, soldiers are priceless but people here have a different ideology. But despite this ideology, high-grade soldiers are still indispensable and priceless as this is the age of exotics and technology not the age of businessmen. If you refuse to expand your territory to get more exotics, your neighboring countries will do just that and swallow up your territory.


    After about 10 minutes of driving, they finally reached the capital of Madara state, Vegas city. Vegas city was one of the most developed cities in the Mocan republic due to the state¡¯s close proximity to the federal capital territory.


    ¡°Clark, this place is full of people, much more than we estimated,¡± Sonia said as she held his hand.


    This gesture from her made Clark cringe as he tried to take away his hand, he quickly suppressed the urge as he inwardly chanted one of his favorite quotes to calm himself down, ¡°Aal iiz well, Aal iiz well¡±. Despite his uneasy mind, he agreed with her as the security of this city was also sturdier and tighter than they expected.


    For the whole day they didn¡¯t do any significant thing as they spent the whole time trying to integrate into the city. As this mission was very important, the Spartan government provided all the soldiers with 100,000 credits each. Spartan currency has almost the same value as Mocan currency, so they were given 100,000 Spartan credits approximately if converted.


    Sonia bought a bunch of other identical high-end trending clothes for the both of them to make them look the part as children of influential people. The day was not completely fruitless as they gathered information about where the willful children from huge backgrounds normally visited.


    Things went better than expected as they found out that the son of a minister of the Mocan government is celebrating his birthday in 3 days, they both tacitly agreed to go to the birthday celebration. Clark finally reported back to Captain Briggs on their discoveries for the day, as he maintained a network connection always with all the soldiers.


    They booked a hotel to spend the night after a whole day of eye service and observation. The next day Clark woke up feeling a little weird, ¡°if I¡¯m correct it¡¯s been more than 4 months since I last had a dream. Hmmm, it seems I¡¯m lacking inspiration here in this cursed country¡±. He forgot about everything else as he pinned the whole blame on him being in the Mocan republic.


    Today they were better equipped with information so they went to party in a small joint where most of these rich children frequented. They had a great day, no serious problems and most especially they finally made their first rich friends.


    It was a blonde-haired boy named Frank Rinklin, Clark befriended him and Sonia naturally befriended his girlfriend. They chatted a bit and enjoyed themselves throughout the day. Clark knew they did a good job from this alone as they got home feeling happy, Frank Rinklin¡¯s father was a close friend to the governor of the state.


    As their mission progressed, Sonia also tried progressing her private mission but Clark repeatedly rejected her. ¡°Sonia I¡¯m sorry for behaving like this, but I think we¡¯re just too young for this. To be sincere you¡¯re beautiful, I mean it, but I can¡¯t be your boyfriend. I¡¯ve never talked to a girl like this, you¡¯re the only one. If it was 5 years from now then that¡¯s a different case¡±.


    ¡°Clark you mean you¡¯ll be my boyfriend 5 years from now?¡± Sonia suddenly raised her voice as she asked in an excited tone.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­, no Sonia that¡¯s not what I meant. I meant that I¡¯ll consider it if it is 5 years from now¡±. Clark replied awkwardly as he tried without much result to keep a serious expression on his face.


    Sonia completely ignored Clark¡¯s last sentence as she skipped cheerfully to the bathroom, ¡°Clark remember, in 5 years you¡¯ll be my boyfriend¡±.


    Clark didn¡¯t know why, but he used smiling to express his helplessness as he shook his head. He finally transferred information of their progress to Captain Briggs, which he repeatedly praised them for.


    Clark felt happy and fulfilled as he was finally contributing to the downfall of the Moca republic. That night he finally had a dream, but it was not a good one. He dreamt of himself being captured together with Sonia, by the Mocan military forces.


    Their squad fought hard but his teammates broke ranks as soon as their Captain was caught by the Mocan soldiers. 12 of his squad mates escaped leaving the remaining 8 of them to be captured by the opposition. But despite these setbacks and their unknown fate, Captain Briggs was still satisfied as they succeeded in killing the governor of Madara state.


    On the day of their execution, Captain Briggs spearheaded an escape plan he made. They successfully escaped but 5 of their comrades died, Clark was also shot as he blocked a bullet aimed at Sonia. He woke up with sweat all over him as he couldn¡¯t sleep again because of the nightmare.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it, if it reaches a certain milestone I''ll publish mass releases on intervals.]

 Chapter 68: eminem the socializer

    ¡°Clark it¡¯s ok, forget about the dream already¡±. Sonia comforted him after Clark narrated the dream to her in the morning.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never put you in a situation that¡¯ll endanger your life, I promise¡±. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll just have to be more careful and cautious¡±.


    Clark finally calmed down a little, you¡¯ll never understand his overreaction until a bullet is embedded in you, and you see yourself slowly dying, Clark thought in dignity defense. It felt shameful for a male soldier to be comforted by a girl because of a nightmare, but the feeling of him slowly dying still spooked him to no end.


    It was at these moments that he remembered his best friend Leo, he could only thank God for providing a temporary replacement in the form of Sonia. The dream didn¡¯t mean it must happen exactly physically as he saw, but this only increased his cautiousness. He finally decided to shove it to the back of his mind, worrying will not solve any problem, it¡¯s better he works on progressing his mission.


    After being friends and flowing along well for 2 days, Frank finally presented Clark with an invitation card to the minister¡¯s son¡¯s birthday. This birthday was really going to rock the whole capital city¡¯s youths, as the boy was well known in their circle. This only increased his caution as the security was surely going to be tight.


    The highly anticipated day finally came. The whole event center was filled to the brim with people from different backgrounds. The atmosphere was very harmonious as the youths danced with their various girlfriends or boyfriends.


    Clark naturally went out to dance with Sonia as they looked like one of them with huge backgrounds. Clark didn¡¯t know how to dance with a girl before now, but he learnt overnight through his implant as it was required for their mission to progress. Till now Frank didn¡¯t ask of their identity as he thought, they were a pair of lovebirds who ran from home to enjoy life.


    They finally spotted their target; the governor¡¯s son was dressed in white as he danced with his girl also on white. Clark patiently danced with Sonia as the music played on. After a lot of other casual performances and entertainments, the ceremony officially ended in the night. Franck finally brought Clark to introduce him to the governor¡¯s son, Clark felt really relieved as he thought it was a prank when Franck said he was close to the governor¡¯s son.


    The atmosphere was very harmonious as the boys joked and drank cheerfully in a circle. ¡°Yo¡­, isn¡¯t that Franck, my guy you are finally here, what took you so long?¡± Eminem asked as he stood up to give Franck a hug.


    ¡°Eminem you look legit as always, I always like this your style donning white with your girl¡±. Franck replied with a smile as he gave his friend a hug.


    ¡°Franck I can see you brought a friend here with you¡±.


    ¡°Ah, yes Eminem this is Clark, probably not his real name¡±. Frank said with a strange smile.


    Eminem immediately understood, ¡°Clark you are one of us who run away from home to enjoy love and life. I envy you bro, my father won¡¯t even allow me enjoy myself, these burly things he calls guards always follow me everywhere, including the bathroom¡±. This earned a laugh from the other boys as Clark also laughed.


    This guy was clearly a social guy, it wasn¡¯t even an hour before he and Clark turned into close buddies. ¡°Bro, you got a legit girl with you there, I can feel her freshness¡±.


    This remark strained Clark¡¯s smile a little, but he smoothly continued his conversation with him as Sonia clung to his arm.


    They finally retreated for the night as they went back to their hotel. Before going, Clark didn¡¯t forget to exchange contact details with Eminem which he happily obliged.


    Recently, Clark started noticing that Sonia was now keeping a certain boundary between them after the last talk they had. He felt relieved but also felt a little empty inside, he didn¡¯t know when it started but he already started developing real feelings for her. ¡°Life is really complicated man,¡± he sighed before going to sleep.


    As from the next day, they started going out together with Eminem as he started inviting them to events. After weeks of hanging out with Eminem, Clark started feeling a real sense of bond with him, like a brotherly feeling. Unknowingly to him, he already took Eminem as his real friend.


    The feelings Clark had for Sonia continued growing the more he stayed close to her. He knew that they were on a mission, but at times he kept having the feeling that he was on a honey moon. Despite all these distractions, he didn¡¯t forget his main reason for now being in the Mocan republic.


    He already knew a lot of information about the governor from Franck. Eminem never really talked about him, despite his father not being a soldier, he was a true tyrant and a beast.


    According to Franck, Eminem became like this because of his father. From when he was small, he saw his father perform a lot of evil deeds which he didn¡¯t bother hiding from his son. Almost every day he¡¯ll kill the father of countless other children in cold blood just to advance his business, for political gains or even for fun.


    According to Franck, Eminem said he always felt sick when he knew a child like him just became fatherless from the actions of his father. This led him into this lifestyle, as he sought for a way to escape the guilt he felt on behalf of his father.


    After listening to the story, Clark felt a strong surge of hatred in his heart but he suppressed it mentally as he was probably not the only government official like that. Even in his country, in the Spartan republic, there are government officials like the governor who seeks pleasure from the pains of others.


    That night, Sonia felt his emotional turmoil. ¡°Clark don¡¯t get too worked up because of that,¡± she softly comforted as they ate.


    Clark knew he was overreacting, but he couldn¡¯t help it, this was one of the main things he hated most about humans.


    ¡°I promise to change all this trends when I become strong enough,¡± he silently growled in determination as this was the best he could do for now.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. If we can cross the 500 power stones milestone this week, I''ll release a 5 chapter mass release.]

 Chapter 69: operation the spartans rage begins

    After a lot of planning and preparation Christmas was now fast approaching. Surprisingly, Eminem invited Clark to his family¡¯s Christmas party. This was just like manner falling down from heaven to Clark.


    ¡°Shit man, this is an unexpected boon, this alone is enough to make me the greatest contributor in this mission¡±. Clark thought in excitement. After he was informed, Captain Briggs was not shy with his praise as he complimented both Clark and Sonia while telling them to continue the good work.


    Some of Clark¡¯s squad mates were already preparing to risk infiltrating the Governor¡¯s security guards, especially the Corporals. The risks were high, but the squad was prepared to take risks. Well, no one had to take risks again as this success from Clark directly made the mission 30% easier.


    ¡­


    It was finally here, December 25th, the day of action finally arrived. This was Clark¡¯s first time being to a Governor¡¯s family mansion, it was a mansion worth being owned by a governor. The mansion was a perfect definition of luxuriousness.


    As Eminem led him into the mansion in a cheerful mood, Clark and Sonia silently observed the compound¡¯s security details. They became secretly shocked as they saw how tight the security was. It was normal for a Governor to have tight security, but this one was slightly too exaggerated. Eminem¡¯s father was clearly the cautious type.


    If they started the assault without an insider like them, there was a 90% chance that they would have failed the mission, and there was a 60% chance that they would have been captured.


    Clark secretly heaved a huge sigh of relief as they walked inside the mansion. The ceremony was full with people and was very boisterous. As it was a ceremony organized by the Governor, a lot of influential people in the state attended. On seeing the outfits of the people here, you¡¯ll know directly that this is a gathering of rich moguls.


    After drinking a lot of alcohol, Eminem finally led Clark and his group of friends around his father¡¯s mansion. The virtual security used in the mansion was completely within Clark¡¯s hacking ability. The Spartan military let them use their normal weapons but they didn¡¯t become complacent, all soldiers were provided with the best hacking devices currently in the Sparta republic.


    As Eminem led them around the building, Clark secretly used his hacking device as he collected valuable information while Sonia clung closely to him.


    ¡°Clark you never fail to make me laugh with this backpack you and your girlfriend carry around,¡± Frank joked. This earned a laugh from Eminem and the others.


    ¡°This will be the trending fashion in the future, just watch¡±. Clark also joked back which earned another fit of laughter.


    As Clark laughed with them, he was completely shocked foolish because of what he just found. It took all the will power he had, to maintain his laughter as he almost lost his composure completely. The door they just passed was actually a hidden compartment housing hundreds of soldiers.


    The hidden compartment actually held five 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, twenty 1st rank high-grade soldiers and 200 normal soldiers all clothed in exotic armor.


    ¡°This Governor is really a cautious rich piece of shit,¡± Clark cursed in anger and alarm.


    As soon as they received the information, Captain Briggs and all the other soldiers became stunned from the new information. If they stormed in without this information there was a very high chance that they would have all died without completing their mission.


    Captain Briggs took this information very seriously, as he ordered Sonia to try every means possible to stall these secret soldiers before the Governor is killed. It was a direct order from the Captain, so Sonia acknowledged it immediately as she looked for an excuse to separate herself from the group of friends.


    After Eminem brought them around the mansion a bit, Clark finally told him to take them to his room which he did. The room was very luxurious as expected, but Clark¡¯s mind was not on these things at the moment. As the boys entered the room, they finally noticed that Clark just stood at the door, so they turned to face him.


    ¡°Clark come on, what are you standing there for?¡± Frank asked with a confused expression on his face, Clark ignored him as he stared directly at Eminem.


    ¡°Bro, I¡¯m really sorry to say this, our friendship was real but some things are just too good to be real. I¡¯m really sorry Eminem, but I¡¯m not who you think I am¡­,¡± he paused a little as he tried to recollect his thoughts.


    Clark finally steeled his heart as his gaze became firm, while he glanced at the group of confused boys. ¡°I am a soldier of the Sparta republic and I¡¯m here on a mission. I brought you all here to avoid the aftermath of what¡¯s about to happen, I really don¡¯t want any harm to befall you all¡±.


    He suddenly turned to face Eminem again, ¡°Eminem, I hope you¡¯ll find a place in your heart to forgive me¡±.


    After saying all he could, Clark locked the door against them and virtually hacked it not to open for the next 6 hours. After much preparation, operation ¡°The Spartan¡¯s Rage¡± officially began. Captain Briggs ordered the operation to start, as he led his entourage of soldiers to enter the mansion stealthily.


    The security was tight but this was a group of high-grade soldiers. They killed all opposition they encountered on the way silently and swiftly as they tried to avoid making the situation too chaotic already.


    As they worked from the outside, Clark worked from the inside as he disabled all communication sources in the whole mansion. After sabotaging all sources to spread information, he silently weaved his way expertly behind the Governor as the ceremony continued.


    The ceremony was boisterous as ever, the guests enjoyed themselves leisurely as they had no idea of the impending disaster.


    As the ceremony continued, Clark suddenly noticed the Governor become tense as he turned glancing around, he only noticed this because he was keenly watching him. The Governor glanced at his soldiers [i.e bodyguards], he finally saw a face among his bodyguards that he didn¡¯t recognize.


    Boom!! The Governor was extremely decisive as he jumped up, anti-gravity boots, Clark recognized the boots immediately even before they activated.


    Boom!! Clark reacted fast as he advanced to grab him down only to be interrupted by one of the guards. ¡°Shit, a high-grade soldier,¡± he cursed in frustration but didn¡¯t hesitate as he unsheathed sword with speed, slashed at the soldier while jumping with speed. As Clark did all these maneuvers, his armor activated as the high-grade soldier dodged by rolling backwards.


    Whirr!! The boots finally activated but Clark was a step faster as he grabbed one of the Governor¡¯s legs. Vroom!! The boots carried the governor away dragging Clark along. The boots were not of the highest quality, this one¡¯s capacity was to carry a single person, the boots carried them forward and upwards a bit before the weight became too much as they both fell back down.


    ¡°How did he discover despite the information blockage,¡± Clark thought as they both fell down.


    Whoosh!! He didn¡¯t waste time despite his doubts as he cut the Governor¡¯s boots repeatedly with his swords on landing. The boots finally turned to scrap as the governor looked at him in panic, ¡°who are you? Do you know who you are messing with?¡± He asked with a shaky voice.


    His decision to desert his guards now shot him back in the foot as Clark¡¯s squad mates finally started appearing.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! They didn¡¯t hesitate as they quickly started unleashing hell on him, his self-protection gadgets immediately activated shields around his body to protect him.


    As they shot at him, others advanced forward to stall his guards that were sprinting here to protect him. Hell, quickly broke loose as the area became chaotic, the people [i.e guests] started running randomly as gun shots rang repeatedly.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. If we can cross the 500 power stones milestone this week, I''ll publish a 5 chapter mass release.]

 Chapter 70: assassination successful

    Boom!! ¡°Shit,¡± the captain cursed as he backed out an order for his soldiers to take cover. The boom sound was a gunshot sound from a hidden sniper, another undiscovered variable. A random sniper was nowhere close enough to earn a curse from Captain Briggs, but that one shot destroyed one of their comrade¡¯s brain.


    All of the soldiers including Clark reacted fast as they hid behind structures in the mansion, while they searched in horror for the mysterious shooter.


    ¡°He¡¯s a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, equipped with a top-notch sniper rifle, Captain Briggs announced displaying his experience and keen observation ability, as he recognized the strength level of their opponent just from the angle and positioning of the shot. Despite them hiding, the Governor couldn¡¯t run as some of Clark¡¯s teammates used their various ranged battle arts to incapacitate and restrain him despite his turtle shell defense.


    Doing this was a disadvantage to them as time was not on their side, but the hidden sniper¡¯s weapon was just too strong. One shot was all it took to obliterate a soldier on exotic armor. Clark and the other soldiers gradually calmed down as the captain directed them, on how they¡¯ll attack without exposing themselves.


    Boom!! They didn¡¯t even finish arranging their formation and moving, before another bullet was released at them. Fortunately, the shot was fired at a 2nd rank high-grade soldiers from the Spartan army, despite the speed of the bullet the soldier revealed his skill as a Spartan, he responded extremely fast as he twisted himself with speed.


    Ptui!! Blood flowed as his left arm was obliterated into a bloody mess, the soldier survived the shot as he removed his head fast enough.


    ¡°He is in the 9 0¡¯clock position at the east,¡± Captain Briggs finally deduced this sniper¡¯s position.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! All the soldiers responded fast as they unleashed hell on that position, the finally saw the shooter on black. He hastily dodged as most of the bullets barely scratched his armor, Clark and some other ranged specialists positioned themselves in better angles as they aimed at the position where he rolled to.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! They shot at him with pin point accuracy, he finally tried jumping down from the elevated platform he was on, after noticing that the firepower his armor was receiving was too much.


    Unfortunately for him, he was facing well trained high-grade soldiers of the Spartan republic, blood flowed as he received 3 shots to his chest, his armor finally succumbed to the huge firepower. Clark and his squad mates silently rejoiced, as his armor was not as perverted as his sniper rifle. Despite the concentrated fire on him, he still escaped as he jumped down immediately disappearing.


    ¡°FOCUS FIRE ON THE GOVERNOR,¡± Captain Briggs yelled as they acknowledged his order returning to focus again on the Governor. As they tried every means in their disposal to deplete the Governor¡¯s armor, a voice suddenly interrupted in their network connection.


    ¡°Captain!! Captain!!¡± Sonia¡¯s voice sounded flustered on the network channel they established as she spoke hurriedly; ¡°the soldiers have broken the security firewall I placed on the door to the secret compartment. The soldiers are storming out, sir we have to retreat the mission is already a failure¡±.


    ¡°No!!, focus fire on the Governor, his shield¡¯s energy is almost drained¡±. Captain Briggs didn¡¯t even think before he barked out his new order, they were already this close, he was not willing to go back without completing his mission.


    Despite his unwillingness to fail, he was even more unwilling to die, his brain was already over heating from thinking and the various calculations he was making, his implant was working at full capacity at the moment.


    Captain Briggs suddenly made a decision as he barked out a new order, ¡°Stark, Lara, you 2 follow me we are going to get something¡±. Lara and Stark were one of the few Corporals in the squad.


    Panic was beginning to settle into Clark¡¯s mind, as he remembered his dream. Sonia finally burst out running out of the huge building with speed, as she was being chased by the large number of soldiers the Governor hid. Clark and the other soldiers didn¡¯t know what the Captain went to do, but they couldn¡¯t disobey orders, so they continued shooting at the Governor.


    The huge number of soldiers finally caught up, as they advanced to protect the governor while retaliating at Clark¡¯s squad. With the help of the bodyguards of the Governor, they quickly took back the initiative of the battle. The battle quickly became more chaotic, as the innocent Mocans who came to the party died frequently from stray bullets.


    ¡°Warning!! Your armor¡¯s durability is now below 10%,¡± Clark received a warning as he continued weaving in and out of the battlefield.


    ¡°Captain we should retreat, the mission is already a failure,¡± the soldiers complained in their network connection, as the 3rd soldier in our squad died.


    As the battle raged on, Clark moved closer to Sonia as they co-operated while killing the enemy normal soldiers in droves. The enemy force was scary, but the majority of them were normal soldiers, so they couldn¡¯t finish them straightforwardly.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! As the fight continued 3 extremely loud gun shots suddenly sounded in the battlefield. Clark felt a chill go down his spine, as he could never forget the sound of the mysterious soldier¡¯s sniper rifle. It felt like things were slowed down, as the whole battlefield became eerily silent to him.


    The 200 soldiers escorting the Governor and shooting at them couldn¡¯t believe their eyes as they saw blood blossom from the governor¡¯s head. 3 shots, were all it took from the absurd sniper rifle to deplete the Governor¡¯s shield¡¯s remaining energy. Clark now understood why the captain told them to wait, he went to get the f**cking sniper rifle.


    ¡°Retreat!! Retreat!! What are you waiting for?¡± Captain Briggs yelled into the network connection as Clark and the other soldiers were jolted from their short distraction.


    They didn¡¯t dare waste any more time as they all bolted out of the mansion, the Governor¡¯s soldiers reacted very slowly to what happened as they still couldn¡¯t believe that the Governor actually just died.


    As they retreated, it seems the virus Clark and Sonia placed on the mansion¡¯s A.I was finally destroyed. The mansion¡¯s A.I immediately started retaliating as it witnessed what just happened. Heavy exotic artillery vehicles and vehicles with huge turrets attached to them started emerging from underground to prevent their escape.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Bullets sprayed out like rain at them, as they hastily left the compound, Clark wanted to curse but he ended up thanking God for their luck as the A.I didn¡¯t have the time to erect more defenses or even lock down the mansion. If the mansion was locked down, then forget it, they are all as good as cornered mice.


    The state military already knew about the assassination, as all the soldiers in Madara state were mobilized. Some of Clark¡¯s squad mates already started cursing themselves for choosing to join in this dangerous mission, the escape part was the real challenge of this operation.


    As they escaped, other parts of the Moca republic were also rocked violently as numerous reports of assassination attempts were being reported.


    What completely shocked the whole country was the ongoing assault on the presidential villa, 3 ministers in the presidential villa were already dead and the president was currently in danger. His exact status was unknown.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. Hey guys, I''ll change my book cover today. A friend helped design it, she''s also an author. Tinalynge.]

 Chapter 71: a desperate situation

    Clark¡¯s squad mates escaped in different directions as Captain Briggs ordered them to scatter to different places, to have a better chance of surviving the state wide pursuit.


    Clark and Sonia still decided to stick together as they ran, their aim was to get as far away as possible from the state¡¯s capital. What really made all the soldiers¡¯ despair was that the main attack force of this operation, led by the General, haven¡¯t escaped yet so they had no specific direction to escape to. Their warship, G-14 would only come for them after retrieving the soldier¡¯s in the General¡¯s squad.


    For the rest of the whole day, they were all on the run while hiding frequently to elongate time while waiting for rescue. The situation was not looking optimistic as of the 17 of them who escaped successfully, 5 were already captured and 2 were already killed. So only 10 soldiers were still alive, and on the run from their initial squad of 20 soldiers.


    Despite all these, they still tried their very best to remain hidden, but the higher-ups didn¡¯t help matters as G-14 was still nowhere to be found. Sonia was really scared this time as Clark had to comfort her, they were now incapacitated high-grade soldiers without armor as their armor¡¯s energy was already depleted.


    That night Clark led Sonia as they rested in an underground sewage drainage pathway. Sonia obediently followed without refuting this time despite the smell and other disgusting factors, as they didn¡¯t have the guts to invade someone¡¯s house when they were on the run. Most especially, the unfortunate fate of their colleagues was an example of note to them. Over cautiousness was no longer a word in their dictionary.


    Clark comforted Sonia to sleep, as he was sure that the wet, smelly and nauseating environment affected her more. He didn¡¯t get to sleep as he acted as her watchman, staying alert throughout the night. The only reason why they even coped a little with the smell was due to their military training.


    That same night, they moved to 2 different underground sewage drainage pathways, they couldn¡¯t help it as they were almost caught that night. They both felt like dogs surrounded by a pack of wolves.


    That night 2 of their comrades were caught despite their over cautiousness, one of them being the Corporal who was shot on the arm by the ranged shooter earlier during their assault on the Governor.


    After a lot of suffering and perseverance on their part. They finally had a direction after constantly being on the run. G-14 finally sent them a message to converge in a particular sports stadium, the message indicated that the warship would arrive in 2 hours. And it would wait for only 30 minutes, if you didn¡¯t make it on time, then you¡¯re on your own.


    Clark felt the pressure on seeing the message as he quickly woke the sleeping Sonia up, so that they could get there as fast as possible. The time was currently around 3:00am in the morning, so Clark gave themselves a target to reach there in exactly 2 hours¡¯ time. His eyes were already bloodshot from exhaustion, but he persevered leading Sonia forward to meet up.


    They finally sighted the sports stadium, on seeing this Sonia was already felling happy, getting ready to rush forward but Clark held her back. He also felt the urge to rush forward, but he suddenly had a bad premonition after observing their surroundings a bit.


    ¡°Sonia wait, the atmosphere here is looking abnormal¡±. Clark said in a grave tone, as he scrutinized his surroundings. ¡°Look at all these houses close to the stadium; all their lights are switched off¡±.


    ¡°Clark, they switched off their lights because they are already asleep¡±. Sonia answered in a hushed tone.


    ¡°No, it seems to me that all the people staying in these houses left and purposely switched off their lights. Sonia, I¡¯m not sure but my gut feeling tells me that we¡¯ve have been discovered. We still have some time, there¡¯s no need to rush, let¡¯s be cautious and observe first¡±.


    Sonia was anxious to leave enemy territory, but she was not going to be careless. She listened to Clark, as she also finally started finding the situation suspicious.


    They hid at a very dark corner of a nearby house, as they silently watched the stadium keenly. 5:00am finally reached as their wrist watches suddenly lit up with a dim glow, pointing to a particular spot in the middle of the stadium as where the teleportation field was activated. It seems their squad mates were not here yet or they were also being cautious, as no one rushed out.


    After 5 minutes of total silence, the first soldier from their squad finally moved, coming out of a corner. He slowly moved to where the teleportation field was, while cautiously looking around. He quickly reached as he was teleported away safely, nothing happened.


    Clark finally heaved a sigh of relief he was holding in on seeing this, but still suggested that they should wait for another 5 minutes before going. After the first soldier left, it seems his squad mate¡¯s thoughts finally changed as 3 of them immediately came out sprinting to where the teleportation field was.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! 3 shots were fired, followed by 2 deaths. 2 soldiers from the 3 sprinting forward died immediately as enemies appeared, shooting at them. The 3rd soldier was clearly a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, as soon as he dodged the bullet, he ran forward with greater speed while shooting randomly with his machine gun.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Other machine gun fire erupted as the Mocan soldiers retaliated shooting at him, he tried his best and he reached the teleportation field, but he was filled with bullet shots.


    ¡°He escaped, what a lucky fellow, despite his many injuries he¡¯ll be healed in no time by the Spartan army¡¯s medical teams¡±. Clark muttered in a grave tone, as his suspicions were confirmed.


    This short exchange of gun fire seemed to lit a fire in his squad mate¡¯s hearts as they all emerged from their hiding places. They didn¡¯t know how the Mocan military detected they message they received, but they didn¡¯t care. They would rather risk their life in a last attempt at escape, rather than stay to just delay an inevitable capture and execution.


    ¡°Sonia it¡¯s now or never, stick close to me and we¡¯ll make it through¡±. Sonia nodded as her face turned grave, while they finally also rushed out of their hiding place.


    Boom!! A huge explosion suddenly rocked the stadium, Clark finally started to use the explosive gadgets he got from the Mocan soldier. As they stormed out, the Mocan soldiers also stormed out in droves as they shot at them frenziedly.


    The main disadvantage that they had, was their armor¡¯s energy that was depleted.


    ¡°Fortunately, I have an exotic shield¡±. Clark thought as he activated his shield, while leading the way forward. Sonia hid behind Clark¡¯s shield for protection, as they ran, Sonia shot her machine gun at the pursuing soldiers.


    The opposing soldiers used various battle arts to try stalling them as their high-grade soldiers finally showed up. Only 4 of them were remaining in this battlefield from their squad, the rest either already escaped, were dead or were captured.


    Captain Briggs and the female Corporal were the other remaining soldiers, they both immediately started executing their battle arts, as this was a fight for survival. Sonia finally executed her battle art in Clark¡¯s presence for the first time.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. During the next few days, I''ll be editing my already published chapters, to refine them more to get a better quality. I''ll appreciate any suggestions, this won''t affect my normal release schedule, so no worries.]

 Chapter 72: battle art the cobras maneuver

    ¡°The Cobra¡¯s maneuver,¡± Clark muttered in surprise as he recognized the battle art Sonia was using immediately, on seeing it. This battle art was one of the best available in the Sparta republic, and it was not even created there. So, it was very rare, this only made him think more about her background as this battle art was not attainable to soldiers with unimpressive backgrounds like himself.


    Clang!! Metallic sounds reverberated as metal spikes came out from her bag, attaching themselves to her clothes. This was the weapons people practicing this battle art used.


    Whoosh!! Sonia moved from her position with speed, as she jumped while spinning forward. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! All the soldiers blocking her path were sliced apart by her spikes like vegetables, as she spun with speed creating a path forward. Clark was astonished, but he didn¡¯t linger in one place as he sprinted after her while blocking the bullets flying at them with his shield.


    She finally met an opposing high-grade soldier, who advanced forward trying to stop her powerful momentum. Due to the exotic armor, he was wearing it was simply impractical trying to kill him.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The 1st rank high-grade soldier shot at her with his dual automatic pistols. Sonia¡¯s figure suddenly blurred, leaving behind an after image as she advanced with speed while dodging or better still curling around the bullets like a Cobra.


    The soldier watched in astonishment as Sonia quickly reached his position, after dodging all his bullets. She advanced forward to slap both his ears, with both her hands with force.


    Bam!! Despite the protection from the armor, the soldier grew dizzy as he started seeing stars while his pistols fell from his unsteady hands. Despite this, Sonia couldn¡¯t kill him quickly, so she grabbed him and threw him backwards with a suplex throw, while conveniently catching his 2 automatic pistols.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! She reaped lives of the nearby soldiers while slashing others with her spikes as she advanced forward.


    Captain Briggs finally made it to the teleportation field, but he didn¡¯t escape immediately as he wanted to help his soldiers. He first helped the one closer to him, the Corporal as she also safely reached the teleportation field bloodied all over. They didn¡¯t leave, but tried to help both Clark and Sonia reach the teleportation field. After withstanding a huge amount of damage, Clark¡¯s shield¡¯s energy finally depleted as it deactivated.


    ¡°It¡¯s now or never,¡± Clark repeated his short pick-up phrase, before executing his battle art. This time, it was not his first battle art he executed, he executed ¡°The Frenzied maneuver¡± as he already mastered it.


    The Frenzied maneuver was a very straightforward battle art, it increases your strength and speed enormously by performing some specific actions. After weeks of learning, he finally learnt his second battle art.


    Boom! Whoosh! Whoosh! Clark hacked, sliced and cut with his sword as all the soldiers around him started dying in droves. After months of training, he noticed that he had a boost in every aspect comprehensively.


    ¡°This is my first time using my full strength after a while,¡± he thought in silence. Blood and body parts lingered behind him, as he advanced forward with Sonia, they already received some gunshot injuries as their opponents were not idle either.


    After battling for countless minutes, it was now remaining 30 seconds before the warship leaves, but there was still some distance between them and the teleportation field. Looking at their back, you¡¯ll only see a sea of blood and body parts. After a huge mental calculation session, Clark discovered that if no radical decisions were taken, they would not make it in time.


    Clark was already starting to feel quite desperate, he held tightly onto his nerves as they continued dragging closer. His mind was already working on overdrive to get a solution, but there was none. He suddenly remembered his dream, but he forcefully discarded it to the back of his mind as thinking of that would bring no solutions. His mind was thinking of a million different things at the moment.


    ¡°Is this how I¡¯m going to end,¡± Clark thought. He suddenly regretted his decision to join this suicide mission. All these thoughts were just the minor ones in his mind, the majority of his mind power revolved around the thought of Sonia dying with him. He didn¡¯t know when, but he knew that he was already in love with this girl he encountered by fate.


    Even the mere thought of seeing her gasping for life felt just like a needle piercing his heart. Today, Clark made one of the most radical decisions of his life, he rapidly came up with a message and sent it to her implant through his own, before he finally steeled his mind.


    Sonia also already calculated their hopes of surviving, the result was disheartening but she still persevered. To her, dying together with Clark in the battlefield was not too bad a result, at least they¡¯ll be recognized as war heroes. And maybe, there¡¯s a tiny chance that a miracle will happen and they¡¯ll be saved. As she ran with Clark, she suddenly noticed a change in his demeanor.


    Boom!! She didn¡¯t even have the time to comprehend what was happening before she was hit by a bullet from Clark. She was first surprised, before she immediately understood when she felt no pain but saw herself moving forward with speed, Clark used his other battle art on her. That bullet fired was a pressure filled bullet, the momentum brought from the bullets pressure was what was carrying her forward.


    Boom!! Boom!! Whoosh!! Clark shot a myriad of bullets at all the soldiers blocking her path as he completely forgot about defending himself.


    ¡°No!!!¡± Sonia shouted as pain engulfed her heart, she wanted to go back but she couldn¡¯t as she quickly disappeared with the Captain and Corporal. The teleportation field finally disappeared. The battle came to a sudden halt, as the opposing soldiers turned to glare at him.


    ¡°Surrender, the teleportation field already disappeared¡±. The one who seemed to be the leader said in a domineering tone as he glared at Clark. Clark grinned at them as all his fears mysteriously left him.


    ¡°So that you can parade me around the state, before executing me, right?¡±. He asked with a chuckle. ¡°Dream on. Even if I die, you will not have an easy time, I promise you that¡±.


    He immediately resumed his battle art after saying this, as he rushed into a dark corner nearby.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 73: dileema whats the escape plan

    ¡°NOOO!!! CLARK!!!¡± Sonia¡¯s voice resounded all over the room of their squad, as she cried while the female Corporal went forward to comfort her. All the other lucky soldiers who survived were silent, completely engulfed in their own world as they thanked God for their luck. They were completely unaffected by Sonia¡¯s loud emotional cries.


    ¡°Sonia it¡¯s ok, being like this will only hamper your health. You can cry, it¡¯s very normal, but don¡¯t let it affect you too much. And if Clark is to see you like this, do you think he¡¯ll be happy that his sacrifice made you like this?¡± The Corporal tried to reason with her to comfort her, she was also touched by Clark¡¯s decisive act for the girl he loved.


    She wanted to tell Sonia that it¡¯s not over, that maybe Clark would survive. But she knew that it was just a thought, she didn¡¯t believe for a moment that Clark would survive. His fate was already sealed the moment the warship left. Sonia cried for a long period of time after the Corporal left, before calming down a little.


    After calming down her emotions she finally realized that she received a message on her implant. She opened the message mentally, as a block of text immediately covered her vision.


    ¡°Sonia, I don¡¯t know how to say this but I¡¯m really sorry. The choice I made today was not on impulse, I carefully thought about it first. If anything happens to me please don¡¯t get too worked up over it, it was my personal decision. To be sincere, after the day you last talked to me about the relationship stuff my life was never the same again¡±.


    ¡°I thought it only happened in movies and fiction novels, but recently when I laid my eyes on you, I feel like I¡¯m in heaven. It feels like all the stars are aligned together at the perfect moment. I¡¯ve never had this feeling before, so I didn¡¯t know what to do. But today, I felt like I made the best decision of my life, that I¡¯ll never regret. I just want you to know that I love you, I really mean it this time¡±.


    ¡°If you get back home to safety, please contact my buddy Leo. He¡¯ll tell you if I survived. If I survive, I want you to know that I¡¯ll do anything within my power to return in 5 years to fulfill my promise to you of being your boyfriend. But if I don¡¯t make it, please don¡¯t get too worked up over it, carry on with your life. Do this last thing for me and go on with your life, but I promise to fight for my survival¡±.


    FROM: CLARK PENDRAGON.


    As Sonia read, tears were already flowing freely from her eyes, she couldn¡¯t control herself again as she finally succumbed to her unstable emotions, crying uncontrollably.


    ¡°Clark, I hate you. I hate you for this decision you made,¡± she sobbed, while choking.


    ¡­


    As Sonia underwent all these emotional turmoils, Clark was still fighting for his survival. As soon as Sonia teleported away, he immediately resumed his battle art and stormed into a corner behind the stadium.


    As the soldiers tried to prevent them from reaching the teleportation field, most of the soldiers were concentrated there. There were barely any other soldiers blocking the other directions, he took advantage of this opening to storm out while dropping 2 explosives.


    Boom!! Boom!! The explosion roasted a lot of soldiers as Clark made good use of this opportunity, to run to an already pre-determined direction. He remembered a bar that Eminem usually took him, Sonia and Frank to.


    The bar was built underground and the military and most of the other forces didn¡¯t know about it. The Governor¡¯s elite forces may know, but they didn¡¯t bother about it. Eminem always found a way to make his body guards lose him when he was going there, so even his bodyguards didn¡¯t know of this place.


    Due to the huge explosion, the Mocan soldiers were a little disoriented so they couldn¡¯t track Clark down immediately. The bar was pretty far from his current location, so he travelled on foot through the forest close to the road. It didn¡¯t take him long before he arrived at the bar, he went to a nearby compound to wash himself up.


    Till now, Clark was still perplexed about how the Mocan military got information about where they¡¯ll converge on. Captain Briggs didn¡¯t leave any loop holes, at the moment a soldier from the squad is captured he immediately cut the connection of that soldier from their network. Moca had better technology, but that was if the capital was included, a state¡¯s technology could not possibly beat those of the Spartan republic.


    He could only thank his God that they probably were not too sure. If they were sure, all the soldiers in Madara state would have ambushed them there. If 3rd rank high-grade soldiers showed up, none of them would have survived.


    Clark succeeded in secretly washing up and changing into a new pair of clothes. He tied his injuries up with bandages, the more glaring ones before activating his barely functioning camouflage device to hide his other injuries. He felt like he was finally ready, before going to the secret door. He didn¡¯t have a particular reason for going, he just wanted to hide and temporarily have an alone time to see if any ideas to escape will come to his mind.


    ¡°Password?¡± A girl came out after hearing the knock on the door as she asked. She had pale gold hair and beautiful features which made her face look bright, she greeted before asking for a password.


    ¡°Enjoying youth at its finest,¡± Clark replied without even having to think. This earned a smile from the girl, as she smiled at him before allowing him inside. He was led to another hidden place, this time the door was just like a fridge. The girl opened the fridge and Clark went in with her.


    He walked a staircase down, before the hip-hop music started playing into his ears. Clark released a breath of cold air, as this familiar atmosphere slightly eased his tense nerves, his mind and he even felt the pain from his injuries reducing a bit.


    Clark saw a familiar face in the bar as soon as he entered, he greeted politely.


    ¡°Ah, Clark, you are here. Where are your friends?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Oh, those guys, I came today without them. You know what recently happened¡±.


    ¡°Guy, you¡¯ve got to enjoy yourself, these recent attacks in the country are just spoiling our good time. I just pity little Eminem¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, these people are completely crazy¡±. Clark commented as he went to the corner where he and Eminem usually sat at.


    Clark didn¡¯t know why, but he felt a little sense of nostalgia as he relaxed in the chair. He closed his eyes, as he recalled the happenings of the last 24 hours, the whole state was now on lock-down. Going out directly was impossible, his only possible escape route was to go by sea. But how could he even go by sea when the whole state was on lockdown? The whole situation was giving him a headache, so he just decided not to think for now and only relax.


    As sleep slowly started coming in, Clark suddenly felt someone sit beside him. His hands reflexively went to grab his pistols, as his brain immediately became alert again.


    ¡°Clark, it was just yesterday we were celebrating and drinking beer, now you¡¯ve become a completely different person,¡± the person said. ¡°When I re-watch the recording of how you and your fellow soldiers killed my father. I don¡¯t know whether to be angry or happy¡±.


    Clark held his pistol tighter as he already recognized Eminem¡¯s voice, he slowly opened his eyes as he looked at him in the eye.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 74: eminem a good or bad friend

    At that moment, Clark felt really conflicted, his military mind told him to just silence him, then get on the run again. After opening his eyes, he looked directly at Eminem as they engaged in a ridiculous staring contest.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Clark sighed as his shoulders slumped down, Eminem was already more than a stranger to him. He just couldn¡¯t bear the thought of killing him, just because it was convenient for him.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± he suddenly laughed at himself mutedly, as he calmed his mood to speak out his thoughts.


    ¡°Eminem, I may already be surrounded on all sides by soldiers, but I don¡¯t regret my actions for even a second. I know you must be feeling really bad, a person you thought was your friend planned the assassination of your father. I know it¡¯s painful and you may take it as hypocrisy, but the little time I spent with you, I really considered you as a genuine friend of mine¡±.


    ¡°Eminem, my words may be a load of crap to you, but they are genuinely from my heart. I know you already informed the military, call them in to take me, but I advise you to leave here as I¡¯m definitely not going down without a fight¡±.


    As Clark rambled on with all his talks, Eminem was silent as tears threatened to flow from his eyes.


    These short minutes he already experienced a truck load of emotions. ¡°Clark, it is really painful,¡± he finally said with a sob. ¡°My father was a bad man, but he is still the one who gave birth to me. You are right Clark, I already informed the army, but I already started regretting my decision¡±.


    Eminem fell silent as he buried his head on his arms for a minute, before Clark interrupted him. ¡°What is done is already done Eminem, I already told you to leave, I¡¯m not going down without a fight¡±.


    ¡°Ohh, just shut up and follow me Clark¡±. This interruption seemed to touch a nerve as he snapped back at Clark.


    ¡°You said what?¡± Clark asked for better clarification, as he didn¡¯t understand what he meant by follow me.


    ¡°Follow me fool, or do you want to die? The soldiers are already on their way¡±. Clark¡¯s brain worked fast as he quickly stood up, he was not a fool. Not comprehending once was acceptable, but twice was doing injustice to his intelligence.


    He quickly followed as Eminem led him out through another hidden door of the bar that he didn¡¯t even know about.


    ¡°Eminem, you really plan on helping me escape,¡± Clark asked again for the 5th time as he just could not comprehend this guy¡¯s thought process. Just now he was crying about his father¡¯s death, now he was helping him escape.


    ¡°Clark, stop talking and follow me before I change my mind¡±. Clark immediately kept quiet on hearing this, as he followed him obediently.


    ¡°Shit, they are already here,¡± Eminem suddenly cursed as they ran back inside. After hearing Eminem¡¯s explanation, Clark¡¯s heart was already pounding as he held his automatic pistols a little tighter.


    Eminem quickly thought up a plan as he directed the soldiers to a certain direction, through his implant. They took the opposite side, as they immediately hopped on a power bike they saw parked in the garage. Clark hacked the bike easily with his hacking device, as he carried Eminem on the bike while Eminem gave me directions.


    Broom!! They rode out of the compound with speed, as Clark accelerated to the direction Eminem showed. As they sped away, Eminem rapidly made some arrangements through his implant. Clark was feeling really weak this time on the road, as his serious injuries from the last battle started affecting him. He started feeling dizzy, but he held on due to his strong desire to survive and live.


    The soldiers searching in the bar quickly discovered that something was wrong, as they started pursuing them. Thanks to the lockdown, there was no civilians in the road, no vehicles, so no hold ups as Clark sped forward without any hindrance. This also worked in the Mocan soldier¡¯s favor, they shot at them without restraint, as there were no civilians on the road to hinder how frequent they shot.


    ¡°Awwn!!¡± Eminem grunted in pain from Clark¡¯s back, as a bullet hit him on his back. Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The soldiers shot at them unrelentingly as Clark maneuvered left and right to avoid the gunshots. His eyes lit up immediately as the sea started coming into view. Eminem already ordered for a speed boat earlier, so it was already parked at the sea shore.


    As soon as they reached the shore Clark jumped from the bike diving directly into the water, it was not even 10 seconds before he came out climbing into the speed boat.


    Eminem received a lot of gun shot injuries as they ran, but Clark was not too worried about him as any Mocan military hospital could treat his injuries within a day. He quickly started the speed boat, fleeing deep into the sea amidst a rain of gunshots from the Mocan soldiers.


    The soldiers didn¡¯t relent their pursuit as military speed boats quickly came after him in pursuit. He just thanked his God that Eminem did a good job by buying a speed boat coated with exotic armor, or his boat would have sunk long ago from the gun shots.


    Clark didn¡¯t have a clear direction; he did not even know where he was going but he continued speeding deep into the sea. This was his first time travelling this deep into the sea physically, but he was not completely ignorant as he trained in the sea using virtual simulations when he was still a cadet.


    His eyes were bloodshot, as he didn¡¯t have a single minute of sleep throughout the last dozen hours while he was exhausted. His sight was already getting too dizzy for him to see clearly, but he hanged on due to his unyielding will to live.


    After he was pursued very deep into the sea, the Mocan soldiers finally relented on their pursuit as they already crossed Mocan borders. Clark continued speeding forward without paying much attention to his surroundings, his instincts was just pushing him to get as far away from the republic as possible. After moving for hours on the speed boat, exhaustion and pain finally took control of his consciousness as he fainted on the speed boat.


    Here he was, lonely in the sea without any direction and companion, just striving because of the need to survive. As he slept, the speed boat finally ran out of fuel as he drifted about, aimlessly following the wind, not knowing what would befall him the next second.


    Stranded without food, no armor, but filled all over with bullet injuries. For the first time in his life, his dying or living was not in his control.


    What a world; filled with uncertainties.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 75: book 2 Chapter 75: the feeling of being a hostage

    Clark opened his eyes again, to experience the already familiar feelings of pain and fatigue. This was his third day drifting aimlessly in the sea, he already removed all the bullets lodged into his body from the battle with his dagger. If not, he would already be a dead man with them still in his body.


    For 3 days now, he had not eaten as he didn¡¯t have food, and he didn¡¯t even have the strength to stand up to kill fish for food. For the past days, he only lied down on the speed boat hoping to be rescued or even captured by sea farers, at least being captured was better than dying from hunger and pain in the endless sea.


    Tears rolled from his eyes, as the pain he was currently feeling was unbearable.


    ¡°I wish I could just die,¡± he thought. ¡°Death would be a relief from this pain, please why can¡¯t an aquatic exobeast just kill me?¡± He was already on the verge of questioning his existence.


    ¡­


    It was already his 5th day in the sea, as he suffered alone in pain and hunger. It was only due to his physique as a high-grade soldier, that was keeping him alive. Today, Clark finally heard the sound of something different, he heard the honk of a ship. ¡°Finally,¡± he heaved a sigh of relief inwardly as he felt his boat being pulled.


    The Clark today was completely different from the Clark 5 days ago. He was now skinny and emaciated, he now looked just like a petty hoodlum from a village, only his military uniform proved otherwise as his camouflage device already ran out of energy revealing it. Clark tried smiling, but couldn¡¯t due to the intense pain which only made him faint.


    ¡­


    Blink¡­, Clark blinked as he opened his eyes, his mind was in a little disorder for some minutes before he remembered what happened. He realized that he was placed on a small bed as he slowly sat up.


    ¡°Awn!!¡± He groaned a little in pain as his joints and muscles were already becoming stiff for being in the same position for long. ¡°How long have I been brought here?¡± He questioned himself in a doubtful tone.


    He still felt some pains, but the pain was already massively reduced compared to when he was still in his speed boat. His skinny figure was already recovering some flesh, which made him look livelier. This was when he finally observed his surroundings well. This place was like a hall were similar beds as the one he slept in were kept, he saw 10 other injured people sleeping in other beds.


    Clang!! As he was observing this place, a door to the right of where he sat suddenly opened as he saw 3 men and 2 women on white cloaks coming in. They were closely followed by 2 other men in green and white military uniform, armed with guns. He reflexively searched for his bag and his expression soured immediately, as it was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°They probably took it as my camouflage device ran out of energy to disguise its contents,¡± he thought sadly.


    ¡°Good day sirs and ma¡¯ams, please, where am I?¡± Clark asked first as they walked directly to him.


    They ignored what he just said as they talked between themselves, ¡°I heard this one was a soldier,¡± one of them said.


    ¡°Yes, he has such a good physique,¡± another one commented as they quickly reached his bed.


    ¡°He is lucky, if he didn¡¯t wake up after another 2 days the Captain ordered us to throw him in the sea,¡± another one said. Clark coughed to draw their attention; they were all talking like he was not even there.


    ¡°Lie down on the bed,¡± the one who seemed to be the leader of the doctors, whose identities were already obvious ordered. The man¡¯s voice was so authoritative that it irritated him a little, but he hid his irritation perfectly while lying down. Due to their behavior, he already learnt something very important, he was not saved, he was captured.


    After Clark lied down, they brought out some instruments to perform a series of tests and other things on his body. According to his estimate, this continued for 30 minutes before the doctors finished their examination, or whatever they were doing.


    ¡°Follow us,¡± the leader said as they turned to go. Already understanding his situation, a little, Clark stood up to follow them obediently.


    The sun rays illuminated his face, as he came out of the enclosed hall with the group of doctors. Clark subconsciously sucked a cold breath of fresh air, upon seeing the sight that greeted him. He was in a very large ship that was bubbling with activity, a lot of people moved about on the ship.


    ¡°This is clearly a military ship owned by a country,¡± he thought as he saw soldiers moving around frequently. The ship was a triple decked ship, and he saw a lot of people wearing exactly the same dark blue uniform as the one he wore.


    He was a little confused, as his brain could not process all these information¡¯s immediately, but he already guessed their identity.


    Sparta, and every other country rely heavily on exotics to have technological breakthroughs, and to grow in strength. There were lot of exotics that are only found in the sea that, countries require. The seas and oceans are the main territory of the Sea Farers alliance, but this territory was just too big for them to monopolize and keep for themselves. Every country still in existence this age usually organizes exotic exploration fleets, which are sent to the sea to mine exotics.


    This action is not hidden from the hegemon of the seas, so every country prepares annual exotic offerings and incentives to the Sea Farers Alliance, to enable them explore and mine in peace. Even the other big 5 organizations pay incentives to them, as the Sea Farers alliance was simply the tyrant of the seas. Their technological advancement is completely focused on increasing their prowess in water.


    ¡°I think this ship is part of the exotic exploration fleet of a particular country,¡± Clark muttered to himself contemplatively. The countries always hide the identities of their fleets, despite this, they always plunder the exotics of other fleets smaller than theirs.


    As Clark thought, he was quickly brought to the highest place in the whole ship. He didn¡¯t know what they saw in him, to bring him directly to the leader of this ship.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 76: the terror of the sea

    As Clark was brought to the highest part of the ship, he was finally able to get a lot of other details about these people. He discovered that this was a fleet consisting of only 3 ships, he also noticed that this was the biggest ship of all 3 ships.


    He noticed another very important detail, the ships were damaged on some places, so he concluded that they probably engaged in a fierce battle not long ago. ¡°So, this fleet probably consisted of more than 3 ships before,¡± he thought in silence.


    Knock! Knock! The leader of the doctors knocked as they silently waited.


    ¡°Come in,¡± a deep voice finally answered as they all proceeded to enter. Contrary to Clark¡¯s expectations, the leader of this ship didn¡¯t make his own room luxurious. No decorations, it was simply a plain room just like the hall he woke up in. The leader faced the sea outside with both his hands behind his back, he finally turned around after the last person closed the door after entering.


    ¡°Good morning Captain,¡± they all greeted.


    The Captain acknowledged by nodding, as he sat down in a chair by the side. The lead doctor went to sit opposite the Captain as he read some medical analysis from his book to him. The Captain nodded at last, before turning to face Clark for the first time.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked while staring at him.


    ¡°My name is Adam,¡± Clark answered immediately.


    ¡°I know you are a soldier, and with your physique you are probably a high-grade soldier. Which country are you from?¡± Clark didn¡¯t answer this, he only stared back at the captain.


    Clark gave him a wrong name for a reason, he didn¡¯t know the country this fleet belonged to, if it was an enemy of the Spartan republic, he didn¡¯t know. As the Captain already knew that he was a high-grade soldier, revealing his country and real name was just stupid.


    The Captain chuckled on seeing his silence as he stood up. ¡°Ok, no need for all those, my name is Captain Jack. I am the overall leader of this fleet; on a normal basis, I would have kept you as an exotic miner but our fleet is not in a favorable position at the moment. As you may have already discovered, we suffered a huge loss from a battle recently. We lost 2 ships and a lot of valuable soldiers¡±.


    ¡°We are in dire need of high-grade soldiers to bolster our ranks at the moment, we saved you or you can call it capture, anyone you like. I want you to help fight, and protect my fleet. If you refuse, then I have no other business with you, we¡¯ll just kill you then dump you in the sea. But if you help us, you¡¯ll receive the clearance and status of a normal soldier in my fleet¡±.


    Clark chuckled, ¡°do I really have a choice?¡± He asked in a sarcastic tone. ¡°I¡¯ll fight for you, but I want my bag back¡±.


    ¡°No, you¡¯ll receive only your 2-form gun back,¡± the Captain answered authoritatively.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Clark answered with a shrug. He was the captured here, a beggar is not a chooser.


    ¡°We are currently having repairs to our ships, try to socialize with my soldiers to get to know them more. If things go according to my calculations, we¡¯ll mine our remaining ships full with exotics in about a years¡¯ time so you wouldn¡¯t face too many battles and you¡¯ll probably survive¡±. The Captain finally revealed a smile as he said.


    ¡°This is Doctor Dickson; he is the head doctor of my fleet¡±.


    ¡°Cough, cough, I already met him sir,¡± Clark said with a cough as he secretly glanced at the doctor in question. The man¡¯s expression was completely tranquil, without any fluctuations.


    ¡°You can go,¡± the Captain finally said the long-awaited word. Clark did just that, after taking his 2-form gun back.


    ¡°Man, what a life,¡± Clark sighed as he walked outside. He went directly to the ship¡¯s armory to get the fleet¡¯s soldier uniform, as directed by the Captain. His status was that of an ordinary soldier in the ship, so he was going to use normal reinforced steel armor.


    ¡°What a demotion from grace to grass,¡± he thought ruefully.


    When Clark reached the huge hall, the soldiers used as their barrack, he didn¡¯t receive any special welcome as they nonchalantly glanced at him for only a second before continuing what they were doing. He had instructions from the soldiers who escorted the doctors, so he walked directly to the middle of the hall.


    As he was walking, he didn¡¯t know why, but he started feeling dizzy and weak all of a sudden. He forcibly controlled himself while walking to the Corporal. The stern man turned to look at him, ¡°yes, you are?¡±


    ¡°I am Sergeant Adam sir; I woke up today, so they led me here¡±. Clark answered smoothly.


    ¡°Good, go and sit with the other soldiers,¡± the Corporal said after taking a photo of him and doing some other procedures. He didn¡¯t even get to meet the high-grade soldiers of the ship, he felt a little bad, but he soon forgot about it.


    ¡°Maybe, this is to my favor, I don¡¯t belong here, I should be planning my escape instead¡±. He muttered to himself, either as a form of comfort or motivation.


    As soon as Clark went to the bed he was assigned to, the feeling of weakness and dizziness came again. He couldn¡¯t help it, he slept directly after giving the nearby soldiers a quick greeting, which they didn¡¯t bother reply to.


    It was an afternoon abrupt sleep, but Clark had a dream. He saw himself still with this fleet in the sea, after staying with them in the sea for 2 years, he made a name for myself. During his stay there, he broke his limits twice to become a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. He became known as Adam, the conqueror of fleets, as he helped expand the fleet by helping to sabotage other fleet¡¯s ships.


    He proved his prowess countless times in battle quickly earning another nickname, ¡°The terror of the sea¡±. From the initial fleet of 3 ships, they increased to 15 ships through his help.


    He became the 2nd in command, as he couldn¡¯t become the leader of the fleet, he didn¡¯t belong to the country.


    As Clark dreamed of himself being the conqueror of fleets, he didn¡¯t know that some unique transformations were happening to his body on a scientific level in the real world.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 77: the news that rocked the whole continent

    Clark woke up in the night that day, feeling weird. His nice dream elevated his mood significantly, as he went out of the hall to see the night sky. The shining stars just beautified the sky even more in a unique way.


    He finally started noticing the changes in his body, as he got himself soaked in the fresh night air. ¡°My physique improved,¡± he gasped in surprise.


    He could now notice some details, that he couldn¡¯t notice at first. He had another breakthrough, he swiftly realized with surprise. It felt like he was living in a black and white world previously, but now he transited into a hd quality world.


    He could feel the increase in his raw strength, ¡°man this is simply out of this world,¡± he thought in excitement. He became a 2nd rank high-grade soldier in just between a year, after having his first breakthrough.


    ¡°I guess the stress and trauma from the recent battles helped me break through my limits,¡± he muttered in a complicated tone.


    He rejoiced alone on his breakthrough, while admiring the stars. ¡°I guess the dream I had was a blessing to my life Afterall,¡± he thought in joy. After a lot of silent mind partying, he finally returned to spend the night with joy in his heart. He slightly anticipated another dream that night, but he was disappointed as he slept peacefully the whole time.


    The next day, the 2nd Captain of this ship called all the soldiers for a military gathering. That morning, he finally learnt of the country behind this fleet, it was Camelot. Camelot was a country whose culture was just like the Camelot of old from the old movie ¡°Merlin¡±. The hierarchy in the country, or better still kingdom was very strict and controversial, but they already proved their military strength during the great battle of supremacy.


    Camelot was one of the few countries with high-grade military strength, only below the big 5 and some other exceptions in strength.


    He didn¡¯t dare delay, as he quickly arrived in the strategy hall with the other soldiers. He finally saw the other high-grade soldiers of the fleet, including the 2nd Captain. The ship had five 1st rank high grade soldiers, two 2nd rank high-grade soldiers and three 3rd rank high-grade soldiers. The strategy hall was as its name implied, it was where military strategies for battle are planned and decided on.


    He didn¡¯t speak throughout the gathering, only listening as he was just an insignificant outsider to them. The gathering was basically useless, as they couldn¡¯t decide on a specific strategy, they just decided to face any threat that comes according to the situation. The only advice the Captain finally gave, was that they should fight defensively during every battle from now on.


    For the whole day, he didn¡¯t have to do anything as the technical teams were having repairs on the ships. His stay in the ship gradually extended for over a whole week, without any movement or activity, they only suffered an attack once from a fleet that encountered them. The fight was not too fierce, as the opposing fleet¡¯s military strength was on par with theirs, so they tacitly retreated after, as they were not keen on losing their soldiers in a brainless battle.


    After a week of training, he became completely familiar with his new found strength. Nobody noticed him, as all his trainings were done virtually through his implant. The fleet finally decided to move forward, after the week-long repairs.


    He also already adapted to the change of environment, from staying from land to sea. The fleet organized training sessions for those who were not familiar with the sea, to learn how to fight in the sea. So, he was not completely idle.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else in the Spartan republic, the warship G-14 successfully escaped from the Mocan republic after a week of being on the run. The news completely rocked the whole continent, as it was an unexpected aggression by the Sparta republic. The Mocan republic clearly didn¡¯t see this coming, as the strike force succeeded in assassinating 5 Governors of the Moca republic.


    The country was destabilized further, as despite the President not dying, he was now in a coma, 4 of its ministers also died from the assault. The attack shocked the whole continent, impacting the Moca republic the most, this was a huge blow to their arrogant ego.


    After the mission was done, a death count was done and it was better than expected. Of the 10 strike squads, 3 were completely wiped out and the other squads returned with at least 3 soldiers. A huge ceremony was held to celebrate the survivors, and to honor the dead in the Sparta republic. All the survivors received their rewards, as they immediately became soldiers of the Spartan army.


    On returning from the mission, Sonia¡¯s life never remained the same. She wallowed in sadness for a long time, being the only survivor to miss the award celebration. After some time of indulging in her sadness, she finally fulfilled Clark¡¯s wish by visiting his best friend Leo. The whole country honored Clark and the others, as everyone thought he was already dead.


    Leo also mourned for a whole day, before Clark¡¯s car¡¯s A.I connected to his implant. The A.I was completely aware, that its owner was still alive. After 2 days of travelling, she finally met Leo in his military check point. After the truth was broken to her, her joy knew no bounds as she hugged Leo while shaking him excitedly.


    She finally found her usual drive to train and improve again, as she proudly told Leo that Clark would come back in 5 years to be her boyfriend. Leo was completely speechless, but he still rode on her joy celebrating also.


    ¡°When did Clark know how to get a girl go this crazy over him?¡± He asked himself in surprise.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. Surprise!! It''s a mass release, though we didn''t meet the target I set for. I decided to still release this mass release, I hope you enjoy it.]

 Chapter 78: changing masters again part of life

    It was now already over a month, since the fleet started moving after repairs. They didn¡¯t encounter any other hostile fleets, and the ship¡¯s scanners haven¡¯t detected a place with a high concentration of exotics yet, so they practically just sailed aimlessly without a specific direction. Clark felt homesick, but he persevered, restraining his longing as a beggar was simply not a chooser.


    After another week, the fleet finally stopped, as their scanners detected a place with a high concentration of exotics. This was his first time, witnessing exotic mining from a first-person perspective. He was dispatched this time, with some other soldiers to protect the miners from any threat under the water.


    They were all provided with oxygen bags, and military grade diving suits to go under the sea. After more than a month of training, he could already be considered competent in fighting on and under the sea.


    It was a very unique experience under the sea, the unique and beautiful fauna and flora here would have easily made the experience like a vacation to him. But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to admire anything, as his fate was still hovering in the hands of others.


    They surrounded the miners in a circle shape, to protect them from every possible angle. 5 augmented sea animals attacked them during his shift, but they easily killed them. Luckily, they didn¡¯t encounter any sea exobeast.


    This became his daily routine for the next few days, as he was always dispatched under the sea. The leaders of the fleet, basically saw him as someone with no status in their fleet, so they didn¡¯t hold back in assigning him to be involved in such manual labor. This routine finally broke on the 4th day, when they encountered another fleet.


    As he and some other soldiers were protecting the miners as usual, a visible electric field suddenly surrounded them. What felt weird, at the same time bringing relief to them, was that no electric discharge was transferred to them using the water as a medium.


    ¡°Ahh!!¡± Despite this everyone was startled, as the miners immediately started panicking, some of them already started screaming. The 1st rank high-grade soldier who led the protectors, tried to calm them down while trying to figure out what was happening, as he was also currently in the dark. As the area became slightly chaotic, an audio message was finally sent.


    ¡°Hello, this is Sergeant Emery, we have a situation. Prepare for battle immediately, a larger fleet is attacking us,¡± someone quickly informed them through their communicator.


    Clark was already beginning to get anxious, first, he was wearing an ordinary armor and he was wielding only his 2-form gun. He was not feeling safe at all, ¡°what a set-up,¡± he cursed in resentment.


    He was originally planning to distinguish himself in battle, but with the current look of things, there was a high chance that this fleet is getting destroyed and annexed today. It was better to be not too exceptional, then be taken again as a captive. As he thought, the soldiers from the unknown fleet finally descended on them.


    ¡°FIGHT!!¡± The 1st rank high-grade soldiers¡¯ leader in their midst yelled, as he advanced forward to meet the aggressors.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Clark configured his gun to become a machine gun, as he shot at them while retreating. ¡°I¡¯m not one of them, so why die with them?¡± he reasoned.


    He was able to discreetly hide himself using the surroundings as cover, as the battle raged on. ¡°I will watch for now how the battle unveils, before deciding on what to do,¡± he quickly decided.


    Boom!! Boom!! The battle here was very fierce, but the Camelotian soldiers were firmly suppressed by the opposing soldiers, as they fielded three 1st rank high-grade soldiers. Not too long later, they finally succeeded in killing the Camelotian high-grade soldier. After killing him, they ordered the remaining soldiers to surrender, but they refused, so they were all killed without hesitation.


    All the miners surrendered and were all taken away, Clark finally revealed himself, stealthily swimming upwards to view the overall battle situation.


    Boom!! He suddenly ducked back into the water hastily, as his back suddenly grew very got. He broke out in cold sweat, as he just narrowly escaped death from one of the fighting ship¡¯s main weapons. The water above him directly evaporated, from the extreme heat. After his heart calmed down a little, he slowly brought his head out of the water to observe.


    ¡°Damn, the opposing fleet actually has a whooping 5 ships, no wonder,¡± he thought in trepidation. On the Camelotian side, it was not looking good as 2 of their ships were already on fire, the last one was trying to escape but was prevented from doing so, by the opposing ships.


    The fight was mainly being fought by the low rank high-grade soldiers. It seems the Camelotian Captains finally lost their cool, as the 4 Captains of the fleet finally jumped down into the sea. Clark was surprised, ¡°are they trying to escape or fight under the sea?¡± he soliloquized in a puzzled tone.


    He was given an automatic reply, as he saw all the Captains emerge from the sea, their shoes started glowing blue before they landed back on the water surface. His jaw dropped completely, as he saw the Captains moving with the shoe on the water surface like surfers, he had heard of anti-gravity shoes, but he had never heard of this.


    ¡°Try to escape,¡± the overall Camelotian Captain, Captain Jack commanded on the comm as they advanced to fight for their last ship¡¯s survival. As they advanced forward, 4 high-grade soldiers also jumped down from the opposing ship to meet them. They were all of the same rank as the Captains from Camelot.


    Boom!! Both sides quickly clashed as they both opted for a melee battle. Things didn¡¯t always go according to plan, this was not an even competition, Clark thought as other ranged high-grade soldiers started helping their comrades from the opposing fleet.


    The battle was very fierce, but unfortunately the Camelotian forces were still defeated and their last ship was taken. This battle, one thing that Clark focused on were those magical boots, they could increase your strength in the sea by a huge margin.


    ¡°It is just like fighting on dry land,¡± he thought as he marveled at the convenience technology brought to mankind. He didn¡¯t feel good though, as he got ready to reveal himself. There was no way that he could survive alone is this merciless sea, so having a master was not too bad an idea. But it¡¯s definitely still not a good thing, being a captive who changes masters here and there.


    ¡°Who is there?¡± One of the opposing soldiers turned to see him standing there at the edge of their ship, as they salvaged their spoils from battle. This battle gave them an intact ship, increasing their fleets ships to 6. They were now already one of the strongest fleets in this part of the sea.


    As they detained him, he repeatedly emphasized that he was not one of the Camelotians, that he was captured by them. They didn¡¯t give him a second glance though, as they dumped him in a huge hall. That was where, they also dropped all the Camelotian high-grade soldiers.


    On entering the hall, Clark was astonished as he saw hundreds of captured people here. ¡°If this hall is for only high-grade soldiers, you mean that this people actually dared to hold so many high-grade soldiers in their fleet?¡± He asked himself inwardly, while feeling shocked.


    ¡°What have I gotten myself into,¡± he questioned himself again in shock.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. Happy Valentine to you all, once again thanks for reading my book, I wish you all the best life has to offer.]

 Chapter 79: the gladiator tournament

    After waiting for some hours, Clark and the Camelotian soldiers were finally taken to another place in the ship. It looked like a hospital, as the background was colored in white and the people, they saw there were also on white uniforms. They did not know what happened next, as they were forcibly knocked unconscious after they received some weird injections.


    ¡­


    Blink, Clark finally blinked open his eyes as he was greeted with the familiar white room and the people who were probably doctors on their white clothes.


    ¡°The warrior is already awake¡­,¡± they said some things to themselves that Clark didn¡¯t understand before 2 soldiers came to carry him away. His head was feeling kind of heavy, as he was brought out of the room by the 2 soldiers.


    He was brought into another room where a soldier sat facing him, he wanted to observe his surroundings but his eyes was immediately drawn to the soldier facing him. He recognized the man, as he was one of the 3rd rank high-grade soldiers who fought in the battle. All the Camelotian soldiers were brought one by one sequentially, as they all also faced the soldier.


    ¡°My name is Captain John,¡± he slowly said with a grin. ¡°I know you are all curious about this fleets identity, don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t hide it. We are one of the subordinate fleets belonging to the Roman Empire organization¡±.


    Clark¡¯s brain almost short circuited on hearing this, ¡°what the¡­, the Roman Empire organization?¡± He yelled questioningly in his mind.


    ¡°Oh man, I¡¯m finished, it seems that all the bad luck of my lifetime are being stacked for me to face them consecutively all at once¡±. If there was a bar to display his chances of escape and survival, Clark could already see his scale go down below sea level.


    Behind the big 5 organizations, organizations like the Roman Empire are the cream of the top powers above countries with high-grade military strength like Camelot. They are the only hegemons of this age, that are directly below the big 5. After the big 5, it¡¯s them.


    Only one country had the might to be called in the ranks of these organizations, U.S.A[The United States of America]. U.S.A was the only country that retained its identity and name after the great battle of supremacy. U.S.A and these few organizations, terrorized other countries during the great battle, but they were not able to enter the ranks of the big 5 at the end.


    The Roman Empire organization, now focuses on organizing fighting competitions, by capturing soldiers as their gladiators. They are one of the only organizations, that mainly deals in entertainment in the international stage.


    They groom gladiators, to fight with gladiators from other places in tournaments organized by any of the big 5. This time, Clark didn¡¯t know if he should cry or laugh, ¡°so I¡¯m now a gladiator. What a chaotic life we live in¡±.


    The Captain continued as he could not here Clark¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Normally, we don¡¯t proactively capture 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, but the Sea Farers alliance is organizing a gladiator tournament in 2 years¡¯ time. The scale of this tournament is going to be very big, and so is the reward. We naturally want to participate, so that¡¯s why we are attacking fleets and capturing their soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Do not even think of escaping, as our doctors have planted explosive devices in your brains. Any stupid attempt at escape; Boom¡­, you¡¯re dead,¡± he said with a grin on his face.


    ¡°Behave yourselves, we¡¯ll train you further for a period of 1 year, after that you¡¯ll undergo elimination battles before the survivors will be brought to the tournament. Try your best to survive, we would not restrain ourselves in terms of rewards if you win the tournament for your rank, dismissed¡±.


    As they went back, Clark was completely lost in his thoughts, thinking about his situation, it was not looking good at all. No matter how strong and genius he was currently, there was always someone that was stronger, the one thing the world was not lacking right now was genius soldiers. Even the Lion king in the forest, strategizes before hunting an animal, as it knows that any tiny mistake could lead to its death.


    No matter how strong you are, a moment of carelessness is all it takes for you to die. As during gladiator battles, the gladiators are not expected to wear armor or wield any exceptional weapons and gadgets.


    It was not an advanced tech competition, it was a gladiator tournament, making it as primitive as possible will make it more captivating. Clark didn¡¯t know what to feel, he didn¡¯t even have to feel anything as it would result in nothing. He just had to try his best to improve as much as possible, during this short time frame.


    When they returned to the hall, the other captured high-grade soldiers now looked at them with hostility, as they¡¯ll likely become opponents in the future. Clark didn¡¯t feel much discomfort despite their stares, he left the Camelotians, to sit at a corner on his own. He didn¡¯t want to mingle with them, as they once treated him like a slave, a dispensable good.


    He was kind of nervous and helpless, as since he came to the sea, his life was always being in the hands of others. He was a soldier, but don¡¯t forget that he was also an 18-year-old. When they were captured, they were naturally striped of all their weapons and other gadgets.


    ¡°I guess the last dream I had was just an imagination Afterall,¡± he thought as the day quickly went by.


    The next day, they didn¡¯t waste time as training finally started training. Every soldier became obedient, as this was the Roman Empire organization, not Sparta, or any other small country.


    They first went to write down their names, their rank as a soldier and the ring name they¡¯ll like to be called. This time, Clark refused to change his name, he wrote Clark as he could not even hide it, if they wanted to really know his identity. He wrote his rank as a second rank high-grade soldier, he paused, when it came to where he¡¯ll write his ring name.


    He felt quite conflicted on what name to write, but he quickly decided as he just formed a name from his surname. He finally wrote, ¡°The Stranded Dragon¡±. Dragon was from his surname Pendragon, he wrote stranded because, he was indeed stranded with unfamiliar fleets in the sea.


    The Roman Empire organization really prepared massively for this training; a ship was left for them to monopolize as their training ground. Clark later heard some news that gave him discomfort a bit, he heard that there was actually some lunatics among them, who were not captured.


    They either trusted their strength, or were too greedy for the reward, as they proactively came to offer themselves to the organization, to enable them participate in the tournament. The fleet actually held a total of 204, 2nd rank high-grade soldiers at the moment.


    The number of challengers that he had to face intimidated him a little, but he quickly suppressed the feeling. ¡°I already grew past that stage,¡± he thought.


    From that day, he started his new daily routine of fighting and sparing with the gladiator robots stored in the ship for their training. They didn¡¯t have to do any other thing, but to just train only.


    ¡­


    It was just yesterday that the organization captured him, but now, Clark was already training in the ship for over 8 months. He already made a name for himself as one of the best soldiers in his rank, as he was holding the record for some of their training drills.


    After some time, he already started appreciating the circumstances, that he found himself in. The phrase that, in every situation be grateful to God was the truth, he later confirmed.


    His current situation was not to his will, but he already undoubtedly benefited from it. As the training resources provided by this organization was completely top notch, he could never access such resources in the Spartan republic. And most especially, he could never find such a good training environment, if he was still serving in the Spartan military.


    So, to sum it up. This was simply a blessing in disguise, as the improvement he¡¯d experienced over the last 8 months was mind blowing.


    [Thanks for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. Happy Valentine to you all. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 80: the first gladiator battle of the year

    A year finally passed, as the anticipated and dreaded elimination round began. During Clark¡¯s time training in the ship, he forfeited making friends as 99.9% of them were going to die by the time the tournament is over, if not 100% of them. Despite this, he became closer to 2 people than all the others, they could not be considered bosom friends, but they were close. They were a boy and a girl, Emily and Henry.


    ¡°Clark, I know you¡¯ll probably blast through this elimination phase,¡± Emily said in a part joking and sad tone. Unlike Clark, who was a field agent, she was a soldier who served in her country¡¯s fleet. She fought hard when they were attacked, but she could only watch helplessly as her country¡¯s fleet was destroyed and annexed.


    Most of her friends were already dead, Henry was her only friend, who was also a 2nd rank high-grade soldier that survived. Emily and Henry knew that there was a very high chance that they would die, during this elimination phase. They felt sad at the same time feeling relief, as they didn¡¯t really feel any drive to live further on this cursed world again.


    You¡¯ll never understand a person¡¯s life until you live through his/her experiences, this age of exotics and technology is a blessing to some few people, but it¡¯s a curse and nightmare to countless other people.


    Clark didn¡¯t have any right here, as a captured gladiator also. There life or death, was completely in their hands. He just encouraged them to try their best, while also preparing himself for any worst-case scenario. He was good, but he was definitely not the best 2nd rank high-grade soldier in the ship.


    ¡°Fortunately, 5 soldiers will be allowed to qualify for the main tournament, but my opponents for this phase will be random. I could even meet the best soldier on my first fight, which is going to be very nightmarish, if I¡¯m that unlucky¡±. Clark thought to himself, as he returned to training.


    Later in the day, the organization didn¡¯t waste time as the battle fixtures were finally randomized. Clark quickly went to check his fixture, for the year.


    The Stranded Dragon¡¯s battle fixture for the year.


    Fight 1: The Stranded Dragon vs The Mad man.


    Fight 2: The Stranded Dragon vs Scorpion or Excalibur.


    Fight 3: The Stranded Dragon vs The Elephant¡¯s gaze or The Trickster.


    Fight 4: The Stranded Dragon vs The Killer or The Racoon.


    Fight 5: The Stranded Dragon vs The Emperor or Ragnarok.


    Clark¡¯s gaze froze, as he stared at his last battle fixture. He was going to fight either The Emperor or Ragnarok, he was 100% sure that he would face The Emperor at last, as he was the one widely recognized as the best in training.


    He was not afraid of him, but he clearly recognized that this guy was stronger than he was. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to train harder,¡± he said, as he clenched his fists. This was the worst-case scenario, that he dreaded.


    The fixtures were written as him vs Scorpion or Excalibur, because these 2 will have a battle, before the winner will meet him. The winner will then become his opponent. The Killer in his third fixture was also going to be a difficult opponent, but he was sure that, he had a better chance of winning.


    As Clark went back to train, Emily and Henry repeatedly sympathized with him, due to his fight fixture. He just nodded to acknowledge them. The Emperor was indeed powerful, but in a competition like this, there is no absolute win nor loss. ¡°It is not over, until it is over,¡± he thought.


    The elimination first battle will start tomorrow, but his fight with The Mad man was in a month¡¯s time. He returned, to do his daily training routine, he pushed himself till he was completely exhausted and all his muscles were aching all over, before going to rest.


    The first battle fixture of the year started, and they all went to spectate. All the people in the other ships, watched either through a remote projection in their ship or by coming directly to their ship to spectate live. This fight was between a man, whose ring name was The Blood fighter, and a woman whose ring name was The Bounty killer.


    The man wielded a pair of reinforced steel sabers as his weapon, while the woman wielded a spear also made from reinforced steel, as her weapon. A huge cage was constructed in the ship, by the organization for the battles. It was just like hell in a cage, organized in wrestling matches of the last century. They both quickly entered as the cage doors closed.


    The battle quickly began, as they both came closer while circling each other. Boom!! The man moved first as the air parted with a huge sound, because of his speed. The woman reacted fast, as she readied herself immediately separating her legs to form a defensive stance.


    Whoosh!! The Blood fighter slashed forward with his 2 sabers, combined with the momentum from his speed, the force of the slash was simply monstrous. The Bounty killer didn¡¯t bother to dodge, as she leapt back quickly before decisively executing her battle art, ¡°The Blurry spear¡±.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! The sound of her spear stabbing, swinging and metal clashes reverberated as the woman¡¯s spear blurred, leaving afterimages behind. This battle art clearly aimed at speed, so you had to have a very high hand speed just to learn it. Ptui!! Ptui!! The Blood fighter started receiving injuries, as he struggled to follow the Bounty killer¡¯s fast movements and tempo. There was a saying that, speed could beat the hardest force and I guess the woman was proving it now.


    This was a battle without any exotic armor, so it was not following the usual route of wearing down your opponent¡¯s armor¡¯s durability first. This was a battle of skill, a battle where the disparity between soldiers will be more exposed.


    The Blood fighter was not prepared to go down so easily, as he also started executing his battle art, ¡°The Blood rage¡±. This battle art, as its name implied was derived after a lengthy examination of an exobeast¡¯s rage phenomenon. It followed a set of principles, and it could increase brute strength significantly when used. The Blood fighter¡¯s blows, clearly became almost twice as strong and forceful as the battle started becoming even again.


    Despite this, the bounty killer still firmly held the upper hand, as she controlled the battle¡¯s trajectory.


    The battle became heated, as they both became bloodied all over. The Bounty killer was becoming exhausted but she persevered, the blood fighter finally made a mistake as he missed his footing.


    Ptui!! The Bounty killer didn¡¯t miss this opportunity, as she lunged forward with her spear stabbing him on the chest. Whoosh!! Ptui!! As soon as she stabbed, they both stiffened as the woman¡¯s eyes widened in horror. Clark shook his head, as the woman¡¯s head rolled down from her neck.


    At the last moment, the Blood fighter slashed with speed faster than his normal one, which removed her head with one slash. ¡°You see, these fights were simply too unpredictable to rely only on skill,¡± Clark muttered to himself in resignation.


    The Blood fighter played dirty, as he was hiding his real speed before he suddenly erupted at the last moment. The spectators cheered as the first battle of the year ended, The Blood fighter quickly went for treatment, as his injuries were not light.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 81: emilys surprising debut battle

    From the next day, the fight continued as gladiators died, while others shined, using the deaths of their opponents as stepping stones to glory. It was cruel, but in here, all the gladiators were no longer in control of their fate. It¡¯s either you win by fighting to the best of your ability, or die trying.


    As the tournament progressed, a lot of hidden masters started appearing, making the elimination phase become a lot more dangerous. It was now the day of Emily¡¯s first battle; Clark and Henry both wished her luck, as she went on stage.


    The Roman Empire organization already prepared a commentator, to make the fights more enjoyable to the spectators.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, let¡¯s welcome our gladiators for today to the ring, The flexible master, and The Armageddon¡±. The commentator said, as he employed some strategic words to rile up the spectators for the battle.


    The spectators cheered as they both entered the cage; Emily¡¯s ring name was the flexible master. It felt weird, but most of the gladiators decided to start their ring names with the. No one knew their reasons, not even some of them knew why they started with the.


    Her opponent entered the cage with a roar, which looked more like shouting to Clark, to make himself look more imposing. He also painted his face to look like a skull, bathed in blood.


    He was a man of tall stature. His prominent muscles, huge chest and sturdy legs made him look like an unstoppable raging beast. There are a lot of tactics which can be used to win in a gladiator fight, if your opponent is intimidated by you, you are already one step closer to victory. This man, was clearly aiming to utilize this strategy.


    She wielded 2 sharp light swords, while her opponent wielded a very long and broad great sword. The Armageddon didn¡¯t waste time as soon as the gates of the cage slammed shut, he rushed forward while unleashing his battle art, ¡°The frenzied maneuver¡±.


    Clark was not surprised that this guy practiced the same battle art he used, as it was one of the most common battle art. Unfortunately for this guy, Emily was not intimidated, as she calmly advanced forward while calculating rapidly in her mind. This move completely negated any early advantage, he was trying to get.


    Boom!! The air vibrated with force, as the great sword swung across horizontally encompassing the whole area. She ducked and rolled forward, but the shockwave from the great sword was too much as she was slammed down to the floor.


    Awwn!! She groaned in pain, as she felt like her organs were displaced from their original positions, she quickly rolled to the side as the great sword stabbed down at her previous location.


    She jumped up, standing as she finally had the time to use her battle art, ¡°The boneless maneuver¡±. She already probed her opponent¡¯s attack force and speed, so there was no need holding back.


    Boom!! She quickly leapt up, dodging her opponent¡¯s new strike as she twisted around him like a snake, while her sword moved. Whoosh! Blood flowed as she quickly cut open a wound, on his arm. Her opponent was not a slashing target though, as he grabbed her with his spare hand, throwing her down with force.


    Her battle art granted her the ability to move and attack fast, and she already trained her body to be flexible to an incredible degree. According to rumors, the inspiration for this battle art was gotten from the ancient cartoon series, ¡°Avatar, the last airbender¡±.


    The researchers found a way, to help soldiers slightly replicate the incredible evading technique of airbenders, and their incredible speed also. This battle art was at the forefront, in terms of difficulty to learn. This was already displaying her battle talent, though she could not be referred to as a genius, she was definitely talented.


    As she fell down, she rolled negating the downward force, while her 2 swords complimented it by slashing upwards. Ptui!! The Armageddon reacted fast, but couldn¡¯t dodge the first slash as the sword slashed his right hand, inflicting a deep injury on his hand.


    Ahh!! He cried in rage due to the injury, as he swung his great sword down with all his might. She was faster, as she already jumped up, while performing multiple back flips.


    Boom!! Crack!! The metal floor of the cage, cracked from the sheer force behind the strike. He quickly looked up, as he couldn¡¯t find his opponent, his opponent¡¯s backflips helped her in evading completely.


    Ptui!! Blood splattered on the ground, as her sword succeeded in blinding her opponent¡¯s right eye. She threw one of her swords at him, as she did her backflip in the air, which brought this low probability advantage.


    Ahh!! He finally felt the pain, as he dropped his huge sword, while holding his bleeding eye. It was an action out of instinct, it¡¯s hard to fool nature as the eye is one of the most essential sense organs. She finally reached the top of the cage, as she hit the cage with her legs, using the momentum to dive back down.


    He finally realized his mistake as he tried to pick up his sword, but it was too late. In such a fast-paced battle, a 2 second delay can determine the winner and the loser.


    Ptui!! She landed with force on him, as she stabbed his neck. She dragged the sword across with fluid movements, as she landed gracefully with her opponent¡¯s head on her hand like a trophy of blood.


    Bam!! The Armageddon¡¯s lifeless and headless body finally fell down, as the spectators erupted in cheers. It was cruel, but this was what they came for, to see fierce battles and death.


    Clark also applauded her, as he was surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know she was this strong. She probably hid her strength too,¡± he thought with a laugh.


    ¡°During this battle, the flexible master completely obliterated the Armageddon with skill, she¡­¡± The commentator didn¡¯t forget his job, as he added amidst the cheers as soon as the battle ended, using the right words to hype and increase the excitement of the spectators.


    Clark visited and congratulated her in the medical bay, as she still suffered some injuries from the battle. The elimination phase continued, as deaths and victories were announced every day.


    Henry also had his first battle, but unlike Emily, his was a bitter battle. He had to fight hard for his victory. At the end of the battle, he was bleeding all over and he even lost a leg. Fortunately, it could be fixed in the medical bay.


    After some time, the most highly anticipated battle was finally fought, a week after Henry¡¯s battle. The Emperor vs Tarzan, this battle broke the record for being the quickest battle to end.


    It ended in less than 2 minutes, as the Emperor dominated the whole battle from the beginning to the end. When armed with his spear, he was simply unstoppable, as his aggressive fighting style was very unique and unpredictable.


    This fast battle, increased the pressure that Clark had to face for his final battle. But most importantly, it improved his zeal and will to fight, train and improve.


    It¡¯s just like you were once the best in your class, but after going to another school you found at that someone was better than you are. You¡¯ll strive to get your status back, as the best.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 82: the magician

    Today, was the day of another highly anticipated battle, between the Stranded dragon and the mad man. The mad man, Clark had no idea why he gave himself such a name, but he was prepared to put in his all to win this battle.


    It may be that his opponent was trying to use the name, as a form of reverse psychology manipulation. But he didn¡¯t care, as long as he was strong enough, no obstacle was unsurmountable.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, today is the first day that we¡¯ll witness one of the best performers in training, fight his first gladiator battle¡±. The commentator started his job, as his projection appeared above the gladiator cage, with his usual trade mark smile planted on his face.


    ¡°Today¡¯s battle will be featuring, The Stranded dragon and the mad man¡±. The crowd cheered wildly, as the 2 gladiators both entered the cage without any fanfare or talk. It¡¯s not like, they had any reason to.


    Clark was wielding a normal reinforced steel sword and a reinforced steel shield, while his opponent, the mad man was wielding a pair of daggers. He advanced forward steadily, while calculating the fastest way to win the battle.


    Unlike him, his opponent didn¡¯t do that as he started retreating backwards, blatantly displaying his decision to not fight a direct battle. He was at first surprised at his opponent¡¯s unusual actions, but he quickly calmed his fleeting thoughts as he calmly advanced.


    The battle gradually progressed, deviating from the normal way, becoming a game of hide and seek, as he advanced while his opponent retreated. This continued for some time, before the spectators quickly started booing at them.


    No one had the patience to look at such a prolonged battle, all the spectators came to see blood and death. Its like a drug to them, they came to get high, from the surge of adrenaline the battle will give them. Not to fall asleep, from watching a boring dragged-out battle.


    Clark behaved like he didn¡¯t hear all these, as he kept his tempo pursuing his opponent steadily. The spectators came to watch them as entertainment, while most of them, the gladiators that were here, were forced to be here, it was not of their own volition.


    They would surely fight for their survival, but they would definitely not fight in a specific way to entertain their spectators. After another 5 minutes of calm observation, he finally made a decision as he picked up the pace, sprinting at his opponent with full speed.


    It seems like his opponent expected this, as he also turned, running towards him immediately, with even greater speed. As they came very close to each other, he suddenly slowed down again, returning to his steady tempo and speed.


    It seems that his opponent was finally caught off-guard from this unexpected move, as he stopped for a moment in hesitation, before he continued running towards him.


    Boom!! At this moment, he finally let loose, displaying his usual decisiveness, as he suddenly bolted forward with speed. The air shook fiercely, protesting from the enormous friction kinetic energy generated from the sudden charge.


    Clang!! His sword was already at his opponent¡¯s neck, but this mad man was surprisingly very fast, as he blocked the strike.


    Bam!! Bam!! Clang!! The mad man also erupted with speed, as he suddenly executed a battle art, ¡°Convergence of a thousand knives¡±. During his trainings, he frequently used his implant to learn more about battle arts, so he recognized this rare battle art used by his opponent immediately.


    He didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry on seeing this. According to analysis, this fight was going to be the fastest, as the mad man was one of the weakest in the whole fleet.


    According to analysis, they said it was a miracle that he became a 2nd rank high-grade soldier. They deduced that he had a poor foundation, and that he has probably not learned a battle art. Well, this guy was simply an expert at disguise, as he successfully fooled all the analysts, but it was unfortunate that he met him.


    High-grade soldiers having weak and poor foundations sounded ridiculous, but this was when he was compared to other soldiers of the same rank as he was. Him becoming a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, already displayed his talent. But in a battle of 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, he was at the bottom, according to the analysis.


    A flurry of knife strikes quickly flew his way with speed, as he calmly blocked with his shield, while adjusting his stance. Clang!! Clang! Metallic sounds reverberated, as his opponent attacked with his daggers, while he blocked with his shield.


    Whoosh!! He suddenly thrust his sword forward, with speed. Clang!! His opponent blocked it, but he already expected that he would block it, as he quickly rotated the sword in his hand with impeccable control. Another metallic sound reverberated, as the sharp edge of his sword rotated while sliding very fast to his opponent¡¯s dagger¡¯s handle.


    Ahh!! His opponent cried in pain while trying to retreat backwards, as his short display of skill successfully removed his opponent¡¯s wrist from his right hand.


    His opponent tried retreating, but his sword was faster. Whoosh!! Ptui!! Ptui!! His sword stabbed his neck, while he dragged it to the right and then to the left with inhuman speed. His opponent¡¯s head flew off from his body, as blood spurted out of his neck.


    He blocked with his shield, to prevent the blood from soiling him, as he turned to walk away. The spectators were slow to react, it took some time before they finally understood what happened. The whole stadium erupted in cheers, as the commentator talked rapidly, with so much vigor and surprise.


    ¡°Damn, this is just a piece of magic,¡± he said as a projection was quickly displayed, to replay that magical moment.


    The whole spectators erupted again in cheers after re-watching it, as someone started chanting, Magician! Magician! The other spectators quickly picked up the line, as magician, magician, became the only sound now echoing around the ship.


    On returning, Clark was overwhelmed with praise from his 2 new friends. Emily and henry practically became his fans, as they both blabbered on, about how incredible he was during the last moments of the battle.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even use a battle art,¡± they clamored. He preferred being reserved, but he still secretly felt proud of himself as they both continued. He went back to train shortly after, as he didn¡¯t sustain any injury.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else in the ship, The Emperor sat, as he watched the replay of the last moments of Clark¡¯s fight. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were this skilled,¡± he commented with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re my last obstacle to qualify. And I like the skilled ones better as stepping stones, the more skilled, the better,¡± he said with a grin.


    As the tournament progressed, a lot of people who performed poorly in the training revealed their true strength during this elimination phase, as dark horses kept on appearing, surprising their opponents. A lot of others who performed well in the training, also died this phase, as the gladiator¡¯s arena was simply a nightmare to ranged specialists.


    This was an obvious loop hole in the rules of the tournament, as this practice was a huge disadvantage to ranged specialists, who only practiced battle arts designed for guns.


    Despite this, no one cared, as the organizers of this tournament were the only ones with the power to decide. The gladiator event prohibited the use of guns and other gadgets, as they tried to make it as medieval as possible.


    As they fought and killed, unknown to them, the Captain of this fleet secretly took note of the exceptional ones in the elimination phase.


    ¡°This stranded dragon and Emperor are really something,¡± he muttered to himself silently. He didn¡¯t linger too long there though, as he had other priorities, he opened to look at the 3rd rank high-grade soldier¡¯s battle.


    That day, as Clark trained, he couldn¡¯t help but think of the Sparta republic. ¡°I wonder how everything is at home,¡± he soliloquized in a nostalgic mood.


    It was already more than a year, going to 2 years, since he was captured, he was now already 20 years old. ¡°Oh man, how time flies,¡± he sighed.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 83: emily bauer the second battle

    Somewhere else on the ship, another fierce battle was going on. This was a battle between Captain Jack, the leader of the Camelotian fleet, and another 3rd rank high-grade soldier.


    During the training sessions, he was not too exceptional, as he opted to act in a low-key manner, but no one dared to underestimate him. As the commander of a whole fleet, his strength and capability are not beans, everyone was clear on that.


    This was his first gladiator battle; his ring name is Captain Jack. He was too arrogant, or probably too lazy to brainstorm for a tyrannical nickname, his opponent¡¯s ring name is Deathstroke.


    As soon as the battle began, he was too impatient to slowly fight a drawn-out battle, as he charged forward to meet his opponent decisively. His opponent was not the best, but was among the better ones during their training. His opponent used a saber as his weapon, while he wielded a broad sword as his weapon.


    His opponent agreed with his sentiment, as he also decided to end the battle swiftly. Deathstroke advanced forward to meet him, as they closed the distance rapidly. He didn¡¯t allow him any advantage, as he took the initiative to attack first. He hacked down with his huge sword vertically.


    Boom!! The air shook fiercely as his sword cut forward unstoppably, his opponent didn¡¯t face him foolishly in one place like a motionless target. He jumped back 2 steps as soon as the Captain¡¯s huge sword hit the ground, cracking the metal floor. He advanced forward swiftly at him, as soon as the force from the sword died down.


    Whoosh!! His saber slashed forward swiftly like a viper, clearly displaying his skill as an elite, the saber strike was very fast and well calculated. Captain jack didn¡¯t have the time to block the huge sword.


    The spectators were already feeling tense, as time seemed to have slowed down. The 3rd rank high-grade soldier battles clearly had more depth to it, a lot of the spectators knew that Captain Jack would not die from this maneuver, but he would surely receive an injury.


    Boom!! Boom!! The whole ship immediately quietened down like a graveyard, after these 2 very glaring attack sounds. The commentator was also unusually quiet, as he was left speechless from the outcome of the attack.


    It was the most unexpected of all the possibilities, the spectators sucked in a breath of cold air as their brain couldn¡¯t comprehend what just happened.


    At the moment that his opponent¡¯s saber was advancing forward, the Captain made a very confident and arrogant decision. He abandoned his broad sword, as he quickly slammed at his opponent¡¯s advancing saber with his bare hands. He didn¡¯t even look to know the outcome, before he slammed with his 2 palms again at his opponent¡¯s ears.


    His opponent¡¯s sword shattered to pieces from the hit, his head withstood the blow, as it didn¡¯t explode, but everyone was sure that he was probably already a mad man.


    The force from the slam alone was enough to make his head explode. The fact that it didn¡¯t, already proved his resilience, but his brain tissues were probably already mangled into a mess.


    Captain Jack finally picked up his broad sword, as his opponent stood, swaying slowly, phasing between life and death. He made the decision on his behalf, as he cleanly separated his head from his body with his broad sword.


    After doing the deed, he slowly raised his head as he looked arrogantly round the spectators, before walking away gallantly amid the silence. This silence stretched on for some time, before the spectator¡¯s brains finally arrived back at the present, as they started yelling his name.


    Forget about his arrogant look before he left. The spectators didn¡¯t care about it, it just made them feel more excited, this is exactly what they came to see.


    Clark also watched the battle, as he brooded in silence, the Captain¡¯s brute strength horrified him. He just thanked his God that he was a higher ranked high-grade soldier, so they were not meeting in the tournament. He also thanked his lucky stars for not trying anything foolish, while he was still on his fleet.


    As the spectators yelled, the commentator finally found his nerves as he tried to talk. Well, what could he say?


    The battle was already over, he was speechless but he couldn¡¯t just remain silent. So, he just started heaping praise on the Captain endlessly before the arena was quickly deserted, by the spectators. The praise was not unwarranted though, as the Captain accomplished this feat without using a battle art.


    It was not his rank battle, but Clark still thoroughly analyzed it for the experience.


    Captain Jack felt humiliated for being captured to fight as gladiator, to entertain others. He was angry, but he knew his limits, his country could not just save him from this huge behemoth.


    So, he decided to direct his rage to his opponents in the ring. He was determined to dominate the tournament, and fight his way to freedom dominantly, venting all his frustration.


    The next day, battles continued as gladiators fought each other. The tournament was already becoming more complicated, as the gladiators already studied most of their opponent¡¯s skill and battle arts. Strategies were already being devised to better fight opponents, as the 2nd round of the tournament began.


    Emily Bauer¡¯s second battle was being fought today, she finally revealed her real name to Clark before going to the ring, or better still the cage.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, let¡¯s welcome our gladiators today to the ring. Today¡¯s battle is between The flexible master, and The hermit¡±. The commentator diligently did his job, as he announced fluently.


    The spectators cheered loudly, as the 2 gladiators both entered the cage. All the gladiators already started having their own fanbase, as the spectators shouted their favorite¡¯s ring name.


    The gladiators themselves didn¡¯t pay attention to things such as fans, as they were basically hostages in this ship. But their fans, paid great attention to them.


    Emily exercised her hands, swinging her 2 light swords back and forth, as she quickly entered the cage. Her self-proclaimed fans screamed her ring name, as the gate to the cage quickly closed behind her.


    After a long time of preparation, the 2 gladiators both understood themselves. As they have trained, studied and analyzed each other¡¯s techniques, fighting style and battle arts comprehensively.


    She was nervous, as according to statistics from the analysts. The hermit had an 8% chance more than her, to emerge victorious in this battle. The analysts could not be trusted, but such a statistic still brought her unimaginable pressure.


    She tried to ignore this analysis, despite it haunting her repeatedly. Clark and Henry already gave her a word of encouragement and advice before she entered the cage, to ignore it and focus, but she just couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just have to adapt to it on the spot then,¡± she muttered in encouragement to herself, while advancing forward.


    Today¡¯s battle was clearly going to be a battle of skill and technique, as the hermit also wielded 2 light swords as his weapon of choice. They understood themselves, so they didn¡¯t waste time, as they approached each other, quickly closing the distance.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Clang!! The hermit attacked first, as his 2 swords stabbed forward swiftly 3 times. She reacted fast as she swayed left and right, rapidly dodging the first 2 stabs. She parried the final stab with one of her swords, while her other sword advanced forward eerily and swiftly like a viper.


    Her opponent didn¡¯t pull back, as he calmly blocked her fast sword. His swords suddenly vibrated as he applied force, pulling a very fast maneuver with them.


    She sensed the danger, as her opponent¡¯s swords closed in on her outstretched hand with abnormal speed. Her brain quickly went into overdrive, as she pulled her hand back while looking for another solution, as the swords were advancing faster than her hands were pulling backwards.


    Boom!! She decisively unleashed her battle art, the boneless maneuver, after running out of options, as her outstretched hand bent backwards swiftly.


    Awwn!! She groaned slightly in pain, as her hand escaped but her opponent¡¯s sword still sliced a portion of flesh from it as compensation. She was not done though, as she was not ready to be the first to be disadvantaged.


    Her bent hands suddenly straightened, propelling her sword forward as blood slowly dropped down from her hand.


    Her opponent was just too calm a fighter, as he tried pulling back quickly, he avoided a fatal injury but her sword still connected to his shoulder. Whoosh!! She didn¡¯t leave it at that, as she twisted her sword with speed, ripping a significant injury on her opponent¡¯s shoulder ruthlessly.


    Despite the pain, The hermit still kept a calm face, as he planned on slowing the tempo of the fight.


    She disagreed though, as she launched herself forward like a rocket. He reacted fast, as he slashed at her with one of his swords. Her battle art showcased its usefulness again, as she twisted, abnormally dodging the sword strike while still airborne.


    This maneuver earned a cheer from the audience, but she didn¡¯t hear them as all her mind was on winning this battle. The hermit was finally caught off guard, as he didn¡¯t expect her to dodge his sword while still airborne. He hastily attempted to dash backwards faster, but it was too late.


    She slashed with her sword upwards, as she attempted to finish the fight quickly. As her swords reached a height, she flipped them up. Quickly catching them back, she stabbed down ruthlessly at her opponent¡¯s brain.


    The hermit finally reacted, as he looked up in alarm, confusion and rage, while rolling backwards. He managed to escape death, but his opponent¡¯s stab still gave him a new injury, as he quickly turned to face her in rage.


    Boom!! The air vibrated, as he advanced while unleashing his battle art, ¡°Heart of the hermit¡±. He was determined to teach his opponent a lesson now, ¡°you want a fast-paced battle, a fast-paced battle you will get¡±.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! He stabbed twice with an insane speed; she expected it as she parried with her sword. But this time, he was something else as his third stab advanced faster, giving her another injury on her cheeks.


    Ptui!! This time, she didn¡¯t expect this as the Hermit released a 4th stab, stabbing her abdomen. She staggered disorderly, before quickly pulling herself together, while gritting her teeth in pain.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 84: desperation

    Boom!! The hermit didn¡¯t relent, as he ended the combo with a horizontal slash with both his swords. Emily blocked this blow with her sword, but she lost her footing, falling down from the force released by the blow.


    Bam!! She slammed down on the floor, as strength finally disappeared from her body. ¡°Is this it? Am I dying here?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but ask herself inwardly, as tears rolled down from her eyes.


    She never wanted to be a gladiator, but this was not a choice that she could make, this is how this age is. She could not help but feel boundless hatred, as her thoughts continued unrestrainedly. ¡°Mom, Dad, why did you give birth to me in this era?¡±


    The strong survive and make use of the weak, as sources of entertainment. She knew that in this age, the one with the biggest fist speaks, but she was still indignant.


    Why was she born in this age of cruelty? Why did she have to witness this barbarity? Her vision gradually darkened, as she felt that she had no reason to live in this world again.


    As she sank inwardly into the bottomless pit of regret, she remembered a saying in one of her favorite books, ¡°The advent of the archmage¡±. Celine always quoted that, the circumstance of her birth was beyond her control. But the circumstance and directory of her life, will definitely be in her control as long as she was alive and kicking.


    Thinking of this, she suddenly started feeling a strange kind of emotion overwhelming her thoughts. Her mentality was experiencing a unique change, she started feeling strength slowly gather back in her.


    The power of morale was rearing its head, a thought was all it took to trigger it. Morale is a very essential tool in battles, if your morale is dead, then basically you are dead. She suddenly felt that, it was not right for her to be wallowing in depression because of the circumstances of her life.


    ¡°I was born in this cruel age without my consent, good¡±.


    ¡°But I will not succumb to it, I will not die a nobody. The trajectory of my life and death will be at my fingertips, not at others fingertips. Even if I can¡¯t change the world, I will try¡±.


    As she thought of all these, her opponent was not waiting for her as he stabbed down with his sword. Her only saving grace, was that her thought process was far faster than the battle¡¯s tempo.


    Strength returned to her bones, as her eyes snapped open. Her dizziness temporarily disappeared, as she saw the sharp tip of a sword drawing closer rapidly to her head. Boom!! The sword stabbed down with speed, she was able to remove her head at the last second, but not without an injury.


    The hermit failed in killing her, but succeeded in blinding her left eye, as he advanced forward to finish her off. Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! His 2 swords blurred as he stabbed with insane speed while advancing forward, this was his self-created technique, that he adapted to his battle art.


    This went further to tell how good he was, as even Clark didn¡¯t have his own self-created technique, though he never tried creating one.


    He adapted and improvised this technique from a game he played, shadow fight. It is an old game, but people still play it for fun, though this one was an updated version he programmed himself.


    This age, you can¡¯t be programming a game and call yourself a computer genius. Almost everybody with an implant, can do simple things like programming, as their implant made learning super easy. You have to be able to program huge battle A. Is, before you can call yourself a computer genius.


    He created this technique, from one of the characters in his updated shadow fight 2, ¡°Hermit¡±. If you play shadow fight 2, you would notice that there was a skill that Hermit performs often against strong opponents. He advances forward quickly, bends down and stabs with his 2 light swords rapidly at his opponent.


    This was what he improvised into his own, to create a brand-new technique. He called it, ¡°The blurred strikes of death¡±. From the name alone, you will know that this was his killer move, or better still his finishing move.


    Despite this, Emily did not lose herself to despair this time, as she also launched herself forward to meet her opponent bravely. If trying meant death, she was ready for it this time.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Whoosh!! She quickly forgot herself completely in the battle as she slashed, cut, hacked and stabbed like her life depended on it. And her life really depended on it, this time.


    Her battle art mainly focused on abnormal evasion maneuvers. To be more direct, her battle art was not a fully offensive oriented one. But today is a do or die affair. It¡¯s either she survives and kill her opponent, or her opponent survives and kill her.


    The battle became very bloody and fast paced that majority of the spectators now saw only blood, the rest details was too fast for them to catch up to. The hermit never imagined that this female opponent would fight so ferociously, he was now injured all over as his strength started waning.


    Though she suffered multiple injuries from withstanding his self-created technique. She still persevered, fighting fiercely as they both experienced more injuries.


    He knew clearly that his opponent has sustained a lot of injuries, far more than he sustained. But he couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of regret, why did he foolishly start this aggressive exchange of blows in the first place? He would have preferred the slow progressive one instead, if he could predict the future.


    Whoosh!! Emily evaded another fatal sword strike from her opponent, she dodged it, preventing it from killing her. But it still cut her cheek, removing some flesh and a good amount of her long hair.


    Dodging was already now instinct to her, as she countered with her own sword strike. Their fight already broke the record for the longest battle fought, as neither of them refused to succumb to defeat.


    It was already over 30 minutes, since they started using their battle arts and the fatigue was slowly seeping in. In addition to when they exchanged normal strikes, they already fought for over 2 hours.


    Ahh!! The hermit yelled in frustration, as he suddenly made a decision. He was surprised at his opponent¡¯s endurance and tenacity, so he decided to end the battle early. According to his calculations, this was more to his favor.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! He increased his fight tempo exponentially, as his hands blurred stabbing repeatedly. He gritted his teeth in pain, as his injuries widened further due to the increased pace his hands and body moved at. His opponent couldn¡¯t react in time, the first 3 stabs impaled her as she groaned in pain.


    In normal circumstances, she would have retreated, but not this time. She retaliated back, as she also increased her tempo while screaming out, to help her better endure the pain she was currently feeling.


    The battle quickly reached a climax, as only the sounds of metallic collision rang. The 2 gladiators broke their limits, as their hand speed completely erupted. Despite this, the outcome of the battle was still a mystery, as they were both evenly matched. No one had an overwhelming advantage.


    The commentator was lost for words, he didn¡¯t know what to say again as the fight was just too fast paced. Whoosh!! Whoosh!! 2 slashing sounds reverberated, as the 2 gladiators suddenly stood still. The spectators were perplexed and tense at the same time, as they watched keenly.


    The hermit stared blankly, as his head slowly rolled down from his body. Emily didn¡¯t get to see all these though, as she suddenly held her throat, her vision blurred as the blood on her face slowly covered her eyes.


    Splurt!! Blood flowed out of her throat, as she fell to her knees. Her consciousness was already escaping her grasp, as she slightly heard thudding sounds coming closer to where she was.


    She finally lost consciousness, as the pain and fatigue overwhelmed her, only her physique as a 2nd rank high-grade soldier was saving her from immediate death.


    The spectators yelled and cheered wildly, as medical practitioners rushed into the cage with a stretcher to carry her away. Despite her sorry and uncertain state, the spectators still cheered for her as she undoubtedly won. And most especially, the battle was really a nerve wracking one.


    At the last moments of the battle, even though the hermit increased the tempo of the fight, he was still clear headed. As soon as he succeeded in stabbing her thrice, he ended the combo with a slash at her neck.


    She reflexively shifted her upper body backwards, but the sword still cut her throat. Despite this, she mustered her strength as she threw both her swords at him.


    After he cut her throat, he backed away in relief to avoid any desperate counter attack. This was his mistake, as he failed to react to the 2 swords flying horizontally at him in time. The 2 swords cut his neck through cleanly, a lapse in his reaction was all it took for him to die.


    He could only stare wide eyed, refusing to believe it, as his head separated from his body. Emily didn¡¯t know the outcome of the battle; the sword throw was just a desperate attempt at victory which paid off.


    ¡°Is this my end?¡± Was the last question she asked herself, before falling unconscious.


    This was Clark¡¯s first time, that he was so on the edge when watching a battle. He didn¡¯t know when, but he already started seeing Henry and Emily as genuine friends.


    He finally stood up, as he went to console the crying Henry. Forget any ridiculous assumptions, he was still a boy, still in the morphing stage to become a man. The feeling of seeing your childhood friend being stabbed repeatedly, was definitely not a pleasant one. He is a soldier, but he is a soldier with emotions.


    His new friend cried for a long time as he consoled him, before they both went to the medical bay to know of her condition.


    Because of this fight, he started feeling a greater urge to improve and increase his strength. His current strength was just too insignificant to influence the bigger things.


    He had to sit behind a projection, watching helplessly as his friend was being beaten up, it sucks man. As he walked with Henry, he inwardly calmed his emotions, being angry was just an emotion of losers. He¡¯ll just have to work harder, become stronger and directly change the world¡¯s situation.


    If others heard his thoughts, they would probably laugh at him for boasting, but he was not boasting. He knew that his goal was hard, not only hard, but very very hard.


    According to the ancient boxing legend, ¡°Mohammed Ali¡±. ¡°If it was easy, everybody would do it,¡± it was not easy, which only warranted him to be more hardworking and focused.


    It was hard and dangerous, but the first astronauts Neil Armstrong and his partner still landed on the moon. They didn¡¯t give in to fear, no matter how big and impossible their goal seemed. It was only because of how daring human beings are, that enabled them to develop to this stage. No pain, no gain.


    Some people think an individual was too small to influence a country. Well, he¡¯ll prove to the world that he, Clark Pendragon was not a regular human.


    He¡¯ll fight to accomplish his goal, even if it meant dying.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. I spent some effort in fine tuning this chapter, I hope it didn''t disappoint. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 85: the round of death

    After a week of treatment, Emily was finally discharged. She came to meet her friends, looking energetic as usual. During this week she was in the medical bay, Henry fought his second battle. It was not as dramatic as her battle though.


    He won after a drawn-out battle of attrition. Forget about his lack of confidence, he was still one of the best in the ship. His lack of confidence, is because of the steep requirement of only 5 survivors.


    ¡­


    It was already 3 months since the tournament began, today is Clark¡¯s 2nd battle fixture. His opponent this time is Excalibur, the fight was without suspense as he completely crushed his opponent.


    After some time, Emily and Henry also had their 3rd tournament battle, they both fought against weaker opponents and won after putting in some effort.


    The main highlight of these recent battles was The Emperor¡¯s 3rd battle, he fought against Jian Wushaung. ¡°Jian Wushaung,¡± the name sounds ridiculous, but this guy is also one of the best fighters in this ship.


    He came from a Chinese lineage, so he just used this as his ring name. Both him and The Emperor were ranked with 4 others in the same category, as the pinnacle gladiators in the whole ship.


    They both gave their all, as they fought a bloody battle with each other. Clark felt reluctant to admit it, but he was on the edge during the majority of the battle. The Emperor advanced forward aggressively like always with his spear, stabbing, slashing and hacking forcefully.


    He has always been an aggressive fighter, but his opponent was even more aggressive, as he clashed with him with his great sword. The battle continued in a fast pace for over 30 minutes, as they both started feeling exhaustion.


    He had a slight advantage of being stronger in terms of brute strength, but his opponent¡¯s wild but versatile fighting style suppressed his advantage.


    This battle displayed the pinnacle of ferociousness, the metal floor of the cage cracked from the force coming from their attacks. The 2 gladiators finally kneeled in exhaustion, after 2 hours of battling, they completely drained themselves without getting a clear winner.


    This result was surprising, as no one thought that someone could match The Emperor in a battle. Jian Wushaung was probably, the most unexpected dark horse of the tournament.


    This battle was enough to urge the organizers of the tournament to force a change, as they declared the battle as a draw. The Emperor was unwilling, as medical practitioners came to carry the both of them away.


    This 3rd round was clearly a round of death, as of the 6 pinnacle, widely acknowledged best gladiators in the ship. 2 already fought, ending with a draw. Of the remaining 4, Clark had to fight The Trickster, this round. The remaining 2 are to also fight themselves this round.


    The spectators were completely hyped up for this round, and today is the battle between The Eagle Queen and The Golden Lion. These 2 are among the pinnacle 6, in the ship.


    Some spectators joked that they met this early, because of the animal names, they added to their ring names.


    Well, this didn¡¯t affect them as the battle quickly began. The Eagle Queen is the widely acknowledged strongest female gladiator on the ship. Some people tend to underestimate girls, but she silenced them with her tyrannical battle and training records. The ones who still dared, are already lost in this tournament¡¯s long history.


    She further cemented her position, as she killed her opponent after 50 minutes of fighting. Being pinnacle gladiators does not guarantee a win, she proved her strength today, that her qualifying was not by luck.


    The spectators were pretty shocked, and extremely excited, as they didn¡¯t expect such a clean victory. She finished the battle riddled with injuries, but winning was all that matters. As she would receive free treatment, she didn¡¯t see any reason to stress her brain tissues by calculating and fighting cautiously.


    ¡­


    After another 2 weeks of battles, Clark¡¯s time finally came as his 2 friends both encouraged him.


    ¡°Clark, be confident. You can do it, you can crush this guy,¡± Emily said with a smile.


    He secretly rolled his eyes at her, for saying her words of encouragement in such an emotional tone. He smiled back at them, as he quickly stood up, picked up his shield and sword and started walking straight to the cage.


    The Trickster was always seen as one of the pinnacle fighters, but due to his last battle with The Elephant¡¯s gaze. His strength evaluation rose up again exponentially, he now held the record for the fastest battle in the ship.


    Clang!! The gates of the cage slammed shut, as Clark entered, keenly observing his opponent. The trickster is a very skinny, middle-aged warrior. Looking at him, he looked more like a thief, than a gladiator. The expression on his face portrayed him as an experienced veteran, his face was devoid of emotions.


    Unlike him, his opponent wielded a pair of daggers. His dagger are not the conventional ones, as they are longer than normal.


    Before today, they already studied themselves in detail. Clark made sure to watch and understand all his opponent¡¯s past battles, so he had a good grasp of his opponent¡¯s battle style.


    As he observed, his opponent was already rushing forward to meet him. He ignored his opponent¡¯s seemingly impatient charge, as he advanced slowly at his own pace. At this stage of the elimination round, only experienced fighters were left. No impatient gladiators were still alive.


    Whoosh!! He stabbed forward swiftly with his sword, aiming at his opponent¡¯s head as soon as he came within his attacking range. The trickster was very decisive, on seeing this, he started executing his battle art immediately, ¡°The drunkard¡¯s dance¡±.


    Whoosh!! He quickly turned his head to the side, as Clark¡¯s sword streaked past his face. Instead of counterattacking, he did his trademark move, the drunkard steps. This move was a technique that he created himself, his last battle was the first time he used this technique. And through it, he instantly killed his opponent.


    Woah!! The spectators exclaimed in surprise at the move, ¡°was this guy planning to instar-kill such a strong opponent? So bold.¡± As they soliloquized excitedly, he didn¡¯t wait for them as he moved forward with speed.


    Clark already knew of this technique, but he was still left astonished at the speed his opponent moved at. He could only saw a blur, as his opponent moved left, then right before attacking. You will only understand something best, when you experience it.


    Clang!! Ptui!! His opponent moved like an Olympic gymnast, as he struck once hitting his shield. Not even half a second passed, as his opponent appeared behind him again, stabbing at his neck. This time, he felt goosebumps all over his body, as he hurriedly rolled forward while trying to block again with his shield.


    Awwn!! He groaned in pain, as despite his fast reaction, his opponent still stabbed at his hand, drawing blood.


    Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! He was not given the time to re-adjust himself, as his opponent unleashed a wave of fast stabs. Despite not re-adjusting, he reflexively blocked with his shield as he jumped backwards while slashing forward with his sword.


    His opponent advanced forward, like he didn¡¯t see the sword slashing at him. He was confused, as his opponent¡¯s decision distracted him a bit. ¡°Did he not see it?¡± he could not help but question himself inwardly, in doubt.


    Whoosh!! The trickster moved like he was dance fighting, as he quickly bent down dodging the strike at the last second.


    ¡°Not good,¡± Clark thought, as he pulled back in a hurry. Ptui!! Blood flowed as his opponent¡¯s dagger cut him again, this time on his chest.


    He counterattacked with his sword, but his opponent predicted it, as he dodged smoothly. The fight continued for another 10 minutes, as he slowly began to get bloody from injuries.


    He already received 6 cuts from his opponent, but he failed to land a single blow on him in retaliation. He was not stupid; he already grasped the crux of the problem, as his brain went into overdrive searching for a solution.


    It seems like he had an advantage, as he had not started using his battle art. But he knew that using his battle art will only accelerate his death, at this point. The frenzied maneuver can increase his strength and speed, but he will expose more openings for his opponent to exploit.


    He already figured his opponent out; this guy was a bonafide opportunist. If he engaged in a competition of skill, pace or technique with him. He¡¯ll definitely pay for it dearly, probably with death.


    The trickster had a perfect grasp of skill, any opening, and he will always exploit it slowly increasing his injuries. He fought like a war veteran.


    Boom!! He suddenly advanced forward with speed, trying to bash his opponent with his shield. His opponent dodged, but it was already within his calculations as his sword struck forward with speed. His opponent could not dodge this one, he could only parry with his sword.


    After their swords collided, he immediately started executing his battle art, as he dropped his sword and shield. He slapped at his opponent¡¯s chest with his palm. Their distance was too close, and his opponent was caught off-guard, his palms slammed at his chest with force.


    The force disoriented his opponent a bit, as he staggered backwards. He took hold of this opportunity, as he grabbed his opponent¡¯s wrists with force.


    The trickster was still the trickster Afterall. He knew that he couldn¡¯t compete with Clark with force, so he released his daggers as his wrists slipped from his opponent¡¯s palms, while he retreated.


    Clark slightly grinned, as everything went according to his calculations, he beat him at his own game. His opponent¡¯s basics were too solid, which he took advantage of. With the help of his implant, he calculated and predicted all of these instinct reactions.


    Boom!! He launched himself forward unrestrainedly with speed, as he caught up to his opponent in an instant. The trickster¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at this speed. He tried dodging and striking at his rapidly approaching opponent, but his opponent was faster. Clark gripped his hand, and pulled down with force.


    Bam!! The trickster slammed down at the metal floor, due to the force his opponent applied. This guy was just too skinny and light for him to struggle to bring him down. Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! The fall disoriented him, so he couldn¡¯t react as Clark released a flurry of blows at his face.


    The frenzied maneuver is a very straightforward battle art, but don¡¯t dare underestimate it¡¯s strength. This series of calculations by him, was all it took to kill this troublesome fellow. His flurry of blows blew his opponent¡¯s head off, as his brain matters scattered on the floor.


    The spectators were slow to react, but as soon as they understood, cheers erupted everywhere. Magician! Magician! Magician! He didn¡¯t know who started it, he didn¡¯t care though as this chant soon filled the whole arena.


    All the spectators yelled in excitement, at the top of their lungs. He finally stood up with his bloodied hands. He walked out of the cage amidst the cheers, applause and screams of the spectators.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 86: epiphany

    After returning, Clark went back straight to his room. His 2 friends, were already there to welcome and congratulate him.


    ¡°Clark, you are so fierce. Damn, that was intense,¡± Henry exclaimed exaggeratedly as soon as he met Clark.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you abandoned your weapons to finish the battle with your fists, that¡¯s tyrannical¡±. Henry kept on heaping praise on him. He finally smiled a little, which earned a burst of laughter from Emily.


    ¡°Hahaha, you only know when to smile when praises are heaped on you right?¡± She asked in a slight accusing tone.


    ¡°¡­,¡± Clark was left speechless. ¡°Can¡¯t you allow me to enjoy my glory for once,¡± he complained inwardly. He could only cough a little to hide his awkwardness, as black lines already covered his face.


    ¡­


    For the rest of the day, talks of how the stranded dragon demolished the trickster kept being circulated. Clark didn¡¯t know of all these, nor did he pay attention. As he already returned to his strict schedule of train, bath, eat and train again.


    Due to his diligence, Emily and Henry were also affected. As they felt the urge to train and maybe improve also, if possible. ¡°Show me your friends, I will tell you who you are,¡± this parable was being proven here.


    For the past months after Clark witnessed the hermit¡¯s self-created technique, he tried hard to create his own also, as he already started knowing the significance of it. After about 2 months of trying, he discovered that self-created techniques are not something that can be created on demand or on a whim.


    He needed a source of enlightenment, that was his conclusion. As he was sure that The Hermit created his technique, through some unique circumstances. ¡°Despite this obstacle, I¡¯ll try my best to create at least one technique,¡± he promised myself.


    All the 3rd battle fixtures were finally concluded, the 4th round battles quickly started as the gladiator tournament continued. His and his friend¡¯s 4th battle was without suspense, as they killed their opponents without suffering too many injuries. They made a little celebration, for making it to the last round of the gladiator battles.


    After so long, he still could not create a technique as assurance for his battle against The Emperor. No matter how fast he won his battles, he was not ignorant nor arrogant enough to view The Emperor like the other gladiators.


    This guy¡¯s strength was the real deal. Forget about how he had a draw against Jian Wushaung, the man probably studied him thoroughly, and found a way to counter him.


    During their little celebration, Emily suggested that they should project a movie that each of them liked in their tender years, for all of them to enjoy. She first suggested her best movie, which they watched together.


    Henry followed after, suggesting his best movie also. When it finally came to his turn, he was suddenly at a loss for what to suggest.


    He knew a lot of movies that he liked, but a best movie? That, he didn¡¯t really know. As he saw the atmosphere becoming awkward, he just decided to suggest an animate cartoon that was adapted from one of his best novels, ¡°The King¡¯s Avatar¡±. After suggesting it, he suddenly started smiling as he felt like he made a good choice.


    The first episode quickly started playing through his projection, as they all became engrossed in the cartoon. His whole mind was focused on the projection, as he didn¡¯t want to miss a single detail. He had a habit of getting really annoyed, if he missed a single detail when watching a movie, even if it¡¯s trash.


    Henry ohhed and ahhed frequently, when a character in the cartoon performs a high-level skill. Emily was far calmer and more reserved, despite also being engrossed in the cartoon.


    Woah!! He exclaimed again, as Ye Xiu¡¯s Lord Grim comboed his opponent to death, the cartoon was just too attention grabbing. Their attention was fully on the projection, the high-quality projection also did a good job in improving their spectating experience.


    Lord Grim was battling another opponent in the team competition, as his umbrella suddenly transformed into a shield blocking his opponent¡¯s view. Boom!! He suddenly dodged to the side, as his teammate Soft Mist, controlled by Tang Rou arrived tyrannically with a dragon breaks the ranks skill.


    As Clark saw the spear advancing forward unstoppably, he increased his concentration as he didn¡¯t want to lose such an awesome moment. The magic waves emitting from the spear, was what added the cherry on top, as he immediately entered a unique state of mind.


    His implant started working on overdrive, as he repeatedly simulated this action in his mind again, again and again. He became completely lost in his imagination, forgetting about the passage of time.


    After an unknown amount of time, the episode was finally concluded. Emily and Henry, were gradually drawn out of their deeply engrossed state.


    ¡°Man, this cartoon is completely insane. I¡¯m downloading it now on my implant, this is simply a masterpiece¡±. Henry blurted out excitedly, as he turned to face his friend.


    ¡°Clark¡­, CLARK,¡± he called with a yell the second time, as the expression on his friend¡¯s face sent chills down his spine.


    Emily finally turned to face Clark with an irritated expression due to the yell, she was also stunned completely on seeing him.


    Clark didn¡¯t hear Henry¡¯s yell, as he was completely in his own world. A grin was on his face, while his eyes were closed. His current look was just like that of a mad man.


    Well, if you call him a mad man now, he¡¯ll just thank you with a smile. Because he just laid the most important foundation, to creating his self-created technique.


    ¡°CLARK!!¡± Henry yelled again, as he was finally startled awake this time. He slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that greeted his sight was his 2 friend¡¯s faces, looking at him like he was mad.


    He immediately understood, as he grinned on seeing this. He felt kind of funny, as this situation felt like a parable in the bible. He doesn¡¯t read it much, but he still knew some famous lines from going to church when he was younger.


    ¡°They have eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot understand. They have brains, but they cannot comprehend¡± It was so on point. They watched the same cartoon, but he was the only one to comprehend deeply.


    He finally explained what just happened to him, as Henry was almost pulling his hair out from waiting.


    They were surprised, before jumping in heartfelt joy for him. Envy threatened to sprout, but they quickly suppressed it as their friend comprehended this, through his own ability. He was really happy, as he fully expressed his joy with them, by getting drunk.


    ¡°The King¡¯s Avatar¡±, the novel was among his 2 best novels. But this was his first time, creating time to watch the animate cartoon. He just thanked his God, for deciding to watch it.


    ¡­


    The next day, they woke up feeling fresh and excited. Emily and Henry made sure to leave, giving Clark a silent atmosphere to further study his new technique.


    They were worried for him because of his next battle, against The Emperor. So, they were sincerely happy to know that he was creating a possible trump card now. They even felt kind of proud, as it was through their suggestion, that their friend get inspiration.


    To be sincere, he was more worried about them. This critical stage, there was no weak candidates again.


    Emily¡¯s next opponent was of fairly the same strength as she was. But this is a competition, anything could happen. He was more worried about Henry, as according to past battle statistics, his opponent was stronger than he was.


    After a week of learning and perfecting it, his self-created technique was finally kind of ready. He could not execute it physically yet, but he could do it through simulations in his implant. He still needed more practice, to perform it physically.


    Now, the dilemma of a name finally came, as he thought of a name to give his new technique.


    ¡°The Dragon¡¯s roar,¡± he suddenly had a thought. ¡°Hmmm¡­, this is good, but people will think that it is an attack to restrain and control, not to directly attack¡±.


    ¡°What of Stranded Dragon¡¯s blow. Shit, this is even more ridiculous than the first¡±. He could only blush in shame, at his lack of naming experience.


    ¡°Forget it, I guess I¡¯ll just go with the name that Butterfly blue gave it¡±. He finally decided to settle for the original.


    ¡°Dragon breaks the ranks. Yeah¡­, this is it. The name alone can instigate terror in my opponents¡±.


    ¡°Well, I can always decide to adapt medieval Chinese culture by shouting out my moves before attacking. Maybe it will seem more intimidating so. This random thought is a decision for later, the best thing is that I¡¯m ready. I¡¯m ready to face the Emperor¡±.


    Another decision he had to make, was his main weapon to use during battles. Dragon breaks the ranks, is a skill created for spear users. He didn¡¯t want to desecrate it. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll change my main from a sword, to a spear,¡± he muttered.


    This was not too hard. In his military training years, he was taught on how to use every weapon. He¡¯ll just have to resume training, to master using a spear.


    ¡­


    Bam!! Bam!! Poof!! Another boxing target burst, scattering into pieces as a sweat filled figure left for another boxing target. The Emperor was also training hard for this fight, against the Stranded Dragon.


    After his draw with Jian Wushaung, he didn¡¯t dare underestimate any of his opponents again. He was not afraid though, as he was absolutely confident that he could not be defeated.


    This much training was just a precaution to guarantee his win. Unlike Clark, he is among the lunatics who came here willingly in complete trust of their strength to get the price.


    Outside here, he is a mercenary who fight, kill, and protect if hired, as a source of income. He is an external member of one of the big 5, the Mercenary alliance.


    The Mercenary alliance is the only organization, that it¡¯s rules and restrictions are looser among the big 5. They accept outsiders who proved their strength, as external members who work for them as mercenaries and are paid. He doesn¡¯t focus completely on being a mercenary alone, as he looks for unconventional means of income like this.


    What is fueling his desire to look for money by any means, is his sister. When he was younger, a young man from Oakland once came to his town on a tour, with his entourage of soldiers. Unfortunately, his sister caught the man¡¯s eye, so he took her with him without even blinking.


    This is just a small example of the tyranny of the big 5. His sister was his only family member still alive, after his parent¡¯s death, so he vowed to get her back.


    This was what fueled his choice to train and become a mercenary. As the Mercenary alliance promised him that, they could get his sister back if he got enough money and mercenary contribution points.


    The 5th round battles finally began after a whole month of preparation. The whole fleet was hyped up, as this is the final battles to decide the strongest 5 that survives.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 87: speed limit

    Of the 204-2nd rank high-grade soldiers, 13 soldiers survived to this last round. After the first round, 102 soldiers survived to the next round. After the 2nd round, 51 soldiers were left. 50 of them had to fight, and one lucky soldier among them was allowed to advance directly to the next round without battling.


    After the 3rd round, 26 soldiers survived. Then after the 4th round, these 13 soldiers were left alive. These 13 soldiers are then going to fight for the last opportunity, to survive.


    The battles quickly began, as the cream of the crop of the initial 204 soldiers fight for a chance to survive. After 2 weeks of constant battles, today is a battle between the flexible master and exterminator.


    Emily got prepared, as Clark and Henry encouraged her to be calm and try her best. The commentator was not waiting for them to finish their word of advice, as he announced.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 3rd battle of the 5th round of this tournament. The flexible master and exterminator, welcome them with a round of applause as they come onstage to show their prowess and skill¡±.


    She stood up, as she walked steadily to the cage. On reaching there, she looked back for the last time, cleared her emotions before entering. She already steeled her mind for whatever will come, she was prepared for the worst. Bam!! The gates slammed shut, as she walked straight ahead.


    The exterminator is one of the few gladiators who don¡¯t use the common weapons like a spear or a sword, he used a double-edged sword as his weapon. It¡¯s also known as a glaive.


    This round there are no weak gladiators, so she didn¡¯t dare underestimate her opponent as she opted for the safer option of advancing slowly, while calculating her opponent¡¯s pace. Her opponent finally picked up his heavy weapon, as he advanced with speed towards her.


    Boom!! He attacked first as he stabbed with his weapon. She ducked without hesitation, as her 2 light swords stabbed forward also. Clang!! Despite his weapon being heavy, the exterminator wielded it like a normal sword as he parried her stabs.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! He started spinning his weapon with speed, as he quickly started executing his battle art without hesitation, ¡°The force of terror¡±.


    This battle art is one of the few rare ones, clearly made to improve strength only. Battle arts that increase only one aspect are rare, but some people prefer them. As the boost when using it, is greater than other battle arts that increase other aspects as well.


    She immediately recognized the danger she was in, as she leapt up doing back flips repeatedly. She narrowly dodged her opponent¡¯s weapon, as she quickly executed her battle art mid-air.


    This move was already acknowledged by all as her trademark move, as she dived back down after her legs hit the top of the cage.


    But unlike last time, her opponent is fully alert, as he swung his weapon up to meet her dive. His move was nice and well planned, but humans are not robots, we improve every day. She was ready to shock her opponent this time.


    Boom!! She landed, as her 2 swords hacked at her opponent¡¯s weapon. The Exterminator is a hefty man, but he still staggered backwards as the force from her strike left him surprised.


    After so many battles against similar ranked opponents, she already started noticing some flaws in her battle style. Soldiers of her caliber, improve faster when they duel with opponents of the same caliber. She lacked a forceful method to attack her opponents, to help her disrupt their tempo.


    So, for the past months, she has been training to cover up this flaw. It seems she finally succeeded, as she was very satisfied with the result of her attack. She didn¡¯t linger in one place after landing, as she attacked, taking advantage of her opponent¡¯s staggering posture.


    Ptui!! Ptui!! Her opponent reacted fast but he was still a step late, as he sustained 2 cuts on his abdomen and right leg. She advanced forward imperiously, as she tried to further magnify her advantage, her confidence already started solidifying.


    Her opponent was still clear headed though. Despite the tight frown now on his face, he leapt back a little while his weapon was already coming down with force.


    Boom!! The metal floor caved in, as his heavy weapon impacted it. She jumped back in alarm, but the shockwave from the strike still hit her, disorienting her a bit.


    Clang!! Clang!! Bam!! He attacked fast, taking hold of this opportunity as she parried with her swords. The force from each blow was astronomical, but she steadied her steps, using a special defensive stance.


    After the third blow, her legs couldn¡¯t take it again, as the force from the strike slammed her into the metal floor.


    A wave of dizziness came, as she started seeing double. As a high-grade soldier, her eyes cleared in not more than a second, but a sharp object was already slashing down at her.


    Instinct kicked in, as she reacted fast by rolling to the side. Even as she rolled, the weapon still arrived fast as she received a deep cut to her abdomen.


    Ahhh!! She screamed in pain, while forcing herself to roll further away. Blood gushed out of the deep cut in waves, as she quickly stood up gritting her teeth in pain.


    Her opponent pressed forward, as he rushed to engage her again. Her brain worked fast, as she calculated. Judging her situation rapidly, she immediately came out with a solution.


    She threw her 2 swords up, as she quickly tore her shirt apart. She tied herself, wrapping up her injury in not more than a second as she caught her suspended swords.


    Ahhh!! She screamed to let out a breath and gather strength, as she launched herself upwards. She started rotating in mid-air, as her 2 swords waved around menacingly.


    Her opponent was prepared though, as he quickly got into a defensive stance. Whoosh!! Clang!! The air vibrated in protest, as her 2 swords moved fast, hitting her opponent¡¯s weapon.


    The Exterminator was once again astonished, for the second time in this battle. He couldn¡¯t stand his ground against this female gladiator, who excelled in speed and evasive maneuvers. And force was his main strength.


    He felt humiliated and infuriated, as his eyes gradually reddened in anger. He prepared to mindlessly charge at her, after staggering back 2 steps.


    Well, losing his concentration for a second there was his greatest mistake, as he heard slashing sounds. He reflexively raised his weapon to parry, as he quickly cleared his mind of every distraction.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! He failed to dodge the first slash, as he received a deep cut on his lap. More consecutive stabs came, as his right leg quickly became partly incapacitated.


    Awwn!! He groaned in pain, as he retreated backwards while swinging his weapon horizontally to deter his opponent from any follow-ups.


    He calculated wrong again, as his opponent used the unique strength of her battle art. She jumped, dodging the horizontal slash as she suspended herself horizontally in the air.


    Ptui!! Ptui!! She released another 2 slashes, aiming at her opponent¡¯s throat. This time, he reacted fast as he hurriedly retreated back. He couldn¡¯t dodge them fully still, as blood slowly seeped out of his neck. But at least, he avoided losing his head.


    He became more and more alarmed, as he didn¡¯t expect this sort of dominance from his opponent, immediately after he gave her a deep injury. Emily¡¯s calculated plan, was to increase the pace of the battle to the limit she could reach.


    No matter how fast the exterminator used his weapon, her swords were still faster. And this advantage can be further magnified, if the pace of the battle is further increased.


    If possible, she was trying to end the battle fast, as the injury she received was bleeding faster than she could take. Her cloth was already soaked with blood.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! She continued her fast offensive as her opponent was being suppressed. Hmmm, her alarm bells suddenly screamed danger, as she noticed a change in her opponent¡¯s demeanor.


    She tried retreating, but her opponent attacked faster. ¡°The tyrant¡¯s strikes,¡± she suddenly blurted out in shock. Everybody was shocked, every spectator was on the edge of their seats, as The Exterminator activated a new battle art.


    As Clark practiced 2 battle arts, other soldiers can practice it also. This guy did a good job, in hiding his trump card for so long.


    ¡°He hid his real strength for so long,¡± was the thought on everyone¡¯s mind. Is that correct, or he never found a worthy opponent to reveal this? Another question surfaced.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Whoosh!! He struck repeatedly with his weapon, as his opponent¡¯s tempo was completely disrupted. The tyrant¡¯s strike is a battle art that boosts every attribute of the human body comprehensively, but it mostly focuses on improving speed.


    Emily sustained another 3 injuries, receiving 2 deep cuts on her right hand. She was just lucky, that the strike didn¡¯t directly remove her hand.


    She faltered only for a moment due to the change in tempo, before diving back into the battle, trying as much as possible to increase her speed. She knew that delaying was not an option, as she¡¯ll only bleed to death.


    She decided to just gamble everything in this heroic counter attack, using speed. The battle became very fast paced, as her injuries continued stacking, decreasing her chance of winning. While her opponent continued releasing accurate, calculated strikes.


    She lost herself completely in her pursuit for speed, the only thing on her mind now was how to strike faster, faster and even faster. The battle quickly came to a climax, as her opponent¡¯s next strike completely detached her left leg from her body.


    She staggered while gritting her teeth in pain, before quickly recovering herself on one leg, ignoring the overflowing blood from her body. She was able to support herself with one leg, as she continued her goal of striking faster, her center of gravity was completely in her control.


    Whoosh!! Ptui!! Her opponent ruthlessly struck again, disabling her by removing her last leg. Some spectators felt pity for a gladiator, for the first time, as her sorry state evoked a strong sense of pity.


    Maybe, they felt pity because of her beauty. But no one doubted, that she was in a desperate situation.


    She didn¡¯t care about the spectator¡¯s pity for her though. All she knew was that, she has not achieved her goal so she was not resigned for death.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 88: breaking limits

    At the last moment when the Executioner¡¯s weapon was advancing to cut her leg, Emily¡¯s brain calculated and she discovered that she could not avoid losing her last leg.


    So, she just ignored it. She focused on striving for a last effort, at breaking her speed limit.


    As soon as she lost her last leg, her brain sent her pain signals but she tried hard to ignore all these. Before it was cut, she managed to propel herself up a bit. She gritted her teeth, as her suspended body ascended higher. Blood dropped like rain after her ascending figure, making the battle arena extremely bloody.


    The excessive blood loss, was already muddling her consciousness. A normal soldier would have already been in a near death state from this.


    Her opponent was not ready to leave any stones for a counter-attack unturned, as he aimed to also remove her right hand. She dodged narrowly, as her figure ascended higher.


    Despite the airheaded feeling she was currently experiencing, she tried to focus her mind to fulfill her goal, speed. Her closed eyes suddenly opened, as she exploded in a last burst of speed, in a desperate effort to reverse her situation.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Her opponent quickly raised his weapon to block, but the sheer amount and speed of the initial strikes quickly numbed his hands.


    She completely broke her limits, as she stabbed at her opponent 40 times under 2 seconds. All most people could see was just a blur, she was also not seeing again as blood covered her eyes. She poured all her soul and might, in this last desperate attempt.


    Under the shocked gazes of the spectators, her opponent¡¯s weapon shattered from the center due to the sheer number and force of her strikes.


    The executioner didn¡¯t expect this, not even in his wildest dreams. As his opponent¡¯s sword stabbed unrestrainedly, at his unprotected face repeatedly. Blood splattered everywhere, as his face quickly became a bloody mess.


    She quickly switched from stabs to slashes, as her opponent¡¯s head was reduced to parts. Or more or less fragments, mixed with blood. She lacked strength to overwhelm her opponent, but she just succeeded in developing her speed to a state that can overwhelm opponents.


    After 5 seconds of being suspended in the air, and attacking speedily. The fatigue from attacking so speedily and forcefully breaking her limits, finally landed as she immediately fainted from exhaustion.


    Her blood loss was even more severe, as her blood completely covered the area they fought at. Before she could even touch the floor, medical practitioners in white already rushed in, with a stretcher again to carry her away.


    The spectators finally relaxed their tense nerves, as they cheered, shouting her ring name excitedly. Somewhere shocked at the unexpected turn around, but they still applauded her.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else on the ship, Clark and Henry also relaxed their tense nerves, as they both plopped down on the bed covered in sweat.


    Henry didn¡¯t really feel bad this time, as he knew that there was a very high chance of them dying this round. His friend already crossed the enormous hurdle, can he do it?


    She already scaled through, though narrowly, she still survived her battle. But could he survive? As he thought of this, his thoughts couldn¡¯t help but go to Clark¡¯s direction.


    Saying Clark was a beacon of light in their life, was not spouting nonsense. It was very much a reality to them. They were both strong soldiers, yes, but not entirely exceptional soldiers.


    Since Clark came into their life, there has been obvious changes. They never once believed that they would survive to the last round.


    The quote, show me your friends, I will tell you who you are. Was very real, here. Clark¡¯s strict attitude of always trying to train, always trying to improve, indirectly affected them also.


    As they followed him to train, though their improvement was not as absurd, they still improved enormously. Proving that diligence and hard work always rewards.


    ¡°Well, next week will tell,¡± he muttered to himself silently as he stood up. Clark followed him, as they went to the medical bay to see their friend. Her injuries were really serious this time, as the doctors said that she would be out for a week.


    That¡¯s just a benefit, of this era¡¯s increased technological skill. In the 21st century, someone with this degree of injuries would have probably died. Or he/she will be out for over a year, if they could treat the injuries.


    They didn¡¯t spend up to an hour there, as they quickly returned to continue training. They both felt the pressure of this round, none of their opponents is easy, and the battle results were definitely not predictable.


    Clark already noticed that Emily is kind of surrounded by a luck hallow, it¡¯s provable. Her last battle, she fought. She won narrowly, against all odds that were against her. Then this round, she somehow broke her speed limit during a battle, helping her to secure another victory.


    That¡¯s simply absurd, he couldn¡¯t help but feel respect for his friend. He felt kind of envious, but he was extremely happy for her fortune.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will ever be as lucky as she is. But I¡¯ll try my best to improve as much as possible, before my battle¡±. He soliloquized, while slowly clenching his fists.


    ¡­


    Emily¡¯s battle didn¡¯t interrupt the day-to-day activities, as more gladiator battles raged on. On the 3rd day after her battle, Captain Jack of the Camelotian fleet completed his last battle. He completely demolished his opponent, after about 30 minutes of battling back and forth.


    In the 2nd rank, high-grade soldiers¡¯ category. After Emily¡¯s battle, the main highlight of the week was the battle between Jian Wushaung and The Scavenger.


    Jian Wushaung demonstrated his strength again, against this weaker opponent. As he finished the battle in less than 20 minutes, killing his opponent. Naturally, the spectators hoped for another upset, any dark horse was welcome to them.


    But this guy destroyed their hopes, dominating the battle from the very beginning. He proved his strength as one of the pinnacle gladiators in the ship.


    So far, no dark horse emerged as all the remaining gladiators already revealed their real strength. Only a lucky freak like Emily, deviated from the norm.


    Another week quickly passed, as Henry prepared to fight for his survival. Henry¡¯s nickname is The Secret Wanderer, while his opponent¡¯s ring name is Demon Subduer.


    After a week of intense training, he was better prepared for his battle. He didn¡¯t improve much in strength, as growth in strength is not a day or a week job.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, strap your seat belts as the 2 gladiators of this round come to duck it out, in a battle of survival¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s welcome these 2 exceptional gladiators, The secret wanderer and Demon subduer¡±. As soon as the commentator finished, a wave of applause erupted. As the 2 gladiators came in, from the opposite gates of the cage.


    Bam!! The gates slammed shut, as Henry already began observing his opponent. This was a procedure, that absolutely could not be ignored to get a chance to win. He wielded 2 sharp swords, just like Emily as his weapon of choice.


    Unlike her, he wielded normal swords, not light swords, as he is a fighter who pursued balance. His opponent, wielded a broad sword as his weapon of choice, clearly displaying him as a fighter with a wild personality.


    Demon Subduer did not stop to think strategically, as he advanced straightforwardly to meet his opponent. Henry on seeing his opponent¡¯s impatient attitude, advanced slowly and cautiously. As his brain, through his implant started simulating different battle scenarios, and how he should better respond to them.


    Boom!! They quickly met as his opponent struck with his broad sword, slashing horizontally forward. He ducked, and quickly rolled forward as it seemed like they swapped positions.


    Clang!! They both did the same action, as they quickly turned around and slashed backwards with their swords. The force from the blow made Henry stagger backwards a bit, as he quickly rolled backwards to maintain some distance and to also steady himself.


    All these seemed just like probing attacks, as his opponent finally adjusted himself. He rushed forward with momentum, while activating his battle art, ¡°The Wild envoy¡±. There was no use biding for time in a drawn-out battle, as they both already studied each other extensively before coming for this battle.


    Dragging the battle can even backfire, putting you in a disadvantaged position. So, he followed the flow, as he also executed his battle art, ¡°The balance scale¡±.


    His battle art is one of the few battle arts, that aim at creating a balance. It gives a balanced boost to all attributes and strengths, when executed.


    Whoosh!! His opponent¡¯s sword descended imperiously, like a death decree from an Emperor¡¯s envoy, as he hacked down vertically with his broad sword.


    Henry quickly shifted to the side, as he completely dodged the slash. A fierce shockwave followed but he withstood it, as his sword stabbed forward swiftly.


    His opponent dodged, as he pulled back. He predicted it though, as his other sword slashed forward horizontally. Clang!! His opponent reacted fast as he blocked with his broad sword on time. Quickly lifting his sword up again, his opponent prepared for a counter attack.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! His opponent¡¯s sword landed thrice, but he dodged them all as he twisted his body to the side. He was always faster than his opponent¡¯s sword, by a tiny margin.


    Whoosh!! His opponent ended his wild strikes with a horizontal slash, but he predicted it as he slid down under his opponent¡¯s sword.


    Ptui!! He drew the first blood, as his sword cut his opponent¡¯s leg. He aimed to remove his opponent¡¯s leg, but fast reactions saved The Demon subduer.


    He was now in complete control of the battle, despite not having a clear advantage. His pursuit of balance, succeeded in suppressing his opponent¡¯s wild tempo.


    His opponent¡¯s tempo became completely suppressed, as he couldn¡¯t see opportunities to unleash his wild style of fighting. His balanced style of fighting, is a natural counter to his opponent¡¯s wild style. And most especially, he spent considerable time to research his opponent in detail.


    Demon subduer began to get more annoyed, as he could not fight freely. It felt to him like he was fighting a battle, handicapped.


    If he forced it, he would just expose openings, that his opponent will take advantage of. He felt incredibly pissed off. It¡¯s just like a fly buzzing all around your ear, but you can¡¯t kill it.


    As the battle continued, his injuries slowly accumulated, as he started thinking of ways to break this situation, he was in. Deciding to ignore it, was just a slow, but steady path to his defeat and death.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Guys, from tomorrow I''ll try to be publishing the chapters in a specific time. No chaotic publishing again.]

 Chapter 89: losing a friend

    The demon subduer couldn¡¯t endure it anymore, as he quickly started executing his ultimate. His self-created technique, ¡°The Wild strikes of death¡±. Normally, he uses his self-created technique as his final finishing blow. This is because self-created techniques are very energy draining, even more so than battle arts.


    Boom!! His offensive immediately rose up a level, as his opponent started struggling to keep up.


    Henry included this in his plans, as this was not the first time, he saw his opponent using this self-created technique. But things don¡¯t always go according to plan, as the increase in offensive was fiercer than he predicted. He repeatedly parried with his 2 swords, as he continued retreating from the force of the blows.


    Ptui!! Ptui!! He finally slipped up, as he received 2 deep cuts across his chest. Blood flowed freely, as he gritted his teeth in pain.


    His main plan now was to try stalling for as long as possible, so that his opponent could exhaust his strength. But the Demon hunter refused to comply to his arrangements, as he further increased his offensive.


    His opponent was finally venting all his frustrations of the past minutes of suppression, as he unleashed his wild style to it¡¯s fullest potential. Ptui!! Ptui!! He dodged, but was not fast enough as he received another injury in his shoulders.


    He tried retreating, but his opponents already outstretched sword suddenly slashed sideways horizontally. He felt goosebumps all over, but he still reacted fast as he bent his head with speed.


    Whoosh!! His head was kept intact, but in exchange he received a bloody gash on his cheek. He felt pain like never before, as the wildness inside him was unleashed. The continuous wave of injuries, already inflicted a deep trauma on his soul.


    His rational mind of balance was forcibly suppressed by the pain, as he lunged forward for a frontal wild assault. Even a well-behaved dog can become a wild animal, if subjected to traumatic pain. The same just happened to him, his mental resistance to pain was still not developed enough.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! He completely lost all reason, as he engaged his opponent in a bloody melee. His opponent was caught off-guard at first, as they both started sustaining more injuries at a faster rate.


    But unlike him, the Demon subduer was more experienced. He quickly understood what happened as he calmed down, opting to fight more cautiously.


    Henry sustained more and more injuries, as his opponent started leading him by the nose. After 10 minutes of brainless fighting, his brain finally cleared up as he realized that he just lost control of himself.


    He hurriedly tried to achieve a balanced state again, in the battle. Unfortunately, he could not turn the situation around as his opponent firmly held the advantage. He quickly started feeling dizzy, due to the excess blood loss and the injuries he sustained.


    The Demon subduer capitalized on this advantage he obtained, as he slowly whittled his opponent to death. Lack of self-control, was all it took for Henry to leave this life for good. Human life was just too delicate, just a tip in balance and you¡¯re dead.


    This battle didn¡¯t have too many exceptional moments, but it was still exciting to the spectators. They don¡¯t care about the dead gladiator¡¯s feelings nor efforts, as they cheered and applauded the hero who won.


    This tournament is really the perfect embodiment of cruelty, every qualified gladiator came about from the death of 5 other gladiators.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else in the ship, Clark closed his eyes, while clenching his fists, as his nails dug into his palms drawing blood.


    After staying together for so long, he already developed a bond with Henry and Emily. Watching him die, felt just like pricking a needle in his heart. He felt like crying, but he didn¡¯t allow himself to cry. This era was just this cruel.


    ¡°Should I hate the demon hunter?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but question himself, in his mind. ¡°He was just fighting for his life, the way me, and a host of others are doing¡±.


    ¡°Should I hate the Roman Empire Organization?¡± Yes, he already hated them immensely. All these people and organizations are not the real cause, the real cause is the big 5 and the cruel system that they introduced into this era.


    ¡°I will not cry, nor wallow in sorrow. Instead, I will allow this hatred to fuel my ambition to overthrow the big 5 and to restructure this cruel system¡±. He pledged to himself, in a determined tone.


    The battle was already over, he didn¡¯t even get to see the body of his friend, as he was quickly disposed into the sea. Instead of staying in his room, wallowing in sorrow. He went to train, as he needed to beat his opponent before even thinking of overthrowing the big 5.


    Emily didn¡¯t know about Henry¡¯s death, as she was still in her recovery stage. He felt kind of conflicted, when he thought of the way she¡¯ll probably be and feel, when she hears of this news.


    ¡­


    Today is a Friday, Emily was scheduled to be discharged today. Clark went to receive her at the medical bay.


    ¡°Good morning Emily,¡± he greeted her, as she came out of the room.


    ¡°Good morning Clark,¡± she returned the greeting.


    ¡°Wow, you look even more muscular than before. You and this your intense training, I hope you are finding time to rest¡±. She said with a slight laugh, as she secretly admired her friend¡¯s developing physique.


    Clark just smiled in response, as they began walking back to their room. As they walked, she finally noticed an abnormality as she asked, ¡°where is Henry?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer her, he just tried to smile at her, but the smile was glaringly strained.


    ¡°Trying to act mysterious, the 2 of you don¡¯t really have work¡±. She concluded to herself with a smile, on seeing her friend¡¯s strained smile. They quickly reached their room.


    He opened the door, as they both entered inside.


    ¡°The room looks tidy, you 2 are doing some really good work. Keep up the good work,¡± she said in surprise and satisfaction as she plopped down on her bed.


    Due to them being friends, they demanded for a bigger room to house the 3 of them. It was approved long ago, so the 3 stay on this big room. They brought each of their beds here, as the space was enough to house them.


    He went to also lie on his bed, as he didn¡¯t know how to break the news to her. Henry¡¯s bed was still left in the room, so she was not suspicious yet. He wanted to hide the truth from her, but he also didn¡¯t want her to know from somewhere else, he felt deeply conflicted.


    ¡°What type of prank is Henry playing that is taking so long,¡± she finally asked aloud in confusion. This time he couldn¡¯t take it again, as he stood up, went forward to seat on her bed.


    ¡°Emily there is something I want to tell you,¡± he said in a grave, but sad tone.


    On hearing the tone, he used. And still not seeing Henry, she finally felt that something was wrong as she sat up facing him.


    ¡°The truth is¡­,¡± he told her everything that happened, not excluding any detail.


    Emily just sat there on her bed, staring at him listlessly after he finished breaking the news to her.


    ¡°Clark,¡± she finally said with a shaky voice.


    ¡°Is this real? Tell me this is not real; please tell me you are playing a prank on me. Please¡­,¡± she completely lost it, as she huddled up in the bed crying bitterly.


    He suddenly felt a sense of relief after breaking the news to her, but seeing her like this, he felt a sudden pang of bitterness and regret. He felt lost, he didn¡¯t know what to do. Should he console her?


    ¡°But I am not good, with all these consoling and crying situations,¡± his subconscious could not help but protest.


    He finally decided, as he just stood up and inched closer to the side of her bed where she huddled up. ¡°Emily, I¡¯m really sorry. I don¡¯t really know what to say. I know what Henry meant to you, but please don¡¯t wallow in sorrow and grief over it,¡± he paused for a moment after saying this.


    ¡°Instead, strive to make this world a better place, so that what happened to Henry will be less likely to happen to others¡±.


    ¡°Even Henry will not be happy, if he sees you from heaven being soaked in depression, see this is a source of motivation. If you continue to be like this, countless others you could have helped will suffer the same fate¡±.


    He didn¡¯t understand, nor did he know why he said all those things to her. But he felt it is a good thing, so he said it.


    He finally left the room, as he wiped away the tears threatening to pour out of his eyes. He was off to training again, even if the world turn upside down, he would not complain of how bad the world is. Instead, he will think of ways to make it a better place to live in. That is what he believed in.


    For the rest of the day, Emily cried as she vented her anger, frustration and helplessness. She felt like the world was forsaking her, like the world was not meant for her. Even her last friend was already dead, what reason could she possibly have for living again.


    In the evening, Clark¡¯s words in the morning, finally digested into her brain. ¡°Clark is right. I will not sink into sadness because of this, but I will see this as a motivation to make this world a better place, after having the required strength¡±.


    Unlike Clark, she still hated the Demon hunter and the Roman empire organization with passion. If they were removed from the equation, Henry will probably still be alive, she reasoned. That same evening, she changed her clothes as she went to train also.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else on the ship, The Emperor was soaked in sweat as he struck repeatedly with his spear. The projections were stabbed accurately in the head, as they randomly materialized around the training arena.


    He smiled as he dropped his spear, while sitting down to rest. He broke his record again for the number of projections stabbed or cut, in a certain period of time for the 5th time.


    He was currently feeling very confident, for the fight on Monday. As his training yielded some good results recently, allowing him to break his record consecutively. ¡°Clark, I hope you are training seriously,¡± he muttered with a grin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me, at least give me a good fight¡±. He no longer saw Clark as someone who could be his rival, but a stepping stone that will propel him to the fame and prize he wanted.


    The whole fleet was getting hyped up for this battle, as they called it a clash of titans. A battle of supremacy, to know who is the strongest among all the pinnacle gladiators.


    Is the Emperor going to rule and dominate? Or is the Stranded dragon going to win, displaying the majesty of a dragon? Even the 3rd rank high-grade soldiers planned on watching this battle, as it was completely worth their time.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. We finally crossed 100k words today, I''m so excited, and grateful to you all for giving my book a chance. I want to give special thanks to ashbash988, Clowdreed, and Ibrahim aliyu, thanks for taking my top 3, top fans spot. And also to Attila no hun, Robert Biederman, woofromearth, and Lisa Udumorugbo, thanks for all your gifts. And to Readtoomuch, thanks for all your cute comments. I really appreciate you all, thanks to all readers who gave my book a chance.]

 Chapter 90: clash of titans the emperor vs the stranded dragon

    The time finally came, for the decisive battle of the pinnacles to start. Clark stood still at the section of the ship, where weapons were stored.


    He was deeply conflicted. Despite training for so long on mastering using a spear, he was still more proficient at using a sword. He broke out of his dilemma, as he quickly made a decision. He picked his normal weapon set of a sword and a shield, but he still picked a spear as precaution, strapping it to his back.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, put on your seat belts, as the most anticipated battle of the year is about to begin¡±. The commentator was sure not to dull, as he started hyping the battle with his carefully prepared words.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves, as we welcome 2 of the deadliest gladiators of the fleet to the arena, The Emperor and The Stranded Dragon¡±.


    A thunderous wave of applause and shouting rose, as the 2 gladiators entered the cage. Bam!! The gates of the cage slammed shut, as Clark¡¯s mind quickly transited into battle mode.


    He observed his opponent keenly, as all distractions and noise made by the spectators faded into the background, just like fleeting clouds. After over a month of intense training, he was finally in this stage to welcome his strongest opponent till date.


    The Emperor reciprocated, as he also observed him keenly. He already made it to this stage, so he was not ready to screw up by underestimating his opponent.


    After a 10 second tense moment of observation, he finally broke the equilibrium, as he decisively advanced with his spear pointed forwards. Clark was not ready to cower by slowing the pace of the battle either, he was ready to fight a bloody and fast paced battle with this guy.


    He advanced forward also, as they sprinted to meet each other. The spectator¡¯s blood pressure rose, becoming hot and hyper-active on seeing this. As some people started jumping, chanting their favorite¡¯s ring names.


    Bam!! They quickly met as The Emperor stabbed forward with his spear, the air parted forcefully to herald the coming of the spear. Clark shifted sideways swiftly, as he dodged the stab completely. While he moved his left hand faster, as he bashed at his opponent with his shield.


    Clang!! His opponent reacted very fast, as he blocked with his spear. Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! His opponent¡¯s hands blurred, as he stabbed 3 times consecutively at him. He blocked the first 3 stabs with his shield, but his opponent improvised as he ended the combo with a horizontal sweep of his spear.


    He reacted fast by jumping, as he suspended himself in the air. Clang!! His sword was used for the first time in this battle, as he swung it down at his opponent forcefully. The Emperor was as fast as always, as he parried with his spear but the momentum from the blow pushed him back.


    Boom!! Clark was not someone to waste opportunities, as his shield bashed again at his stumbling opponent. His opponent leapt back quickly, but his sword was already stabbing forward swiftly. His opponent dodged, as he moved his head sideways, he turned his stab into a slash as his sword streaked sideways in reply.


    The Emperor¡¯s instinct was just too inhuman, as he did a sideways flip, dodging completely. While still creating an opportunity for himself to counter-attack, by stabbing back twice which his opponent calmly blocked with his shield.


    The spectators erupted in cheers and applause, as they admired the exchange of blows going on between the 2 gladiators.


    Especially the Emperor¡¯s side flip at the last moment to dodge the slash from his opponent, it was simply a classic. The finesse displayed by these 2 pinnacle gladiators, was simply head turning. The amount of control in display by the both of them, was something else.


    Despite how fast paced the battle was, they both displayed their strength and skill as neither of them sustained an injury, from this short flawless exchange. The Emperor clearly did not like the status quo, as he elevated the level of the battle another rank through his next action.


    He decisively started executing his battle art, ¡°The Battle Emperor¡±. The spectators cheered wildly, as this man only activated his battle art, when he fought against Jian Wushaung.


    Boom!! The air boomed in protest, as he advanced again ferociously to greet his opponent. Clark didn¡¯t feel the need to be polite also, as he quickly activated his battle art, The Frenzied maneuver while rushing to engage him also.


    The battle emperor is a battle art, just like the frenzied maneuver. But it¡¯s of a higher quality, as it¡¯s boosts are more impressive and comprehensive especially the strength boost.


    This battle art revealed this guy¡¯s identity, as it is a specialty of one of the countries with high-grade military strength, Wonderland.


    The country is also widely known as Fairytopia, because their elite army focuses on arial battles more, as their forte and strength. Their R&D teams focus mainly on developing gadgets, that can help them fight better in the air.


    During this short moment, the battle did not stop as The Emperor¡¯s spear raged at his opponent, like an Emperor¡¯s scepter of authority. Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! They exchanged blows, back and forth as dust started billowing from where they could not pinpoint at the moment.


    As they fought, he could not help but become more and more astonished, as the battle raged on. Despite his huge improvement the last few months, he would never have believed that his opponent¡¯s improvement, was even more outrageous than his own.


    He quickly grew angry and irritated, as he started executing his self-created technique without any fanfare, ¡°An Emperor¡¯s decree¡±. Unlike Clark¡¯s one-hit self-created technique, most people¡¯s techniques involve striking at your opponent, not once, but many times to slowly build momentum.


    His self-created technique falls into the latter category, as he lunged forward. His lunge seemed reckless, but his brain was calculating rapidly.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Whoosh!! His hands blurred, as he stabbed forward 4 times consecutively, ending the combo with an upwards slash. His opponent blocked steadily with his shield, but the upward slash was unexpected, as the great force behind the blow flung the shield from his hands.


    He took hold of this opportunity, as his hand speed erupted in full force. Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Clang!! Sounds of slashes and clanging noises reverberated around, as he gave his all without holding back, in this short window of opportunity.


    Blood finally flowed in this battle, as his spear finally cut his opponent¡¯s elbow, giving him a deep wound. Clark ignored the pain, as he tried to keep up with his opponent¡¯s rapid tempo. He was using a shield; did not mean he was helpless when using only a sword.


    His opponent¡¯s self-created technique, is a technique that requires very rapid movement and hand speed. He tried to emulate Jian Wushaung¡¯s strategy of reducing the pace of the battle, but it didn¡¯t work, as his opponent firmly held the initiative.


    From the moment when his opponent executed his self-created technique, till now. It was only a little over 4 seconds, so his shield was still in mid-air as it started falling, after gravity finally exerted its dominance on it.


    Clang!! His hands vibrated, as his fingers became numb from the impact of his opponent¡¯s blow. His opponent was pushing to end the battle quickly, but he was no push-over either.


    Whoosh!! He received another injury to his abdomen, as he gasped in pain. Despite this, he raised his left hand, as his shield finally fell back into his hands.


    Boom!! He quickly did a flip to the front, as his shield loomed above all, descending with the force of a mountain. Clang!! His opponent reacted fast, as he blocked with his spear. But having fast reactions, is not the end of the world, as his legs caved in from the force behind the shield.


    Veins sprouted all over The Emperor¡¯s legs, like they were struggling to escape captivity, as he quickly made a decision. The force from the shield blow pushed him down, but he refused to fall, as he rolled twice on the ground to negate the downward force.


    Boom!! His legs dug into the metal floor, as he dived forward again ferociously. Clark was trying to adjust his tempo, but his opponent¡¯s reckless dive disrupted his plans again. As he steadied himself in a defensive position, while placing his shield forward.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! His eyes quickly widened in horror and shock, as after 5 consecutive stabs. His shield broke, its parts scattering all over. He saw his opponent¡¯s spear coming again for a 6th hit, to perhaps finish him off. His gaze hardened, as his sword was already flying over in retaliation.


    Clang!! His sword hit his opponent¡¯s spear, slightly changing its trajectory. But such a hasty slash could not possibly negate this spear¡¯s complete advance, so he just quickly slashed at his opponent also.


    Ahh!! He screamed in pain, as the part of his abdomen, where his left rib was located was cut through, without it putting up any form of resistance. His opponent¡¯s blood was drawn also for the first time in this battle, as his sword cut across his opponent¡¯s chest.


    The pain from his ribs felt unbearable, as he tried to retreat, but his opponent clung to him like a leach. Boom!! His opponent slashed towards him ferociously again, as he raised up his sword to block.


    Boom!! His sword also disappointed him, as it shattered into fragments from the blow. The residue force from the blow, carried his opponent¡¯s spear as it also cut freely across his chest. He was now practically defenseless.


    ¡°Kill him!! Behead him!!¡± The spectators yelled this in excitement on seeing the situation, as this battle already completely riled them up. This was the true, best and unadulterated finale of the tournament to them.


    The Emperor did not disappoint, as his spear struck forward. He decisively aimed at his opponent¡¯s neck. His intentions were clear, beheading his opponent was his goal.


    Clang!! As expectations rose, a glaring metallic sound rang, reverberating across the arena. Dust billowed fiercely, as the spectators could no longer see clearly through the dust.


    ¡°What happened?¡± They questioned in doubt and puzzlement.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones to support it.]

 Chapter 91: selfcreated technique dragon breaks the ranks

    Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! Nobody answered the spectator¡¯s doubts, as metallic sounds kept reverberating across the arena. The commentator was also gravely silent, as he also didn¡¯t understand the situation.


    The arena finally cleared up a bit, as the 2 gladiator¡¯s silhouettes gradually became clear. Their figures moved like phantoms, as they were both already entangled in a bloody melee.


    This time around, no shield to control the tempo, as their hand speed completely erupted. Most of the spectators only saw a blur, as realization finally dawned on them. They actually forgot that The Stranded dragon entered the battle, with a spear strapped to his back.


    Clark fought fiercely, as his hand speed continuously increased without restraint. Blood blossomed, as they both sustained injuries every second. The spectators cheered and clapped wildly, as they love this kind of fast and bloody battle more.


    The spectators slowly started feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, as this was exactly what happened in the last battle, between The Emperor and Jian Wushaung.


    ¡°Shit, are these 2 going to have a draw,¡± every one watching thought in sync. They were surprised as The Stranded Dragon still fought ferociously, despite his many injuries.


    Well, those were the spectator¡¯s thoughts, but someone disagreed. After drawing with someone previously, he was about to have a second draw. No, this was unacceptable to him. The Emperor steeled his heart, as he prepared to reveal his trump card.


    He felt bitter, as he thought he would only reveal this when he fought in the Sea Farer¡¯s alliance arena. Boom!! He didn¡¯t hesitate again as he activated his other battle art, ¡°The battle maniac¡±.


    The spectators gasped in surprise and excitement, as his offensive increased in ferociousness and momentum exponentially. He quickly started gaining back the initiative, as his strikes now carried more power, and they were executed much more impeccably.


    Clark felt helpless, as his injuries slowly accumulated, increasing in an ascending order, without any restraint.


    Whoosh!! A stab came from his opponent¡¯s spear, approaching his head. He turned his head, performing a side flip to dodge, as his spear slashed across horizontally in retaliation.


    His opponent dodged his slash, enabling his spear to accurately penetrate him, on the chest. The battle felt like it was paused, as his hands finally grew weak from the pain.


    Blood dyed his surroundings in a bright red color, as he slowly gasped for breath. His opponent looked straight at him in the eyes, with a victorious grin planted on his face.


    The sight of the grin on his opponent¡¯s face, irritated him to no end, as he quickly became agitated. Under the tense but excited gaze of the spectators, he gripped his spear tightly as he leapt back, while enduring the pain of the spear being yanked out of him.


    They were both bloody, so why was his opponent behaving like he gave him a one-sided beating. He could tolerate being defeated, but he definitely could not stand humiliation.


    As he leapt back, his eyes became focused, as his brain cleared of any distractions.


    He finally landed, as his legs dug into the metal floor, while his body released a last desperate burst of adrenaline. Veins popped out, all over his face. Moving around his eyes like squirming snakes, as his eyes grew red.


    The Emperor naturally followed up to finish his opponent, by stabbing at him with his spear. As he thought of his opponent¡¯s effort, as a defeated man¡¯s last futile struggle before death. He didn¡¯t want to leave any room for a comeback.


    This time, he was sorely mistaken. Clark¡¯s hair waved in the air, without any wind blowing. His muscles tightened to the limit, as his face started reddening from over-exertion. All his veins protruded out, extending from his face to his whole body, as some veins in his legs started snapping.


    Boom!! He finally launched himself forward, as dust billowed fiercely behind him. The air parted in trepidation, to herald the passage of this earth-shattering strike. His self-created technique was performed to his very limits, as all his opponent saw was a blur.


    The metal floor beneath his path fragmented from the residue force, as Dragon breaks the ranks was executed.


    Bam!! Bam!! His opponent¡¯s outstretched spear, disintegrated into pieces immediately on contact. His spear didn¡¯t halt even for a second, as it continued roaring forward in vengeance.


    Boom!! The spear finally connected to his opponent¡¯s chest, as his opponent quickly lost consciousness from the force and pressure of the strike alone. The spectators widened their eyes to the limit in horror and shock, as The Stranded dragon¡¯s spear streaked forward like a dragon king sentencing his enemy to death.


    At the last moment of impact, where the envoy of death was already hovering, waiting for a sacrifice. Ice suddenly materialized in the cage arena, as both gladiators immediately became frozen.


    Everybody was shocked and confused, before a message was quickly sent to the commentator¡¯s implant, directly from the Captain of the fleet.


    The commentator immediately understood, as he hurriedly addressed the spectators, trying to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, there has been some unexpected developments, but the winner of this unprecedented battle is The Stranded Dragon¡±.


    ¡°The captain will personally give an explanation later, about why they were frozen¡±. The spectators were confused, everything seemed so rushed. Their emotions already went through a huge roller coaster. The ups and downs of this battle, were just too numerous and significant.


    But at the end, they were still spectators, who spectated as a form of enjoyment. They didn¡¯t really give a damn, as they cheered the winner on, they already forgot about the exceptional performance of the loser.


    Magician!! Magician!! Magician!! They chanted loudly, as medical practitioners rushed into the arena with 2 stretchers. The ice quickly melted by itself, the water flowing back into an open hole in the arena.


    As soon as the ice melted, Clark fell down, as his legs grew too weak to support him. He was completely drained of all strength, as his vision turned dizzy, disrupting his senses.


    Despite this, he slowly grinned, as he heard the faint chanting noise made by the spectators. He finally fainted from exhaustion, as the medical practitioners came to his side.


    What made him happy, was that he successfully executed his self-created technique. The strength he wielded, when executing it, was just the cream on top the cherry.


    The Emperor became unconscious, even before his opponent¡¯s spear penetrated his chest. There was no doubt that he would have died, if the strike connected.


    No one knew if he was even already dead from the force alone, as fractures, like cracks appeared at the spot in his skin were the tip of his opponent¡¯s spear pierced.


    Clark was sure that the force from the blow, was capable of blasting his opponent¡¯s chest to pieces. The Roman empire organization recognized this also, that is why they intervened.


    They didn¡¯t want to lose any of the both of them, as the strength they both displayed was mind blowing. Screw the rules, they created the rules.


    The stretchers took them both to the medical bay, as the military doctors immediately became busy.


    ¡­


    Emily slumped down on her chair; her whole body was completely soaked with sweat due to the extreme anxiety she was in. She sobbed silently, as she buried her head in her arms. She would have just committed suicide, if Clark died also, shortly after Henry died.


    After controlling her emotions, she stood up, dressed up and went out of her room to visit the medical bay. The doctors told her the never changing phrase, ¡°you can¡¯t see him right now, we are trying our best to help him recover¡±.


    The only good thing she picked from the doctor¡¯s words, was that Clark will likely recover completely in a week¡¯s time. She thanked them, as she went for her personal training. The tournament was over, but she was already used to the everyday training, thanks to this her friend.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else in the ship, a group of doctors surrounded a patient, as they controlled different machines to treat him. After over 5 hours of constant focus, treating the patient, they finally heaved a sigh of relief as the patient¡¯s condition stabilized.


    They finally came out, after changing from their surgical uniforms, to meet the Captain of the fleet waiting outside. ¡°Good day sir,¡± they all greeted on seeing him.


    ¡°How is his condition?¡± The Captain didn¡¯t greet back, as he directly asked them.


    ¡°Sir, his condition has stabilized a bit, but him surviving is still in doubt¡±. On hearing this, he kept quiet, as he coolly looked at the lead doctor, indicating for him to continue.


    ¡°Sir, the shock and force from the blow impacted his brain terribly, despite the intervention. There is a high chance, that he also suffered psychologically. He is now in a coma, if he doesn¡¯t wake up in 4 months, I think then he is done for¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡­, try your best to keep him alive,¡± he finally said with a sigh. After some contemplation, he turned to walk away.


    Yeah, the lead doctor is right. The Emperor was enormously impacted psychologically, from the blow. Even if he survived, there is a high chance that he would develop a trauma from this.


    The Captain finally went to address the whole ship, as he appeared in all televisions around the fleet. ¡°Good day fellow Romans, as you¡¯ve already known, the Stranded dragon is the winner of the last gladiator battle¡±.


    ¡°We used a high technology gadget, to quickly freeze them because the outcome of the fight was already decided¡±.


    ¡°We held this tournament to get the best of the best in the first place, so there was no need of The Emperor dying. You already witnessed his strength, he is the undisputed 2nd best gladiator, among the 2nd rank high-grade soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Killing themselves here is a waste. The Sea farer¡¯s alliance headquarters, is the real arena of death¡±. He said other necessary words perfunctorily, before the broadcast stopped.


    The next day, daily activities continued, as the fleet continued moving to the headquarters of the Sea farers alliance. The impact of the battle was enormous, but to the Romans, it was just another battle between gladiators.


    The gladiator battles continued, as the last 2nd rank gladiators battle was fought that same week. The battle drew little attention, as the previous battle still occupied people¡¯s minds.


    After the battle, the last 7 survivors were finally decided. The Stranded dragon was ranked first, The Emperor was ranked second. Jian Wushaung third, the eagle queen was ranked 4th, The flexible master was ranked 5th, the nutzy killer was ranked 6th and Hellboy reincarnated was ranked 7th.


    For the next week, the 2 gladiators ranked 6th and 7th respectively fought to decide the last qualifier. Only 5 gladiators were required for the tournament, but a 6th spare gladiator is not frowned upon.


    He can act as replacement, if anything happens to any of the 5 main gladiators.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 92: the gladiator tournament format

    After a week of treatment, Clark was finally discharged, as Emily escorted him back to his room. For the whole week, he didn¡¯t taste any food, as he was placed on drips. So, she decided to start preparing food for him, as he laid on his bed.


    During his time in the medical bay, he already re-watched his battle with the Emperor. The strength of his self-created technique, still left him astonished. He could not simply make heads, nor tail of it at the moment.


    ¡°I guess I was missing a lot,¡± he muttered in resignation. He felt like he was really a country bumpkin before, not knowing about self-created techniques.


    ¡°Ignorance, is really a curse,¡± he shook his head, as he relaxed.


    Emily finished preparing the food, she served and they both ate to their fill. After some time of idle talk, she finally went to her room as he also decided to rest. He slept soundly for the remaining parts of the day.


    The next day, he went to train like normal, this time his training was completely focused on mastering wielding a spear.


    This continued, as his daily routine for a week, sleep, wake-up, eat, train and sleep again. He basically didn¡¯t have anything else to do, stranded and forced to be a gladiator. His chances of escape were just too low, he already abolished any fantasy thoughts of trying how big his head was.


    This routine ended, as the Captain of the fleet finally called him to attend a meeting, the next day, on Sunday morning. He acknowledged the command immediately, as he continued his training.


    ¡­


    On Sunday, he was very early. Emily trailed a little behind him, as they walked together to the meeting hall. The meeting is for all the qualified gladiators, who survived.


    Clang!! On reaching there, the soldiers there opened the huge door, as they both entered the hall. They were 30 minutes early, so there was no one else in the huge hall. They sat down at the front row seats, as they silently waited for the other¡¯s arrival.


    As he sat there silently, his mind started wandering again, as he thought of his experiences over the years. The process of his life for the past few years, was just like an action drama, if analyzed. He was still young, but he already experienced a lot.


    He no longer hated his current situation. In every situation, there¡¯s always a silver lining, this quote was a perfect description of his situation. As he never expected to improve so much, in just a little more than 3 years.


    He was already 21 years old this year. ¡°I¡¯ve spent over 3 years now, stuck in the sea,¡± he could not help but chuckle to himself softly, as he thought of this.


    It felt like a fairytale to him. ¡°How is Leo? How is Sonia?¡± He didn¡¯t know. This is the feeling he hated the most, not being in control. But so is life, no one can ever boast of being in control of it.


    All the work he put in, all the effort he put in; it is just to be strong enough, to be in control of what happens to people close to him. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if she is still alive, and I hope to be her boyfriend in 2 years¡¯ time. Life is just too unpredictable,¡± he concluded with a sigh.


    Clang!! The door to the hall opened again, as he was quickly drawn out of his thoughts. He glanced backwards to see someone coming, he quickly recognized her. She is the 4th ranked gladiator, The eagle queen.


    She saw him looking at her. ¡°Good morning,¡± he greeted, when she came close enough.


    She didn¡¯t answer though, as she coldly glanced at him. She averted her gaze shortly after, as she went to sit down in another seat among the front row seats.


    He was stunned by her rudeness, but he quickly understood as he composed himself. ¡°Who said I could greet her? We are enemies, or better still competitors, not friends,¡± he thought ruefully.


    Throughout the exchange session between the both of them, Emily remained silent like none of these was her concern. Well, he couldn¡¯t blame her, as in a more rational sense, none of these was really of concern to her.


    Shortly after, 2 others came in, Jian Wushaung and The nutzy killer came in at practically the same time. The nutzy killer came out victorious, killing his opponent during the last battle, so he was the last gladiator survivor.


    At exactly 8:00am, the Captain finally came into the hall with an entourage of 5 soldiers. He went directly to the front of the hall, as he sat on a luxurious chair, that was prepared there before now.


    On his arrival, they stood up as a form of respect. They were the captives being used as gladiators here, not the other way round.


    ¡°Good morning gladiators, you can sit down,¡± the Captain finally said in a deep tone. They complied, as they quickly sat down.


    ¡°The reason for me holding this meeting is not much, I want to enlighten you on the proper format and rules of this tournament. Unlike the past gladiator tournaments, organized by the Sea farers alliance, this time the tournament is of 2 parts¡±.


    ¡°The first one is the normal individual gladiator tournament, where one gladiator is allowed to fight for an organization or country. The 2nd one is a team gladiator battle, where 5 gladiators are to fight another 5 gladiators, from an opposing camp to the death¡±.


    ¡°But, unlike the individual tournament, there are limitations in this one. So, to qualify, you have to fight in virtual battles simulated by the Sea farer¡¯s alliance¡±.


    ¡°Only the final team battle, will be a physical battle to the death. Of the 5 of you, the Stranded dragon is going to represent the organization in the individual battles¡±.


    On hearing this, they secretly heaved sighs of relief, as the countless deaths was already taking a toil on them psychologically. They were soldiers, not necessarily battle maniacs.


    Only maniacs without a conscience, can kill without feeling any impact psychologically. At least, virtual battles are not real, no matter how real they look.


    The Captain did not know their inner thoughts as he continued. ¡°Unfortunately, the Emperor¡¯s condition is still dire, so there¡¯s a high chance that you will join in the team battle¡±. He pointed at the nutzy killer for emphasis, to show who he meant.


    ¡°During this time, I want the 5 of you to train together. I order the 5 of you to forget any misgivings or hatred between yourselves, and focus on improving your teamwork as a team¡±. On giving this order, his tone deepened further to express his emphasis on this. His tone was already screaming, no negotiation on this.


    On hearing the words of the Captain, and the domineering tone at which he said it. Clark could not prevent his twitching eye, as he tried to control himself. After battling for a whole year, seeing each other as enemies, you suddenly demand for them to reconcile and work together as a team.


    ¡°What the¡­,¡± his feelings could not help but erupt inwardly, he felt like they were being treated as barbarians, or even animals.


    If he had the strength, he would have opted to kill the Captain immediately for this statement. The others also felt uncomfortable and maybe furious, as the eagle queen squirmed on her seat, making the atmosphere awkward.


    The Captain didn¡¯t give a damn though, as he continued. ¡°You have 3 months to train, before we reach the headquarters of the sea farer¡¯s alliance. The tournament will start in 5 months¡¯ time, so try your best to improve as much as possible¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to force you, as you are clearer than I man, that your life depends on it. There¡¯s no negotiation, it¡¯s either you fight, or die¡±.


    So, it started, their training to synergize as a team. Despite the uncertainty around The Emperor¡¯s survival, and their innate rejection of each other. They were high-grade soldiers, they quickly shrugged it off, as they finally communicated a bit.


    They were already in this vicious circle, no retreat, no surrender. They just had to do it, as it was in the innate nature of man to survive. And most especially, loot. The reward for winning the tournament was mouthwatering, according to the Captain.


    The nutzy killer was forced to train with the team using a spear. This was just a precaution, in case The Emperor made it. The nutzy killer was angered as a sword was his main weapon, he felt humiliated.


    He had his dignity as a high-grade soldier, but he controlled himself, keeping his anger to himself as he clearly recognized his position as the weakest in the team.


    Training quickly started, as a section of the ship was reserved as their training ground. All their trainings were virtual, as there was no opponent for them to train with. After some time of training, their problems started being magnified. They all differed in many ways, which greatly affected their teamwork.


    But this is why it is called a training, as they persevered on how to correct these weak points. After a week of training, the Captain already had an in-depth knowledge of their abilities. Jian Wushaung was appointed as the Captain of the team, as he was more rational and he possessed some leadership abilities.


    The person who made the Captain continually bash his head against a stone, was the cold lady, the eagle queen.


    She was a complete loner, as she hardly talks with others. She hardly even responds, if others talk to her and her battle style was a very distinctive one. Only Emily, succeeded in communicating with her on some rare instances, mostly because she was also female.


    Despite all these setbacks, they persevered, as their short-comings as a team become lesser and lesser, as time went on. After a month and 3 weeks, they were surprised as news came about The Emperor. He recovered from his coma, a month ago.


    This was good news to them as a team, as they clearly recognized his strength. He would improve their team¡¯s strength by several levels, if he joins. But this was a nightmare to someone else, the nutzy killer.


    Before, they trained to perfect their synergy as a team because of their urge to survive, but now another reason compelled them to train by all costs. The award, for winning the tournament. Clark had no problem with The Emperor joining, as long as it brought him more chances of getting the reward.


    When the Captain revealed the award for winning to them, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. For the team competition, all 5 of them, the participants will each receive a stealth exotic armor and an exotic weapon of choice, made according to the standards of the big 5.


    Clark hated the rule of the big 5, but their strength, wealth, and technological skill is undeniable. He practically drooled all over, on seeing the prizes. Normally, people from lesser organizations and countries don¡¯t get to have such goodies, but the Sea farers alliance actually made an exception this time.


    The rewards for the individual tournament, was even more outrageous, this time. As only one person will win this tournament, the rewards were more generous. The winner will get an exotic armor, an exotic weapon of choice, a water propeller and any 2 other gadgets of choice.


    A water propeller, is what he previously referred to as magical boots. With them, you can fight better in the sea and it has a load of other abilities. He was right after all, in every situation, there is always a silver lining.


    The others could only grit their teeth in regret, for not being the best gladiator. If you try to be the best, you¡¯ll surely receive the best wherever you go, it¡¯s as simple as that.


    The most depressed of them all, was the nutzy killer, as he was reduced again to the role of a side character. 2 days later, The Emperor was finally discharged, as he came to meet them in their training arena. He spent approximately 2 months, in the medical bay.


    During their short time together, they already knew each other¡¯s real name, as they slowly loosened up to each other. The Emperor quickly integrated into the team without any ruckus, as training continued. They broke their record a few times, due to his arrival as he proved his strength to them.


    Despite the death battle between the Emperor and Clark, they still talked to each other normally, but Arthur is a very straightforward person. Arthur is The Emperor¡¯s real name.


    About the outcome of their battle. He praised his opponent¡¯s strength and his self-created technique, but he promised him that he would defeat him in a year¡¯s time.


    Clark was completely speechless, as he laughed off this guy¡¯s words. Their other teammates also burst with laughter, on hearing this. As Arthur¡¯s completely serious expression paired with the words he said, made it a very comical sight to see.


    Their training continued, as they finally entered the real territory of one of the big 5 organization, The Sea farers alliance.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 93: the sea farers alliance

    After Clark and his group were informed, they all came out to see the mind-blowing sight. This section of the sea was like a world on its own. Ships and structures like buildings, spanned across the surface of the sea, making it seem like a world in a fairytale to them.


    The sight was mind-blowing. The environment around here was exaggeratedly boisterous, as ships of different brands sailed away, while others sailed in.


    As their fleet slowly moved forward, they were completely dumbfounded as they reached a certain part of the world on the sea. A huge metal platform was erected in the middle of the sea, with other smaller platforms erected around it, spanning across miles.


    They finally saw the huge recognition flag. The unique flag of the Sea farers alliance waved, following the direction of the wind as it stood firmly in front of the middle platform. A huge building stood in solitude in this eye-catching platform, displaying its identity as a property of the Sea farers alliance.


    What actually drew their attention, was the formidable looking ships patrolling the perimeter of the platform in the middle. Clark already knew that this huge building was a registration center, to get access to the headquarters of the sea farers alliance.


    The ships surrounding this building were of a different level entirely, as he was sure that one shot from their main cannon could directly vaporize their current ship. The armor of the ships gleamed ominously, as the sun rays shone down on them, making them look even more intimidating.


    Their fleet finally stopped outside the perimeter created by these fleet of ships, as the Captain came down, while ordering them to follow. The Captain ignored the other platforms, that was blooming with people, as he led them to this central platform.


    The headquarters of this huge organization was not where any random person could enter, only the 5 of them [the gladiators] and the commander of the fleet, [i.e the Captain], was allowed to enter.


    All the remaining people in the fleet are not permitted, so they can only watch their future battles through their televisions or projections. They quickly boarded a sea shuttle, as it carried them straight towards the huge building.


    As they moved, Clark suddenly felt something warp through him. He looked around stunned, but could not find anything. Somewhere inside the building, images of them appeared, as a worker quickly looked through their information. The feeling of something warping through him, was a result of the scanning on them.


    They quickly reached the building, as 2 highly optimized robots came to meet them. The Captain went forward, as he explained why they came to the robots. Shortly after, they were allowed in as the huge doors of the building opened.


    Clark was silent throughout, as they went into the building. His brain was still marveling at the sight before him. Emily clung to him, as she followed him inside.


    She already saw him as an anchor for comfort and support when she was nervous or afraid. They quickly arrived in a huge hall surrounded by huge walls on both sides, their only direction was forward. The Captain went directly to the center of the hall and they followed him.


    The hall was completely lit up with lights, so the whole place was very bright, but the hall lacked any decoration and there was no presence of people either. Clark felt the urge to ask the Captain, but he kept his curiosity to himself. No matter how high of a status he held now, he was still a captive they captured.


    His confusion grew, as they came to meet a wall obstructing their way forward. The Captain answered his doubts, as he raised his right hand and quickly placed his palm on the wall.


    A screen suddenly popped up on the wall, showing the Captain¡¯s fingerprints on it. His fingerprints were quickly scanned, as the A.I of the building materialized as a robot.


    The robot presented a paper to the Captain, they all kept quiet as the Captain started filling the form. After he finished filling the form, the paper disappeared as the robot turned to face them.


    ¡°Team Roman Empire, you are welcome to the tournament, I hope you have a nice time here in our headquarters¡±. It suddenly snapped its fingers, as soon as it finished speaking.


    They immediately disappeared from there, their brains seemed to blank for a moment, before their eyes cleared to see themselves in another shuttle. Clark¡¯s mind lagged a second behind, as the high technology already exposed to him during this short encounter, was mind seizing.


    He finally snapped out of it, as he focused to observe his surroundings. ¡°Shit, he subconsciously cursed as he hurriedly felt his back for his spear¡±.


    Pa!! He stared wide eyed as the huge shark exobeast swam away, after unsuccessfully attacking and trying to eat them.


    ¡°Shit man,¡± he cursed again. ¡°We were actually dropped into the sea¡±. His small heart was already faltering, this was his first time that he was even seeing a sea exobeast up close.


    ¡°What kind of shuttle is this? How can it be so strong? Why the hell did a sea exobeast try to attack us?¡± He asked this series of questions in succession, as he turned to look at the Captain. The others were also shocked, but they reacted mildly compared to him.


    The Captain chuckled as he glanced at him, ¡°it is now that we are going to the headquarters of the sea farers alliance¡±.


    ¡°Did you really think that their headquarters would be at the water surface? This is just a means of transporting us there, to their real outer headquarters. They can teleport us there directly, but they prefer this mode of transportation to show-off their strength to outsiders¡±.


    ¡°What you saw on the surface, are structures that are built mostly by the visitors here, to connect and perform trades in the sea. People are hardly allowed to come this far, it¡¯s because our conditions are special, that¡¯s why everything was so smooth¡±.


    Clark was confused, he wanted to ask, ¡°show-off their strength in which way¡±. But he quickly shut up, as his answer was delivered generously to him. Light was the first thing that entered his sights.


    A huge gate faced them, decorated colorfully with flowers. From the color quality and the glow, it released. It was apparent that it was created from some high-grade exotics. THE SEA FARERS ALLIANCE was written on it, with bold characters.


    As soon as they passed the gate, he basically felt his heart stop beating for a moment there. They were greeted with a bunch of ferocious looking submarines, of various shapes lined in a row, decorated with yellow colors.


    The formidable cannon muzzles extending from their sides, was the cream on top the cherry, clarifying their identities as weapons of mass destruction.


    Past this row of submarines, were other monsters of technology. Turrets were lined across the sea bed, painting a very epic but dangerous sight; 2 huge defensive structures were placed on both sides of the path they took.


    ¡°The Annihilators,¡± these words appeared suddenly in their shuttle, to indicate the name of these defensive structures with a description. These are defense structures, that can fire up to 2000 highly condensed laser beams in a second.


    He shuddered in fear, at the sight of these structures of destruction as the shuttle continued forward.


    But his thoughts could not help but wander. ¡°F**k, that¡¯s shameless,¡± he suddenly blurted out, drawing the others from their intoxicated state.


    He awkwardly apologized with his face, but his thought process still remained firm. ¡°Why the hell will you be describing your own military weapons to outsiders?¡±


    ¡°We know that you are strong, but act like the strong. Shamelessly promoting how strong you are,¡± this act completely destroyed his little remaining reverence for this enormous organization.


    After 30 minutes of passing across the machinery filled area, they finally came across a huge city underwater. The city extended for as far as their eyes could see, and everywhere was filled with the color, red and blue. This is the trademark color of this organization, and the whole city was filled with this exact same color.


    The shuttle finally entered the city, they were further shocked again, as the city was completely dry just like a normal city on land. There was clearly no shield covering the city, but the water was kept completely at bay.


    ¡°The technologies utilized by this peak organizations are completely beyond my imaginations,¡± Clark thought in amazement.


    The shuttle quickly took them to a place like a port, as it slowly descended in this place. They came down, as the Captain led them forward. No one spoke, as they came into another hall. But this time, there were people in the hall.


    People of different colors filled the port, doing their own business. They observed, as they followed the Captain to the front of the hall. The captain raised his hand and repeated his previous actions, as a face materialized this time.


    ¡°Your camp is located in the gladiator quarters,¡± the robot spoke as it¡¯s eyes suddenly flickered. The Captain informed them, that the co-ordinates of their camp was already sent to him, so they turned around leaving.


    As they left, they observed the other people here as they already deduced that these people were likely their competitors.


    As soon as they came outside, a bus drove to their front, Roman Empire team was written on its body, so they immediately understood as they went in.


    The Captain changed the setting to manual, as he drove the car to the co-ordinates that was sent to him. Clark was further astonished, as he discovered that the bus was going without any form of fuel.


    It was an electric powered bus, and he also discovered that all the vehicles here are electric powered. All you need to ride your car was charge it in any shop, or even your house, as the alliance installed the chargers on every house in the city.


    Man, he felt like heaven descended on earth. The scenery of the road, of the houses and everything here was just too beautiful, bright and attractive. He felt a sudden urge to stay here forever, if possible, but that was just wishful dreaming.


    Zoom!! They finally arrived at their camp; it was a huge compound reserved for their team. This time, not only him, all the gladiators wowed in awe at the scenery, Emily¡¯s expression was like she was seeing stars.


    The Captain chuckled again, as he led them inside the compound. A robot was inside the compound, who acted as a guide, as well as a helper.


    He told them to settle down inside, as he went to a corner to make a call. ¡°Good afternoon General,¡± he greeted in a respectful tone.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± the other side only answered with this, before asking his question. ¡°Have you arrived with the gladiators?¡±


    ¡°Yes General, they are already settling down inside¡±.


    ¡°Good, have them start training immediately, as there is no time for slacking off. The reward for the organization that wins this time is very good, so work them to their limits. I don¡¯t want to entertain any chances of losing. Be prepared, I will soon be there, send me the co-ordinates of the camp¡±.


    ¡°Ok sir,¡± the Captain replied as he quickly sent it.


    Inside, as soon as they went into the house, they started moving around as they admired the scenery. ¡°The people living in this kind of place are really in heaven,¡± Mark said with a sigh.


    Mark is the real name of Jian Wushaung, his words were true as the living standards here was miles better than any of them ever lived in. The house was decorated all over, with pictures of legendary soldiers of the sea farers alliance.


    The sea farers alliance is an alliance that is ruled by 4 different powers. These powers or organizations, combined their strength during the great battle of supremacy as the battle became too tough.


    Their alliance empowered them considerably, as they dominated to become one of the big 5 powers after the great battle. They are the perfect example, of 2 heads are better than one.


    As they admired the decorations around the house, the Captain finally came in. ¡°Guys, stop roaming around, be prepared because my organization¡¯s sea expedition leader is coming to see you guys¡±.


    On hearing this, they quickly stopped what they were doing, as they came to meet him. He told them about the General, General Turan of the Roman Empire organization.


    They quickly settled down, as they neatly sat down awaiting the arrival of the General.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate. I''m sorry for the late release, school work overtook my time considerably today.]

 Chapter 94: simulated training

    Clark and the others waited for about 30 minutes, which was ridiculously long for someone who said he would soon be here. No one complained though, as they waited patiently.


    Click!! The door finally opened, as a person dressed in a suit entered the house. Closely following him were 5 other men, they clung to him like a shadow. Clark was silent as he observed the newcomer, while his thoughts ran unrestrainedly. He quickly cleared his thoughts as he stood up with the other gladiators, the Captain was already standing.


    ¡°Good day General,¡± the Captain greeted, with a salute accompanying the greeting.


    ¡°Good day General,¡± they also greeted in unison, as the General quickly arrived at their front. He kept silent, as he sternly scrutinized them with his eyes for about 20 seconds before he finally broke the silence.


    ¡°Good, I like all your attitudes,¡± he finally said with a smile. He no longer wasted time, as he went directly to the point.


    ¡°I know you were probably gotten through dubious means, but I advise you to put any resentment behind you and fight diligently. I¡¯ll personally deal with any gladiator that slacks, and I know you don¡¯t want to mess with me¡±.


    ¡°During this remaining 2 months, all of you should try as much as possible to improve your strength, I want victories when the tournament starts¡±.


    After saying some other words to them, he called the Captain aside to discuss. After another 30 minutes, his business was finally finished as he left with his 5 followers.


    Emily slumped down on the sofa, as soon as the General left. They were not afraid of him, but as a higher-ranked high-grade soldier, his presence alone was intimidating and suppressive. They were sure that he also toned it up a bit paired with his intimidating words, to act as a show of strength to them.


    The captain came back shortly, after escorting the General out. ¡°Gladiators up, you heard the General, he does not want any defeat, only victories¡±.


    They didn¡¯t have too much of a reaction to his words, but they still stood up as they looked for the designated arena to train.


    After about 3 years with this fleet, he was finally going to be free. After they finished the tournament battles, they would be released. Clark¡¯s mind started drifting home again, but he suppressed it as his main goal now was to win all the battles, before thinking of anything else.


    ¡­


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Clark¡¯s spear danced furiously around, as it slashed, cutting down all the simulated targets. This is the accuracy simulated battleground, it is a virtual training battleground.


    The simulated opponents have the strength of normal soldiers, but the sheer number of opponents was the problem. He killed the soldiers very swiftly with his teammates, as they made sure to maintain their formation.


    Boom!! The Emperor suddenly charged forward, as he cleared a small path in the middle of this horde of soldiers. Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! They already practiced this strategy countless times, due to the momentum from his charge, the surrounding simulated soldiers lost their footing, swaying like headless sheep.


    They took them as the headless sheep they were, as they massacred all the surrounding soldiers. Emily moved just like a phantom, as she moved around the edges slicing the opponents apart with her dual light swords. She killed just like a reaper of lives.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Mark complimented her maneuver from the side with his exquisite swordsmanship, his sword kept slashing and stabbing everywhere as he already established his position as the anchor of their team.


    Aurora is the real name of the eagle queen. Her loner battle style has changed significantly, as she integrated more into the team. With her pair of daggers, she was a terror on any kind of battlefield.


    As Emily cleared the edges, she followed her eerily like a ghost or better still a silent assassin, as her daggers stabbed left and right in a frenzy. Everywhere these 2 ladies passed, was turned into a terrain of blood and disaster as they massacred.


    They already formed a strategy for their team battles, Arthur is the main aggressive attacker who helps them in breaking enemy formations. Mark is their anchor, or better still he is their tower of defense. If the going gets too tough, his responsibility was to try and stabilize the situation again.


    Emily is the harassment master, as her battle art can help her harass and disrupt their opponent¡¯s tempo. Also, she is the fastest gladiator in the team, and her speed can complement Arthur¡¯s charge to better break their opponent team¡¯s formation.


    Aurora is like a helper to them, as her main job is to help any team member who is in a dangerous situation. She is also their secret assassin, as she is very proficient in short burst battles of speed and power.


    Well, Clark himself is the ace gladiator of the team. The Captain ordered him to reserve his strength during the first battles so that they can surprise the stronger teams with it, during the semi-finals or finals. This team formation was the best they could ever ask for, and they were very satisfied with it.


    Mark already stabilized his position as the Captain of the team. During this time together, they already grew to become good friends. According to legends, good friends are made during a battle or war, and they already proved it.


    The accuracy training continued, but 3 of his teammates already died so the situation was not looking good. Mark defended tightly, as his hand speed erupted completely. Pu! Pu! Whoosh!! Clark¡¯s spear stabbed, slashed, and hacked repeatedly as a soldier died to it, another following after in rapid succession.


    He also received injuries every second, he gritted his teeth as he endured the pain while trying to maximize their kill count before they died. Boom!! He did the last slash across with his spear, killing 3 soldiers in the process as he finally fell dead from exhaustion.


    He could not wake up immediately, as the virtual simulation is as close to reality as possible. The pain and the feeling of dying alone can give normal soldiers a trauma, that they can never recover from. His body must be stabilized before he is allowed to wake up.


    He felt weak all over, as he lied down on the nutrition cabin. Energy recovery injections were injected into his body through the cabin, as he stood up 2 minutes later.


    A minute later, Mark also stood up as the battle already ended. He killed 2 additional soldiers before dying, after Clark¡¯s death. As soon as he stood up, they all tacitly glanced at Arthur as they tried to stifle their laughter.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me. You guys also make mistakes at times,¡± Arthur quickly protested, with his trademark serious face on.


    ¡°Hahaha!!¡± They all erupted with laughter, as they gathered to check their scores this round. During this battle, they were all exhausted but they still persevered, trying to milk out their whole potential.


    Arthur did not allow this though, as he slipped up, making a mistake that led to their death. Despite the mistake, they were happy as they were sure that they broke their existing record.


    ¡°Sabertooth, show us the results,¡± Mark demanded. Sabertooth is the name, they gave to the house¡¯s A.I. A screen quickly materialized, showing their results.


    Team Battle Evaluation:


    Total no. of kills: 2225 Endurance: 87% Attack power: 85%


    Attack speed: 89% Teamwork: 72:


    Individual Battle Evaluation:


    #1st- The stranded dragon: Attack power: 96% Attack speed: 83% Endurance: 83% Decision making: 85%


    #2nd- Jian Wushaung: Attack power: 82% Attack speed: 81% Endurance: 85% Decision making: 86%


    #3rd- The Emperor: Attack power: 88% Attack speed: 80% Endurance: 78% Decision making: 79%


    #4th- The flexible master: Attack power: 80% Attack speed: 91% Endurance: 70% Decision making: 80%


    #5th- The eagle queen: Attack power: 85% Attack speed: 82% Endurance: 62% Decision making: 75%


    ¡°Hahaha!!¡± Mark suddenly started laughing joyfully, as soon as the result was shown. ¡°I improved, I¡¯m now the 2nd best. Oh man, what a good feeling¡±.


    Everybody knew he was just joking, as this was just one training session, but they all still tacitly turned to glance at Arthur. On seeing his expression, and his slightly twitching eyebrows, they erupted into another fit of laughter.


    This guy was just like this, always trying to be the best, but they were already used to him.


    After all the laughing, they finally calmed down, as they carefully went through the evaluations. Mark improved in his endurance and decision-making again, they just sighed in resignation as talent is of various types and degrees.


    The team evaluation indicated that they improved a lot, which was another great boon to them. They improved in endurance by 2%, attack power by 3%, in attack speed by 2%, and in team-work by a whopping 5%.


    Clark felt lucky to be enjoying this treatment, despite going through it as a captive. You can never see this type of A. I that can evaluate 2nd rank high-grade soldiers¡¯ strength like this, in any other parts of the world except the big 5 and some few organizations.


    The Captain came in to say a few words of motivation to them, before leaving. They continued their training shortly after, as improving their strength as a team was their priority at the moment.


    Clark¡¯s training was more intense, as he was training on improving his strengths in a team, and also his strength for the individual battles. Unlike the others, he was competing in 2 tournaments.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. My brother''s laptop developed some problems today, that''s why the release today was this delayed. But it''s been resolved, if I can finish editing the last chapter on time, I''ll publish it. Please, be patient with me.]

 Chapter 95: the game master

    Boom!! Arthur rushed forward to trade blows with the opposing team¡¯s main attacker, while the rest members of the team followed him to crack their opponent¡¯s formation.


    It was remaining only 2 days before the virtual team tournament starts. And today is their last practice day, so they tried their last attempt to improve. This is the elite team simulated battleground, for team vs team training.


    Sabertooth simulated five 2nd rank high-grade soldiers to fight them like this was the real tournament. The battle became very heated, as Arthur¡¯s spear became a blur. He struck with his spear, like lightning, while his opponent counter-attacked with his broad sword, like thunder.


    Dust suddenly started flying everywhere, as Clark advanced with immense speed. His spear was raised, as he performed his self-created technique, dragon breaks the ranks. He felt like a dragon cornering his prey, as his whole body felt bloated with power.


    Arthur responded very fast to his vice captain¡¯s move, as he rolled forward, dodging his opponent¡¯s next strike while distancing himself from him. He left his opponent, as he rushed experiencedly to meet Aurora, to help her take down her opponent.


    If Aurora releases her burst of power, she can be as strong as Arthur, despite it being for brief moments. There was a reason she was referred to as the silent assassin of the team, she was an extremely dangerous opponent during her deadly short bursts of power.


    She burst forth with power, as with Arthur¡¯s help they both started demolishing their opponent.


    Emily and Mark restrained the other 3 opponents in a 2 vs 3 fight, as her hand speed erupted completely. Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Her dual swords danced furiously and swiftly, as she alone stalled the 3 opponents. Mark complimented her, as he defended tightly, making sure to cover all her weaknesses.


    Boom!! Clark¡¯s spear finally arrived as the air parted, escaping to all directions in panic. His opponent reacted fast, as he tried to block with his huge sword.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! His opponent¡¯s huge sword broke into pieces, as his spear advanced without losing much momentum.


    Boom!! His opponent¡¯s body blew up, as the force from the strike oversaturated the simulated man¡¯s tolerance. Blood flew everywhere dying the battleground with a shade of dark red, the force from his self-created technique was just that ridiculous.


    Tyrannical!! His teammates focused on their battles, but they still subconsciously look his way whenever he used his self-created technique, and they always scream this inwardly.


    As soon as he destroyed his opponent, Arthur and Aurora also finished their opponent, so they all turned around without hesitation to finish the remaining 3 opponents.


    Ptui!! The last opponent died, as Aurora¡¯s dagger cleanly removed his head. ¡°Yay!! We did it,¡± they shouted in triumph, as they rejoiced a little. This was the first time that they finished the elite team simulated training, without a single casualty.


    It was all thanks to Clark¡¯s improved mastery over the technique, he created. Teamwork was still indispensable though, as, without his teammates, he cannot do it.


    As soon as they left the nutrition cabin, they asked for their results. Sabertooth complied immediately, as their scores were shown.


    Team Battle Evaluation.


    Total no. of kills: 5 Total no. of deaths: 0 Endurance: 88%


    Attack power: 96% Attack speed: 91% Team work: 85%


    Individual Battle Evaluation.


    #1st- The stranded dragon: Attack power: 98% Attack speed: 86% Endurance: 84% Decision making: 87%


    #2nd- The emperor: Attack power: 91% Attack speed: 83% Endurance: 85% Decision making: 80%


    #3rd- Jian Wushaung: Attack power: 84% Attack speed: 83% Endurance: 89% Decision making: 90%


    #4th- The eagle queen: Attack power: 88% Attack speed: 85% Endurance: 65% Decision making: 81%


    #5th- The flexible master: Attack power: 83% Attack speed: 95% Endurance: 76% Decision making: 82%


    ¡°Guys, this is good. It¡¯s enough for today,¡± Mark said with a raised voice. ¡°Let¡¯s chill for the remaining days with ease, we are blasting through this team tournament¡±.


    They all laughed, as they went to bath and have a proper rest. ¡°Mark is right,¡± Clark thought.


    ¡°With those attributes, I think we are among the best 2nd rank high-grade soldiers in the world. I don¡¯t see what will prevent us from winning¡±. With this slightly exaggerated thought, he happily entered the bathroom to bathe.


    The Captain was very satisfied with the team¡¯s improvement and performance, as he agreed to let them go out for the first time. During the last month, they were practically locked indoors, doing intense training. The General was also very satisfied when his subordinate informed him of their performance.


    The Captain bought clothes for them, which they wore as they prepared to go out the next day. On, going out of the compound, they didn¡¯t exactly have a destination in mind. So, they just walked across the streets, admiring the beautiful scenery.


    They exchanged greeting with the nearby residents of this district, as they secretly admired the high-rise buildings.


    By now, they were already used to this color, red and blue everywhere. But the splendidness of this place still seemed mind-boggling to them.


    ¡°So, some people actually live in this kind of beautiful place. While we live in our backward world, Sparta¡¯s capital city is just like a slum compared to this place¡±. Clark could not help but lament.


    The movie, Mara and Clara, is a vivid description of how he felt. It¡¯s just like comparing Clara¡¯s home, with Mara¡¯s home. The difference is clear, just like 7-up.


    But despite this feeling, he still felt that there¡¯s no place like home. ¡°Wherever I go, I¡¯ll always remember the road that will lead me home. My country is not as beautiful, my country is not as developed. Well, instead of running to a better place, I¡¯ll instead help beautify it and develop it into a better place¡±.


    As he thought, they quickly came before a house. The signboard indicated that it was a video games hub. Mark suggested that they play games, as they didn¡¯t know anyone here and they didn¡¯t have a clear destination.


    After thinking about it a bit, Clark agreed also. And the others agreed shortly after, as they didn¡¯t have a better choice.


    Clark and Mark were the only veteran video gamers among the group, so they both selected a game that they are familiar with ¡°Mini Militia¡±. It was the only game, they recognized there, so they both dragged the others to play it.


    Mini militia is a typical example, of simple to learn but hard to master game, so the 3 others quickly got a hang of it.


    As they started playing, Clark gradually became serious as he didn¡¯t want to lose to Mark. Surprisingly, Mark was a gamer, but he was not too good at playing them. At most, he was just a casual gamer.


    For the first 5 rounds, Clark completely demolished all of them, as they failed to kill him, not even once.


    He finally let down his guard, as he leisurely destroyed their characters. He was enjoying himself completely until Arthur almost killed his character. He survived, but it was a close call. After that round, he glanced at Arthur in surprise, as this guy was already better than the others at the game.


    On seeing the look on Arthur¡¯s face, he almost fainted in fright. This guy was completely focused, with a damn serious expression planted on his face.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Clark didn¡¯t know if he should laugh or cry. ¡°Dude, this is just a game, not a real-life battle,¡± he thought in resignation.


    That was just Arthur¡¯s personality, he is always serious when he wants to. He hates defeat with passion, and he always tries to compete with someone, with everything he does.


    Clark focused again, as he continued killing them without his character getting close to death. The others also noticed the competitive spirit emanating from Arthur. To them, it was amusing, as they laughed.


    Aurora was also now more open to them, as she laughed also. As Clark¡¯s perfect win streak continued, it finally drew attention from other gamers there as they came forward to challenge him.


    His perfect win streak went unbroken, as he destroyed opponent after opponent. His friends who came with him, to play games already became his fans as they cheered him on.


    He felt really good, as he played the game to his heart¡¯s content today. Some challengers came close, but he still destroyed them at the end.


    He quickly earned a new nickname, the game master. His fanbase grew by the minute, as his defeated challengers were already enough to get him a gaming award.


    Some people started calling their friends, and people they knew were good in games to come. As they came, they used the same frequency in increasing his defeated challenger¡¯s tally.


    He made a name for himself, in this foreign game¡¯s hub. That¡¯s just the life trajectory of geniuses, they never pass a place by without leaving huge news behind.


    ¡­


    As they went back that day, Aurora blabbered about how awesome he was, which came as a surprise to them all. She was usually the cold and silent one, ¡°maybe my gaming prowess succeeded in winning her over,¡± Clark thought shamelessly to himself, in conclusion.


    Her personality contrast at the moment was extremely glaring. This game invigorated her spirit, it¡¯s like she just emerged as a new person.


    Mark laughed awkwardly, as he also started going over what happened. ¡°Shit, another one with a weak will. I¡¯m disappointed,¡± Arthur thought to himself irritated.


    Unknowingly to Mark, he was already becoming a fanboy of this little jerk called Clark. ¡°What a fraudster, a completely shameless tricker,¡± Arthur thought.


    That night, they slept soundly as they prepared themselves psychologically. The tournament is beginning tomorrow, they had to be in their best shape.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 96: the roman empire team vs the lagoons team

    Despite the Seafarers alliance not lacking high-grade soldiers, this high-grade soldier tournament is still extremely popular. Clark¡¯s team left in the morning, as their first virtual battle was scheduled today, to start at 9:00 am. The alliance built a huge stadium, uniquely for this tournament.


    The Camelotian Captain drove them to the stadium, as Mark did his work as a team captain, giving them a few words of advice. Well, to them, all he was saying was just a load of crap. He was also inexperienced in the gladiator tournament; they just didn¡¯t criticize him to give him face.


    As soon as they entered the room prepared for their team, they were all shocked as they stared at the projection on the side of the room. Clark knew this tournament was popular, but not in his wildest dreams did he expect this. As big as the stadium was, it was filled to the brim with people.


    The stadium¡¯s size is easily 5 times bigger than a football stadium; they forcefully suppressed their shock as the Captain called at them.


    ¡°I admit it, the 5 of you are very strong as a team. But don¡¯t even contemplate getting complacent and underestimating your opponent¡±. The Captain advised, at the same time admonishing them.


    They nodded seriously to his advice, as they quickly went to the nutrition cabins in the room. They still had 30 minutes before the battle begins, so they familiarized themselves with the nutrition cabins while doing small virtual battle training. They did this to get immersed, in the battle mode quickly.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, today is the day you¡¯ve all anticipated and have been waiting for. Today the gladiator tournament begins, today, the team virtual battle begins¡±. As the commentator talked, the spectators were already cheering wildly in excitement.


    ¡°Lots of high-grade soldiers, battle-hardened veterans have come to fight for this ultimate price. They came from all corners of the earth, converging here to duke it out in team battles, and the most important individual battle¡±.


    ¡°The first team battle of the day is between the Roman empire team, and the lagoons team¡±. Mark came outside, as soon as they were called.


    The rest of the team followed after him, as the opposing team gladiators also came out. The format for the tournament was already released.


    In the team battles, out of the thousands of teams that applied, only 100 teams were selected to participate. The selection was made after their battle training results were compared.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Clark cursed subconsciously, as the Sabertooth he thought was an adorable A.I, was a spy. Revealing their battle results, without any feeling of remorse.


    ¡°Well, A. Is don¡¯t have feelings and emotions,¡± he thought in resignation. Unlike the team battle, the individual battles, only 10 individuals were selected from the millions of individuals who applied. This selection was also from their training results.


    Through this method, the organizers could ensure that only the cream of the top teams and individuals will battle, making the battle more intense and exciting.


    The tournament was only for one month, forget about how the spectators are cheering wildly like brainless fans, they are still bonafide members of one of the big 5 organizations. They don¡¯t have the time to spend more than a month, on this tournament.


    To them, this is just one of their numerous sources of entertainment. Most of them spectate this tournament just for the excitement, the bloodlust, and maybe for the surge of adrenaline that flows through them when a gladiator beheads another gladiator.


    Mark led his teammates, as they went over to exchange handshakes and pleasantries with the opposing team gladiators. They didn¡¯t waste any more time, as they went to rest on the nutrition cabins in rows, opposite each other.


    As they went to the nutritious cabin, the Team Captain of the lagoons made a sign with his finger cutting across his neck. This was a plain provocation, as it meant ¡°you are all dead¡±.


    The camera captured this scene, so the audience saw it. This increased the excitement in the air, the smell of gunpowder was already lingering ominously.


    ¡°Kill them, kill them,¡± the spectators yelled with vigor. Clark¡¯s team were unfazed despite the taunt, as they calmly entered their allocated nutrition cabins. They were not kids, that they would react to such a lame provocation attempt.


    At least, even Clark himself was no more a kid. He was over 20 years, and most especially his years of experience in the sea made him mature far faster than normal. He was still the same Clark, but he was not blind, the happenings around him were already changing his view of the world significantly.


    As soon as both teams entered their nutrition cabins, a shield slowly rose from the ground, as they became sealed completely from the audience. Everywhere became eerily silent to them, as all the cheers and noise from the audience was completely blocked.


    They immersed themselves, as their implants quickly connected to the A.I, specially made for the tournament. A simulated gladiator arena appeared as they materialized in the arena.


    Outside, 4 screens were projected in the air. The projected screens were very huge, so it was enough for every single spectator to see clearly. The gladiators materialized on the screen, as they appeared on opposite ends of the simulated arena.


    ¡°Formation!!¡± Mark did not get carried away as he announced immediately, as soon as they appeared. His teammates moved very fast, as they quickly formed a formation, that they were already familiar with.


    Arthur stood imposingly with his spear at the front of their formation, Emily and Aurora positioned themselves at the right and left sides respectively.


    Clark stood in the middle of the formation, while Mark was positioned slightly behind him. On the projection, a Captain tag was attached to Mark¡¯s head, while vice-captain was Clark¡¯s tag.


    As soon as their formation was complete, they all charged forward in tacit understanding. They advanced at a steady pace, as they got ready to confront their opponent. They were not underestimating their opponents, but they were confident of their strength.


    Seeing Roman¡¯s team¡¯s straightforward charge, the spectators grew excited, as they started cheering them on. Forgetting that they were cheering their opponents, just a minute ago.


    Unfortunately for them, Clark and his teammates didn¡¯t care as they could not even hear them. The distance between both teams was not too long, as they quickly sighted their opponents.


    The opposing team positioned themselves in a bow and arrow formation. The Captain followed his teammates from the back with his broad sword, as he acted as the arrow. While his teammates acted as the bow, lining in his front.


    Boom!! Arthur pointed his spear forward, as he charged forward, gradually increasing his speed. His spear hit, making a huge sound as his opponent blocked with his shield while retaliating with his sword. Whoosh!! He ducked, as his opponent¡¯s sword struck past his head.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! His spear retaliated back with force fiercely, as his opponent blocked composedly.


    After the first strike, his opponent staggered back. On the second strike, he almost fell, as he hurriedly tried to balance his step. The last destroyed his strongest reliance, as his shield broke into fragments with a bang.


    The opponents left their shield wielder to their first opponent before. But when they saw the situation, they reacted fast in a slight panic as they turned back, trying to surround him.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Arthur¡¯s hand speed erupted, as he parried all the strikes aimed at him. Bam!! He ended his wild parrying strikes with a slash. He circled in one place, so the slash reached all his opponents.


    They all fell back from the force of the blow; this display of strength finally opened their eyes as they looked on in horror. All this back-and-forth maneuver happened in less than a minute.


    His teammates finally arrived, as Emily quickly picked her opponent. Clark and Mark focused on another opponent, while Aurora boldly charged forward as she confronted the opposing team¡¯s captain. Arthur could now finally focus, as he charged at the remaining 2 opponents.


    The opposing gladiators didn¡¯t even have time to stabilize themselves from their fall back before they were swarmed by their opponents.


    Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! Aurora¡¯s daggers danced around like a viper, as the opposing team Captain tried his best to keep up with her tempo. Boom!! He finally got a chance to attack, as his broad sword struck down with force.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! She exploded with a burst of speed, as she dodged to the right. Before the Captain¡¯s sword could even touch the ground, she already moved again to the left as she held her dagger in a slanted position.


    The spectators were shocked, as the Captain didn¡¯t respond, nor did he move again. The blood dripping from her dagger explained what happened.


    So, they could only watch wide-eyed, as their brain could not comprehend what just happened yet. The first person who died was surprisingly the opposing team¡¯s Captain.


    The projection quickly left that side of the arena, as it focused on Arthur¡¯s battle. His 2 opponents stood no chance against him, as his spear moved with momentum, like a lion¡¯s pounce. His 2 opponents died shortly after, as he beheaded them after fighting a bloody and extremely fast-paced battle with them.


    The projection switched to Clark and Mark¡¯s battle. But they were too late, as the battle, there was already over. They quickly switched perspective again to Emily¡¯s battle, but they met the same outcome, they were too late.


    ¡°Shit man,¡± the spectators could not help but curse. ¡°Are you sure that this is a battle between high-grade soldiers?¡±


    The battle started and ended swiftly, it was just too damn fast, but it also felt more exciting as a replay of the battle was shown.


    2 minutes later, the gladiators came out of their nutrition cabins. The spectators erupted with thunderous applause, as the wild cheering became a stepping stone, heralding the rising of one of the best teams in the tournament.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 97: a frightening opponent

    As soon as Clark returned with his teammates, they did a small team celebration, before deciding to watch the other battles of the day.


    The Captain congratulated them while telling them to keep up the good work. Their opponents today were clearly not their match, so there was not much exciting stuff to discuss.


    They just teased Arthur for being such a stingy teammate, as they went to spectate other matches. In a sense, he was indeed stingy, as he monopolized 2 of the opponents for himself alone.


    Half of the battles to be fought this week were fought today. All the battles were fierce, as all the teams chosen had a certain degree of strength. Theirs is that they are just too strong.


    Well, this was what they thought. Not only their team was too strong, as 3 other teams proved it. They completely destroyed their opponents the way they did, and one of the teams finished the battle even faster than they did.


    The United States team was the team now holding the record for the fastest battle won. The team of gladiators they organized, was a team of monsters.


    After watching, the whole team became completely silent, as they replayed the United states team battle. The other 2 teams were strong, but they already saw this team as their main rival.


    There are prizes for 2nd and 3rd place teams, but they are nowhere as lucrative as the prize for the 1st place team. They were not ready to compromise the prospect of taking the 1st place prize.


    They finally realized something very important from this, they are not the best yet. No matter how good they are, there was always someone better, nobody is perfect.


    As soon as they came to this realization. They tacitly stood up, they returned to their training room as they got prepared to try improving further. For the rest of the day, all they did was continue training.


    The day quickly ended, as they slept peacefully after having their bath. Exercise is really good, Clark¡¯s whole body and brain felt free and active, as he slept. It was a very wonderful feeling, a feeling of unrestrained freedom.


    The next day, after waking up. Emily decided to cook for them, she took over from the A. I today as their cook. They enjoyed themselves foodwise that morning, as the juicy tastes of her food were simply unforgettable.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were this good at cooking, please be taking care of our food needs from today,¡± Mark begged her.


    She agreed after some persuasion, as Clark joined in the persuasion. He already knew just the right words to poke at her soft spot. He already developed some social skills during his years with them, and he was more fluent in his speech and persuasion now.


    Today, they continued training again for the whole day. The Captain was very satisfied with their hard work, as he constantly gave updates of their status to the General.


    That evening, when they gathered to watch the day¡¯s most intense battles, they were given another huge shock once again, as another team stood out glaringly. 5 teams destroyed their opponents like them today, but this particular team¡¯s win was just too ridiculous.


    The Microsoft Empire team practically finished the battle in an instant. They finished the battle in less than a minute.


    But what was shocking, is that their team Captain confronted 3 soldiers from the opposing team alone, and he also finished them in less than a minute. The other 4 gladiators of the team swarmed the remaining 2 opponents.


    The team was already one of the best teams in the tournament, the addition of their Captain is just adding fuel to the already burning fire. The Captain¡¯s strength is simply out of this world. Clark sighed in particular, as he recognized that compared to this guy, he still fell short in some areas.


    They originally thought that 1st position was already theirs. But yesterday, they discovered a rival. Today, they discovered a tyrant, not a rival. They didn¡¯t even need to go round the world, to find a soldier better than them. It was depressing.


    Even the backer behind this team was trouble. The Microsoft empire organization is one of the few organizations, above countries with high-grade military strength. They are a direct rival to the Roman empire organization. Their rivalry could be traced back to decades ago.


    Unlike most organizations, the Microsoft empire organization specializes in programming, as its main source of development. They are a very advanced organization, that program A. Is for themselves, and other organizations, including some countries.


    They not only focus on A.Is, as their programming knowledge and field are very broad. Most of the program-related gadgets and A. Is used by most countries and organizations are produced by this organization.


    This organization is the legacy left behind by the late programming legend of old, Bill Gates. His enormous Microsoft empire strived during the great war, as due to a lot of coincidences, they emerged as one of the big shots of this era.


    The Captain came to meet them with a solemn expression on his face, he asked them to follow him that the General wants to speak to them. They quickly stood up, as they followed him to the parlor where the figure of the General was being projected in the middle of the room.


    ¡°Good evening General,¡± they greeted respectfully. The General turned to face them while acknowledging their greeting with a nod. He exhaled, before finally opening his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Gladiators, in a normal situation I would have ordered you to win against them by all costs, but this case is special¡±. They already knew the them he was talking about, so they just kept silent.


    ¡°The Microsoft empire is my organization¡¯s arch-enemy. We cannot exist in the same place; this is how it has been for years¡±. He paused a little, after saying this.


    ¡°The team Captain leading their team this time is not a normal soldier. If I am not wrong, he came to meet them on his own to get the tournament price through them. A genius like him, cannot be unknown. There¡¯s a high chance that he has a huge background¡±.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a direct grasp of his identity, but his ability has been researched extensively by my R&D team. All I have to tell you is that this is not his full strength, try your best to advance in the tournament as much as possible¡±.


    ¡°My only regret is that Microsoft will probably take both awards for the individual and team tournament¡¯s 1st place. All I came for is to warn you about his strength, the rest is up to you, Good luck¡±.


    The General¡¯s projection finally disappeared, as they all stood there in a daze. ¡°Is that how strong this guy is? That even the General will just tell us Goodluck,¡± Clark thought, surprised.


    ¡°Well, he may be stronger than I am, but that does not translate to him killing me in a battle¡±. He recognized this guy¡¯s strength, but he was not afraid.


    ¡°Nothing is impossible,¡± he thought. ¡°If Buster Douglas can knock Mike Tyson out, who was the king of knockouts, then I will surely win over this guy¡±. As soon as this thought crossed his head, he recovered from his daze. He turned around, as he walked directly to the training room to continue training.


    The others were stunned on seeing him resolutely go back to train. Even if they didn¡¯t hear his thoughts, they have their unique thought process. They could notice the glaring change in his demeanor.


    ¡°Yeah, who said our defeat is inevitable? Nobody. If so, then there is a chance that we can win, the best we can do is to train¡±. His teammates used this logic to motivate themselves, as they also went to continue training.


    ¡­


    The tournament continued, as the 2nd round of battles began. They didn¡¯t draw against any of the powerhouse teams, so their battle was smooth. They won swiftly without any hiccups.


    None of the powerhouses drew against themselves either, so the action was mostly felt in the intense battles between the other teams.


    In this round, the Microsoft empire team broke the fastest record by an astonishing 30 seconds. This time, this feat sent everyone thinking and speculating.


    ¡°This guy, I wonder what his individual battle evaluation looks like,¡± Clark thought in awe. At this age, the strong were always respected, and he was in no way different.


    ¡°Will he have an attack power of 100? Will he have an attack speed of 100?¡± No, he laughed. Despite his strength, Emily is still faster than him by a small margin.


    The 2nd round ended, the wolves in this competition were now being separated from the sheep. Next week, the 3rd round of battles began, as the wolves bared their fangs against each other.


    This round battle was far more intense than the other rounds, as the winning teams always win by a very close margin.


    In this round, 2 of the powerhouse teams drew against each other. Their battle was very intense, as the spectators ohhed and ahhed throughout till the battle ended.


    This battle broke the record for the fastest-paced battle, as even the commentator¡¯s thoughts could not keep up with the speed at which the battle progressed.


    In this round, Clark¡¯s team continued their win streak, as they did not encounter any of the powerhouse teams. During the same week of the third round, the first battle of the individual tournament finally commenced.


    The individual battles were always still the most enjoyable, as the hype for the first round flew through the roof. Clark was astonished, as he found himself and all the 9 other individual gladiators appear on television. The television could be in any form, like the projections commonly used now.


    Normal television was no problem, but his appearing on television on a news channel of the Seafarers alliance is a privilege that millions of people will even die for.


    His first individual battle was scheduled to come, 2 days after he fought the team battle with his team. His teammates supported him, as they helped him train better. They continually encouraged him despite the impossible mission, it was tagged by some spectators.


    A lot of people believe that the winner of the individual tournament was already decided. That it is an impossible mission for someone else to win.


    Why? It¡¯s just because one of the individual gladiators is the team captain of the Microsoft empire team, Wayne Parker. His ring name is ¡°World dominator¡±.


    Despite this seemingly impossible goal, Clark trained diligently. Nothing was set in stone; he didn¡¯t feel pressure, it only served as a more reason for him to train and improve.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please support it by leaving your power stones behind.]

 Chapter 98: the stranded dragon vs the sharks mandible

    At exactly the day the 3rd round of the team tournament ended, the battle fixtures for the individual tournament were revealed. Round 1 of the individual battle tournaments- 1st day: Friday.


    #1 The fierce lion vs The Rakshasha


    #2 The Godzilla vs The Alligator


    #3 World dominator vs The perfect brawler


    2nd day: Saturday.


    #1 The stranded dragon vs A shark''s mandible.


    #2 The killer of dragons vs The versatile fighter.


    The spectators cheered in excitement, as the fight fixtures were revealed. World dominator was without contest the most popular, as some people chanted his name like he already won the individual tournament.


    After getting the day he was to fight, Clark ignored every other thing as he continued his intense training.


    As he trained, the days slowly went forward as the battles scheduled on Friday were quickly concluded. The winners are The Rakshasha, Godzilla, and World dominator.


    All the battles were fierce as expected, but the World dominator''s battle was different. The difference is that he completely dominated his opponent throughout the battle, before killing him.


    After Clark watched the battle, his face slowly took on a solemn and grave tone. "I met a huge wall this time," he thought, as he discovered that this guy improved slightly since his last battle. He paid a lot of attention to this opponent''s battles, so he was able to notice this slight improvement.


    "If this guy continues improving at this pace, then I''m in serious trouble," he thought worriedly. Being defeated was not why he worried; he was still drooling over the awards for the tournament. He didn¡¯t want to lose anything that he could win.


    After self-reflecting and resting for some minutes. He stood up, going back to train.


    He knew that there was a higher chance of dying in the individual tournament, but if he didn''t even have the guts to take such risks, he would have opted to be a farmer instead. Even If he died here, he''ll die without regrets knowing that he tried his best.


    ¡­


    The long-awaited Saturday finally came, as Clark got prepared for battle. He cloth himself in his armor, as he waited to be called to the arena.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts as the 2nd batch of individual gladiators come to ditch it out in a fierce battle of survival. Let''s welcome our first 2 gladiators, The stranded dragon, and The shark''s mandible". Applause rose from the spectator stands, as both gladiators came before the arena.


    Unlike the team battles, the individual battles are real physical battles, not virtual, so an arena was naturally erected. Instead of using a cage, they made a typical gladiator arena, but it was surrounded by an energy shield.


    A gap slowly opened in the energy shield from 2 opposite ends, through which both gladiators entered the arena. Clark grasped his spear tighter while steadying his mind, as the energy shield enclosed behind him.


    The energy shield solidified quickly, as he immediately started observing his opponent. No matter how strong he was, he would never make the stupid mistake of underestimating his opponent before the battle began, not after his many experiences.


    The 10 gladiators chosen for the individual battles are undoubtedly geniuses in their various countries. A genius is not someone he was going to underestimate.


    Genius? What status or ability can make someone be referred to as a genius soldier? Well..., he didn''t know. "I''ll find an opportunity to ask a higher-ranked soldier if I find the chance," he muttered to himself.


    His opponent wielded 2 sabers as his weapon of choice, he also observed him with caution as soon as he entered the arena. Clark has not made any astonishing moves in the past battles, but his team is still a powerhouse team.


    As someone from a powerhouse team also, his opponent was not foolish enough to underestimate him.


    Boom!! He charged forward swiftly, after observing to his satisfaction. His opponent was even more decisive, as he also charged at him with his hands facing backward, while his sabers trailed behind like 2 poisonous vipers.


    Whoosh!! A shark''s mandible attacked first, as he launched himself forward. He suspended himself horizontally in the air, as his sabers struck forward with speed.


    Clark bent down, sliding forward under, as his opponent''s saber flew past him. Clang!! He quickly turned, striking at his opponent with his spear, but this guy reacted very fast as he blocked with his 2 sabers.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! Before his opponent could even land down and recover from the shock of the strike, his spear already stabbed forward again multiple times with speed. His opponent was very decisive, as he directly started executing his battle art, The bald saber.


    Clang!! Metallic sounds reverberated, as A shark¡¯s mandible accurately parried all the stabs directed at him.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! He quickly counterattacked as he stabbed forward with his right hand, his left hand complimented the move as his other saber also slashed across. Ptui!! Blood flowed from Clark¡¯s shoulders, as he suffered an injury but he still retaliated as his spear impaled his opponent''s left shoulder.


    Wow!! The audience erupted, cheering as a replay of what happened was shown in a slower motion. Clark predicted this maneuver from his opponent, as he already used it 2 times in the previous team battles.


    As soon as his opponent stabbed forward, he executed his battle art, the frenzied maneuver as he quickly bent down. He jumped slightly to help suspend himself in the air below his opponent''s saber, while his spear ruthlessly stabbed forward.


    Due to the boost in his speed from his battle art, before his opponent''s other saber could even start slashing across, his spear already arrived impaling his shoulders. This resulted in their first shedding of blood.


    Whoosh!! He still recovered first despite this as his hand moved quickly, he tried to turn his stab into a slash but his opponent reacted fast also as he quickly leaped back. His opponent escaped death, but a bloody scar was still drawn on his chest.


    As soon as his opponent landed, he rolled backward increasing the distance between them, while quickly stabilizing his steps. Clark didn''t continue pressing forward immediately, as he stood there allowing his opponent to stand back up.


    "Are you underestimating me by doing this?" A shark¡¯s mandible asked in a deep but cold tone, as he narrowed his eyes on seeing this. He was surprised at first, but he quickly understood as he saw his opponent¡¯s expression.


    "I want to have an exciting battle before a winner is decided," Clark answered calmly.


    He already noticed that despite how extremely real, the virtual arena of the Seafarers alliance seemed, real battles were still the more effective way to improve. So, this rare chance to fight with real opponents, he was not going to squander it. He wanted to utilize it to its fullest potential.


    A shark¡¯s mandible slowly stood up after hearing his opponent¡¯s explanation, as he blew out air from his mouth. "OK," he finally replied.


    He also understood the reasoning behind improving faster, but this decision by his opponent still surprised him. From their short exchange earlier, he already recognized his inferiority compared to his opponent. But the feeling of being underestimated felt awful, his anger slowly boiled as he forcibly suppressed it.


    "You asked for an exciting battle, and an exciting battle you will get". Boom!! His words didn''t even finish before he bolted forward, appearing in front of his opponent in an instant.


    Clark was startled by this speed, but he still reacted fast as he raised his spear to block the first slash.


    Clang!! The force from the blow pushed him back a little, as he hurriedly tried to steady his steps. Whoosh!! He didn''t even see it, but he reflexively ducked as his opponent''s saber swept past above his head, removing almost all his hair.


    Clang!! Clang!! Clang!! His spear struck forward in a blur, as he reflexively blocked all the strikes aimed at him while staggering backward from the force released from his opponent¡¯s strikes.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! His opponent didn''t end there as he executed his self-created technique, the mandibles of death. The force and speed behind his blows increased, as his 2 sabers struck forward with speed like lightning.


    Clang!! Clang!! Ptui!! The 3rd strike finally achieved its goal, as Clark received a bloody gash across his chest. Hmmm, he grunted in pain, as he parried his opponent''s other strikes swiftly. It looked like he was about to fall, as his legs couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed at which his upper body moved back at.


    Boom!! A shark¡¯s mandible ended his combo with a ferocious and swift slash aimed at his opponent¡¯s legs. Due to the speed at which his opponent parried his strikes, he predicted that an ending strike to his legs would be unexpected to him.


    So, he gambled on it to earn a solid advantage. His plan was ambitious and feasible but he underestimated his opponent''s reaction speed.


    Clang!! Clark''s spear stabbed down as he parried the strike, he parried but the force from his opponent''s 2 sabers is not beans as his spear was flung sideways. He quickly jumped as his legs moved sideways, following the same trajectory as his spear.


    His gaze hardened, as he felt a rush of adrenaline run through him. He grinned, as he caught his spear with his outstretched legs. He recovered them back, as he applied force to his spear.


    He finally achieved his goal now. The rush of adrenaline, the rise in blood pressure, and his heartbeat were his end goal. "It''s time to end this battle," he muttered to himself.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! His spear moved like a bolt of lightning as he struck thrice, his opponent reacted fast as he also blocked thrice. But his 4th strike broke convention, as the force from the blow landed on his opponent like the fall of Mountain Kilimanjaro, not Mount Tai this time.


    His opponent completely lost control of himself, as he was slammed down into the metal floor with a huge sound. He quickly slashed down at his opponent''s neck with his spear to end the battle, but this guy refused to relent as he moved with speed, narrowly dodging.


    He was surprised that his opponent dodged, but he didn''t hesitate as his spear stuck with his opponent like a noisy mosquito.


    A shark¡¯s mandible finally threw all caution to the wind, as he executed his self-created technique again despite the feeling of tiredness he was currently experiencing.


    This only excited Clark further, as his hand speed completely erupted. All the spectators saw was a blur, as sparks flew around from the collision of their weapons. He decided to compete directly against his opponent''s self-created technique.


    Ptui!! Ptui!! He stabbed his opponent''s arm as blood flew out, his opponent reciprocated as he slashed at him, cutting his abdomen.


    As soon as he received the slash, he turned around once. He used the momentum from the turn as he hacked down with his spear. Bam!! His opponent blocked it, but the force from the blow pushed him back.


    He quickly capitalized on this, as he followed up by stabbing at his opponent¡¯s neck. Clang!! Whoosh!! His opponent reacted again as he parried the stab, but he failed to block the follow-up sideways slash.


    He turned around, as he slowly walked back out of the arena. As he walked, his opponent''s head slowly slid down from his neck, as blood spurted out. The audience finally reacted, as cheers exploded wildly around the stadium.


    This battle was a very fast-paced one, and the spectators loved such battles the most.


    They were not stingy with the applause, as his ears vibrated slightly from the loud noise. Under this excited filled stadium, he walked out as the winner of this battle.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 99: arthurs past

    The morning sun rays shone into the room, illuminating it with a golden tint. The leaves outside swayed, dancing to the rhythm of the morning breeze carefreely. As nature gradually reared its head, a pair of eyes snapped open, as the boy squinted his eyes to adjust to the light intensity.


    His brain gradually cleared up, as he rubbed his eyes with his hand to clean them. He finally sat up, as he took in his surroundings. Something quickly caught his eyes, bringing a broad smile to his youthful face, his sleeping sister. He could not help but smile broader, as he recalled that today is her 15th birthday.


    The small and shabby-looking room did not take away his excitement, he was already used to seeing it. And, it¡¯s not like their room was the shabbiest either. He was sure that others were living in a poorer condition, so he had more of a reason to thank God.


    He was 17 this year. As an orphan, he was the one who provided for himself and his sister. When their parents died together from a terrorist bomb blast 2 years ago, their life quickly fell from grass to grace.


    Being only 15 years old then, he was afraid, confused, and clueless about what to do. Their relatives refused to help them, as his uncle even went as far as claiming his father¡¯s house. Well, there was nothing he could do, so they could only live their life the way they saw it.


    He was terrified, but because of his younger sister, he manned up and decided to do something. Even if it is just to help his sister survive, he had to do something.


    So, it started, his life as a manual work seeker. He specializes in doing unconventional works for people, like stealing and a lot of others. His area of specialization was not one, it was very versatile so he always had jobs.


    After a year of mastering his craft, the local gangs started recognizing him as they recruited him. That was when he finally started making ends meet, as he used the money, he got there to improve their living standards.


    He has been saving money for the past 2 years to get his sister an implant. Due to financial constraints, his parents were able to get an implant for only him. This has been a bother to him for a long time, but some months ago he finally gathered the required money.


    He kept it, as he prepared to use it as a surprise to his beautiful sister today. He quickly, but quietly stood up to avoid startling her, as he went outside to get his bath in the public bathroom.


    He was fast as the public bathroom was still constructed in an era of prosperity like this. The name given to it was public, but its construction is top-notch if placed in the 21st century. He finally came back, only to see his sister already awake.


    ¡°Arthur, you woke up already. Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± She complained naggingly.


    ¡°Ah¡­,¡± this question stumped him, as he quickly searched his brain for an appropriate answer.


    ¡°Chloe, happy birthday!!¡± He cleverly used this to take her attention, after searching but not finding an appropriate response. He rushed forward to embrace her in a hug. This gesture forced all her doubts back, as she embraced her brother back with a smile.


    After leaving her embrace, he complimented it with a birthday song. Though his monotonous voice destroyed the melody, it still felt good to her. But this didn¡¯t take her attention forever, as she asked worriedly.


    ¡°Arthur, did your boss allow you to stay at home? Please, go to your gang, I don¡¯t want your boss to punish you. Don¡¯t worry, I can enjoy my birthday alone until you¡¯re back¡±.


    ¡°Oh, about that. Don¡¯t worry, I already took permission. Do you think I¡¯m a nobody? I¡¯m now occupying a significant position in the gang. Give me some respect girl,¡± he answered sarcastically.


    ¡°Quickly go and bath, I have a surprise for you¡±.


    She finally heaved a sigh of relief on hearing this, as she went out to bath with a smile. Though her brother¡¯s sarcasm forced her to roll her eyes at him, it still made her smile.


    ¡­


    Minutes later, she finally came back as she quickly got dressed up on the dress her brother prepared for her.


    ¡°Jesus, Arthur you got this dress for me? Thank you, it¡¯s so beautiful¡±.


    He smiled involuntarily as he listened to her, he could not help but admire her. She looked extremely beautiful on the white custom-made dress, he got for her. Forget that she was 15, she looked far matured than her age.


    ¡°I feel envious of the man that will marry you. He better behaves, or I¡¯ll skin him if he mistreats you.¡±


    This comment made her blush a little, as she hit him on his shoulder which earned a burst of laughter from him. She quickly got ready to leave.


    Today, her brother kept on hitting her with waves of surprises, as he finally told her that he¡¯ll get her an implant today. After getting dressed in his first-ever suit, Arthur led his sister out, as they took a taxi to the implant operation station close to them.


    ¡­


    2 hours later, Chloe finally came out of the operation theater with a smile planted on her face. The implant operation was a success. Arthur felt a strong urge to cry, as his mind felt at peace on seeing the blissful expression on his sister¡¯s face.


    He didn¡¯t have more money, but he decided to take a loan from his boss to take her out. That¡¯s exactly what he did, as he took her to one of the famous restaurants in their district.


    She knew that her brother was out of cash, but she didn¡¯t want to spoil the mood, so she just agreed to all his orders. She enjoyed herself fully, it was a feeling she never felt since her birth.


    ¡°Hey girl¡­, what¡¯s up?¡± As she ate, a boy suddenly came to her side startling her.


    Arthur frowned on seeing this, as he stood up to confront the drunk boy. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you see me here. Get out of here before I beat the crap out of you¡±.


    Out of nowhere, this phrase, ¡°beat the crap out of you¡± succeeded in enraging the boy as he lunged forward for a brawl. Arthur dodged his lunge, as he grabbed his back and pulled him down with force.


    Chloe quickly stood up, as she tried to placate her already furious brother. This move finally cleared this strange boy¡¯s eyes, as he stood up with anger printed all over his face. He quickly pressed a button on his wristwatch, as soldiers started rushing into the restaurant.


    ¡°Beat up this boy immediately, he dared to attack me¡±. This casual encounter became Arthur¡¯s most traumatic experience, as he was beaten up fiercely by the soldiers. The area became chaotic as all the customers rushed out of the restaurant in a panic.


    The Wonderland policemen arrived, but they didn¡¯t intervene as they just watched from the side.


    After sustaining a lot of injuries, the boy finally felt satisfied as he revealed his identity. He was from Oakland; he was a citizen of one of the big 5 organizations. And he had a fairly huge background there also.


    After beating him to a near-death state, the boy was still not placated. He decided to make a decision that completely shattered Arthur¡¯s will to live in the world. The boy decided to take his sister, his one and only friend and relative remaining in this cruel world.


    This completely enraged him, as he tried to fight back. This only brought him more pain, as he could only watch helplessly as his sister was taken away.


    Later in the day, he was able to drag his bloody body to the gang. But reality hit him in the face again, as his boss, the one he thought he could rely on abandoned him without hesitation.


    This was the last straw that broke his little hope for the world, as depression overtook him. All it took was a boy with a huge background, to bring him from his little place to the bottomless pits of hell. This was the typical life of a lowlife in this era, where only the strong reign supreme.


    ¡°Why did it have to be my sister? God, why me? WHY ME!!?¡± As he screamed, he suddenly woke up from his bed.


    ¡°Another dream,¡± he muttered to himself in a depressed tone, as he cuddled himself up. His whole body was soaked with sweat. He slowly clenched his fists as he tried to give himself courage.


    His headstrong behavior was a result of his traumatic life experiences. No matter how the world opposed him, he always tried to stand up against it with confidence. That was the antidote to his depression. He was determined to fight against all odds and get his sister back one day.


    ¡­


    For that day, the team trained like usual but their conversation with each other was very subdued. No one said anything, but they all knew what happened to Arthur that night.


    He shared the same room with Mark, so they already knew about his dream. Mark did not feel any need of keeping it a secret, so he just told them.


    After Clark heard about it, he alone gathered the missing pieces together and faintly got the contents of the dream. They already knew that Arthur had a sister, but he never bothered telling them extensively about her.


    Clark didn¡¯t know exactly what happened, but he knew from the little details that it was a work of oppression from a citizen of the big 5 again. As he thought of this, he could not help but get angry.


    As Mark noticed the laid back and awkward manner in which the team trained today, he finally made a suggestion.


    ¡°Guys, let¡¯s use today to go out. I¡¯m tired of staying indoors practicing every day, let¡¯s go out to let out some steam¡±. He already integrated into his role as team captain, he could now judge the right decision to take at various instances.


    Everybody agreed, as they quickly started contemplating on where to go. They all deliberately tried to cheer Arthur up, as they asked him to choose where they should go.


    He was not dumb, on seeing their behaviors he knew that the sneaky old bastard Mark sold him out. ¡°Pretending to be asleep, so shameless,¡± he could not help but curse inwardly.


    Calling Mark old was not necessarily wrong, as he was the oldest among them. He was the only one who already crossed the 30-age mark. This year he¡¯ll be going 31, unlike the youngest Clark who was only 21 this year.


    Arthur himself was just 23 this year, Emily was 22, while Aurora was 25. After seeing his teammate''s relentless persuasion, Arthur finally agreed to choose their outing destination.


    The problem was that he was clueless. He didn¡¯t remember going for any outings for years, which brought him a huge dilemma. He finally decided to say something, as he could not just leave everyone waiting for him.


    ¡°Hmmm, let¡¯s just drive. I¡¯ll decide on the way¡±. His teammates agreed without hesitation as they all went to take their bath and get dressed.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. This chapter is very essential, as Arthur will be an integral part of a future main arc.]

 Chapter 100: the virtual mech battle

    As gladiators who qualified to be brought to the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance, Clark¡¯s group was entitled to a certain amount of money for the duration they fought for the Roman empire organization.


    From this money entitlement they had, Mark hired a car for a day so they could enjoy their day without looking for an alternative means of transportation.


    Clark volunteered to be the team¡¯s driver for the day. No one objected, so he got the chance to drive his first-ever electric car. The feeling was novel to him, as he relished on the opportunity given to him.


    As soon as they left their team compound, he carried his teammates in the car as he sped down, moving straight to the highway. Arthur was still undecided, so he had no direction, he was just driving as his spirit led him.


    They all admired the huge buildings as their vice-captain drove them aimlessly around. On reaching the highway, the massively interconnected bridges, the smooth tiled road and the gold-coated road for special Seafarers with status painted the scenery in an extremely beautiful light.


    ¡­


    After driving for some minutes, their car slowed down as the traffic gradually increased. Clark decided to take the group to town, as there would be more places to visit there.


    Their car entering the town hardly steered any waves, as everyone went at his/her own business. As they drove forward, an advertisement screen was suddenly projected up in the sky.


    On seeing what was depicted there, Clark¡¯s attention was completely drawn to the image and its written description. It was a virtual battle contest between mech pilots.


    This time, not only him, practically everyone in the car had expressions of desire on their faces. And coincidentally, the contest was starting 30 minutes later, making them heave a sigh of relief for not getting here at a later time.


    After waiting and hoping for some minutes, but not hearing a confirmation yet. Everyone¡¯s eyes narrowed, as they turned to glare at Arthur, the decision-maker.


    ¡°We gave you the authority to choose where we¡¯ll go. But that does not mean you can just ignore everyone, right?¡± On seeing the expression on his teammate¡¯s faces, Arthur knew that he didn¡¯t have any right to make a contrary decision again.


    ¡°Fuck, I didn¡¯t ask to be the one to choose either¡±. He could not help but curse his shameless teammates inwardly. It was not like he didn¡¯t like such contests; it was just that he didn¡¯t feel compelled to watch it.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­, I love this contest. Let¡¯s go there, I want to watch it,¡± he finally said, while secretly gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Hahaha, we knew you¡¯ll like it. You know you are the boss now, so we were just waiting for your approval¡±. His teammates quickly commented with a laugh to restore the previous positive mood.


    His eyes twitched fiercely as he felt an urge to just punch these guys. He forcibly suppressed his feelings, as Clark drove them to the mech stadium.


    ¡­


    Organizations started dabbling more into neural interfaces during the early start of the age of exotics and technology. A lot of technological gadgets were developed then, that a human can interface with through a neural network.


    When the great battle of supremacy finally broke out, countless organizations decided to go deeper into the neural path. Due to a lot of success achieved in past neural experiments, the idea of building mechs that a human can pilot through a neural interface sprouted.


    Unfortunately, the human brain was too fragile to bear the load of mentally piloting a mech. After some further experiments, some organizations speculated that only high-grade soldiers could interface with a mech.


    Well, this idea was wrong, as it caused the downfall of a lot of powerful countries and organizations. After losing a lot of high-grade soldiers to this dreadful experiment, those organizations finally stopped. But it was already too late, as the big 5 emerged, tyrannically taking 5 spots as the winner of the great war.


    Since then, experiments on neural interfaces have been stopped. But the allure was still there, as mechs were simply machines of mass destruction. After trying countless times without results, mech piloting was finally relegated to only virtual piloting.


    Clark finally drove to the huge mech stadium, after over 15 minutes of being on the road. The stadium was already almost filled with spectators. The 5 teammates came down out of their hired vehicle, as they walked into the stadium.


    They discovered that their calculation was wrong, as the mech pilots were already in the virtual arena. The contest started 6 minutes ago; the delay was just a result of the commentators¡¯ efforts to hype the battle.


    Mark led the way, as the group of 5 quickly located a seat in the tightly packed stadium. They finally had the time to concentrate on the 4 mechs that were being projected in the middle of the stadium.


    The 2 teams competing in this tournament were The whalers and The star hunters. The mech pilots were already in the cockpit, so only the formidable-looking frames of the mechs were in view.


    The whalers fielded a swordsman mech and a rifleman mech. The whalers captain, The spirogyra was the one piloting the swordsman mech. The opposing team fielded a knight mech and a lancer mech.


    The spirogyra was clearly a famous mech pilot, as the spectator stands were already shaking from the chants being directed at him. There was no exchange of pleasantries nor greetings as the battle kickstarted decisively.


    Boom!! The lancer mech from the opposing team moved first, as it charged forward swiftly with its lance pointed forward. The swordsman mech of The Spirogyra advanced also without hesitation, moving forward to intercept its opponent mech.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! The progression of the battle was so fast-paced, as the rifleman mech started releasing thick laser beams from his formidable-looking laser rifle.


    It was still less than a minute, but the exchange between both teams was already much. The sight of such enormous war machines, releasing fire and charging at each other was so epic that Clark already started feeling goosebumps.


    The lancer mech finally arrived, as its lance struck forward at its opponent¡¯s mech. The momentum it already built from its charge made its weapon look even more intimidating as it glinted red from the friction of the air, but his opponent had a famous reputation for a reason.


    The spirogyra¡¯s mech dodged fast to the side, as its sword stabbed from the side forcefully. His opponent reacted fast also, as he adjusted the trajectory of his mech¡¯s lance.


    Boom!! The sound of the 2-weapons colliding felt like the sound of thunder, as the swordsman mech recovered quickly. Despite still staggering back from the force of its opponent¡¯s charge, its sword stuck forward, aiming at its opponent¡¯s vulnerable outstretched arm.


    Boom!! The lancer mech reacted fast but was still hit as laser beams pelted its armor, destabilizing its stance. The swordsman mech took hold of this opportunity, as it stabilized its staggering steps before unleashing a fierce counterattack at its opponent.


    Lancer mechs are not completely melee-oriented mechs either. Coupled with this disadvantage, the mech quickly started stacking damages as damage reports were continuously sent to the mech pilot¡¯s brain.


    Its teammate finally arrived, as its towering shield bashed forward at its opponent. The swordsman mech reacted fast, as it quickly withdrew. As it drew back, it suddenly jumped to the side.


    Boom!! A highly condensed laser beam suddenly flashed forward, striking the knight mech on its legs. The mech staggered disorderly, as its left leg directly became scrap metal from that charged laser shot.


    Bam!! Bam!! The spirogyra already expected this, as his mech struck at its opponent''s staggering mech swiftly. Before the knight mech pilot could react, his opponent¡¯s sword suddenly stabbed at his mech¡¯s cockpit through a small opening his staggering created.


    Ding!! The unique sound to indicate an eliminated mech suddenly sounded, as the knight mech disappeared from the battlefield. It practically came just to fill the 2nd place spot for its team, as it was eliminated the minute it engaged in battle.


    On seeing this, the already advancing lancer mech quickly stabbed at the bent swordsman mech to gamble for a quick desperate elimination.


    Its gamble failed, as the swordsman mech jumped back while placing its sword in between as protection.


    Clang!! The metallic sound reverberated as the swordsman mech was pushed back from the force from its opponent. It staggered, as its mech pilot struggled to prevent it from falling to the ground, which would spell definite doom to it.


    Bam!! Bam!! The advantage of still having a teammate showed itself, as the rifleman mech released a huge rain of shots at the pursuing lancer mech. The lancer mech tried to persevere under the shots, but the swordsman mech already recovered as it engaged it again.


    ¡­


    Electric sparks flickered in the heavily damaged mech, as it fell motionless due to excessive damage. Even though his teammate was eliminated early, the mech pilot of the lancer mech persevered as he dragged the battle for over an hour before his mech finally succumbed.


    The swordsman mech didn¡¯t leave it be, as its sword stabbed at the cockpit of the heavily damaged lancer mech.


    Ding!! The notification sound for an eliminated mech sounded again, as the winner of this contest was finally decided. The whalers emerged as the winner, but the lancer mech still gave both mech pilots of the whalers a run for their money.


    Clark finally exhaled in excitement, as he turned to look at his teammates. All their faces were flushed with a little sweat, as their blood pressure and heartbeat were high throughout the last hour.


    The loud cheers and shouts from the spectators covered the whole stadium, as the outcome of the contest excited everyone who watched it. They came for excitement, and it was presented to them in its raw form. They were grateful.


    Watching such huge machines of destruction brawl in a battle, was so impactful and nerve-wracking. Clark was not sure, but he thought he was beginning to crave excitement recently.


    ¡°Is that why it¡¯s said that soldiers can¡¯t live without war?¡± He could not help but soliloquize after the battle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a virtual mech battle ourselves?¡± Mark suddenly suggested.


    ¡°What¡­, you mean? No¡­, it¡¯s expensive to play it,¡± Clark turned it down immediately in a reluctant tone.


    He wanted to pilot it, but he also did not want to lose money for something that will grant him an excitement for only a short while. He was not a drug addict. He refused, but was he the decision maker here? NO.


    ¡°We¡¯re going, I want to experience piloting this thing myself,¡± Arthur spoke with a deep voice. This sealed it all, as they paid and fought virtual mech battles for the rest of the day.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Here''s another milestone for us, we finally reached the 100 chapter range. Thanks to you all for reading and supporting my book.]

 Chapter 101: the 4th round of the team tournament

    ¡°Hahaha, you fought so savagely Clark. I love it, keep it up¡±.


    Clark rolled his eyes at Mark¡¯s words, as he went to rest in the nutrition cabin provided in the mech piloting room. The strain to his brain was still enormous, despite it only being a virtual mech.


    As he rested, the others heaped praise on his performance relentlessly. He was the one who emerged victorious overall, after calculating the scores of all their battles. As everyone blabbered on, somebody stood up as he came to his cabin.


    The area immediately quietened down, as everyone watched Arthur approached Clark.


    ¡°Your performance¡­, very strong.¡± Arthur gave an evaluation, as he paused a bit, ¡°but I will beat you one day¡±. Him saying this in such a harmonious atmosphere, completely ruined everyone¡¯s happy mood.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­, I know¡±. Clark finally replied after being left speechless for a minute. He didn¡¯t know if he should laugh or cry. This was completely hilarious, if not ridiculous.


    ¡°Arthur will you stop ruining the mood every time,¡± Mark finally interjected, after barely controlling his twitching lips.


    ¡°Every day, I will beat you, I will do that. Use your fist for once, not only your mouth¡±. This earned a laugh from everyone, Arthur tried to keep a poker face but he failed as he also couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    These days, he served as Clark¡¯s main training partner as he challenges him every day for a virtual battle. Till now, he could not get over his first-ever defeat to this guy who called himself his vice-captain. Though he always emerged as the loser, he still had the confidence that one day he¡¯ll cleanse this shame.


    ¡°Ok,¡± he finally replied to Mark after all the laughing. He was completely unaffected by their loud laughs, despite him joining them in doing it.


    But this answer, ok. What does he mean by Ok? Does he mean he will now use his mouth or his fist? Everyone turned to look at him for clarification, as they could not comprehend him at all.


    Well, the person being focused on was completely unconcerned as he entered his nutrition cabin to train. Mark was frustrated as he felt like pulling all his hair off.


    The others were not as curious as Mark, as they erupted into another fit of laughter on seeing his expression before they returned to resume training.


    ¡­


    During Clark¡¯s last gladiator battle, he won the battle but lost almost all his hair. The lost hair didn¡¯t bother him much, but it sure as hell looked awkward.


    After training straight for 2 hours, they stopped to rest. This is when they saw the result of the 2nd individual battle. The killer of dragons emerged as the winner of this battle, he fought a long and bloody battle before he finally won.


    He dominated his opponent, by suppressing him throughout the battle. But the Versatile fighter was not ready to go down without a fight. He persevered, dragging the battle for over 2 hours being suppressed before he finally succumbed.


    The fight fixtures for the 2nd round of the individual battle tournament were already decided upon. But the date for the 2nd round has not been decided upon, it was still under consideration. For the 2nd round:


    1st day: Unknown.


    World dominator vs The Godzilla.


    2nd day: Unknown.


    The stranded dragon vs The killer of dragons.


    For the 2nd round, only 4 gladiators can battle. So, according to the rules the lucky gladiator who is left out automatically advances to the semi-final battle. The Rakshasha became the lucky gladiator to automatically advance.


    On seeing this, Mark kept cursing for over 30 minutes about the tournament¡¯s injustice. ¡°I can even participate and cross over to the next round by luck if this is how it¡¯s done. I feel bad now, this is so unorganized¡±.


    ¡°How can a gladiator just advance to the next round without fighting?¡± He complained. The others just laughed off his complaints as they forced him to enter the virtual network, so they could continue their training.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± He erupted in a loud fit of laughter as the results of their training were revealed to them.


    ¡°We improved,¡± Clark muttered in a stunned tone. After a week of training without any significant improvement, this already seemed like their limit but they now actually improved.


    They all looked at Sabertooth¡¯s evaluation with a satisfied and joyful expression on their faces. It seems steaming off for a while had its advantages too. This improvement could only be attributed to them going out to watch and pilot mechs.


    Team Battle Evaluation:


    Total no. of kills: 5 Total no. of deaths: 0 Endurance: 88% Attack power: 97% Attack speed: 91% Teamwork: 90%


    They only had a 1% increase in their attack power, but their teamwork improved by 5%. This was a completely unexpected boon to them.


    Well, this sudden huge improvement in their teamwork is not too surprising if you analyze their team in greater detail. The months they¡¯ve spent together were not in vain, they are now completely familiar with themselves.


    For example, months ago Mark hardly talks, but now he is a complete star talker. The inner beast of talking rapidly in him was gradually unleashed, the more he grew familiar with his teammates.


    Arthur and Aurora can now interact with the others normally like friends, which was unimaginable months ago. The team celebrated their improvement a little before going back into their nutrition cabins to continue training.


    ¡­


    The 4th round of the team tournament started today; their team was scheduled to battle tomorrow so they just watched today''s battles as spectators. Of the 9 powerhouse teams, 2 already fought against each other reducing the number to 8 powerhouse teams.


    For this round, 13 teams qualified but only 12 teams can participate in the battles. Surprisingly, the United States team became the lucky team to qualify without battling.


    Of the remaining 12 teams, 6 are to battle today. Clark sat together with his teammates, as they switched on the television to watch the battles as a group.


    3 powerhouse teams were scheduled to fight today, this fixture succeeded in hyping the spectators as the powerhouse teams already had fans here. The battles quickly ended, as they finally relaxed their tense nerves.


    After the battles, the Microsoft empire team became the focus of attention. They became the only team to win without having a single casualty. This battle only made Clark and his teammates more solemn, as this team¡¯s strength was simply undeniable, especially their captain ¡°World dominator¡±.


    Despite this team¡¯s perfect win, they managed to gain some information as the Captain was forced to use his self-created technique for the first time to save his teammate.


    The results of the other fought battles today were more or less expected. Apart from the powerhouse team eliminated by the Microsoft empire team, the other powerhouse teams qualified. The last qualified team is a team with mediocre strength when compared to the powerhouse teams.


    The next day, Clark and his teammates prepared to go the arena as they were scheduled to fight one of the powerhouse teams today, the blue ocean team.


    Fighting a powerhouse team was inevitable, as 5 powerhouse teams were to fight today. The spectators already started cheering wildly, as the commentator introduced them.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I know you are excited about this clash of titans. Today, these 2 powerhouse teams are going to clash, The roman empire team and the blue ocean team¡±.


    They quickly entered the arena, as they activated their nutrition cabins without any hesitation. A network quickly formed as the tournament A. I materialized them in a battle arena.


    They quickly formed their formation, as they observed their opponents. Arthur headed their formation as usual, but this time he didn¡¯t leave them as they all advanced at the same pace.


    Both team formations quickly drew near, as he finally stormed out to meet their opponents. Emily and Aurora supported him, as they advanced from the left and right flanks respectively.


    Boom!! His sword landed in their opponent¡¯s formation with speed, the Captain of the blue ocean team came out as he calmly blocked with his shield. Whoosh!! He counterattacked as his sword stabbed forward swiftly, Arthur quickly dodged by jumping backward.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Emily and Aurora arrived, as they both attacked the opposing Captain. The blue ocean team members responded appropriately, as they swarmed at the 3 opposing gladiators who came forward by trying to overwhelm them. Clark and Mark finally charged forward, as they quickly joined the battle.


    The battle became bloody as both team gladiators started sustaining injuries. The 1st casualty of the battle appeared, as Aurora swiftly killed one of the opponent gladiators through her short burst of power. On doing this, she landed deep inside the opposing team¡¯s formation.


    The blue ocean team surrounded her to kill her quickly, while their captain defended against the attacks raining at them. This man proved why he was appointed as the captain, as he maintained a tight defense against the collective offensive of his opponents.


    As he defended against their offensive, Arthur suddenly leaped to the side leaving the center open.


    Boom!! Clark¡¯s spear tyrannically appeared, stabbing towards the opposing team captain¡¯s shield as he executed his self-created technique. His spear moved too fast for the opposing team captain to pinpoint its speed, so he hastily steadied himself while firmly holding his shield to block the stab.


    Bam!! The air shook fiercely, as the opponent¡¯s shield shattered into fragments from the force from Clark¡¯s stab. The captain was startled by the force of the blow, but he was an experienced fighter as he leaped to the side with speed narrowly dodging the spear tip.


    Whoosh!! Clark¡¯s spear suddenly changed direction slashing sideways, he succeeded in beheading the enemy Captain as he failed to react in time. After training for months, he could now control and use his self-created technique perfectly.


    He stopped the technique, immediately turning it into a sideways slash at the last moment when he deduced that his opponent would dodge. The spectators completely forgot themselves in excitement from the moves just made. Wild cheers and shouts filled the stadium, as they started chanting his name.


    His teammates took complete advantage of the momentum he created, as they quickly ended the team battle, destroying their remaining opponents. Despite the advantage he created, they didn¡¯t have a perfect battle as Aurora was killed in the end.


    The spectators completely ignored this as they came out of the nutrition cabins. The loud noise, made from their shouts and cheers was enough to destroy a regular human¡¯s ear.


    Clark walked out of the stadium with his teammates, amidst the cheers. To him, the cheers was music, it feels really good being badass.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, if you love this book, leave your power stones behind his surbodinate

 Chapter 102: clash of powerhouses the roman empire team vs the microsoft empire team

    After a round of intense battles, the finalists for the 5th round of the team tournament were finally forged out from the rest. For the 5th round, Clark¡¯s team was scheduled to fight one of the few lucky teams with mediocre strength that qualified.


    They won the battle without suspense, as they advanced safely to the semi-finals of the tournament. The Microsoft empire team and the United States team also safely advanced to the semifinals.


    The Red band team, also a powerhouse team, was the last team to advance to the semifinals. This completed the required number of teams for the semi-finals, the other powerhouse teams could only grit their teeth in regret as their opportunity was already lost.


    ¡­


    After some time, the battle fixtures for the semi-finals were finally revealed. Only powerhouse teams were left, so no one thought of facing an easy team.


    But the opponent Clark¡¯s team was scheduled to face for the semifinals, turned out to be the most demonic team of the tournament, The Microsoft empire team. Both their backers were rivals; here in the tournament now, they became rivals fighting for a spot in the finals.


    The hype for this battle went completely off the roof, as some people already saw both teams as the best 2 teams in the tournament.


    On seeing their fixture, Clark¡¯s teammates didn''t say anything. They just started a demonic training schedule, as they tried to be in top shape for this battle and maybe improve, if possible. This was going to be their greatest challenge yet.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, it''s been a long journey for those who watched the team gladiator tournament from the beginning. Now, we are at the semifinal. Today is the day that 2 of the powerhouse teams will duke it out in a fierce battle for qualification¡±.


    ¡°It''s a pity that the 2 powerhouse teams, widely referred to as the best 2 teams, are going to battle in the semifinals. The finals would have been a better stage for these 2 teams¡±.


    ¡°Well, there are no what-ifs in a competition. Let us welcome the 2 titans of this tournament, the Roman empire team, and the Microsoft empire team¡±. The commentator did his job as usual, as he invited both teams to the arena in a stylish manner.


    Cheers erupted around the stadium as both powerhouse teams appeared on stage.


    Magician!! Magician!! World dominator!! The spectators shouted wildly as they chanted Clark¡¯s name, while others chanted the opposing team captain''s name. His spectator fans dug into his history, so they were able to get this nickname of his.


    He stood with his teammates on the stage, while their opponents stood opposite them. Their captain, Jian Wushaung led them, as they went to shake hands with their opponents.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we already know that despite the Stranded dragon not being the captain of the Roman empire team, he is undoubtedly the ace gladiator of the team¡±. The commentator continued, to spice things up a bit.


    ¡°The gladiators of both teams are strong, but I''m sure that victory will be influenced by the performance of the ace gladiators of both teams, the Stranded dragon or World dominator¡±.


    ¡°These 2 ace gladiators already proved their strength in previous battles, and they are both also participating in the individual battle tournament. These 2 are the cream of the crop among this batch of gladiators; we hope to enjoy a good show from these 2 monsters¡±.


    As the commentator blabbered on, the shield gradually rose. It started covering the gladiators, as they entered their nutrition cabins. A projection depicting the virtual arena for the battle lit up in the middle of the stadium, under the excited gazes of the spectators.


    ¡­


    As soon as Clark and his teammates materialized in the arena created by the tournament A.I, they quickly entered a pre-determined formation. This time, they arranged themselves in a very tight arrow formation.


    Arthur stood as usual at the very front of the formation. Clark stood closely behind him this time, Jian Wushaung stood behind him, while Emily and Aurora flanked them from the left and right positions respectively.


    Clark held his spear with a tighter grip, as he exhaled a mouthful of cold air. Was he nervous? Maybe; he knew what their opponents were capable of doing. Back in their training apartment, he did a probability analysis, and their chances of winning were pathetically low.


    Out of 10 chances, they had less than 1 chance of emerging as the winner of this battle. To be sincere, he was currently under a lot of pressure.


    He could not allow himself to succumb to defeat as a result of fear, because he still wanted the award, and most especially, his teammates trusted him. He quickly focused on the battle, as all distractions left his head like fleeting clouds.


    The team advanced slowly, as they were cautious not to let an opening before their opponents. As they were slowly advancing, their opponents suddenly increased their speed as they charged at them.


    Team Microsoft empire arranged themselves in a triangle formation, as they charged at them. Staying at the forefront of their formation stood the Great defender, he wielded a shield and a sword as his weapon of choice.


    Following from the left and right, slightly behind him is World dominator and the Black mamba.


    The dreaded World dominator wielded a sword as his weapon of choice, while the Black mamba wielded a thin spear as his weapon of choice. Seeing his spear, you will know that he is a spear wielder taking the agility route.


    Following behind these 2 gladiators are the Blind crocodile and the Silent assassin. The Blind crocodile, according to his name had a blind eye, which he covered with a black patch. With his slightly dark-toned skin, he looked like a sea fairing pirate.


    He wielded a broad sword as his weapon of choice. While his teammate, the Silent assassin wielded 2 sharp daggers as his weapon of choice.


    The sight of these 5 gladiators charging forward looked very imposing and intimidating, as these same gladiators already set a frightening record of destroying other teams with this same momentum.


    Despite this, Clark¡¯s teammates were not intimidated, as this is just a virtual battle. But this momentum can still impact their morale negatively.


    ¡°Clark,¡± Mark finally called his vice-captain for his opinion, as they all knew that the flow of this battle is to be controlled by him. Clark felt a strong urge to say that they should slow down and form a defensive formation, but why should they do that?


    ¡°Did they think we are cowards who can be intimidated by everything they do?¡± As his thoughts went this way, his blood quickly grew hot. He knew getting angry was detrimental to him, but he still believed in his strength.


    ¡°CHARGE!!¡± He yelled, as his teammates quickly picked up pace without a second of hesitation. The spectators cheered excitedly, as the 2 teams charged ferociously at each other.


    Whoosh!! Arthur attacked first, as his spear swiftly stabbed forward. The Great defender responded quickly, as he advanced to meet him while calmly placing his shield in a position to block the stab.


    Whoosh!! Bam!! At the last moment before the collision, Arthur halted his stab as he quickly turned it into a sideways slash. His opponent equally reacted fast, as he turned his shield to the side, accurately blocking the slash.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! He hastily ducked while withdrawing his spear after the slash, as he quickly rolled back. His other opponents already arrived as 2 swift strikes, one from a sword and the other from a spear streaked above him. He narrowly dodged, only because of his fast reaction.


    Boom!! Clark also finally arrived at the heart of the battlefield. As Arthur rolled back, he leaped forward, jumping over him as his spear struck down with force.


    The Great defender dodged the blow, as everyone still vividly remembered how he demolished an opponent''s shield with one strike when executing his self-created technique.


    He quickly started executing his battle art, as he entered a battle stance. Through this simple maneuver, he succeeded in diving deep into the enemy formation.


    Whoosh!! Clang!! Clang!! His spear danced around swiftly like an envoy of death, as he quickly scattered the formation of his opponents.


    Clang!! As his spear danced imperiously, a sword swiftly struck out, suddenly coming to his face with immense speed. He reflexively parried with his spear, but the strike still drew blood as he received a cut on his left cheek. World dominator finally decided to start executing his battle art, the battle emperor.


    He learned the same battle art as Arthur. Because of this, there is a high chance that he is also a citizen of Wonderland.


    Whoosh!! Clang!! Both gladiators quickly clashed, as they got engaged in an extremely fast-paced melee battle. World dominator continually pushed his opponent back from the force of his strikes, as his attack power and speed were slightly higher.


    Emily and Aurora finally entered the battle from the flanks, as they quickly engaged their opponents.


    This time, Arthur suddenly made a move his teammates called stingy before, but appreciated now. He engaged both the Great defender and the Blind crocodile in a melee battle.


    But this time, his opponents were more or less his equals in strength which showed, as he was clearly struggling in fighting these 2 gladiators. He was completely suppressed from all areas.


    The spectators who can be referred to as team Roman empire fans were already anxious, as they could not understand Arthur''s reason for taking on 2 opponents.


    The commentator was also perplexed, as he talked about it. ¡°Wait¡­, where is Jian Wushaung?¡± He suddenly blurted out.


    Pu! Pu! Whoosh!! Clark suddenly moved sideways, as sword strikes engulfed his former position, aiming at the World dominator. Juan Wushaung answered the commentator¡¯s questions by entering the battle in a tyrannical way as he executed his self-created technique, the swords of annihilation at his opponent.


    His opponent clearly didn''t expect this, as he hurriedly parried with his sword. Ptui!! Ptui!! Clark quickly joined the fray again, as the World dominator received 2 strikes from his spear, drawing blood from his chest and abdomen.


    He paid for his divided attention, as he was previously only occupied on fighting back Jian Wushaung.


    Awwn!! He groaned in pain as he quickly compromised, adopting a defensive pose. No matter how strong he was if he could come out of a pincer attack between Clark and Jian Wushaung unscathed. Then, they should just resign and become farmers.


    Outside of the enclosed arena, excitement filled the atmosphere as Clark¡¯s fans were practically roaring and chanting his ring name.


    Ptui!! He cut him again with his spear, as blood flowed from his opponent¡¯s right leg. He couldn''t help but feel disappointed, as Jian Wushaung finally stopped his self-created technique to catch his breath.


    This was a carefully thought-out plan that Jian Wushaung created, to give them a shot at eliminating the opposing team¡¯s troublesome team captain. Their expected breakthrough point was surprisingly endured and nullified by this guy.


    The respect Clark had for this guy grew exponentially, despite his disappointment with himself after this exchange.


    After his teammates presented him with such a good opportunity, 3 cuts were all he could give his opponent. He felt extremely disappointed in himself, but he didn''t let it weigh him down as the battle was still ongoing.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. It seems I''ve been making a mistake. Please, Clark''s team captain''s name is Jian Wushaung, not Mark. I''ll correct it, anywhere I see it as a mistake.]

 Chapter 103: clash of powerhouses the roman empire team vs the microsoft empire team 2

    The Microsoft empire team quickly grasped their opponent team¡¯s strategy, as they quickly started adjusting. After understanding their motive, the Great defender quickly made some maneuvers and easily escaped Arthur¡¯s grasp.


    He charged forward, moving straight to where his captain fought with his shield raised and held firmly.


    Clark did not panic, as they already predicted this in their calculations. There was no way their opponents will leave their team captain to fight the both of them. He ignored the gradually advancing opponent, as he accompanied Jian Wushaung in fighting the one that stood before them.


    World dominator was completely calm, despite the 3 injuries he sustained, as he waited patiently for his teammate¡¯s reinforcement.


    It is an understatement to just say that he is angry. He felt humiliated and extremely angry, as this was the first time that he sustained an injury in battles between same ranked high-grade soldiers.


    He knew that his current opponents were stronger than all the previous ones, but he still never imagined suffering an injury. It came as a shock to him.


    He started feeling impatient, as he wanted his teammate to be here immediately so he could counterattack, to wipe away the humiliation that he received. As soon as his teammate reached a certain range, he began to get excited as his hands hungered for a counter-attack.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! His 2 opponents suddenly increased their offensive, as they swiftly struck at him repeatedly in quick succession. He reacted fast, as he leaped backward while quickly doing a backflip to move further backward.


    As he retreated, he saw his opponent¡¯s spear chasing after him, so he further complimented his retreat with a backward roll.


    ¡°Desperate counter-attack of a cornered prey,¡± he thought with a grin. He was completely confident that he could turn the situation around when his teammate was here.


    ¡°But where is Jian Wushaung,¡± he suddenly questioned doubtfully.


    Boom!! Clark suddenly turned around, as he executed his self-created technique, dragon breaks the ranks. It almost seemed like he teleported. Before the Great defender could process why Jian Wushaung turned to face him, Clark already appeared before him.


    His shield fragmented into particles, as he tried dodging hastily. He dodged, as he escaped death but his opponent¡¯s spear gave him a deep gash on his chest.


    He gritted his teeth in pain, as he tried stabilizing himself but the force from the blow almost knocked him unconscious. He felt dizzy, as all he saw was doubled, and his vision grew hazy.


    He forced himself to jump backward, as his intuition told him that distancing himself from his opponents was the right course of action. This saved him, as his opponent¡¯s spear cut him, giving him a shallow injury on his neck. A second delay was all it could have taken for him to lose his head.


    World dominator finally understood that he was tricked. The humiliation he felt now from this, cannot be expressed with words. Rage took over his rationality, as he launched himself at his 2 opponents while executing his self-created technique, ¡°A world¡¯s fury¡±.


    All Clark saw was a blur, as his opponent quickly reached where they stood. His self-created technique was faster, but this speed being displayed is still out of this world.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! World dominator stabbed, slashed, and hacked with his sword at them, as they hurriedly defended. Ptui!! Ptui!! He succeeded in giving Jian Wushaung a cut on his abdomen, Clark reciprocated as he gave him a cut on his abdomen too.


    ¡°Leave him to me,¡± he said with a determined expression on his face.


    Jian Wushaung acknowledged as he quickly left him, chasing after their opponent that was retreating, the Great defender. Clark quickly became entangled in a bloody melee battle with the World dominator again.


    ¡­


    On other parts of the battlefield, Emily and the Black mamba were engaged in a bloody battle of speed. Both of them were fairly matched in strength, as their sword and spear exchanged blows swiftly.


    On another part of the battlefield, Arthur completely suppressed his opponent, the Blind crocodile. But this guy still persevered, as his focus was completely on dragging the battle for a long time.


    The only battle where they were sorely disadvantaged, is the battle between Aurora and the Silent assassin.


    Her opponent completely dominated the battle, as she was already riddled all over with injuries. As Jian Wushaung pursued the Great defender, he deduced from their general direction that this guy was planning on heading towards the Silent assassin¡¯s battleground.


    The Great defender quickly convened with his teammate, as they battled Aurora in a 2 against 1 situation.


    As his shield was destroyed, his strength was impacted greatly, but still, 2 are better than 1. And he was the vice-captain of the team, getting such a position is in itself an indication of his strength. His unfortunate luck of having to face his opponent¡¯s outrageous self-created technique was what disadvantaged him.


    Whoosh!! The first casualty of the battle finally appeared as Aurora lost her head after a final burst of power. All she could now see was the shaking arena, as her vision gradually faded.


    The 2 gladiators finally turned their attention to their pursuing opponent, as they charged at him. The Great defender lagged slightly behind, as he was not exactly in his best condition.


    Jian Wushaung showed his resolve, as he executed his self-created technique again. The 2 gladiators reacted fast, but his swords of annihilation still ended up getting his team their first kill. The Great defender finally died, and the battle was now even again.


    ¡­


    Ptui!! Ahhh!! Clark screamed in pain, as the World dominator¡¯s sword gave him another deep injury on his left leg. After holding up for so long, his opponent finally started suppressing him.


    He rolled backward while gritting his teeth as the pain from the countless injuries all over his body were muddling his consciousness.


    Boom!! He quickly executed his self-created technique again despite the exhausted feeling plaguing him, as his figure blurred while moving forward with lightning speed.


    Throughout their battle, his opponent was always wary about his self-created technique. As soon as he rolled backward, the World dominator secretly shifted slightly to the side as he predicted what his opponent was about to do.


    This slight deviation was not within his calculations. His heart grew cold, as he saw himself move past his opponent speedily. He quickly stopped his technique and turned around, but he already moved a considerable distance from his former position.


    His heart further grew cold, as his opponent abandoned him, sprinting to meet his teammates. He quickly picked up speed, as he sprinted to meet him in pursuit.


    His teammates were also observing his battle keenly, so they all saw what happened. World dominator was clearly planning on focus killing Aurora.


    The battle was already going on for over 30 minutes, so every gladiator has sustained a certain degree of injuries. They all knew that she had a 0% chance of surviving, in such a 2 vs 1 battle.


    Arthur was very decisive, as he forced his opponent back while sprinting towards her position. The Blind crocodile did not linger in one place, as he also ran forward in pursuit.


    World dominator finally arrived in a tyrannical way, as he quickly started executing his self-created technique, a World¡¯s fury again.


    Aurora¡¯s hand speed completely erupted, as she parried all the strikes from the 2 opponents now facing her. This was impressive, but the force of the blows flying at her kept on making her stagger backward.


    Ptui!! She suddenly leaped backward while gritting her teeth in pain, as the World dominator removed half of her left leg. The huge amount of blood leaving her body succeeded in sapping much of her strength.


    Pu! Pu! Whoosh!! Arthur finally arrived, as he also started executing his self-created technique, an Emperor¡¯s decree. He stood his ground, as he exchanged wild strikes with the World dominator. Surprisingly, the Black mamba abandoned Aurora, as he helped his teammate to engage in a 2 vs 1 battle against him.


    He was puzzled, but he also felt relieved as Aurora will at least have a moment to recover her tense nerves. Team Microsoft empire proved him wrong, The Blind crocodile proved him wrong as he finally arrived. The delicate balance was disrupted again, as the injured Aurora died in less than 5 seconds.


    The Blind crocodile quickly joined his teammates, as Arthur now faced a 3 vs 1 situation. His injuries accumulated, as he struggled to fend off his opponent¡¯s offensive.


    Boom!! Clark finally arrived, as he also executed his self-created technique, dragon breaks the ranks again. His opponents expected it, as they all keenly watched him, but the speed at which he came with was still mind-boggling to them.


    Before the Blind crocodile could even respond, his opponent¡¯s spear already impaled him. The force from the spear blasted his chest to pieces, as Clark quickly rolled forward, under the bloody mess he made.


    World dominator and his teammate struck at him, which necessitated his rolling forward. But they still had plans, as they both quickly turned while increasing their offensive on Arthur.


    Another casualty emerged, as Arthur died. He adapted too late to the increased offensive against him. They quickly turned back to face their recovering opponent.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Clark¡¯s hand speed erupted, as he fended the strikes of his 2 opponents to the best of his ability, while his injuries accumulated.


    Jian Wushaung was already directing his battle to their position since, as it was already clear that the battle will be finished here.


    He finally arrived with his opponent, turning the battle into a 3 vs 2 situation. His high teamwork with Clark began rearing its head here, as they both fought ferociously in sync.


    Injuries accumulated in both teams, the blood they already lost alone is enough to kill a regular human.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Editing this chapter took a lot of brain cells from me. Ohh, it''s so exhausting. I hope it''s understandable and enjoyable, and there are no mistakes.]

 Chapter 104: winner loser

    The battlefield shook from the impact and vibrations, as the 5 cadets utilized all their strength, skill, and experience in the last effort at victory.


    World dominator showed why he was the captain, as he spearheaded his team¡¯s offensive bravely. His 2 teammates supported his offensive from both flanks, increasing the pressure their opponents felt.


    The effectiveness at which Clark¡¯s small remaining team of 2 fought, showed that the A.I¡¯s evaluation about their teamwork was not without basis.


    Despite fighting in a disadvantaged battle against 3 strong opponents, and one of them being the dreaded World dominator. They showed why they received such huge evaluations in their team effectiveness.


    Both gladiators fought impeccably like a well-oiled machine, as their silhouettes flashed in and out of their small battlefield with speed. Clark felt overwhelmed with fatigue, but he never once thought of stopping to rest as his spear left afterimages behind swiftly.


    Team Microsoft empire kept on being surprised again and again by their opponents, before finally feeling astonished.


    World dominator¡¯s world view was completely upturned, ¡°so there was this type of strength that can be achieved between gladiators. Teamwork, what a creative piece forged from battle awareness¡±.


    Despite them inflicting more injuries on their opponents, he knew that their opponents were getting more familiar with fighting in sync together. As they now received fewer injuries, while inflicting more injuries on them.


    The spectators were completely silent, as they watched this battle of 5 gladiators drag on for another 30 minutes. The atmosphere was strangely tense and offensive, as sounds of weapons colliding kept on ringing.


    ¡­


    As soon as Jian Wushaung started feeling dizzy, he knew that his time in this battle was drawing nearer to the end. He was not Clark; he knew his limits and maximum load. He quickly decided to make a last attempt at victory for his teammate.


    ¡°Clark, the 3-man combo,¡± he announced as he suddenly launched himself forward at the Silent assassin.


    Bam!! Bam!! The Silent assassin leaped backward from the unexpected maneuver of his opponent, but he still attacked as he quickly clashed with his opponent.


    Clark understood what his teammate meant by the 3-man combo, as this was their planned last attempt at victory if the situation went beyond their control. They hoped for things not to reach this point, but every day was not Christmas.


    He wanted to sigh, but he removed any unnecessary thoughts from his head as he quickly leaped forwards to back up his already advancing teammate.


    According to their predictions, if things took a sharp downward trajectory, both of them would be the most likely last survivors as they could endure fatigue more.


    Fortunately, everything played to their predictions, as they were the only ones that were versatile enough to practice this last strategy they adopted. Clark¡¯s veins started protruding out, as he suddenly threw his spear forward to his teammate¡¯s position.


    Boom!! Bam!! Bam!! The sound was like rolling thunder, as the spear flew forward, fiercely breaking the sound barrier. The surface of the spear quickly grew red, as white mist, like steam started rising out of its surface due to the huge friction resistance from its speedy advance.


    The Silent assassin was startled, as he didn¡¯t expect one of their opponents to abandon his weapon. The only thing he could see was red, as he hastily raised his 2 daggers to block.


    Boom!! Ahhh!! He quickly shouted in pain, as his abdomen grew extremely hot from the impact of his opponent¡¯s spear. The burning sensation and the impact brought him unimaginable pain, as his face visibly distorted, while he gritted his teeth to better endure.


    Despite the pain he felt, he still reacted fast like the professional he was, as he quickly caught his 2 free-falling daggers.


    Unfortunately for this guy, Jian Wushaung was already standing with him. He grabbed the spear and ruthlessly pulled it out from his abdomen. Blood poured down like a fountain of red water, as he quickly attacked with both weapons.


    Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu! His opponent wanted to react, but he was even faster as he struck out with both the spear he just caught and his sword. His opponent¡¯s slowly rising hand could only drop back powerlessly, as all strength left his body while his dagger slipped down.


    During these few seconds, he was able to fight with 2 weapons and perfectly kill his opponent with them.


    This was the plan they made; make the fight chaotic by making unconventional decisions. Nobody expected them to decide for one of them to suddenly relinquish his weapon for the other.


    World dominator and his teammate finally arrived, with shock written all over their faces. At the moment Jian Wushaung launched himself at their teammate, they already started rushing over.


    But, not even in their wildest dreams would they have thought that their teammate could be killed in such a short time frame.


    They were shocked, but this did not slow them down, as they vented their rage on the now exhausted Jian Wushaung. His previous burst of power looked heroic, yes, but the energy he expended for it was far beyond his current load.


    His eyes gradually became clouded over, as his vision grew hazy. ¡°Clark, I did my best. The rest is up to you,¡± he muttered softly, as he tried to gather more strength.


    Ahhh!! He suddenly screamed as he advanced to parry his opponent¡¯s strikes that were already flying at him.


    Ptui!! Ptui!! His screaming hardly made an impact, as holes quickly emerged all over his body, making his current appearance similar to that of a sieve. It was a virtual battle, but the pain he was currently experiencing brought tears out of his eyes, as he gasped for breath.


    As blood gushed out of him, he still remembered his last assignment. He quickly threw both his weapons up, as a certain someone, already mid-air quickly caught both weapons.


    World dominator wanted to prevent the weapons from flying out, but he was slower by some seconds, as Clark firmly grabbed both weapons. He dived down at his 2 opponents, as he started executing both his battle art and his self-created technique.


    During his team¡¯s week of the demonic training schedule, he finally succeeded in getting a breakthrough in strength.


    The breakthrough was not to a higher rank, but he could now use his self-created technique with another weapon, and he could also now use it when wielding 2 weapons.


    On seeing his teammate catch the weapons, Jian Wushaung¡¯s consciousness finally faded from the virtual arena.


    Boom!! Boom!! As Clark descended imperiously with both weapons, his opponents hastily blocked. But the huge momentum from his strike pushed one backward, while the other was directly slammed to the metal floor.


    He completely ignored World dominator that was trying to stabilize himself by getting more distance between them, as he attacked his still dizzy opponent that was on the floor.


    From the initial strike, the Black mamba completely lost the opportunity to retaliate, as his spear handle was broken into pieces. His head felt so heavy, as he could not see any other thing but floating stars.


    Before he could recover, he suddenly felt excruciating pain, like a scientist was dissecting his body into pieces for an experiment.


    Clark did a thorough job, as he struck forward with both his spear and the sword. He stabbed and cut at his opponent rapidly, from his legs to his forehead in seconds. He quickly turned around as his opponent¡¯s figure became only a puddle of blood and flesh.


    World dominator was fast to react, as he turned back after knowing his opponent¡¯s intention. He was angry, but he could not help but be intimidated by his opponent¡¯s strategy.


    The chaotic and rapidly changing battle succeeded in disrupting his flow, which resulted in him losing his 2 teammates. He could only thank God that only 1 opponent was remaining for him to fight also.


    Before his opponent completely turned around, he already arrived as his sword cut a deep wound across his ribs. Clark gasped in pain, as he retaliated back with speed. There was no place to retreat to again, the battle was ending here.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Both gladiators unleashed their greatest strength and technique at each other, as they quickly got lost in the battle¡¯s rhythm.


    Arthur, Emily, and Aurora already recovered from their mental exhaustion. They could only watch, hoping for a miracle, as their vice-captain fought for a spot in the finals for them.


    Clark could no longer count how many injuries he accumulated, nor could he count how many he inflicted on his opponent. Today was probably the day he most exerted himself, as his breathing was already so heavy like that of an asthma patient.


    As he fought, the feeling of weakness kept on coming strong, as exhaustion kept on trying to break his last defense, even fiercer than his opponent did.


    He finally decided to end the battle. If he continued, he could no longer guarantee if his consciousness would recover from the exhaustion.


    Clang!! Boom!! As soon as he blocked his opponent¡¯s next strike, he stabbed forward with both his weapons, as he exerted his maximum strength behind it to make it harder for his opponent to evade.


    World dominator was not caught off guard, as he evaded swiftly. He swiftly retaliated, as his sword slashed at his opponent¡¯s throat.


    Clark gathered force in his legs, as he stumped the ground with force. He launched himself upwards from the force he gathered, as he threw his sword at his opponent while grabbing his spear tighter for a decisive downwards stab.


    World dominator reacted fast, but his opponent¡¯s thrown sword still cut his face, giving him a new scar at the corner of his eye. He also knew this was the decisive moment, as he closed his bloody eye while maintaining focus with his other clear eye.


    Clark dived back down, after reaching a height that satisfied him. With the help of gravity, his figure moved very fast as his spear struck directly at his opponent¡¯s position. He would have opted to use his self-created technique, but he was too exhausted to execute it.


    Clang!! Ptui!! The sound of weapons colliding rang first, before that of metal digging into flesh followed. All the spectators held their breaths, as everyone guessed who emerged as the winner.


    Awwn!! Clark suddenly grunted as blood poured out of his mouth. His hazy eyes could no longer concentrate, as it took him some effort to look at his opponent. Seeing the grin on his opponent¡¯s face, he immediately knew that he fell for his opponent¡¯s calculations.


    Indeed, the World dominator calculated the whole scenario. He was still astounded by his opponent¡¯s strength, even though his plan had worked.


    At the last moments of the battle, when he saw how desperate his opponent was to end the battle. He purposely planned and created an opening for his opponent to exploit. In the end, Clark took the bait as he was too exhausted to look deeply.


    Knowing how resilient his opponent was to damage, the World dominator aimed at his heart as he dived down. He succeeded, as he destroyed his opponent¡¯s last lifeline.


    ¡°I have to admit, you are strong. But remember this, I am the strongest high-grade soldier of my rank¡±. He muttered into Clark¡¯s ear, as he drove his sword deeper into his flesh.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come for the reward given here; I came for the experience. I derived a lot of pleasure from our battle. So, a piece of advice for you. Find a way to not participate in the individual tournament final, I will not show mercy¡±. He paused a little, as he looked at his opponent¡¯s eye.


    ¡°If you love your life, avoid me in a real physical battle¡±.


    As Clark finally heard all these, his consciousness could no longer support his stay here, as he disappeared from the arena. The disappointment from losing and the frustration for not living to his teammate¡¯s expectations overwhelmed him, as he finally left there.


    As soon as he disappeared, the winner of this battle was now verified. Cheers and shouts erupted around the stadium, as the commentator finally found his voice, chattering away excitedly.


    10 minutes later, under this excitement-filled stadium, Clark finally woke up from his nutrition cabin as he came out to face his defeat.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this novel, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 105: undercurrents

    Clark feebly climbed out of his nutrition cabin, as Jian Wushaung quickly came forward to support him. The mental exertion was still affecting him, just to focus on something came as a problem to him as his hands shook unsteadily.


    Despite 10 minutes already gone, the stadium was still extremely noisy from the excited cheers of the spectators. They kept on chanting World dominator¡¯s name excitedly, as he already established himself as a gladiator legend in the Seafarers alliance arena.


    After noticing that all the gladiators were out of their cabins, a replay of the final moments of the battle was finally displayed to both the spectators and the gladiators.


    The stadium quickly quieted down, as sound dampeners were activated to tame the noise. Despite his current feeble appearance, Clark was still able to capture what was being shown on the display.


    He clenched his fists, as he saw himself being impaled on the chest by his opponent. His expression kept on fluctuating, as Jian Wushaung slowly patted him on his back. He nodded to indicate that he was fine, as the commentator quickly started giving a closing commentary of the battle.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, the outcome of the battle everyone was striving to know has finally presented itself before us. Team Microsoft empire just showed why they are referred to as the best team by some people¡±.


    ¡°I can testify that the battle was not disappointing. I can only feel sorry for the losing team. Despite their perseverance, their planning, and immaculate teamwork, their opponents still triumphed over them¡±.


    ¡°The stranded dragon tried, but World dominator showed his domination again in this battle. I feel for the proclaimed magician, as he would likely face this his nemesis again in the individual tournament¡±.


    ¡°I feel for him, but I¡¯m still anticipating their battle. I want to see these 2 gladiators duke it out in a physical 1 on 1 battle, it will be legendary¡±.


    ¡°So, guys, do well to come back to witness this epic battle. I just hope both of them qualify to the finals¡±. Despite his emotional closing commentary, he still did not forget to promote the tournament.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to waste your time with words. All we know is that we already have a team who safely got to the finals. My name is still mc happy mouth, have a nice day¡±. He finally ended his long talk, as the projection disappeared from the stadium.


    ¡­


    Team Roman empire finally got back to their temporary training apartment. None of them felt compelled to stay back at the stadium, to watch their opponent¡¯s celebration.


    Clark felt extremely guilty as he faced his teammates. His teammates fulfilled all their roles, he was the only one who was not able to finish his role.


    His role was the hardest, but he assured his teammates that he would do it before they went for the battle. His optimistic attitude hardly saved him this time, instead, it failed him as it only made him feel more disappointed in himself.


    This was his first defeat since he became a high-grade soldier, and it definitely didn¡¯t feel nice. The whole team felt the blow from the loss, as everyone sank into their world of depression and sadness.


    On a normal day, he didn¡¯t like the Camelotian Captain coming to lecture them, or to give them words of advice. But today, he wished for him to be here but fate was just too unpredictable.


    Maybe the Captain was leaving them to personally digest and adapt to their defeat. No one said a thing, as everyone in the team slowly took in their defeat.


    Arthur felt this defeat the most, as he glanced listlessly at the ceiling. Unlike the others, he came here willingly in search of more means of income and to empower himself.


    If he could get all the gadgets that would be awarded to the first-place team, that would have brought him closer to getting his sister back. As a mercenary, with such high-grade gear, he could start taking on higher valued criminals and pirates.


    There are criminals, that the value attached to their capture could get his sister back. But such criminals were beyond his league, his thought of a plan to capture them can be translated to him planting his own grave.


    He felt a strong urge to criticize Clark for not fulfilling his promise, but his inner heart knew that they only had a chance at winning because of their vice-captain. Remove him from the equation, and they had only a 10% chance of winning.


    He could not help but resent nature. After all their hard work and rigorous training for the past few weeks, they still lost. It was discouraging. It was ages ago since he felt this kind of frustration, his hopes were already ignited to win.


    As the team spirit and morale continued falling deeper into the bottomless pit of depression, a voice finally rose to halt the dropping morale.


    ¡°Guys, I know it¡¯s hard, but let¡¯s forget about the outcome of this battle¡±. Jian Wushaung finally recollected himself, as he spoke out as the captain.


    ¡°If you look at it from the bright side, we still benefited immensely¡±. He paused a little, as he suddenly pointed his finger at his teammates.


    ¡°Clark, Arthur, Emily, Aurora, if they told you 2 years ago that you will improve this fast, would you believe? I don¡¯t think so. We practically got access to the cream of the top training resources, without paying a dime¡±.


    ¡°According to Sabertooth¡¯s evaluation, we are already some of the best soldiers of our rank in the whole world. We just met one of the few stronger soldiers, that¡¯s all. Theirs no need to kill ourselves over it, remember we still have one battle to fight¡±.


    ¡°The 3rd place spot is still up for grabs, and I promise you that we would take it¡±. He patted his chest for emphasis, as he said this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop behaving like kids, no one here is still a teen. You are all adult soldiers, act like one¡±.


    Clark felt grateful for Jian Wushaung taking the morale-raising speech, as he finally started recollecting himself.


    He also knew their current reaction was embarrassing for adult soldiers like them. But his lips couldn¡¯t help but twitch a little when he recalled this guy¡¯s last words.


    ¡°You promise us that we will win. Who f**king needs your promise, everyone here knows the Microsoft empire team is the only team that can give us problems¡±.


    Them taking the 3rd place spot was already guaranteed, as they were superior to all the other teams. Jian Wushaung¡¯s words were just him spouting a bunch of morale-raising nonsense.


    Though his words seemed irrelevant, they still succeeded in making an impact. Sometimes a short word of courage from someone else is all a person needs to do the impossible.


    After saying all his words to raise morale, he decided to project a movie from his implant for everyone to watch. This succeeded in adjusting the sad atmosphere a bit, as all 5 gladiators relaxed to watch the movie.


    ¡­


    Hmm!! General Turan sighed, as he leaned back on his chair. The projection facing him finally dissipated, as he closed his eyes to recollect his feelings.


    He knew that the chance of his team winning the battle was small, but seeing it happen still left him disappointed. The performance of World dominator and Clark left him astonished, but this could not cheer him up.


    As his emotions went through all these fluctuations, the 5 soldiers behind him said no word as they stood rigidly like statues.


    Hum!! Hum!! His military smart pocket phone suddenly rang, as he slowly picked it up to look at the caller.


    ¡°Hello, yes, what do you have for me,¡± he questioned as he swiftly recovered his usual cold look and expression.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry. The team I gathered didn¡¯t live up to expectations¡±. The Captain said with a guilty expression on his face.


    ¡°Forget about that battle, it¡¯s already over. Just make sure they secure the 3rd position, or I¡¯ll personally deal with them. And this World dominator, I want you to look more into his background¡±. He paused a little to think before he continued.


    ¡°We already verified that he is a citizen of Wonderland, I want you to research deeper to find his family. I want to know who bred such a genius. This Clark is also something, I¡¯ll like him to be a part of our organization¡±.


    ¡°Extend the olive branch to him, and use tangible benefits to lure him if he proves stubborn¡±. The Captain nodded respectfully, as the call was finally ended.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else, the apartment of the Microsoft empire team was already filled with people before the team members even arrived back.


    World dominator led his teammates in, as they came before the regional General of the Microsoft empire organization. They all saluted respectfully after standing before him, the General nodded at them with a pleased expression on his face.


    World dominator dropped his usual arrogant expression, as this time he stood before a superior high-grade soldier.


    The General first congratulated them, before granting them some money and a day out as a gift for their outstanding victory.


    The team Captain was undoubtedly the most exceptional gladiator in the team and he was the pivotal reason for their victory. The General wanted to recruit him into his organization, but he knew his boundaries.


    This was one of the main advantages of an organization. Unlike countries, they are more favored to get outside talents into their ranks. Some countries refuse to integrate other soldiers into their ranks, while others simply can¡¯t as they have a set military tradition to follow.


    Despite all these advantages, he restrained his desire, as he knew the real identity of this normal-looking gladiator.


    World dominator was one of the few people in the universe that he could not afford to piss off. His identity was top secret, as the leader of his organization personally called him to safeguard him.


    The only thing that baffled him was why he would be allowed to fight in the gladiator individual tournament if his safety was so crucial. Well, he did not know his upper echelon¡¯s thoughts. He could only hope that no complications emerged in the tournament.


    He tapped his feet on his table, as he quickly entered a contemplative mood.


    ¡­


    A huge skyscraping building stood in the middle of the red alliance district. It was the biggest building in the area, which made it very attention-grabbing.


    This large building was the entertainment administration headquarters of the Seafarers alliance. Inside the building, on the topmost floor sat the manager. He relaxed there while in a contemplative mood, as he supported his chin with his hand.


    The Seafarers alliance organizing the gladiator tournament seemed to look like them being arrogant and cruel to the unfortunate captured soldiers who¡¯ll become gladiators.


    It was cruel, but the alliance never supports anything that does not bring benefits. This gladiator tournament was actually a new way the alliance created to get new talents to bolster their ranks.


    The Seafarers alliance had abundant soldiers, but no organization refuses to get more high-grade soldiers, especially such exceptional ones.


    Him being the manager of the entertainment industry, he already had plans to recruit at least 3 soldiers. This was a mission given to him, that he could not dodge, so he already knew his targets.


    But he was still in doubt of the right method, to attract his targets. Despite his organization being in the ranks of the big 5, some soldiers don¡¯t care, especially the talented and arrogant ones.


    ¡°The stranded dragon and World dominator, I¡¯ll wait for the both of you to duke it out in the individual tournament before deciding. I hope I get either of you, without having to take drastic measures¡±. He muttered with a smile, as he suddenly stood up.


    ¡°Randy,¡± he called his assistant through his implant. His assistant quickly arrived, as he waited for instructions.


    ¡°Help me contact the guy called The Emperor, he is my first target. Use any means except violence to recruit him. I want results before the end of today¡±.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the assistant nodded as he went outside to fulfill his manager¡¯s orders.


    Unbeknownst to Clark and his teammates, undercurrents were already surging on how to recruit some of them.


    After watching Jian Wushaung¡¯s movie for some time, they gradually recovered their cheerful moods as they chatted happily.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 106: sonias real identity

    Sonia slowly brushed her dark hair, as it tumbled in a cascade down her back. She looked at her reflection from the mirror, which brought a smile to her face.


    Her fair skin, in conjunction with the dark suit she wore painted a very beautiful sight. With her smooth but finely chiseled face, she looked just like the models who appeared in magazines in the 21st century.


    She now looked more mature and refined compared to a few years ago, she now had the womanly vibe. The only thing lacking in the picture reflecting from the mirror was a man to wrap her in a hug.


    On thinking of this, her smile dampened a bit, as it turned strained. It was already about 3 years since she got separated from Clark. Thinking of him suffering from unimaginable things alone in the sea, sometimes make her cry in fear for his safety.


    She was already 21 this year. Thinking of the fact that a man she met for just a few months completely stole her heart, still felt like a fairytale to her. She frequently contacted Leonard to know of Clark¡¯s wellbeing, which was the only reason she was not already panicking, as she knew that at least he was safe.


    She went on a special mission for the Spartan army recently to a nearby country. After completing the mission, her team was given a week of leave. But, her team leader called for a special meeting and celebration today, for them safely completing the mission without any casualties.


    It still felt funny to her, the way her team leader kept on nagging to them on the need to celebrate every successful mission they completed.


    Before leaving, she turned to the side to look at the picture Clark secretly kept on her bag, during their brief stay together for their mission. This sight never failed in bringing her happiness, as her faced bloomed into a smile again.


    Her boyfriend¡¯s slightly dark, but handsome face never felt outdated to her. She could practically just look at it for the whole day without getting tired. The dark suit he donned did a good job in complimenting his handsome look further, as her happiness already transported her to cloud nine.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m getting late¡±. She finally snapped out of her dreamy state, as she skipped happily outside.


    ¡­


    Today, something bizarre happened in the headquarters of the Spartan army. None of the soldiers knew what happened, as they were all ordered to come to the parade ground immediately.


    This unexpected summons succeeded in spoiling Sonia¡¯s team¡¯s small party, as they all rushed to the parade ground also. They were surprised on reaching the parade ground, as practically the whole Spartan army was summoned here.


    As large as the field was, soldiers, lined up orderly, filled their whole sight. On seeing this, they immediately dropped their casual attitudes as they knew that something big was happening.


    After all the soldiers gathered, they could only wait while keeping their curiosity to themselves.


    The soldiers practically became breathless, as the figure of the most respected person in the Spartan army emerged with his entourage of personal soldiers.


    Commander Rashford of the Spartan army, the commander in chief, only below the president in status, personally appeared as he came to the front of the parade ground.


    ¡°Are we expecting the president today? Or is an envoy of one of the big 5 visiting today?¡± Speculations started appearing in everyone¡¯s mind, as they tried to reason out why their commander would come out and stand with them on the parade ground.


    Bzzz!! They didn¡¯t have to wait long, as the sound of warships descending quickly came above them. The soldiers fought back the urge to look up, as they all stood rigidly in attention.


    3 ferocious-looking warships finally descended slowly into the parade field, as the noise from their descent gradually died down.


    Sonia¡¯s heart practically went on a vacation, as what she saw surprised her. ¡°Why are they here? I thought we agreed to communicate only through electronic gadgets,¡± she questioned herself doubtfully.


    All the soldiers finally knew why their Commander had to come to greet these visitors. The logo on the warships indicated, that these warships belonged to the Dakra republic.


    The Dakra republic is also one of the few countries with high-grade military strength. Being a country with high-grade military strength does not warrant Commander Rashford coming to greet them physically, they had another identity.


    The Dakra republic is the leader of the 2nd European large alliance. Alliance does not necessarily mean being like the Seafarers alliance, this alliance was different.


    As the plundering of exotics between countries and organizations became rampant, after the great battle of supremacy. Some countries decided to ally between themselves, to create an alliance strong enough to deter the strong opponents from suddenly destroying and devouring them.


    Several such alliances have been created around the world, and this one was the 2nd alliance created by some countries in Europe. After the great war, a lot of countries changed their names, but the names of continents remained the same.


    The Dakra republic being the leader of this alliance, received maximum respect from the several countries allying with it, including Sparta.


    The hatch of the warship in the middle finally opened, as 4 people came out. The one leading them in the front was on a suit, a scholarly vibe exuded from him. The 3 others, who looked like his bodyguards, wore military uniforms.


    Commander Rashford finally left the horde of soldiers, as he went forward a little to welcome his guest.


    ¡°Good morning, esteemed guests from the Dakra republic. My name is Commander Rashford, I¡¯m the commander in chief of the Spartan army¡±. He greeted with a smile, as he extended his hand forward for a handshake.


    The visitor on suit smiled in return, as he took the Commander¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, esteemed Commander. My name is Daniel Calibri, from the house of Calibri¡±.


    ¡°Ahh!! You¡¯re a descendant of the legendary Woods Calibri. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, sir,¡± the Commander responded politely while feeling a little surprised.


    Daniel just responded with a smile, as the Commander led him to sit down at a shaded corner.


    Woods Calibri is one of the few illustrious businessmen of this era, where strength reigns supreme. His business empire spans across the whole of Europe, as he specializes in the production of exotic armors.


    If he was compared to the president of the Moca republic, he would be a hegemon, while the latter would just be an ant. The difference between his business empire and that of others was just that outrageous.


    So, practically, the Commander was speaking with the son of a big shot from Dakra.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the not too luxurious welcome, your arrival was just announced to me today. So, I could not prepare extensively,¡± the commander said as soon as they sat down, as he calmly observed his visitor.


    ¡°No worries, commander. Actually, I¡¯m here to fetch my sister. She left home 4 years ago. We¡¯ve kept in touch with her, but my dad now wants her back. And according to our sources, she¡¯s been here in your army for 3 years ago¡±.


    Commander Rashford was surprised, ¡°what will such a person have doing here in Sparta¡±.


    He coughed a little to re-orient himself. ¡°Please, did you say she is in my army,¡± he questioned in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, I know it¡¯s unbelievable. But in my family, she¡¯s the only one who took on the path of a soldier, so she always craved action. Her real name is Sonia Calibri, I think she¡¯s using Sonia Dadel as her alias here¡±.


    The commander finally suppressed his surprise, as he commanded his subordinate to go look for the soldier.


    On seeing a soldier coming to the horde of soldiers with an electric notepad, Sonia already knew that her brother exposed her. On seeing her brother, she finally understood why warships from her country will come here.


    Before the soldier could even call her name, she left her position as she went forward to meet him.


    ¡°Are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am the person you are looking for,¡± she answered before the poor soldier could even finish his question.


    ¡°Oh¡­, Ok¡±. The soldier stammered as he was surprised at how decisively she answered. He finally turned around to lead her back.


    Back in the parade ground, her team Captain and teammates were shocked by why she was called out. But they kept their curiosity to themselves, they could only imagine things.


    Before she reached there, it seems her brother and the Commander were already going along, as they chatted fluently. On the sound of her footsteps, both men finally turned around to see her.


    ¡°Daniel, what are you doing here? I thought I told dad that I am not coming back now, I will come back in 2 years. That¡¯s what I said, right?¡±


    Before he could even say anything, his younger sister already bombarded him with a flurry of questions. He could only smile bitterly, as he stood up to face her.


    ¡°Hey, before you ask, wait for my explanations. Mom is extremely ill; I¡¯ll explain more to you when you follow me back. Dad said, I should come to take you, as she needs you by her side¡±.


    She wanted to argue further, but when she heard her mother was ill, her voice suddenly died down. She wanted to ask what happened right there, but she suppressed her curiosity as she just nodded.


    Her mother was one of the few people she truly respected and cared for, hearing she was ill finally touched her soft spot.


    Daniel finally heaved a sigh of relief, as he thought that she would still be stubborn. ¡°At least, she still has a conscience, despite being a soldier,¡± he muttered silently to himself.


    Sonia ignored her brother¡¯s mutterings, as she finally crossed her mind completely to go. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯m going to arrange my things¡±.


    Cough¡­, cough, the Commander finally coughed to draw attention to himself. These 2 siblings talked like he was a ghost, he felt uncomfortable despite his exalted status as a 5th rank high-grade soldier.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry sir for keeping you hanging. Let¡¯s continue our talks before my sister comes back¡±.


    ¡°Good morning Commander,¡± she also politely greeted the commander, before hurrying away to arrange her things.


    Instead of waiting for Clark who promised to be back in 5 years. She decided to go attend to her mother, who needed her now first. At least, she could still come back and continue her wait, after attending to her mother.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. I''m sorry for not uploading the 2nd chapter yesterday, I was exhausted from other things. I''ll make up for it after tidying myself up.]

 Chapter 107: freedom after 3 years

    Sonia did not have much to arrange, she just came back to get some of the essential things that she could not leave behind. As she arranged, her mind could not help but drift again to a frail looking imagination of her mom.


    At this age, where medical technology has advanced so enormously, her being called for, clearly indicated how serious her mom¡¯s situation was. There was no way it was a normal illness, which only brought her more worrying.


    ¡°What is so serious, that I had to be called for?¡± she questioned herself again, doubtfully.


    It didn¡¯t take too long before she was finally ready, as she turned around to go. She changed from her old suit into a new suit she got recently, to present herself as fresh.


    Not long later, she finally arrived back at the parade ground. She was not surprised to still see the summoned horde of soldiers, all standing at their positions in attention. There was no way these guys would leave their positions, until ordered so by their commander.


    As soon as she appeared, one of her brother¡¯s personal soldiers advanced forward to take her backpack from her. She fluidly passed it to the soldier, while impatiently going forward to face her brother.


    Daniel was about to say something else to the commander, but his words got stuck in his throat, as he felt the glare from his younger sister. During this brief time together, he was already able to break the commander¡¯s communication defense, and become familiar with him.


    As a businessman, having a sweet tongue to make friends with people of power, is a trait he must have. He already mastered the craft of engaging fluently with others in a conversation, and making it memorable.


    ¡°Hey, I thought you were waiting for me. I¡¯m ready, please can we go now?¡± Sonia finally said, with slight irritation on her tone. The please was only added, as a result of the commander still being there.


    Despite them being citizens of the Dakra republic, the prestige of a 5th rank high-grade soldier is not to be undermined.


    They were one of the people with the most status in the alliance, as they were below no one, only some other special people had more of a status than them.


    And their strength was the real deal, as they were already qualified to be referred to as 1-man armies. 5th rank high-grade soldiers can singlehandedly change the situation of battles, if the opportunity presents itself. Their strength was just that outrageous.


    ¡°Commander Rashford, it¡¯s been really nice getting to know you. Please, I have to go now. Maybe, in the future, if we are opportune to meet again, we¡¯ll discuss further¡±. Daniel finally drew their conversation to an end with this.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need for such formalities, taking care of your mother takes more priority. It¡¯s been really nice getting to know you also. Please, extend my regards to your parents¡±. Commander Rashford replied with a smile.


    Daniel smiled back, as he firmly shook the outstretched hand of the commander. He finally turned around, to go back to his warship as his sister tightly trailed behind.


    Sonia felt the need to visit her team captain and teammates for a last time, to explain things to them. But, she restrained her desire, as she instead sent them an apology message instead through her implant, to explain her circumstances to them.


    The 3 warships slowly rose up, as they finally picked up speed again, heading back to the Dakra republic.


    ¡°Ok, brother, we¡¯re isolated now. You can now tell me in details, what exactly happened to mother at home? I thought she recently got a better personal doctor?¡± She could no longer suppress her curiosity, as she asked for the circumstances of her mother¡¯s illness.


    Daniel sighed, as he took a long and deep breath, cleared his throat, before he finally started telling her. ¡°There¡¯s trouble back at home, ¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Boom!! Clark slowly pulled back his spear from the shaking, bloody figure of his opponent, as he turned around to go back after stabbing him for the last time.


    Despite the blood all over his body, he walked away confidently without an injury, as the Killer of dragons slowly slumped down dead. The blood all over his body was the result of his trashing of his opponent.


    Magician!! Magician!! The spectators stand shook fiercely from the chanting and the shouts, as the winner slowly left the battle arena.


    After quickly getting over his last defeat with his team, he was able to return back to his training routine with the help and encouragement of his teammates. Unlike his teammates, he still had a steep challenge to overcome, in his upcoming inevitable showdown with World dominator personally.


    Even Arthur discreetly encouraged him by using indirect words and phrasing. Despite this guy¡¯s strong desire to overtake and win against him in a battle, he genuinely cared about him.


    The months they stayed together, was not just for fancy, as they¡¯ve grown so familiar with each other. If one of them died suddenly, the impact to the rest would be enormous.


    Today was the scheduled day, for the 2nd round of the individual tournament. His opponent was naturally not his match, but he still used the battle as training material, by dragging it out for as long as possible.


    He knew the importance of physical battles, that virtual projections could simply not replicate. So, he took advantage of this small opportunity to try improving as much as possible.


    Though, he did not notice any drastic change, his strength was still gradually increasing. Proof of his continued improvement was that despite him dragging the battle out for so long, his opponent was unable to inflict a single injury on him.


    Pa! pa! He finally came outside to meet his teammates, as he shook the extended hands of both males in his team.


    ¡°Clark, you continue to wow us every day. Despite the difference not being too drastic, you actually improved again, when we are still struggling in the darkness to locate light¡± Jian Wushaung said with a smile, as he wrapped his hands around his vice¡¯s shoulders.


    Arthur could only clench his fists, while trying to keep his expression neutral. His current feeling, was like you took last position in your class. You¡¯ll feel bad for your friend, if you found out he was not able to get his result. As last is better than nothing.


    But, you¡¯ll feel even worse, if you later find out that you were not able to find your friend¡¯s result, because you checked from the bottom. Knowing your friend actually topped the class, while you took last brings an even more awful feeling.


    He was worried for his teammate¡¯s safety, when he was about to face someone so strong. But, he felt even more bad, when that same teammate continually bested him on every area. He could only secretly comfort himself.


    Later during the day, World dominator also fought his battle. His opponent, the Godzilla could not do anything, as he was swiftly beaten to death.


    This swift defeat further reinforced his position in everyone¡¯s heart, as the best gladiator, so far in the tournament.


    The next day, was the Roman empire team¡¯s battle for the 3rd place position. During the last team battle, the United states team emerged as the winner, so their current opponent was the Red band team.


    Their battle was fierce, but it was also largely without any stylish moments nor did any dark horse emerge. As expected, with the advantage from Clark, team Roman empire slowly, but gradually crushed their opponents.


    The only thing that prolonged the battle a bit, was that Clark¡¯s teammates tried to make the battlefield into a training ground for him. He was frequently left alone to train, by taking on 3 opponents alone.


    But, this team was called a powerhouse team for a reason. None of their gladiators were weak, so he was not able to complete a 1 vs 3. But, this still helped his team tremendously, as they quickly snowballed to victory.


    Today, was a very memorable day to the team. After years of being in custody of the Roman empire organization, they were finally able to survive and take 3rd place in the tournament.


    They used all the money, allocated to them for that month to host a small party to celebrate. It was definitely worth celebrating, as throughout this small phase of their life, they already witnessed countless deaths of similar ranked soldiers.


    And, what was more worth celebrating was that. They were captured without their consent, to act as gladiators.


    Now, through their strength, they finally fought back their freedom. Not only are they being set free, they were all expecting the rewards for the 3rd place team.


    It¡¯s just like you fighting for your life, and being rewarded by a stranger for it. It was definitely a good feeling to experience.


    They finally exchanged contacts today, as they were practically already free from the custody of the Roman empire organization. At least, when they later go to their various places from here, they could have a stable means to contact each other.


    As they did their small celebration, General Turan finally visited them again for the second time. This time, he didn¡¯t come alone, he came with his whole entourage of soldiers and subordinates.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this novel, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 108: end of the team tournament and invitation

    The fleet of vehicles slowly coming into the compound, surprised the now freed gladiators. But they suppressed their curiosity, as they went forward to meet the General.


    ¡°Good evening, General,¡± they all greeted respectfully.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s my soldiers¡±. The General responded with a laugh, as he went forward to pat them on the shoulders.


    ¡°You did not disappoint my expectations. Though, you guys failed to take the 1st place, taking the 3rd place spot is already commendable. My Captain, told you guys some time ago that we would not shy in terms of rewards if you win the tournament of your ranks¡±.


    ¡°You taking 3rd place, can be seen as you winning to us. So, today, I¡¯ll present to you the awards that my team prepared for you¡±.


    The Camelotian Captain finally came forward, as he placed a box before his General. He opened the box quickly, it made a click sound to indicate its opening, as the General dipped his hand inside. On bringing his hands out, a pair of shoes followed from inside the box.


    He smiled, as he saw the expression on the soldier¡¯s faces. Clark¡¯s heart practically left his chest for a moment there, as desire appeared in his eyes. ¡°What? Those shoes?¡±


    The General finally spoke again, after allowing them to digest the sight they say. ¡°Yes, this is exactly as you have seen. This is the special seafarers¡¯ multi-purpose boots, made from special exotics that can only be found here, deep in the sea¡±.


    ¡°After a lot of brainstorming, I finally decided to present these as my award to you, for your exceptional performances¡±. The soldiers behind the General clapped loudly, as the small team of 5 gladiators went forward to take their award.


    Arthur showed a rare expression of desire on his face, as Jian Wushaung, being the team Captain, went forward to take his first.


    Clark followed shortly after before the other soldiers got their boots. He observed the boots given to him, as he could not suppress his joy.


    The color of the boot surface was blue, while the edges and sole gleamed with a unique silver color. The special logo of the Seafarers alliance was branded at its right corner.


    He wanted to shout in joy, but he could only suppress his impulse again, as he did not want to act like a country bumpkin. He finally got one of the gadgets, he had been dreaming of for the past few years, without him paying a dime.


    ¡°Hard work pays,¡± he muttered with a blissful expression on his face. This boot given to him was easily worth a quarter of the money of the exotic car gift, he got from his cadet graduation.


    That is just an estimate he made, but that alone prices it at 2,000,000 Spartan credits. ¡°Being exceptional, and getting gifts is the most reliable way to get rich and gadgetfully loaded. It¡¯s just a grade below looting,¡± he sighed with joy.


    After a lot of celebration, General Turan finally invited the 5 soldiers, to meet him in his car.


    They were all clueless on why they were summoned, they could only go to find out. On seeing the car of the General, they were not surprised as it fit the status of someone with such strength.


    The light gold-rimmed wheels and the black but smooth surface of the car indicated it as a car with stuff in it. Its finely chiseled contours also showcased its identity as a heavily modified and armored vehicle.


    They cautiously entered the car, as the opened doors automatically closed behind them. They sat straighter on the chair, as the General cleared his throat.


    ¡°Soldiers, I know you are curious to know the reason why I called you here. Don¡¯t worry, I will not waste your time. You¡¯ve seen and experienced some of the military strength and wealth of the Roman empire organization, and how convenient it is for soldiers¡±.


    ¡°On behalf of my organization, I invite the 5 of you, to become part of this huge family¡±. The General did not beat around the bush, as he directly went to the point.


    Clark was already suspecting it, but he still sighed after the General said it with his mouth. The 5 of them kept silent to digest, and think about the offer. He didn¡¯t know about the others, but he just kept silent to act the part.


    There was no way, that he would abandon his country to join an organization, just because they were stronger and wealthier. His sentiment and resolve to stay with his country, already grown past the stage of material benefits.


    He answered first, after clearing his throat. ¡°Thank you, sir, for the offer. I appreciate your concern for us. But, I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t abandon my country¡±.


    His answer was also direct to the point, as his country was one of the main reasons why he became the Clark he was today. Before today, other organizations already secretly offered him invitations to join them, including the Seafarers alliance, but he politely rejected them all.


    As soon as he answered, the others also answered. They all refused, using different ridiculous excuses they cooked up.


    General Turan prepared his mind before now, but he was still a little disappointed when all the soldiers rejected his offer. There was nothing that he could do, he reluctantly allowed them to go as he could not possibly force them.


    You can¡¯t force a horse to go to the river, and then force it to drink water. He could force them now, but he could not force them to be loyal to his organization. Doing that will only lead to future problems.


    He clearly recognized the talents of these 5 soldiers. If things were to go smoothly for them, there would be no problem for all of them to reach the heights he reached [i.e his current rank]. That¡¯s how outrageously talented, he saw this small group of soldiers as, especially the vice-captain, Clark.


    As the group walked back into their temporary apartment, they heaved a sigh of relief, as they were afraid that they would be forced to join the organization.


    As they relaxed, Arthur suddenly received a message on his implant. He was surprised at first before his expression slowly morphed into one of understanding.


    ¡°Guys, it seems I¡¯m being invited again by another organization,¡± he informed his teammates with a wry smile, as he stood up, going outside.


    ¡­


    He was completely dumbfounded when he was directed through his implant to the enormous skyscraping building. Never in his wildest dreams, would he have thought that the organization trying to recruit him will be the Seafarers alliance.


    The entertainment administration headquarters, looked as imposing as usual, as he cautiously entered. He was directed to an office, where a man in a white suit was already waiting for him.


    His passage throughout the building, to the office he was directed to was without problems, it felt as if he received unrestrained access to the whole building.


    The man was also direct, as he offered him an invitation to become a peripheral member of the Seafarers alliance. This time, he was presented with a contract, to let him feel safe, that his rights would not be violated.


    Saying he was not tempted, is the greatest lie of the decade. He was extremely moved to accept the offer on the spot, but he restrained himself. The reason was simple, he was already a mercenary, working for the Mercenary alliance.


    Though the benefits he received for being a mercenary of the Mercenary alliance were lower than what he was currently being offered, he cherished his freedom more. As joining them meant, he was now a soldier or better still, a property of the Seafarers alliance.


    Perhaps, if he was offered that his sister would be retrieved immediately if he joined, he would have considered it more. But he didn¡¯t try to ask them for it, as he directly rejected with an apology.


    He was confident that he could gather the required contribution points by himself in the Mercenary alliance, to retrieve his sister.


    Randy, the personal assistant of the manager, did not look angry nor anxious, as he even expected such a reply. He calmly ushered Arthur out, as he searched for other gladiators to aim for.


    In every tournament organized by the Seafarers alliance to get new talents, the most exceptional ones that emerge always never agree to join them, excluding a few exceptions.


    Most, if not all geniuses hated being shackled. They preferred being unrestrained, adventuring around the world was a craving they could not suppress.


    So, the alliance was already used to the most exceptional ones rejecting them. This did not stop their inviting them though, as sometimes, they get lucky.


    ¡­


    After another week passed, the finals of the team tournament, organized by the Seafarers alliance finally commenced. As expected, the huge stadium was not enough to house all the spectator swarms, as some were provided with seats to watch from outside the stadium.


    Being a team that qualified for the finals, the United States team was not that much worse than their counterparts, the Microsoft empire team.


    The battle was fierce, as the United team was able to drag the fight for over an hour. Their Captain, Black King Kong, was able to showcase his strength more openly here in the finals stage.


    With his 2 sharp sabers, he was able to eliminate an opponent, while heavily injuring another. Despite his fierce momentum, he was eventually halted by the great World dominator.


    After only battling for 10 minutes, the World dominator destroyed him, which eventually led to his team winning. For the umpteenth time, he proved his strength again as the best gladiator of the whole tournament.


    After a lot of back and forth, and after going through a huge rollercoaster, the winner of the team gladiator tournament was finally decided.


    The commentator did his job as enthusiastically as always, as he heaped praises on the Microsoft empire team, particularly paying special attention to World dominator.


    Slogans such as; he came, he saw, he conquered, were already being used by the spectator fans to describe him. No matter where he went, he already established himself as a gladiator legend of the Seafarers alliance.


    As excitement and satisfaction filled the air, the team tournament was officially called to a close with the sound of fireworks resounding around the stadium.


    The glittering array of stars created from the fireworks heralded a new generation of stars, a new generation of high-grade soldiers.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 109: the grand finale

    After months of preparation battles, the date for the finals of the individual tournament was finally scheduled.


    After the end of the team tournament, the gladiators in the teams who won are already eligible to take their awards. But they don¡¯t get it immediately, the Seafarers alliance extends the award ceremony to the week after the end of the individual finals.


    Some gladiators won in the team tournament with their teams but unfortunately, they died in the individual tournament. The alliance was not ready to give awards to ghosts. So, the award ceremony commences, only after the whole gladiator tournament ends.


    ¡­


    Bam!! Bam!! Clark¡¯s spear stabbed forward in quick succession, as his opponent hastily raised his spear to parry the strike. His hand blurred, as the stab was quickly converted into a sideways slash.


    Boom!! Arthur narrowly blocked the strike again, but the force from his vice-captain¡¯s strike still pushed him back. As his opponent was rushing forward to finish him, his teammate finally recovered, as he slashed his sword forward in retaliation.


    Jian Wushaung¡¯s sword appeared so fast like something under the effect of a space warping device, his opponent could only dodge as he quickly rolled backward.


    Clang!! Clang!! Clark could only suppress his irritation, as he withstood the fierce attacks of his 2 temporary opponents.


    He knew this was just a virtual simulated training environment, but his face couldn¡¯t help but morph into a frown, as the impact from his opponent¡¯s blows numbed his hands.


    Boom!! He finally started executing his battle art, as his strikes grew faster while having stronger force behind them. His 2 opponents reciprocated, as they both also executed their battle arts.


    His figure could only keep on retreating, as he tried every possible means to force a breakthrough. As he fought, he would occasionally leap back to avoid the fierce counterattacks of his 2 opponents.


    Whoosh!! His spear suddenly stabbed forward swiftly, as he took advantage of an opening made by his opponents. His target dodged the initial stab, but his spear quickly drew back, as it drew a bloody gash across his opponent¡¯s face.


    Despite him paying for it with the blood currently gushing out of his face, Jian Wushaung succeeded in creating an opportunity to end the battle.


    He and his teammate finally had the required space to unleash their self-created technique, and they executed it without hesitation.


    Bam!! Bam!! The sound of the collision was like that of the rolling waves of a tsunami, as Clark was flung back, hitting the floor with a loud bang sound. He quickly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging his opponent''s follow-up attacks as he sprang back up.


    He also finally had the chance to execute his self-created technique, as he dug his legs firmly into the metal floor. Boom!! His figure was launched forward like a rocket at his pursuing opponents, as they scrambled to dodge.


    After sparring with him for so long, his opponents already started devising strategies to endure his outrageous self-created technique.


    After a lot of failures, they finally concluded that when facing his dragon breaks the ranks, the best solution was finding cover or be fast enough to react and dodge.


    Facing it directly, was a free ticket to defeat, if not death directly. Though their strategy worked occasionally, it was still not easy.


    After finally getting a counter to his technique, he also did not let it be, as he tried developing ways to limit the effectiveness of this strategy.


    His training yielded some good results recently, as he succeeded in evolving the capability and versatility of his technique. It was no longer just a one-hit, then run something. If he wanted, he could keep executing it, while exchanging multiple blows with opponents.


    Arthur and Jian Wushaung reacted fast, but one of them was still got, as he was the targeted one.


    Ptui!! The sound of metal piercing flesh reverberated, as Jian Wushaung coughed out blood in waves. He was able to narrowly survive, as his body did not explode on impact. But he was incapacitated.


    Already expecting such an outcome, Clark followed up, as Arthur also turned back to help his teammate. With his opponent¡¯s evolved technique, Arthur was more cautious, but he still advanced.


    Jian Wushaung managed to raise his sword again, as he slashed at his approaching opponent. Clark calmly dodged, he went to his side as his spear dug ruthlessly into his opponent¡¯s brain.


    Boom!! Before he could turn around, Arthur already arrived, as his spear stabbed at him. He was startled at the unexpected speed from his opponent, but he still tried to parry as he withdrew back.


    Ptui!! Hmm!! He grunted in pain, as his opponent¡¯s spear stabbed into his chest. He was still able to do something at this short time though, as his spear also stabbed at his opponent¡¯s abdomen.


    Arthur¡¯s face tightened, as he felt the impact of the spear in his stomach. There, the 2 stood, as they just watched each other, while blood slowly seeped out of their mouths.


    Pop!! Their projection finally burst into white light with a pop sound, as the A. I deemed them unable to fight again. The battle ended in a draw, much to Arthur¡¯s frustration.


    Every day, this was their training schedule, as they all tried various means to make their vice-captain improve. After a lot of trials, they finally decided that Arthur and Jian Wushaung fighting him in a 2 vs 1, was the right set-up to draw out his potential.


    Clark always lost against them, since the time they started this set-up. But yesterday, he seemed to break a limit as their battle ended in a draw.


    Arthur knew he was just helping his teammate, but the draw still impacted him fiercely. He could not fathom how this same Clark, whom he once looked down on, could now draw with him in a 2 vs 1 battle.


    Saying he was shocked, was undermining his current feelings. The current words to describe his shock and frustration, can not be found in the dictionary yet. Maybe, it¡¯ll be found a century later.


    Whoosh!! The lids of the nutrition cabins finally opened, as the 3 soldiers came out of theirs.


    Clap!! Clap!! Emily and Aurora clapped for the group of 3, as they presented fresh drinks for them to refresh themselves. ¡°You guys were awesome,¡± Emily said with a smile, as they all sat down to rest.


    Jian Wushaung ordered Sabertooth to display their battle evaluation, as he secretly glanced at Clark. From the outcome of today¡¯s training, he knew that he was witnessing the birth of a legend.


    It was not exaggerating to say Clark was the most talented person, he had ever met in his 30 plus short life. He could not help but ruminate in admiration and envy, ¡°some people are really different from others in this life¡±.


    As his thoughts fleeted about, a projection of the battle evaluation was finally displayed.


    Individual Battle Evaluation.


    #1- The Stranded Dragon: Attack power: 98% Attack speed: 88% Endurance: 86% Decision making: 90%


    #2- The Emperor: Attack power: 92% Attack speed: 83% Endurance: 87% Decision making: 80%


    #3- Jian Wushaung: Attack power: 84% Attack speed: 83% Endurance: 89% Decision making: 91%


    He sighed again, after going through the battle evaluation. It was like Clark simply had no bottleneck; his improvement was just out of this world.


    Compared to the last time they checked, this guy improved most by a considerable margin, followed by Arthur, before him.


    Seeing this, he felt like he somehow wasted the last 10 years of his life. He only improved by 1%, and it was his decision-making.


    Though intelligence was one of the major attributes needed to break through to the next rank, he still felt embarrassed. He could only shamelessly heap praise on his 2 teammates, to hide his embarrassment.


    Clark felt satisfied after seeing the battle evaluation, his improvement was considerable this time. He was not too anxious about his stagnant attack power, as he already noticed long ago that he met some kind of bottleneck.


    Despite his satisfaction, his face was still grave, as he was unsure if this could allow him to emerge victorious in the coming battle.


    No matter how confident he was, physical battles were still a different thing entirely from virtual battles.


    During this his short life, he already met a lot of life-threatening encounters, and this was undoubtedly the one he was the least confident about.


    Like normal human beings, the instinct of survival was forever planted in him. Despite him being a soldier, despite him already possessing the tag of a killer, he was still afraid of death.


    No one can see death coming, and welcome it with a smile. When you see someone doing that, then that is not a human being anymore. It is natural for a sentient being, to be afraid of death.


    He could only hope for the best, he was not a magician that could turn reality around with just some words of incantation. And, he was not the main character in a fictional novel, that plot armor will come to save.


    He was the main character of his own life, not that of any novel. According to his mentor, Lieutenant Spoky; ¡°you¡¯re the main character of your life, you¡¯ll only become independent when you recognize that¡±.


    He stood up again, after resting for 15 minutes, as he entered his nutrition cabin to embark on a speed battle with Emily. Training relentlessly and sapping himself of all strength, was the best he could do to improve his situation.


    ¡­


    A man with a muscular frame, drenched completely with sweat, slowly emerged out of the training arena. He went straight to the pool, as he lied down on the water to cool himself down.


    Unlike Clark, World dominator preferred to train physically with real opponents. The regional General of the Microsoft empire organization, provided him with his soldiers to serve as his sparring partners.


    As he slowly cooled down, a middle-aged man, holding a datapad quickly entered the room.


    ¡°Good afternoon, young master. I can see that you¡¯ve experienced another slight improvement lately, that¡¯s good. I looked for information behind the scenes, the way you requested. And it seems the stranded dragon is not forfeiting the battle¡±.


    World dominator kept silent a bit, on hearing what his care-taker said. ¡°Hmm, it seems this guy is really gutsy. His participating, means that he rejected the offer of the Seafarers alliance¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that they¡¯ll allow a gladiator they already poached, to come to die at my hands. Well, I already warned him the other time¡±.


    ¡°If he does not love his life, he is free to come, I¡¯ll gladly take it from him. I even suddenly want to have a physical battle experience with him. Good, maybe with his help, I can break through this bottleneck that is obstructing my advance¡±.


    ¡°I want to fight him now. So, your new job is to make sure that he doesn¡¯t back out of the battle. Got it?¡±


    The middle-aged man slowly replied with a nod of his head, ignoring the commanding tone at which this kid talked to him, as he swiftly noted down on his datapad.


    ¡°At least, I only have to endure this for the next 5 years to get my daughter back¡±. At the thought of his daughter, his expression could not help but morph into that of hatred. But he suppressed it, as he stood up respectfully to leave.


    ¡­


    After another week of preparation and hype, the last battle that will mark the end of the gladiator tournament was finally about to be fought.


    For the past few months, the spectators were always high and stimulated from the highly intense and exciting battles of the gladiators.


    The anticipation in the air was tangible, as the surviving gladiators and everyone else settled down, to watch the battle between these 2 pinnacle soldiers. Clark still participating, meant he did not accept the offer of the Seafarers alliance.


    Betting sites started being created, as people intended to use the hype from the battle to make some cash. Bets were cast in waves, as everyone predicted who will emerge as a legend, from this last battle of survival.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 110: preparation the mysterious old man

    Today is the d-day, the day that will determine who the strongest gladiator from this tournament is. Today is the day, that will justify all the bloodshed and deaths throughout the past year, in the gladiator arena.


    Clark steadily entered the gladiator armory, as he went forward to where the weapons were kept. On seeing the empty, grey-colored, and cold chamber, he could not help but feel a sense of emptiness.


    For weeks now, he had been training to get to the required level, to help him win this battle. He did not know why he felt anticipation, but he felt that he would benefit a lot if he emerged as the winner of this battle.


    His thoughts cleared up, as he advanced to the spear section of the armory. He stood before the huge number of spears, as he again fell into a daze. Spears spread for as far as his eyes could see. From short spears to long spears, to broad, to thin spears, every type of spear was available.


    His hands extended forward, as he firmly grabbed the long spear closer to his position. He closed his eyes, as he felt the sharp edge and the fine contours round the body of the spear.


    He breathes out cold air from his mouth, as he finally opened his eyes. He turned to look at the mirror, as he glanced at himself for the last time. Maybe, this was the last time he would have the privilege to see this body and face.


    After so long, his body already developed immensely due to his rigorous training. His shoulders were broader than before, as they now exuded the vibe of a man. His legs and hands now had a lot of veins intercrossing in them, as they appeared strong and sturdy.


    After glancing at his body, his eyes finally moved upwards to look at his face. Compared to 3 years ago, his face now looked more mature, and it had the vibe of a veteran radiating from it.


    He had only 10 minutes more before his battle began. He left the mirror, as he went to get himself his gladiator armor. Unlike the team battles, gladiators in the individual battles are allowed to wear normal reinforced steel armor.


    In the previous battles, he didn¡¯t use armor as he did not feel the need to use them. All his previous opponents in the individual tournament were just like practice targets to him.


    But, this time, he knew he was about to fight a real gladiator battle. Every bit of armor and protection he could get was worth it.


    After looking at the armor set for a short while, he expertly slid the special chain mail on, as he extended his hands outwards to get the chest plate.


    Unlike regular chain mail used by knights, these special ones were made using some technological techniques. The interlocking of the chains was made specially, to increase defense better than the regular one.


    He picked the shoulder pieces next, as he slowly put them on. Then, he went for the arm pieces, the gauntlets, the leggings, the footwear, before finally putting on the gorget.


    After putting everything on, his appearance completely transformed. As his figure looked burlier and more packed now, he looked just like a knight on armor.


    The light shining into the small chamber reflected a silver metallic sheen from his now armored self.


    Despite already being covered all over with armor, he still didn¡¯t feel safe as he glanced at the shield lying at the corner. His more rational self admonished him to take the defensive route and take the shield.


    His eyes suddenly grew firm, as he suppressed this urge bothering him. He already embarked on the path of a spear; he was not ready to compromise just because of a moment of fear.


    And even with the shield, he was still not confident that he would survive. It would only impact his chances at winning if there was one. So, he decided to leave everything to fate. Perhaps, a miracle will happen.


    As he extended his hand to take hold of the helmet, after calming down, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the chamber. He felt surprised, as people were not allowed to meet the gladiators again when this close to the battle.


    He suppressed his curiosity to know who his visitor was, as he grabbed the helmet, and kept it at his side. After this, he turned to face the door, to see who was coming.


    The first thing that caught his eye, was the white hair gradually emerging into view, which gradually became clearer. He squinted his eyes in surprise, as the owner of this head, full of white hair finally emerged completely.


    It was an old man, probably already in his 90s. The old man¡¯s fair skin looked emaciated, as wrinkles dominated most parts of it. Despite this, his posture looked so steady, like it could hold anything back.


    His pair of eyes, looked grey but unfathomable, as they seemed like towers overflowing with wisdom.


    Clark could not comprehend why such an old man would come to meet him, and how he got in there when he was about to get involved in a life-deciding battle. He was about to question, but the old man beat him to it, as he slowly said.


    ¡°Young man, my name is Randolph. You don¡¯t have to be curious about how I was able to get in here, all I want you to do is listen carefully¡±. As the man opened his mouth to talk, Clark felt a strange kind of pressure suppressing him.


    He was not given time to think about what was happening, as the old man continued. ¡°Till some few minutes ago, I never knew who you are. But as fate may have it, my spirit led me to you¡±.


    ¡°First, I want to ask you, do you know why you always dreamed a lot when you were still younger? Do you know the implications of your dreams?¡± Clark wanted to talk, but the pressure intensified, as he struggled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer, you can think of my words later if your spirit allows you to survive this battle. All I came to tell you, is that you are unique. Everybody believes they are unique, but yours is different¡±.


    ¡°2 hours ago, I had a vision about you. I saw your future, I saw into your past, and I witnessed your present. You have a unique destiny, a destiny of great proportions. Today is a day that you will decide the trajectory of your fate¡±.


    ¡°You have a unique destiny, but without you unlocking your full potential, you will never live to fulfill it. You need courage and a lot of help to fulfill your potentials. Men don¡¯t follow titles, they follow courage¡±.


    ¡°All the friends you¡¯ve had in this your short life, are not coincidental encounters. It¡¯s part of the strings of fate, guiding your life. This is the age of exotics and technology, but there is still a lot behind the scenes, that you don¡¯t know about¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t limit yourself to your current boundaries, set higher goals for yourself. You are an elite, you have the spirit of an elite, don¡¯t let yourself down¡±.


    ¡°My word may seem ambiguous to you, but you¡¯ll later understand if you can survive this battle before you. Don¡¯t fight conventionally today, as you fight, try to discover the purpose of your life¡±.


    ¡°There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul. You need a determined soul to break your boundaries, you need a determined soul to explore your limits¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me, I hope you fulfill your potential today. If you want to find me in the future, reach my level. When you reach my level, you¡¯ll understand what I told you today better¡±.


    As soon as the man finished, he snapped his fingers as he was quickly surrounded by a blue glow from an energy film. After whatever device he activated gathered enough power, he disappeared.


    Clark finally snapped out of his daze, as he looked around his surroundings in alarm. He wanted to ask something, but the man was already gone.


    His mind was in complete disarray, he was shocked by what just transpired. What further shocked him, was that this old man was able to enter here, talk to him and go, without sounding any alarms. This was the Seafarers alliance headquarters, not Sparta.


    The kind of pressure he felt in the presence of the man, was completely suffocating and mysterious to him.


    He had heard a lot of stories about 5th rank high-grade soldiers, but he never heard of instances where they exerted so much pressure on people. Who was this person? And how strong was he exactly?


    Despite the shock he felt, he still could help but think of the man¡¯s words. Most of the words didn¡¯t make sense to him, but at least he captured some key sentences.


    ¡°Why did he dream so much when he was younger, and why did his dreams always seem so unique? Were there really some implications behind his dreams?


    His dream, when he was on a mission in the Moca republic still felt fresh to him. Why was he the only one, that could dream about a tragedy befalling them? Why did his teammates not dream about something similar also?


    It was through that same dream, that after a lot of coincidences landed him here. He escaped death, but he paid for it by being stranded in the sea. Sometimes he tried thinking about his experiences, but he always never had the patience to go deep enough.


    Some of the old man¡¯s words felt like a beacon of light to him, that was gradually unveiling the mysteries blocking his path.


    As his thoughts kept on drifting further about the implications of the old man¡¯s words. Ding!! He finally received a notification, to come out for his battle.


    He was jolted back from his thoughts, he already forgot for a second there that he still had one battle to fight. He quickly put the helmet on, firmly grabbed his spear, before turning to walk to the door.


    He did not know the old man, but whoever he was. One thing was sure, he was miles stronger than he was.


    The fact that he was not killed, at least meant the old man didn¡¯t have malicious thoughts. He could not help but think of the man¡¯s parting words, ¡°don¡¯t fight conventionally today. As you fight, discover the purpose of your life¡±.


    Some parts of the old man¡¯s words sounded like some spiritual nonsense to him. But he was not one to neglect information, he would make maximum use of the ones he could understand.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests of the Seafarers alliance, today is the grand finale of the gladiator tournament. Welcome again to our gladiator arena¡±.


    ¡°The 2 strongest gladiators of this tournament, are going to complete their showdown today, to determine the absolute best¡±. The commentator started his job like usual, as he started hyping the battle.


    ¡°Today, we shall get our number one. Today, we shall encounter the death of one of these 2 geniuses. Who shall be the winner? And who shall be the loser? Prepare yourselves, as we welcome these 2 gladiators into the arena¡±.


    The commentator didn¡¯t even finish before one of the gladiators started coming to the arena. World dominator walked to the arena confidently, as his armor made clanking sounds after him.


    Just like Clark, he also wore armor from head to toe. Because he saw himself as superior, would not make him decide to complicate things for himself. He was not interested in fighting a handicap battle, equipping armor would make his winning easier, and that was what he aimed at.


    Under the excited state of the stadium, Clark finally emerged from his corner. He walked with steady steps to the arena, as his fans started screaming his nickname.


    Hearing the booming sounds around the stadium, he gripped his spear tighter as he calmed his heart down. After so long, finally, the finals officially began.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 111: the last battle of supremacy

    The huge energy shield covering the arena slowly opened up, as the 2 fighting gladiators resolutely entered.


    World dominator slowly took off his helmet, as he faced his opponent with a curious smile on his face. Unlike his opponent¡¯s grave expression, his was the complete opposite, he had a calm look on his face.


    ¡°Magician, you surprised me yet again. I don¡¯t know who gave you the guts to come to this fight with such impunity, but I can promise you that you¡¯ll regret it¡±. He slowly said with a smile.


    Clark didn¡¯t reply, as his blood was already feeling hot for this battle. He didn¡¯t come here to discuss, at least he didn¡¯t have that luxury like his opponent. He had an uphill target to overcome, and he was ready to put his all.


    ¡°Cut the crap, you¡¯ll soon know who gave me the guts to come. Bring it on,¡± he said with a ferocious grin, as he picked up speed, rapidly approaching his opponent.


    World dominator shook his head, as his free left hand calmly placed his helmet on his head. ¡°Impulsiveness, you¡¯re still too green to face me¡±.


    He unsheathed his sword from his scabbard to point it at his advancing opponent. The lights shining into the arena, made its sharp blade reflect a bloody glow, like something hungering for blood.


    He finally also picked up the pace, as he advanced, rushing at his opponent. His steady but calm steps displayed his confidence.


    The spectators held their breath, as the visual effect of 2 gladiators, armored like knights charging at each other made the battle seem even more epic.


    Boom!! After what seemed like forever, Clark¡¯s spear finally hit his opponent¡¯s sword, as they were both pushed back from the recoil force.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! He recovered extremely fast, as veins appeared all over his body, while his spear advanced back for another round.


    The spear hit the edge of the sword, as both weapons got locked into each other. World dominator¡¯s strength and recovery speed were not any less, as he also slashed at his opponent with his sword.


    They both quickly stabilized themselves, and entered better battle stances, as their weapons hit each other quickly at a frightening pace.


    In this short moment that the battle began, their weapons already collided dozens of times.


    Clank!! The 2 weapons collided with a huge sound again, as both gladiators separated back from the recoil. Clark knew that this was just the warmup, and he was not ready to spend eternity in this battle.


    ¡°If I die, I die. If I perish, I perish. I¡¯ll never fight cowardly,¡± his actions perfectly reflected his thoughts, as he quickly started executing his battle art.


    His surrounding suddenly became stiff, as it felt like he was surrounded by a blood-red glow. His eyes quickly gathered more focus, as his battle awareness seemed to leap above his regular limits.


    Boom!! He launched himself forward again, as his opponent calmly raised his sword to block. But this time, it was not the regular exchange, the battle was already in the next phase.


    World dominator squinted his eyes in shock, as he staggered back from the force of his opponent¡¯s strike. He knew that his opponent already started executing his battle art, but he wanted to test his current limit.


    He never expected that one strike from his opponent will make him stagger backward. He responded fast, as he also entered the animation phase to executing his battle art.


    His response was fast, but his opponent¡¯s offense was even faster.


    Clank!! Clark¡¯s spear cut across with strong momentum, as his opponent¡¯s chest plate bore the brunt of the attack. Pieces of chains fell from the chain mail, as blood poured out of his opponent¡¯s chest in waves.


    World dominator gritted his teeth in pain and shock, as he launched himself backward immediately in retreat. He finally dropped his casual attitude, as his face gradually grew grave. He never expected his opponent to improve so much, under such a short time frame.


    He wanted to look at how deep an injury he received, but he was not given the chance as his opponent already arrived before him.


    ¡°Do you think such little improvements can make you as strong as I am?¡± Rage gradually took over his rationality, as he launched himself back at his opponent while executing his battle art.


    Boom!! Both figures clashed again for the umpteenth time, as visible dust shockwaves erupted from their positions.


    They both dug their feet into the floor to withstand the recoil, as the arena floor vibrated while making metallic ringing sounds from the pressure. Clark eventually succumbed first, as his figure was flung back from the force.


    He used the backward momentum to carry his body to perform a backflip, as he hastily guarded with his spear.


    Clang!! His still flipping form was shaken from the impact of his opponent¡¯s strike, as he was slammed down into the floor. World dominator¡¯s eyes were already taken over by rage, as he unleashed his strength with full force.


    Clark tried to roll towards the side, to off-set the damage that he took. But his opponent¡¯s legs already arrived, kicking him further down.


    Bam!! He finally hit the floor, as his chest plate and shoulder pieces creaked from the impact and the pressure. He coughed out blood from his mouth, as his eyes rolled back from the vibration to his brain.


    Ptui!! His helmet was cut through cleanly by his opponent¡¯s sword, as he received a direct blow to his face. He received the first injury in this battle, and it was not a shallow one as the left part of his face was directly disfigured.


    The sharp pang of pain woke up his blurry consciousness, as his legs launched at his opponent¡¯s crotch by instinct.


    World dominator was startled despite being overwhelmed by rage, as he hastily cut down with his sword while jumping up. His sword cut his opponent¡¯s legs, as his crotch narrowly escaped the vicious maneuver.


    The armor given to them was clearly not resilient enough, as Clark¡¯s leggings were cut through easily, granting him his second injury.


    He finally had a little time to himself, as he quickly rolled to the side, while using a Chinese get-up technique to recover back to his feet. He leaped back again to get more distance, as he squinted his eyes a bit to adjust to his uneven sight.


    The cut to his face, despite not directly impacting his eye succeeded in blinding his left eye, as the eye remained shut from the force directed at his face. His other still functioning eye seemed just like a parch up, as the blood flowing from his face clouded his view.


    The pictures transmitted to his brain were all painted with a bloody hue, as it seemed like he transmigrated into a world, facing an apocalypse. Despite his blurry view, he was still able to make out his rapidly approaching opponent.


    He squinted his eye, as he spread out his legs to form a defensive stance. He let out a low grunt, as he felt the injury to his legs widen, due to him straining his muscles and veins.


    Before he could think further, his opponent already arrived, as he also slashed forward to intercept any strike.


    World dominator decisively executed his other battle art, as despite him still stronger than his opponent, he was starting to experience a faint feeling of danger.


    Clark tried, but his defensive techniques could not withstand his opponent¡¯s stacked battle arts, as he was launched back again.


    This time, he was already prepared for this possibility. His spear turned in mid-air, revolving rapidly to form a defensive, chaotic vortex of death. His spear became a blur, as it directly formed a huge whirlwind to defend against any follow-up attacks.


    World dominator attacked, but this time he did it more prudently, as the huge threat of the defensive whirlwind did not escape his keen eyes.


    Despite his prudent strike, the whirlwind still repelled his sword back aggressively, as his figure jerked unsteadily from the rapid change in movement speed.


    This was one of the few minor breakthroughs Clark was able to develop, during his session of training with his teammates. He was finally able to create a defensive technique, to defend himself against strong opponents.


    He knew that pursuing strength would likely not spell a good omen to his cause, as he already met a bottleneck. So, he instead tried all means to improve his defense and endurance, this was the result of his hard work.


    Despite not being unique enough to be referred to as a new self-created technique, it was still a technique exclusive to him.


    As soon as he noticed his opponent¡¯s jerking figure, his eyes lit up, as he pounced at his opponent swiftly.


    Whoosh!! Despite not having a firm step, the World dominator still shifted to the side as he dodged the spear strike aimed at his abdomen. He stabbed his sword at the arena floor to steady himself, as his opponent¡¯s figure streaked past him speedily.


    Before his sword could even touch the arena¡¯s surface, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his sturdy armored waist. He was startled but reacted fast, as he attempted to jump forward.


    His attempt was sound, but the execution left him surprised. He was lifted from the ground, but not of his own accord, while his legs dangled freely in the air.


    Before he could recover his wits, his vision moved with extreme speed as he faced the energy shield up in the air, while his eyes grew watery from the air flowing in. He tried to struggle free, but the hands holding him in place tightened their grip on him further.


    From the energy shield in the air, his vision finally adjusted again to see another picture. He was surprised, as the arena floor grew closer and closer to him. He finally understood what happened, as his eyes narrowed in alarm.


    Boom!! He finally landed on the ground, as parts of his armor bent out of shape from the impact. He felt pains like never before, his blood felt like they were now mercury as his eyes dilated from the shock.


    Clark¡¯s eyes lit up, as his carefully thought-out plan worked to his expectations.


    When he pounced at his opponent, he already expected him to evade, as he already had a clear idea of his reaction speed. The pouncing was just a feint.


    As soon as his opponent side-stepped, he threw his spear upwards while grabbing him by the waist. He quickly adjusted himself for a suplex throw, which fortunately went through successfully. This was the result of his effort.


    As his opponent became disoriented from the pain and shock, he extended his hand out to grab his suspended spear back.


    Bam!! Ptui!! The first sound came from the impact of his spear striking against his opponent¡¯s chest plate. The second came from the impact of his spear stabbing deep into his opponent¡¯s abdomen, after breaching his chest plate.


    World dominator finally recovered, as the unimaginable pain struck him deep in his soul. He understood the situation he was in despite the pain, as he allowed the spear to stab into himself deeper.


    He grabbed his opponent¡¯s hand, as he forcefully dragged him downwards towards himself. He quickly suspended his sword vertically, as his falling opponent fell directly on the tip of the sword.


    Hmm!! Clark grunted in pain, as he also suffered a blow to his abdomen. Blood flowed out of both gladiator¡¯s stomachs, as they both stiffened while gasping for breath.


    The stadium was silent like a graveyard, as the spectators strained their eyes without blinking to watch the arena better.


    Arthur and the others clenched their fists, as they all watched anxiously. Fear already gripped Emily¡¯s heart, as she already began picturing the worst-case scenario in her heart.


    The esteemed regional General of the Microsoft empire organization, watched with narrowed eyes while maintaining an indifferent expression on his face, as he waited for the result of this entanglement.


    World dominator gasped for breath again, as blood slowly flowed out of his mouth. His opponent reciprocated, as blood also poured out of his mouth, down into his armor.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Please, I''m sorry for not releasing chapters yesterday, I had a lot going on. But, fortunately, I now have a more stable source to write, so expect regular updates now. I''m so excited.]

 Chapter 112: emergence of a legend

    As the atmosphere grew tenser, and speculations rose higher, the gladiators finally moved.


    Clark moved first; as soon as he gathered some strength, he used his spear as a support to lift himself from his opponent¡¯s sword.


    Spurt!! Spurt!! He closed his eyes while gritting his teeth in pain. More blood flowed out of him, as the sword was yanked out of him. His opponent also flinched in pain, as the spear stirred in his abdomen.


    Thud!! He dropped down to the ground, as he quickly summoned the strength to roll further away from his opponent.


    He already grew accustomed to pain, after so many years of being a soldier. He could not directly say that he liked pain, but at least he could bear a lot of pain. But the pain he was currently feeling drove deeper into his inner self.


    He felt like his body was no longer his own, he felt like it was just a cage where he was receiving torture. He could not help it, as tears flowed down slowly from his eyes.


    Despite the feeling of weakness he felt, he turned to look at his opponent. He wanted to see his opponent¡¯s reaction, so he could know how to act when the battle resumes.


    Unlike his opponent, the World dominator felt a feeling that he had never felt since he was born, ¡°regret¡±. Since his birth, this was the first time that he was ever regretting a decision he made.


    If he had allowed his opponent to choose without any manipulations. Perhaps, he would have decided to join the Seafarers alliance. But he stubbornly decided to interfere, and force his opponent to fight him. This was the first time it dawned on him, that he was probably too arrogant and self-confident.


    Despite this, he forcibly canceled any negative feelings from his mind. He was shocked by the speed at which his opponent improved, but he was not ready to compromise.


    Ahh!! He whimpered from the pain a little, as he shakingly stood up with the support of his sword. He took deep breaths to recover his internal body regulation, as he finally felt some strength returning to his bones.


    On seeing his opponent, Clark could only grit his teeth, as he also stood up to end this battle. Despite them both receiving terrible injuries, their armor did a good job in restraining the outward blood flow a little. So, their homeostatic level was still normal.


    He tightened his grip on his spear, as his gaze grew firm again. ¡°Bring it on, I¡¯m ready for you,¡± he thought as he wiped the bloody tear away from his eyes with his left hand.


    Thud!! Thud!! Thud!! World dominator¡¯s footwear collided with the floor, echoing behind him as he jogged forward to meet his opponent. His speed gradually increased, as he held his sword in a backhanded manner.


    Boom!! Clark attacked first, as he didn¡¯t want to give his opponent any form of early advantage. His opponent dodged, as they quickly exchanged positions.


    He turned again to strike back, but his opponent added technique this time, as he attacked in a squatted position. His spear streaked forward harmlessly, as his opponent¡¯s sword slashed at his leggings again, giving him a fresh injury.


    He quickly recollected himself, as he retaliated fiercely at a faster pace. Both gladiators slowly recovered their full strength, as the battle went back to its former pace.


    Despite them feeling tired, they still persevered, attacking each other, as their injuries continued stacking up. As the fight slowly became a battle of attrition, the World dominator¡¯s advantage started being shown.


    He finally gathered the strength to start executing his self-created technique, as his sword became a blur.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Clark could only get pushed back, as he tried without any good result to off-set his opponent¡¯s advantage. He received another slash, to his helmet as he sustained another injury in his head.


    As he staggered backward, his opponent¡¯s leg followed in pursuit, kicking him on his abdomen. The kick was aimed at where he was stabbed previously. He felt unimaginable pain, as he leaped backward to get more distance between them.


    Boom!! He also finally executed his self-created technique, as his figure blurred, appearing before his opponent in an instant.


    World dominator already took a lot of counter-measures to fight this technique. But when it finally came, he still fell victim to its abruptness and lethality.


    Clang!! Boom!! He dodged hastily to the side while crossing his sword to block, as he could not dodge its range completely. He paid for it, as his sword directly broke into pieces from the force of impact.


    He coughed out blood, as his ribs were cut through ruthlessly. He was already feeling despair, but his eyes sharpened as he saw his opponent¡¯s exhausted look.


    He grabbed at his opponent¡¯s spear, as they both started contending for who to hold it. He landed a kick on his opponent¡¯s head, while his opponent retaliated by punching at his abdomen.


    These maneuvers succeeded in flinging the spear away from their grasp, as they both became weaponless.


    As they were already this close to each other, losing their weapons did not hinder them much, as they quickly got engaged in a barbarian hand-to-hand melee battle.


    Their armor continued deforming from the impact of their kicks and punches, as neither of them refused to relent. It was already an hour since the brawl started, but the spectators were not bored as the physical and emotional intensity of the battle remained strong.


    Some of the spectators were shocked speechless, especially the supporters of the World dominator. No one expected the fight to be this fierce and that it would take this route.


    Everyone predicted the battle to be an easy win for the World dominator, but the reality differed so much from people¡¯s expectations. The rate at which the Stranded dragon improved, sent a chill down their hearts.


    As expectations were running high, a clear outcome finally emerged as Clark fell backward from the blow of his opponent.


    World dominator quickly took advantage of this opportunity, as he closed in to slam his opponent with his gauntlets. The seemingly useless gauntlets that were ignored previously now seemed to become the cornerstone. It was now the battle¡¯s outcome decider.


    Boom!! Clark was swiftly hit on both ears by the gauntlets, as his mind went completely blank. He staggered like a mad man, as his brain started projecting imaginary stars into his head.


    He felt like his head was filled with lead and highly strong exotics, as his movements became disorderly.


    Thud!! He finally dropped down to the floor, as he felt all strength leave his body again. ¡°Is this the end? I¡¯ve not even accomplished anything in life. Am I destined to die without making any impact on the world?¡±


    On seeing his opponent¡¯s half-dead state, the World dominator forced himself to move forward despite his extreme feeling of exhaustion. He went directly to get the spear that laid by the side.


    For years now, he already saw death as something natural that his opponents and opposers must face. Even when he was small, his father killed his fellow young cadets for him, the ones that opposed him. So, death was a trivial matter to him.


    But today, he was faced with another phase of reality entirely. ¡°So, this is what it feels to almost experience death¡±.


    He felt a strong feeling of fear in his heart, as he never came this close to death since he was born.


    He was afraid that his opponent would make a comeback. So, he forced himself to scramble faster to get the spear. He did not want to experience the feeling of dying at all, the one he already experienced was traumatizing enough.


    After picking up the spear, he turned and steadily walked forwards to meet his half-dead opponent.


    In the spectator stands, Emily was already crying, as Aurora hugged her shrunk petite figure tightly to comfort her. Mark clenched his fists, as he sighed in resignation and regret.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes narrowed, as he felt a weird kind of pain assault his heart. ¡°I¡¯ve not defeated you yet, you have no right to die now. So, you better do something¡±.


    As Clark¡¯s spirit was drowning in the bottomless sea of hopelessness and regret, his brain suddenly flashed to a word. The flash was so brief, his brain could not comprehend it, as he quickly forgot it.


    He felt a strange surge of urgency, it felt like that word was what he needed to survive. What was that word? Why is it trying to hide?


    ¡°God, help me¡±. He could not help it. On seeing the tip of the spear aimed at him, he finally resorted to God for help.


    As soon as he muttered this, he suddenly experienced a flash of insight. A feeling of eureka overwhelmed his heart.


    ¡°There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul. You need a determined soul to break your boundaries, you need a determined soul to explore your limits¡±.


    As soon as this word emerged back into his head, he felt like his head was invaded by another being, as he started analyzing the word. His implant processed the word rapidly, as he finally concluded.


    ¡°Without a determined soul, I can¡¯t break boundaries. I need a determined soul to make the impossible happen, to make abnormalities normal¡±. At this thought, he felt a shift in his entire being, as his eyes gradually regained focus.


    He wanted to mutter to himself silently, but he didn¡¯t know when he started screaming. ¡°I¡¯M A CHAMPION, I¡¯M UNDEFEATABLE, I HAVE NO BOUNDARIES, I CANNOT DIE WITHOUT MY IMPACT BEING FELT IN THIS WORLD. ANYBODY WHO SAYS THAT I DON¡¯T MATTER, YOU SHALL DIE TO MY SPEAR¡±.


    World dominator was startled by his opponent¡¯s sudden shout, but he quickly recovered as he stabbed the spear down, aiming at his throat.


    Clark quickly entered a frenzied state, as he grabbed the spear with his hands while using his gauntlets to hinder its downward force through friction. It still stabbed on the chest, but he grabbed his opponent''s leg and dragged him down also.


    Boom!! His opponent wanted to retaliate but couldn¡¯t. Somehow, he suddenly gained Herculean strength. The force of his punches grew so strong like that of boulders, while his bones hardened like lumps of steel.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! He unleashed all his pent-up force on his opponent, as everything became a blur. The battle became a situation of there being a puncher, and the punched.


    All World dominator could see were fists and kicks, as his whole body became dyed with blood. All his attempts at retaliation were completely negated by his opponent, as blood poured down from all over his body.


    Snap!! The highly anticipated sound suddenly reverberated, as one of the gladiator¡¯s heads was turned to an impossible angle.


    The expression on the World dominator¡¯s face was one of anger, regret, and unwillingness, as his consciousness gradually faded from this world. His body fell with a thud sound, as the sound of cheers reverberated around the stadium.


    After taking them through a series of roller coasters, the outcome of the battle was completely out of their expectations. The spectators liked such outcomes more, they didn¡¯t care about the fallen gladiator as they cheered loudly.


    After doing the deed, Clark finally felt weakness and pain overwhelm him on every side. This time, his consciousness could not take the load, as he directly dropped down exhaustedly.


    ¡°What, did he die after killing his opponent?¡± This thought crossed the brains of the spectators for a second before they immediately ignored it again.


    The cheers shook the whole stadium, to better decorate the heralding of the winner of the gladiator tournament, the newborn legend, the Stranded dragon, Clark Pendragon.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 113: award preparations

    As usual, medical practitioners on white quickly rushed into the arena with a floating stretcher. They brought cleaning bots with them this time, as the blood and gore were quickly sucked and cleaned out of the arena.


    Clark¡¯s unconscious body was carefully placed on the stretcher, as it directly floated back to the medical bay. As the medical practitioners worked, the commentator finally started his ending speech with a smile.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Seafarers, we now finally have a winner for this gladiator tournament. After these countless ups and downs, we finally arrived at our destination¡±.


    ¡°The winner of the gladiator tournament this time is the Stranded dragon, he proved his strength today in this arena¡±.


    ¡°I won¡¯t waste your time much, I just want to inform you that according to the organizers; if everything goes according to plan, the award-giving ceremony will be held in a week¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s all come back for this final event, to establish our winner¡¯s status as a gladiator legend, and to reward him for his performance during the tournament. I do not doubt that every one of you was entertained, by his battles¡±.


    ¡°Today officially marks the end of the gladiator tournament, I remain my humble self, mc happy mouth. I know you enjoyed my company, see you guys in the future¡±.


    He finally stopped his long speech, amid the still noisy stadium. Most of the spectators didn¡¯t even hear what he said due to the noise, and the organizers didn¡¯t want to use sound dampeners.


    Using sound dampeners would spread outrage. They could only put up with the attitude of the spectators; they were the customers after all.


    ¡­


    Pop!! The lid of the champagne popped open, as the group of 4 cheered happily. Since the battle ended, all the members of team Roman empire were plunged into a merry mood.


    Mark directly ordered a carton of champagne to celebrate the victory. After rushing to visit Clark in the hospital, they converged back in their team apartment to celebrate.


    They had a lot of reasons to celebrate. They came out as the 2nd runner ups, in the team competition. Despite it not having as much value as the 1st place team, they were still going to expect their awards.


    The 2nd and most important reason for their celebration is that their team suffered no casualties. Despite the many ups and downs, their vice-captain still made it, emerging as the winner of the individual tournament.


    As soon as their fear of a teammate¡¯s death disappeared, friendly envy replaced it, as they suddenly started wishing it was them that fought in the individual battle.


    They knew that the outcome would have been different if they were the ones who fought, but they didn¡¯t care. That¡¯s why it was only a wish.


    The awards for the winner of the individual tournament were just that valuable, it was mouthwatering.


    As they celebrated, the Camelotian Captain came to congratulate them, while also extending the greetings of his General to them.


    After years of being caught and forced to fight as gladiators, they were finally going to get a reward for it. It would have been odd if they were not excited.


    As they celebrated, other teams lamented for not emerging within the top 3 teams. The only 2 teams above them celebrated their victory also.


    Unlike them, the celebration in the Microsoft empire team was stiff and without any real sense of joy. Despite the battle already being over, the influence of their captain¡¯s death still hungover all the members of the team.


    The unexpected result of the battle still left them startled, and in doubt. Unlike the other spectators, they knew the strength of their captain. They were 100% sure of his victory, but the result completely challenged their intelligence.


    They didn¡¯t know how and why it happened. The strength of their captain seemed so overwhelming, that he already looked invisible to them. ¡°Was this Stranded dragon still just a 2nd rank high-grade soldier?¡± This was the thought dominating their minds.


    Unlike everyone else that experienced the feeling from an outsider¡¯s perspective. The regional General of the Microsoft empire team, felt it most, as he was tasked to protect this man.


    As soon as the battle ended, he rested back on his chair in a contemplative mood. ¡°Another soldier who broke the threshold. Hmm¡­, I guess the Seafarers are right this time. Another legend is slowly being bred¡±.


    The 3rd rank of the high-grade soldier series is the first major bottleneck that soldiers have to break, in order to grow and have more strength.


    Unlike the other breakthroughs, a soldier will experience a qualitative increase in strength and intelligence after becoming a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. The increase in qualitative strength was enormous, but so also was the amount of effort needed to cross over.


    In a normal military organization, the numbers of soldiers who can breakthrough to become 3rd rank high-grade soldiers are very few. These few grades of soldiers represent the upper echelons of society and the military.


    Normally, for soldiers to cross this huge bottleneck, they have to slowly fight and engage in battles for a long period of time to accumulate experience. Only special soldiers that experience some fortunate encounters, can bypass the need to gather battle experience.


    That is why soldiers of that rank tend to be the more advanced men in the military. Only geniuses, who fulfilled some special requirements, can breakthrough in their 20¡¯s.


    The only other group of soldiers that can forfeit the slow accumulation of experience, are those that cross the threshold. These are the geniuses, who always strive to improve, and coincidentally break the limiting factor to improve further.


    Clark happened to be one of these geniuses, who coincidentally broke the limiting factor. From this, his future as a soldier was already completely secured.


    As the General sat down in a contemplative mood, his implant suddenly alerted him about an incoming call. He sighed when he saw the name of the person calling. He quickly cleared his emotions, as his face became respectful.


    ¡°Good morning Commander. I¡¯m so sorry sir; I was not able to fulfill your expectations¡±. He first greeted, before immediately showing that he was sorry.


    The commander kept quiet for a moment on hearing this, as he finally opened his mouth to talk to his General.


    ¡°General, you don¡¯t have to stress yourself too much over it. Come to meet me in my quarters, I have a lot to discuss with you. This boy¡¯s father is not someone we can just shrug off¡±.


    ¡°Ok, sir,¡± the General replied while standing up to salute his commander.


    No matter how big of a problem he caused, there was no way that he would receive normal punishment like other soldiers. Despite the Microsoft empire organization being very advanced, 4th rank high-grade soldiers were still a rare commodity to them.


    He finally turned around, after the call disconnected, as he ordered his subordinate to get his uniform.


    After donning his special General¡¯s military exclusive uniform, he walked out directly, as a car was already waiting for his arrival.


    ¡­


    A bright light shone into the operating theater, illuminating the whole room as a pair of surgeons worked with undivided attention.


    From the size of the room to the equipment being used, you will know that this theater was a technologically advanced one.


    The medical bay utilized by the Roman Empire organization, seemed just like a roadside chemist store, in comparison to this, as machines worked in conjunction with the surgeons.


    The lead surgeon worked with a face stern from focus, as his implant worked in sync with the hospital¡¯s medical A.I. The protective cap covering his head glowed with a slight blue glow, enhancing his brain activity.


    In conjunction with the fiber optic headlight shining down, his special glasses showed him more details, as he worked swiftly but impeccably. His glasses projected the tiny details to his eyes, which made them look red, like something under the direct glow of the orange morning sun.


    Ptui!! A soft sound of impact sounded, as with his enhanced sterile gloves, he used his surgical holds to slowly re-arrange his patient¡¯s crooked eyeball.


    His figure slowly rose from the ground, as his white gown activated an anti-gravity field around him. He levitated above his patient, as with the help of the stitching machine, he finally closed the open leg injury.


    After giving another command, the A.I controlled another machine to the patient¡¯s face, as his disfigured face was gradually restored back to normal.


    [Ding!! The patient has entered a temporary stabilized state¡­, system preparing for further check-up].


    [Ding!! Blood pressure of the patient and every other important parameter is stable¡­, proceeding to check brain activity].


    [Ding!! The patient¡¯s brain is stable, and mental status is normal. System checkup complete: Verdict- Subject is due to be discharged, and will regain strength in 24 hours¡¯ time].


    After these series of notifications, the surgeon finally relaxed, as the A. I carefully moved the patient into the already prepared nutrition cabin.


    ¡°Did you see the technique I just used? That¡¯s the way to stabilize an exhausted patient¡¯s brain. Go and continue your practice, I¡¯ll check up on all of you later to see how far you progressed¡±. He said to his apprentices, as they all went out of the operating theater.


    The apprentices nodded excitedly, as they all went back to their rooms to practice. It was rare for their mentor to work in conjunction with the hospital¡¯s A.I, but every time he did it, it was phenomenal.


    As they rushed to their various rooms, the head surgeon finally received the expected call from the head of the entertainment industry.


    ¡°His condition has already stabilized. With the help of A-24, the surgery was without hiccups¡±. After some small talk, he finally gave his medical verdict to the manager.


    The manager nodded with a satisfied expression on his face, as he finally ended the call. He could now finally go on with the preparation of the rewards, for the winning gladiators.


    ¡­


    After 2 days of staying in the hospital, Clark was finally discharged. He came back to meet his excited teammates, as they all used their various means to welcome him.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t die, I am the only one allowed to defeat you. And if it even calls for it, kill you¡±. Arthur said with a stern face, as he stared directly at Clark.


    Everyone ignored him, as Mark also finally came forward to welcome his vice-captain. He bumped him on the shoulders, as his face bloomed into a smile. ¡°Welcome back, bro¡±.


    Aurora only waved at him, while muttering a welcome back to indicate that she didn¡¯t ignore him.


    After all these welcome greetings, Emily finally ran forward into his hands, as tears flowed freely from her eyes. She felt embarrassed, she knew it was not right, but she ignored all the strange looks as she vented her heart on his chest.


    Clark gently comforted her by rubbing her back, as the 5 teammates finally turned to enter their apartment.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 114: the award giving ceremony

    After a week of waiting, the award-giving day finally dropped by. It was a Monday, and the whole gladiator district was riled up for this day. The spectators could finally see their best gladiators get their awards in the arena.


    Today, the Roman team members were going to get the reward for their labor of 3 years. After years of only wearing armor and light clothing as gladiators, they were finally going to dress corporately again.


    Clark froze in place with a smile on his face, as he stared at his new look on a suit. After so long, he finally cut his beards yesterday.


    It felt funny to him; he already entered the vicious men''s circle of cutting your beard to avoid it looking bushy.


    He was not even sure if Sonia would recognize him again if she saw his bearded appearance now. Despite already cutting the beards, the slight signs to indicate that he was a man with beards were still left there.


    He carefully admired his electric blue suit, as his smile slowly morphed into a grin. Paired with his black tie with white stripes, he currently looked like a groom about to be married. His gold wrist-watch succeeded in making his look seem even more stylish.


    He finally lifted his eyes to admire his face. For so long now, he only focused on improving his strength; he could finally admire his face.


    He didn¡¯t choose his current outfit randomly; he did some research before going for it. The electric blue suit succeeded in complimenting his slightly dark-toned skin, as it seemed to sparkle under the shine of the dressing room¡¯s light.


    After admiring himself to his fill, he finally came out to the parlor to meet his teammates. His handmade trending fashion shoes, made clacking sounds behind him, as he went forward to meet his teammates. Everybody was already here, except the 2 girls on the team.


    ¡°Damn, so you look this good Arthur?¡± He was completely dumbstruck when he saw his teammate in his red-colored suit. The outfit completely changed him, forming a completely different contrast to the battle maniac Arthur he knew.


    ¡°I already told him that he should smile more often. Or, at this rate, it¡¯ll be doubtful if he would even get a wife. I never knew he was this good looking also,¡± Mark chipped in, as he stood up to admire Clark¡¯s suit.


    Unlike the boys, after donning his black suit, he looked like a refined gentleman. His face now looked more middle-aged and calmer, a huge contrast to the vibrant appearance of the 2 boys.


    Arthur didn¡¯t see the reason for answering his 2 blabbering teammates, but he couldn¡¯t help but blush from the praise. He secretly cursed them, as he maintained his effort to keep his face stern.


    Click!! As the 3 men discussed casually, the sound of the female dressing area¡¯s door opening, reverberated. They tacitly ended their discussion, as they turned to face the 2 girls, and the rest was history.


    Despite trying hard to distract himself, Clark could not help it, as his face froze in surprise at the sight of the 2 girls. A prophet is not appreciated at his own home; this saying was perfect to describe their situation.


    After staying so long with these 2 girls, they thought they already knew them. But the scene before them was a complete refresher course, to the knowledge they thought they had.


    The 2 girls haven¡¯t noticed the dumbfounded expression of their teammates yet. Emily covered her mouth slightly with her left hand, as she giggled while facing her friend.


    Both friends dressed in the same type of suit, with the same color and design. With their dark hair cascading down their backs, they looked just like 2 fairies from a fictional world.


    The pink suit succeeded in complimenting their skin tone, making it glow with a slight yellowish pink hue. As Emily giggled, her face seemed to become as bright as the morning sun.


    Despite Aurora not giggling nor smiling, her serious expression succeeded in enhancing her look in her unique way. They both currently looked like identical twins, despite them not resembling in their face outlook.


    The clicking noise made from their high-heeled shoes succeeded in taking their gorgeousness to the next level. If you compare their current look to their look when in battle, the difference was too glaring to relate.


    ¡°Ehem¡­, Cough¡­, cough,¡± Mark recovered first, as he coughed to draw the 2 boys out of their mesmerized state. Clark quickly recovered, but he found it hard to keep a calm face, as he directly went online through his implant to distract himself.


    Arthur was the one whose actions were unexpected. It seemed like the cough took something valuable from him, as his face slowly morphed into a frown, while he glared at Mark.


    On seeing his Captain¡¯s surprised look, he finally knew his mistake, as his face grew red from embarrassment. He quickly looked away, his stern expression returning to his face.


    For the first time in years, he felt as if a string was pulled out of place in his heart. Since his sister was taken away, he vowed to not get close to any other girl till he got her back.


    But his resolve was shaken today, as he couldn¡¯t help but glance secretly again at Emily¡¯s glowing face. His face was about to bloom into a smile, but it stiffened as he felt the stare of his captain.


    The 2 girls, having no idea of the commotion they just caused, finally came forward to meet the 3 boys.


    ¡°Hey, what are you guys still waiting for? Can¡¯t you see that we have only 10 minutes left before the award ceremony begins¡±. Emily asked while glancing at the boys, with a puzzled look on her face.


    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s go then. We were waiting for the both of you previously,¡± Mark replied, as they all stood up to go.


    ¡°By the way, you both look good. I must confess that I¡¯ve never seen women as beautiful as the both of you in years, 10 stars for that¡±. He complimented with a thumbs up, before leading the way outside.


    The 2 boys quickly joined in with some small compliments also, as they followed their Captain outside.


    Emily didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or if it was a problem of her sight, but she thought she just saw Aurora blush a little when Mark praised the both of them.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just my imagination,¡± she concluded, as they quickly went out to enter their team car. In her perspective, she could not imagine the cold Aurora blushing because of a man.


    ¡­


    On reaching the stadium, entertainment music was already being played as a form of the start-up procedures, indicating the start of the award ceremony.


    As soon as they entered the stadium, the other teams also started coming, and finally, the 2 top teams also arrived at the stadium. Unlike regular country¡¯s award ceremonies, the gladiator ceremony was more direct and straight to the point.


    The never-changing commentator, mc happy mouth, took to the stage again under the mixed cheers and boos of the spectators. He smiled at them while sending a kiss to them, as he quickly climbed the erected podium.


    ¡°Good morning ladies and gentlemen, Seafarers and friends from afar. You are all welcome to this special award-giving ceremony, to celebrate the winners of this gladiator tournament¡±.


    ¡°Like regular, I won¡¯t bore you out with any long words. Put your hands together, as I welcome the manager of the entertainment industry to the stage, the no. 1 entertainment man, the pride of the Seafarers alliance, Mr. Patrick Ambrose¡±.


    Cheers rose like a tide, as the spectators yelled the manager¡¯s name loudly. As the manager of the alliance¡¯s entertainment industry, his fame was not to be questioned.


    Under this excitement-filled stadium, the manager took the voice amplifier as he addressed his fellow entertainment lovers.


    He didn¡¯t spend much time on talks, as he directly skipped all the long processes to start the award-giving. Just like the spectators, he was not interested in the details; he appreciated action and direct results more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s welcome the Roman empire team to the stage, to take their reward as the third-place team¡±. The spectators cheered and applauded loudly, as the called team members came to the podium with a smile.


    The gladiators followed the lead of their team captain, as they calmly walked forward to the manager¡¯s position. On reaching there, they bowed a little to greet him, before waving at the audience.


    This same arena was the death ground of a lot of soldiers, and these same spectators cheered at their death. But that was already things of the past. As they were about to take awards from the organizers, they naturally had to act nice.


    The manager smiled at their gestures, before resuming his speech with a smile. ¡°After a lot of brainstorming, my team finally decided on the right reward for the 3rd and 2nd place teams¡±.


    He snapped his fingers, and a projection immediately appeared at his side. The image displayed was that of exotic armor, with a stealth symbol painted on its front, and an exotic sword surrounded by a force field.


    ¡°You have to choose between these 2 options, as the reward for your valiance in the gladiator battles. They are made according to the standards of a country with high-grade strength¡±.


    Despite feeling a little disappointed at the stark difference between the rewards for the 1st place and 3rd place team, Clark was still satisfied. He already made his decision, but before he could talk, Arthur beat him to it.


    ¡°I choose the exotic sword,¡± he blurted out immediately, as his eyes narrowed in desire. Despite coming from a country with high-grade military strength, he had never wielded such a high-grade sword.


    ¡°I choose the stealth armor,¡± Clark finally had the time to choose, as he calmly announced his decision.


    Mark decided on taking the exotic sword, while the only 2 female gladiators both choose the stealth armor. After confirming their choice for the second time, the manager finally approved their decisions.


    As soon as he approved their decisions, the space close to him warped a little, as the awards of the 5 gladiators were teleported to the arena directly.


    After congratulating them and taking pictures with them, the manager finally handed their award to them. They finally took hold of the result of their hard work, the result of their rigorous training throughout the years.


    The spectators decorated this moment with their applause and cheers, as the ceremony moved on to the next phase.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 115: the award giving ceremony 2

    After the Roman Empire team members took their award, the manager did not waste time unnecessarily; he directly called for the 2nd place team.


    The Team Captain of the United States team led his teammates, as they walked forward to get their awards. The award for the 2nd place team was not different; it was the same equipment the 3rd place team received. But this time, they were privileged to take both weapon and armor.


    The equipment for the 2nd place team was made according to the standards of countries, with super high-grade military strength. Like those used by the soldiers of the Roman and the Microsoft empire organization.


    Shortly after the United States team took their award, the winners of the team tournament were finally called out to take their awards.


    Led by their vice-captain, the Great defender, the gladiators of the Microsoft empire team advanced towards the podium. Seeing only 4 soldiers, going to take the award brought back memories to the spectators and the gladiators alike.


    This further reinforced the notion, that the battles in the gladiator tournament were not beans. The brutality was real, as even someone as strong as the captain of the Roman Empire team, died in the individual tournament.


    Despite the clear change in the atmosphere around the stadium, the 4 gladiators of the Microsoft empire team remained unfazed, as they calmly climbed the podium to meet the manager.


    As the winners of the team tournament, the manager naturally took more time to congratulate them. The gladiators smiled modestly, as they nodded repeatedly at the praise being heaped on them.


    After what seemed like an eternity, the projection of their award finally materialized beside them. The promised rewards for the first place team materialized, shortly after the projection was shown, directly stealing all radiance from the surrounding.


    The weapons gleamed with a fearsome glow, as they were subjected to the light above the stadium. The sharp weapons there reflected a bright metallic sheen, making their sharp edges gleam ominously.


    Despite still feeling down at the death of their team captain, the gladiators'' eyes shone brightly, as they stared at their awards with desire planted all over their faces.


    The Great defender walked closer first, as he was handed his award. This award already set him close to the peak of humanity, in terms of equipment. Getting anything that is produced according to the standards of the big 5, is a luxury to normal soldiers.


    But this gladiator tournament already changed his fate. With the stealth armor, his life practically received a guarantee of safety. After thanking the manager, and keeping the armor, he finally took hold of his new exotic shield.


    As soon as he connected to it through his implant, a blue light shone, as a square-shaped, sturdy-looking shield materialized on his hands. Feeling the boundless thickness on his hand, he smiled involuntarily, while admiring the faint blue energy lines surrounding its edges.


    ¡°With this shield, I¡¯m officially a turtle shell soldier. No one can break my defense, my defense is now unbreakable¡±. As this thought flashed past his head, he finally recollected himself as he went down the podium.


    His teammates went forward in quick succession, as they took hold of the reward of their hard works.


    The other gladiators watching could only grind their teeth in envy. Getting hold of such equipment would directly propel them to greater heights, in the path of the soldier occupation.


    ¡­


    Soft music played in the background as they took a short break, to get some refreshment. After performances by some artists as a form of entertainment, the ceremony finally phased to its last part.


    As the stadium gradually calmed down, the manager took to the stadium again with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± he boomed. ¡°We are officially at the last part of this price giving ceremony, the individual award¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make it wild, as we welcome the winner of the individual tournament, to the stage. Let¡¯s welcome the Magician, the Stranded dragon, the one-hit killer, our champion¡­¡±


    Boom!! Boom!! The manager was not allowed to finish his introduction, as enhanced fireworks were shot out by the spectators in rapid succession. Excitement filled the air, as Clark slowly stood up from his seat with a smile.


    Magician!! Magician!! His famous nickname started being chanted again. The spectators chanted and yelled, as the stadium shook like something under the influence of a stampede, from a band of exobeast rhinos.


    ¡°I love you dragon. I want you to be my bed guard. You¡¯re my hero¡±. Ridiculous chants like this, started joining the occasion, as the riled-up atmosphere made the spectators release all their impulses.


    Clark kept his smile despite the noise reverberating around the stadium, as he raised his hands to wave at the spectators.


    This gesture succeeded in taking the chants to the next level, as even more ridiculous chants were added to the occasion. After what seemed like forever, the noise finally died down, as the spectators grew tired from all their yelling.


    Clark arrived at the podium for some time already, but he finally went closer to the manager after the noise died down. The manager also finally resumed his speech.


    ¡°As the winner of this decade¡¯s gladiator tournament, you already left a mark here in the Seafarers alliance. Despite the fearsome opponent you had to go against, you still defied all odds by emerging as the winner of the battle¡±.


    ¡°I must say that I am awed by how talented you are. It is my honor to present the award reserved for the best gladiator to you. As already evidenced by the spectators here, your battles were extremely entertaining and satisfying to us¡±.


    ¡°After a lot of brainstorming, my team finally decided on the right reward that is fit for your exceptional performance. We decided to increase your options from 1 to 3. With this, you will be able to find what is better compatible to you¡±.


    As soon as he finished speaking, a huge projection appeared beside him, covering half of the podium.


    Clark calmed his rapidly beating heart, as he finally raised his shining eyes to look at his projected options. The first option quickly appeared before his sight, as he carefully went through the projected list.


    The first option consisted of exotic stealth armor, and exotic spear, an exotic sword, and exotic throwing knives, all made according to the standards of the big 5.


    The second option consisted of exotic stealth armor, and exotic spear, an exotic-made 2-form gun, and an exotic powered sniper rifle, all made according to the standards of the big 5.


    Seeing the 2nd option, his heart was already decided. But he still decided to check out the third option. This was when he froze, with confusion written all over his face.


    ¡°An implant? What do I need an implant for? I already have one¡±. His face developed a slight frown, at the sight of such an unexpected award. And it was alone as an option by itself.


    As he soliloquized on why such a thing would be placed there as a reward, his brain finally clicked in the correct direction. His eyes widened, as shock overtook his facial expression.


    ¡°An implant developed according to the standards of the big 5. Damn, when did my luck become so good?¡± His brain practically short-circuited, after he recognized the real value of this award.


    Originally, an implant¡¯s intended use was to help the user and to boost the user¡¯s physical attributes. The first reason why the idea of implants was conceived was for them to act as companions to humans.


    This was the reason, but countries with poor military power could not afford the development of such implants. Only the big 5 had the capability, to create and give such implants to all their soldiers.


    The technological skill and resources alone that are required to create its A. I was beyond the reach of poorer countries and organizations. Such implants fulfilled the original reason, of looking for a companion for its users.


    Paired with such an implant, a regular soldier can become 10 times more perceptive and effective in combat. Doctors can work countless times better and faster when paired with such an implant.


    Though, the big 5 have the capabilities to produce such implants. Even then, their ordinary citizens could not still use implants of the grade Clark was being offered.


    Its uses and importance were just too immense to be quantified. Though he had heard of it of how useful they were, it was just rumors and stuff of legends to him. Seeing the real thing practically left him breathless.


    After going through the little knowledge he knew about such high-grade implants, he immediately made a decision.


    ¡°I choose the 3rd option,¡± he announced while turning to face the manager.


    The manager smiled like he expected such a reply, before approving the decision immediately. He would have been shocked instead if Clark opted to choose any of the other options.


    As soon as the decision was approved, it meant the prize-giving ceremony was over. The manager took a picture with him before he was finally allowed to go back, under the huge noise being made by the spectators.


    Despite already expecting the reward for the individual tournament to be huge, all the other gladiators were still shocked. Clark¡¯s teammates congratulated him; they felt genuinely happy for his success and fortune.


    Arthur also came forward to congratulate him. Despite his headstrong behavior, he knew that his teammate deserved whatever he received. Clark was the most talented soldier that he had ever met, in this his short life of being a soldier.


    ¡­


    After settling every urgent need and problem, Clark finally bid farewell to his teammates, as he drove his team car to the special implant hospital of the gladiator district.


    His teammates waved, as he swiftly drove out of the compound, speeding across the street.


    After he made his decision, the manager told him to come to the implanting hospital, when he was ready. He didn¡¯t want to waste time. So, he decided to go, directly after the prize-giving ceremony ended.


    He wanted to know what it felt like, to use an implant made according to the standards of the big 5.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 116: the implant operation

    In a brightly lit room, a surgeon worked with a serious expression on his face. His apprentices watched from a distance with shining but focused eyes, as their implants rapidly recorded the procedures that their mentor took.


    Hum!! Hum!! Faint rumbling sounds came from a machine nearby, as metal pipes extending from it held the patient tightly to the surgery bed. The metal pipes intertwined neatly like the tentacles of a space monster, as they held the patient firmly in place.


    Ptui!! One of the metal pipes finally extended forward, as it carefully dropped the tiny implant into the delicate brain of the patient, making a soft impact sound.


    The stitching machine reacted fast, as with the help of the surgeon; it neatly closed back the cut flesh.


    Another machine quickly sprayed a brown substance at the newly stitched area of the patient¡¯s flesh, as the lines left by the stitching machine gradually closed up.


    After making sure that he did not miss any procedure, the surgeon finally stood up, leaving the patient. He walked directly to the check-up machine, as he booted it to check the life signals of his patient.


    After doing an elaborate scan, he could finally heave a sigh of relief, as he went to the corner to rest. The patient¡¯s life signals were stable, the implant compatibility was good, and the neural connectivity was without complications.


    He finally gave the order through his implant, as the lid of the nearby nutrition cabin slowly opened.


    The machine with the metal pipes worked impeccably, as it used its metal pipes to steadily push the patient into the nutrition cabin.


    After all these procedures were done, the surgeon finally received the green light that the patient¡¯s condition was stable. He slowly removed his enhanced sterile gloves and glasses, while turning back to meet his apprentices.


    After lecturing them a bit, he finally switched off all the machines, and turned off all the lights, before leaving the implant operation room.


    ¡­


    A consciousness levitated in a completely dark world. It was steadily aroused from its inert state, as it tried to comprehend where it was, and what happened to it.


    As far as its eyes and senses could see, everything was just darkness. Its slightly invisible but glowing form was the only source of light, in the unending darkness. As it tried without much success to know what was happening, it suddenly felt a pull from an unknown power.


    It instinctively tried to resist, but the power pulling at it was far stronger than it could withstand. With a soft pop sound, this consciousness disappeared from this void, like it was never there.


    After a long time, Clark finally opened his eyes again, as he slowly took in his surroundings. On seeing his surrounding, his eyes narrowed further in confusion, as he wondered where he was.


    ¡°Oh, I went to the implanting hospital to get my new implant installed¡±. As he glanced around confused, he suddenly felt a faint sense of remembrance.


    This small or better still, faint sense soon encompassed his thoughts, as he gradually started recovering his memories.


    ¡°I thought I just saw myself in some kind of dark world, was that a dream?¡± After recovering his memories, he soliloquized, as he finally recognized that he was in a nutrition cabin.


    He was about to order the nutrition cabin to open, but he immediately paused, as he saw a line of text appearing in his line of sight.


    [Ding!! Compatibility with master- 35%..., initiating memory storage program.]


    [Ding!! Master¡¯s health status: Physical- 56%..., still recovering. Psychological- 89%..., stable. Initiating brain merge program¡­]


    ¡°What the¡­,¡± before he could question what the hell was happening to him, he suddenly felt a sharp pang of pain in his brain, as he directly fainted.


    ¡­


    After what felt like hours, he finally woke up again to see himself in the same nutrition cabin. This time, his brain quickly cleared up, as he started thinking of what happened to him previously.


    Before he could think further, the same line of text appeared again in his sight. This time, he was not as startled, as he waited patiently to see what will happen.


    [Ding!! Memory storage program initiated¡­, brain merge program initiated. Proceeding to confirm readiness status.]


    [Master¡¯s health status: Physical- 97%..., stable. Psychological- 98%..., stable.]


    [Good evening master, I am the A.I of your implant. My name is A-101, I¡¯m now your most loyal companion. After the merging program was initiated, I now became a part of you, and you also became a part of me.]


    [Through your new implant, you¡¯ll have access to a load of new things. And through me, you¡¯ll have a better means to know your abilities and to track your progress. The list of my abilities is endless. So, you can start familiarizing yourself by asking me to do anything for you.]


    Clark was now practically breathless. Wow, really? Not only could this thing project texts into his brain, but it could also talk and say what was written directly to his brain.


    He was already suspecting it, but he was still shocked when he knew that this was a result of him getting his new implant. From this short contact with the implant¡¯s A. I alone, he was already falling in love with it.


    Originally, his old implant also has an A.I. But the programmed data in it was too low to perform any meaningful action. He had never communicated with an A. I directly in his brain; the feeling was completely novel to him.


    After understanding the situation a little bit, he cautiously communicated with the A. I and demanded his abilities and information to be shone.


    [Ding!! Master¡¯s status]


    Name: Clark Pendragon


    Country of allegiance: Spartan republic


    Soldier rank: 2nd rank high-grade soldier


    Military rank: Sergeant


    Weapon mastery: Spear- 72%, Sword- 69%, Gun- 80%


    [Any weapon mastery with proficiency below 50% cannot be displayed directly on master¡¯s status. You can ask specifically about any weapon, and its mastery will be displayed separately.]


    [Ding!! Master¡¯s Attributes] Attack power: 99% Attack speed: 90%


    Endurance: 88% Decision making: 92% Stamina: 78/100


    Health: 98%


    [Master¡¯s abilities]


    Battle arts: The bullet encyclopedia & The frenzied maneuver


    Self-created technique: Dragon breaks the ranks


    Minor technique: Maelstrom counter-attack


    [Evaluation: Master is a unique soldier that has broken through the limiting threshold of his rank. Your strength is at the absolute pinnacle, when placed with all the soldiers of your rank.]


    [My usefulness and abilities are too numerous to be explored in a day. My suggestion is that master should slowly dive in here every day, to slowly explore my abilities and how to better use me.]


    At this point, Clark¡¯s mood was already on cloud 9. His surprise and happiness could not be expressed with words. Since his career started as a soldier, he had never seen such a detailed description of himself and his abilities.


    From this short explanation, he already vaguely understood all the uses of his new implant. The first scientists, who came up with the idea, were not wrong after all when they said they were creating a companion.


    This thing already passed the level of just a companion; it was now just like an alternate version of him. But one that helps him only, with greater processing power.


    He already expected to see some improvement in his attributes, but the extent to which he improved still surprised him. Maelstrom''s counter-attack is the minor defensive technique that he used, in his battle against the World dominator.


    After suppressing his excitement, he finally asked his new A. I again. ¡°Can I change your name? A-101 is too dumb for something as convenient and good as you¡±.


    [Yes master, you can change my name to any one of your preference. I can even project suggestions to you if you like.]


    ¡°Ah, that is possible too? Ok, no need, I will change your name when I get a better and stylish replacement for you¡±.


    ¡°Command the nutrition cabin to open; I¡¯m tired of staying here in this place with limited space to move around.¡± He didn¡¯t even finish his command, before the A. I acknowledged it.


    The lid of the nutrition cabin slowly opened, as he squinted his eye to adjust to the light intensity in the implant operation room. On noticing the lid of the nutrition cabin sliding open, the lights switched on again, which affected his eyes.


    As soon as the lid opened, the implant surgeon received a notification immediately through his implant.


    After giving instructions to his apprentices, he moved directly to the operation room to check on his patient. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Clark who sat down with closed eyes, daydreaming.


    He smiled, as he immediately knew that the operation was a success. The patient was already interacting with his implant¡¯s A.I.


    Clark opened his eyes, as his implant notified him that the surgeon just entered the room.


    ¡°Good evening sir, I¡¯m grateful for the operation and everything¡±. He could not control himself on seeing the surgeon, as he heaped thanks on him.


    First of all, the surgeon had every means to harm him, as he was completely vulnerable throughout the operation. Him coming out safe showed the implant surgeon¡¯s integrity.


    And secondly, having access to such a convenient implant was something he never dreamt of before now. His feelings were complicated; he did not know the right method to express them.


    With this huge implant advantage alone, it could ensure the big 5¡¯s rule over all the lesser countries and organizations. Their soldiers are equipped with a load of other advantages, but the implant advantage alone can help them wipe out any soldier of the same rank from a lesser country.


    The surgeon responded mildly with a smile to his patient¡¯s thanks, as he advanced to perform another thorough check-up.


    After 30 minutes of tinkering with his patient¡¯s brain, he could finally relax, as no complications emerged. He finally gave the green light, as his patient was discharged 5 minutes later.


    ¡­


    Clark smiled brightly, as he drove down the streets, going back to his team apartment. His new implant directly changed the way he perceived things. Anything he was curious about, he would directly receive the answer from his implant¡¯s A.I.


    As they were both connected through a neural network, the A. I was able to sense his thoughts. He finally drove into the team compound, as his teammates came out to welcome him.


    ¡°Hey, bro how was it? Did the surgeon fry your brain? Did you get a wife in your head? I heard that is what these big 5 soldiers get¡±.


    Listening to his friend¡¯s ridiculous words, his face could not help but bloom into a smile, as he laughed while following them into the house.


    He was going to spend this memorable day uniquely with his teammates, as today would likely be the last day that they will be seeing each other.


    They were already released; the decision was now on their courts to decide when and where to go to.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 117: the plight of the calibri family

    Boom!! Another gunshot rang, reverberating round the huge Calibri mansion, as the commotion from the unexpected assault continued growing stronger. The hidden sniper succeeded in killing another soldier that was trained by the Calibri militia.


    Sonia swiftly ran forward, while butchering the assaulters facing her with her dual swords. She had an anxious expression on her face, as she pushed forward, advancing to where her brother laid feebly on the floor.


    ¡­


    Back in the Sparta republic, when she boarded the warship that her brother was on, the situation at home was finally explained to her.


    Her mother, Elizabeth Calibri, was actually not suffering from an illness. She was poisoned. The poison was a very elusive and potent one that her doctor had to test for 2 weeks, before finding it.


    Despite the dreadfulness of the poison, the doctor promised that he could take care of it. But, how was the first lady of the Calibri house poisoned?


    Investigations quickly started, as the head of the Calibri house, Woods Calibri poured out resources to fund the investigation. After 3 days of rigorous and relentless investigation, the culprit was finally found.


    Through some connections, the culprit was traced back to some of the big-name organizations and houses in the Dakra republic.


    They later found that the poisoning was the first part of a conspiracy to overthrow the Calibri house, as one of the biggest business empires of Europe. After discovering this conspiracy, Woods Calibri acted immediately.


    He ordered for all his children to be brought back home to his mansion, as he reasoned that here was safer.


    He had only 2 children, and Sonia was the only one that was outside his direct care. So, he sent her brother to get her.


    In the warship, after knowing the true situation, Sonia no longer felt reluctant as she focused on getting back home to see her mom first. She wanted to see the real situation with her own 2 eyes.


    After getting back to the Dakra republic, they returned to their family¡¯s mansion safely, without any complications.


    That was when she finally had the time to visit her mom. Despite the treatment administered by her highly qualified doctor, her mother still looked feeble and on the verge of death.


    For the 2 weeks that the poison remained elusive, it succeeded in wreaking havoc to the organs and systems of the first lady of the Calibri house. Despite her feeble state, she still smiled when she saw her daughter, after so many years.


    Seeing her mother¡¯s smile on sighting her, the last strings firmly holding Sonia¡¯s heart finally snapped, as she broke down in tears. She suddenly felt a strong feeling of regret overtake her consciousness.


    Why did she run away? Why did she have to leave her mother alone? The doctor, her brother, and everyone else left the room, as she finally had alone time with her mom.


    Despite her weak state, her mother could still talk. After calming down, she started describing her experiences throughout the years to her mom, to cheer her up. She continued, after receiving her approval.


    When she reached the part where she met Clark, she blushed a little but continued the story. What motivated her more, was the smile now on her mother¡¯s face, as she listened to her story.


    So, she continued this routine for a whole week without any complications. When she ran out of experiences, she exaggerated the parts she liked, while at times completely making new stories to cheer her mother up.


    Her mother slowly started recovering her vibrant self, as the poison slowly but gradually cleared out of her body.


    They thought the conspiracy was over, now that they were all back in her father¡¯s mansion. Little did they know that this was just the beginning.


    It started at exactly 6:00 am. Soldiers invaded the huge Calibri mansion in the thousands, as the area quickly became chaotic. Led by two 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, the anonymous battalion of soldiers assaulted the huge mansion recklessly.


    The soldiers stationed in the mansion responded appropriately, as they tried to curb the efforts of the invaders. They tried, but the assaulters were not there to fight a war, they were there to assassinate some key targets.


    Their employers told them, to directly ignore the owner of the mansion, Woods Calibri. They made a good decision, as of the 3 high-grade soldiers in the mansion, 2 rushed to his room to protect him.


    The last one rushed to the hospital attached to the mansion, to protect the first lady of the house. Most of the remaining soldiers were normal soldiers, only a few were 1st and 2nd rank, high-grade soldiers.


    Most of the 2nd rank high-grade soldiers led the others, as they rushed to the 2 young master¡¯s rooms to protect them.


    After trying the first lady, and getting no positive results. The assassination targets finally shifted to the 2 children of the Calibri house. The overwhelming assault force moved forward with momentum, as they aimed to kill both children.


    Sonia already got her Dakran standard high-grade armor back, when she returned during the last week. She quickly activated it, as she also dived into the battle.


    She quickly started navigating around the mansion; she aimed to go to her brother¡¯s room. As she rushed forward, an extremely glaring gunshot suddenly sounded, reverberating all over the battlefield.


    Her heart sank, as her brain quickly started picturing the worst-case scenarios. She forced the unsettling feeling in her heart back, as she hastened her advance to her brother¡¯s room.


    As soon as she turned around the corner of the long corridor, she despaired, as she sighted the bloody form of her brother from afar.


    Daniel Calibri lay feebly on the floor, as blood slowly flowed out of his mouth. As the son of a businessman that dealt in the production of exotic armor, his armor was naturally perverted.


    Despite the extreme firepower of the sniper rifle used by the hidden sniper, his armor withstood it. Despite this, his life was still in danger.


    His armor withstood it, but his internal organs could not withstand the shock. He felt excruciating pain, he felt like his lungs were squeezed and pulled out of his body savagely.


    He could only gasp for breath to fight for his life, as blood slowly seeped out of his mouth.


    On seeing this, anxiousness and rage took over Sonia, as she unleashed hell on the assaulters facing her with her dual swords.


    She quickly started executing her battle art, as spikes rose from the nearby wall, attaching themselves to her armor.


    This was her tuff, this was her battleground. She would not allow these assaulters to wreak havoc in her playground.


    As the daughter of a billionaire, and the only one who took the military route in her family, her life was a unique one.


    Since her younger days, she squandered her allocated money every month, to get military gadgets that she liked. To her, weapons and gadgets worth billions of Dakran credits were just toys.


    After so many years, the mansion was now practically her war fortress. The equipment currently hidden in different parts of the mansion was probably more than those an armory can keep.


    As rage gradually clouded her mind, she gave an order through her implant. Though her implant was not as outrageous as Clark¡¯s new implant, it''s A. I was also that of high quality.


    Her implant¡¯s A. I quickly spread in the virtual network, connecting to all the hibernating weapons of mass destruction. It spread to all the machines like the tentacles of a monster, as it activated all their systems.


    All over the mansion, red and blue glows started lighting up, as the systems of various machines booted up.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! After understanding the order of the implant, all the machines quickly targeted the assaulting soldiers, as their weapons unleashed hell without restraint.


    Artillery vehicles emerged from underground. Mechanical predators that took the shape of different animals emerged, as they all pounced on the invaders.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Mechanical soldiers emerged, as the ranged ones in their midst fired their guns rapidly at the invaders. A wave of red fire beams erupted from their midst, as all oppositions were wiped to dust.


    The melee mechanical soldiers, advanced with momentum like the stampede of a band of rhinos. They eradicated all hostile soldiers that dared to engage them.


    This grand display of power was just one of the many highlights of the importance of money. With money, any strong opposition can be smashed through.


    With this advantage brought about by her childhood splurging of money, she was finally able to reach her brother¡¯s position. She quickly grabbed him, turned, and rushed directly to her father¡¯s room.


    The unexpected appearance of thousands of mechanical war equipment succeeded in disrupting the plans of the invaders. They finally recollected themselves, as they pursued the 2 escaping siblings.


    On reaching her father¡¯s room, Sonia could not help her jaw-dropping down in shock. The extremely resilient reinforced exotic walls of her father¡¯s room were breached.


    BOOM!! Her eardrums almost burst from the loud noise, as the opposing 3rd rank high-grade soldiers of the opposition battled with her father¡¯s 3rd rank high-grade soldiers.


    Blood flowed out of her ears, as she grabbed them with her hands. Despite the pain she felt, she still reacted fast, as she dragged her brother to the corner to avoid the stray bullets flying everywhere.


    She finally looked forward, she saw her father tightly hugging her mom, with a huge blue energy shield surrounding them. Her heartfelt like it received a cut, as she saw the frightened expression on her mother¡¯s face.


    She could only clench her fists while gritting her teeth to vent her frustration. As a 1st rank high-grade soldier, such a battle was beyond her boundaries.


    As the fierce battle raged on, all the invaders started converging to meet at her father¡¯s room. All their targets were now in this room.


    Despite the interference of the machinery, they still held the initiative. It only slowed the inevitable, as their overwhelming number steadily advanced.


    Sonia could only activate her shield, as just like her parents, she huddled up with her brother behind her defense. Her father already called for reinforcement, but they would take time to arrive.


    They could not teleport to the mansion directly, as space stabilizing devices were used to prevent such measures.


    Woods Calibri finally felt a feeling that he had not felt in years, desperation. His shield could still hold, but he recognized that the shield defending his children could not hold on any longer.


    He clenched his fists, as he made a decision that took a bite at his soul. He decided to use his 2 most valuable possessions, to buy the life of his children.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not doing more, please forgive me¡±. As he muttered, he suddenly gave a command to his implant.


    His implant responded instantly, as 2 devices, shining with a blue glow immediately materialized from under the room. The invaders felt a bad premonition on seeing these devices, as they immediately turned to shoot at them.


    The small defense covering them protected them, as they suddenly rushed forward, towards opposite ends.


    The first one quickly landed on Sonia¡¯s hand, as she raised her head to look at her father doubtfully. Her father caught the other one, as he muttered I¡¯m sorry again, before pressing a button.


    On seeing her father¡¯s actions, she also pressed the button on the one in her hand, as she waited to see the reaction.


    Bzzz!! Bzzz!! Before the invaders could take more extreme measures, with 2 sounds of the space warping, the 3 Calibri family members disappeared from the mansion.


    The leader of the invaders stared with shock, as their targets disappeared before their eyes. ¡°What the hell just happened? What device was that?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 118: farewell

    Woods Calibri held his wife tightly, as their figures stirred like clothes being washed in a washing machine. The stirring finally stopped a little, as their disoriented eyes gradually started stabilizing.


    They now finally started taking in their surroundings, as the memories of what just transpired returned to their brain.


    ¡°What did you do? Where are my children? Why are we alone?¡± As soon as Elizabeth Calibri recovered her memories, she grabbed her husband as he demanded where he sent her children.


    Her husband turned to look at her, as he tried hard without much success to rid his face of his pained expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Liz,¡± he gently apologized, as he held and stroked his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°I only had one of the super teleportation devices; I was able to get it by luck in one of the equipment auctions I visited¡±.


    ¡°The other one I gave to Dan and Sonia was the ones my boys got from a war ruin. Its operation is completely random; I don¡¯t know where they landed. I had no other choice; I just could not bear seeing you suffering again¡±.


    ¡°What??? You abandoned our children?¡± His wife exploded, as tears already started pouring from her eyes in rage and frustration.


    Despite being a man, the great Woods Calibri could not control his emotions on seeing his wife flare-up, as tears also flowed down from his eyes. He gently wiped the tears off with his left hand, as he lifted his face to glance at the ceiling.


    The 2 devices he used to break the space stabilization effects are called the omnidirectional teleportation device. It was a rare exotic-produced device that can send users to any place in the world, no matter how unfavorable the user¡¯s current location was.


    The one he used on himself and his wife was the one he got by luck, from one of the high-grade auctions he attended. The other one that he gave to his children was gotten by his soldiers from an exploration to a war ruin, as battle loot.


    When he got it, some of its parts were barely functional. Because it already sustained some damage, he could not control where his children will be sent to.


    He loved his children and his wife, the decision he made was the most heart-rending decision he had ever faced to make, in his entire life.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was a bad father. Yes, he was a bad father, opting to send his children to completely unknown places. But to him, at least, he temporarily saved their life.


    His expression soured again, as he glanced back at his crying, broken, raging, furious, and frustrated wife. Rage slowly took over him also, as he ground his teeth to control himself a bit.


    ¡°All the people who planned this, wait for me. I will take all your blood, as compensation for the life of my children. You want war, and war is what you will get¡±.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else, in the Sahara desert, in Africa. The golden glow of the hot sun shone down, burning the dry but sandy earth. Life went on as usual in the desert, as all the desert living animals lived their life uneventfully.


    A portal suddenly opened in the air, as 2 figures dropped down from it. Due to their still disoriented state, they could not react on time as they dropped to the sand, with their face facing down.


    ¡°Awwn,¡± Sonia grunted in pain, as she slowly stood up while wiping the sand particles away from her face.


    On seeing the sight before her, her face morphed into one of surprise. ¡°Where am I? Is this heaven?¡±


    As she soliloquized, the memories of the previous events suddenly flashed back into her memory, just like a system memory reboot. She closed her eyes, as she went through her memories again.


    ¡°Daniel¡­, Daniel where are you?¡± She finally remembered what happened, as she scrambled up to look for her brother.


    ¡°Sonia, where are we?¡± Her brother¡¯s weak voice sounded from below her feet, as she hastily looked down. She was surprised to see her brother half-buried by the sand. She quickly pulled him out of the sand, while proceeding to check his injuries.


    Daniel was just too weak to take in his surroundings. His eyes were clouded over, as he could just barely recognize the voice of his sister.


    On seeing his brother¡¯s still bruised and weak state, worry soon took over Sonia¡¯s face, as she wondered why her father sent them here. After thinking but not finding any reasonable explanation, she decided to take matters into her own hands.


    Her brother urgently needed to see a doctor, and that was her top priority at the moment.


    ¡°Dan, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll bring you to safety¡±. She could only say these reassuring words, as she supported her brother up.


    She picked a random direction to walk towards, as she started her journey in this seemingly endless desert. She could only pray that a settlement was nearby, so she could find shelter.


    After hours of moving in the desert, sweat dripped down her temples like waterfalls, as she gasped for breath. Despite this, she didn¡¯t stop. Her worry kept on intensifying, as her brother¡¯s body kept on getting hotter than normal.


    Her leg bones started getting too heavy for her to carry, as her eyesight started getting blurry also. Her throat felt dry and parched, she currently felt like a fish that was gradually being sun-dried.


    This was the first time that she experienced such an unfavorable weather condition from nature. From the weather, her hope to see a settlement kept on being dashed, again and again.


    She was not sure if anyone would be willing to come to such a deserted place, and build a settlement here.


    After journeying for a few hours that felt to her like a journey of years, she started seeing smoke rising from the distance. Due to how tired she was, she didn¡¯t notice it at first.


    But as soon as she saw it, her eyes lit up, as she mustered her remaining strength to follow the direction of the smoke.


    After another 20 minutes of moving, she finally saw the first building in the middle of the desert. From the first to the second, then the third, the building¡¯s spanned across for as far as her eyes could see.


    She could not believe it, some people could actually live in such extreme weather. Despite her unbelief, she still put in the effort to go closer.


    On reaching the first building, she wanted to knock on the door, but her strength failed her. She unconsciously dropped her brother, as she swayed to the left, then to the right.


    Darkness finally engulfed her consciousness, as she fell with a thud sound at the front of the building.


    She didn¡¯t know what would befall her next, she completely left her dying or living to fate. Any situation she finds herself if she survives, she¡¯ll strive to live through it.


    ¡­


    Clark smiled, as he discussed while laughing with his teammates. Today was the day they decided to go back to their various homes and destinations.


    All 5 gladiators were in a black suit, as they sat around the big round table. Today being their last day together, Emily prepared a special dish to celebrate the occasion.


    She already established herself, as the team¡¯s cook. They discussed their experience throughout the years, as they enjoyed the delicious food made by their cook.


    During their discussion, Arthur revealed that he would go back to his old job of being a mercenary. He was not ready, nor could he embark on starting another occupation. So, he just remained stuck with his mercenary tag.


    Mark decided that he won¡¯t go back to his country, that he had the idea to start his mercenary organization.


    He was already in his 30¡¯s. He didn¡¯t want to fight for his country, nor did he want to become a lone adventurer. So, the only other option that was compatible with him was him establishing his mercenary organization.


    Clark made his decision for some time already, he was naturally returning to his country. After they received their awards in the award-giving ceremony, he learned that one of his country¡¯s fleets was also here in the Seafarers alliance outer headquarters.


    They recognized him when he was broadcasted in the award-giving ceremony. So, they contacted him secretly, to avoid anyone recognizing them. They told him where to meet them when he was ready to go.


    After separating from his teammates, he planned on going there to regroup with his fellow countrymen again. The main reason that influenced his decision, was that he could help the fleet fight off enemies, to get contribution points in the journey back home.


    Emily was also lucky, as she discovered that a fleet from her country was here also. Though they did not contact her, she found out through other means that are exclusive to soldiers of her country.


    After it came to Aurora¡¯s turn, she was still undecided. She didn¡¯t want to return to her country, as just like Arthur, she was a mercenary. But unlike him, she was a bounty hunter, an assassin. She hunts only criminals with high price tags.


    On seeing the expectant looks on her teammate¡¯s faces, she finally decided to say something. She told them that she would make her decision when they were gone.


    After eating, the 5 gladiators finally stood up with a smile, as they got ready to go back to their various lives. After exchanging small farewell gestures, they finally separated.


    Clark carried his new bag on his back, as he steadily walked down the street while looking to hail a taxi. The gladiator district was completely illuminated with light as it was already evening, painting its beautiful scenery.


    He admired the scenery, as this was probably going to be his last time coming here to the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance.


    Not long later, he quickly located a taxi cab. He boarded it while describing the direction he was going to the taxi driver. The taxi vehicle¡¯s engine roared to life, as the driver expertly sped across the street.


    After leaving the gladiator district, the taxi driver finally carried him to the destination described. The area was lit up with light, but the surrounding was darker than where they just drove from.


    Clark immediately recognized this as the slightly shadier parts of the Seafarer¡¯s alliance headquarters. No matter how advanced a country or an organization may be, the law of the underworld was always present, it was universal.


    On seeing the looks the people around gave him, he calmly put on his dark-rimmed glasses, while dipping his hands into his pockets.


    This gesture succeeded in enhancing his stature, making him look more mysterious and dangerous. The effect was instant, as the stares going his way lessened at a visible rate.


    He suddenly turned to the right to see someone dressed in black, moving towards him. His implant already informed him, so he knew that this was his person.


    The man quickly reached his side. They exchanged some code words to verify their identity before the man led him away.


    ¡°Man, I¡¯m finally back to meet my homies. This feels good baby,¡± this was the only thought in his head, as the man led him into a bar at the corner.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 119: a new life begins

    After entering the bar, Clark didn¡¯t see anything that indicated this place as his country fleet¡¯s hide-out. The bar was as boisterous as any other; the men here smoked and drank recklessly, as they sometimes burst into loud fits of laughter unexpectedly.


    What peeved him a bit was the way the men groped the female waiters. The expression on their faces showed their unwillingness, but they could only hide it behind a strained smile. This was their business after all.


    Despite feeling a little annoyed, he was still able to control himself. It was none of his business; he already learned the trait of absolute self-control, from his many experiences.


    The man escorting him suddenly made a sharp turn to the left; he followed the man as he was led to a dark corner. He kept quiet, despite a wall obstructing them now.


    The man suddenly moved forward again, as he knocked softly on the wall. As he knocked, a blue glow suddenly flashed briefly past his hand. Before disappearing, the glow turned green for a moment.


    ¡°I activated it, sir, you can now go in,¡± the man turned to face him, as he informed respectfully.


    He nodded calmly, adjusted his suit, before directly walking into the wall. He did not know what technology the wall utilized, but he already saw more than enough throughout the years, he was not completely clueless.


    His speculation was right, as soon as his body touched the wall, space warped a bit before he was teleported away shortly after.


    His eyes became blurry for a short moment, before clearing back the next. He squinted his eyes to adjust to the light intensity, as he now faced a dark room. The only source of light came from 3 green flickering lights, like candles.


    As soon as he appeared, the green flickering lights were extinguished, while the room became illuminated by light projectors in the ceiling. He was now able to see 4 soldiers, who all turned to face him as soon as the light switched on.


    ¡°You are finally here, Clark Pendragon. Welcome to the Spartan secret base here in the Seafarers alliance¡¯s outer headquarters¡±. The one, who seemed to be the leader, spoke first, as he welcomed him with a smile.


    The leader waved his hand across the table, as the projection they were analyzing disappeared.


    ¡°My name is Captain Oxford; I am the regional leader of this Spartan fleet. I watched your battles; I didn¡¯t know that my country created such an exceptional soldier¡±.


    ¡°These are my assistants, Sergeant Brody, Sergeant Jack, and Sergeant Scott. You are all of the same ranks, so I hope you get along well¡±.


    Clark thanked the Captain for his hospitality with a smile, before he exchanged greetings with the 3 sergeants. He later learned that the room he was teleported to was the base¡¯s strategy room.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you came now, as we just received a dangerous mission with extremely high priority to it. I cannot avoid it by any means, so you coming just presented me with a stronger power to overcome any complications¡±.


    ¡°Let me led you in, to show you all our fellow countrymen. As we go, please can you explain how you ended up as a gladiator?¡±


    Clark nodded with a smile at the Captain. As he followed him down the corridor, he started narrating his encounters for the past 3 years to him. The 3 sergeants trailed behind them while listening carefully.


    It was not long before they reached the main location of the base, it was just adjacent to the strategy room. Clark already expected something big, but the size of this base still shocked him.


    It looked just like an underground city. Despite being countless times smaller than a real city, the number of people working and walking about spread for as far as his eyes could see.


    The strategy room was built at the top of the base. So, from up there in the corridor, he could see the huge and boisterous multitude of people.


    Blue light shone down, illuminating the whole base, as machines and humans worked in sync. Machine parts were moved around, as the functioning ones performed various tasks, such as loading goods and other miscellaneous tasks.


    Other machines performed more sophisticated tasks, and from his implant, he knew that a high-grade A. I was controlling these machines.


    He was surprised by how enormous the base was, he could not help but turn to the Captain doubtfully. ¡°Did all these machineries and people follow one fleet, all the way from the Sparta republic here?¡±


    Captain Oxford smiled on seeing his surprise. ¡°Clark, stop thinking ridiculously. My fleet cannot accommodate this many resources and people, these people are workers of the republic that are assigned and fixed here for 5 years¡±.


    ¡°Every 5 years, new batches of workers are transported from the Sparta republic here, to replace the previous batches. They can be referred to as the republic¡¯s secret foreign workers or ambassadors¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too surprised Clark, this base is the only base we have here in the Seafarers alliance, so it has to have some flare and grandness to it¡±.


    ¡°The Seafarers alliance knows about all these secret bases, you know our technology can¡¯t possibly beat those of this hegemon. They don¡¯t destroy them though, as they find it below them¡±.


    ¡°And this is our only lifeline to survive here in the sea. That¡¯s why all countries and organizations pay protection fees to them; they are the tyrants of the sea after all¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop with all the talks, let me introduce you to them as the new high-grade soldier of this fleet¡±. He turned back to face the huge number of workers, as he activated the voice amplifier.


    ¡°Fellow citizens of the Sparta republic, we have a new high-grade soldier in our midst. Let¡¯s welcome our new brother¡­,¡±


    After doing the regular welcoming routine, Clark finally integrated completely into the fleet. With the help of the easy-going Captain, everything went smoothly.


    He prepared himself to leave the next day, as the Captain said they could no longer delay their departure.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else in the port of the Seafarers alliance, Mark stood on the hatch of a ship belonging to the Mercenary alliance.


    After a long day of undergoing different departure procedures, he was finally allowed out of the headquarters of the Seafarers alliance. As he wanted to start his mercenary organization, he naturally had to contact the masters of the act, to make it legal.


    Despite the Seafarers alliance¡¯s firm grasp over the seas, the other big 5 powers still had their influence here. Despite the influence being minuscule, he was still able to locate a fleet belonging to the Mercenary alliance.


    He heaved a sigh of relief, as he was finally about to leave this vicious region once and for all. As he was about to go inside the ship, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar silhouette rushing towards his position.


    His expression morphed into that of surprise, as he stared at the approaching figure of his teammate. Before he could think further, she reached his position in an instant.


    After facing the man who made her heart beat faster after so long, her face could not help but blush. Combined with the slight sweat running down her smooth temples, her blushing took her beauty to the next level.


    Mark forced a smile, as he tried hard to make himself not get distracted. As he was about to ask why she was here, a pair of lips suddenly enveloped his.


    He froze in place, as the soft but sweet sensation enveloping his lips completely took away his reasoning faculty. He didn¡¯t know what happened, but he would enjoy this moment first, before asking questions later.


    After kissing to her full, Aurora finally withdrew herself back, as her face directly turned crimson. Despite how embarrassed she felt, she still forced herself to face her crush.


    ¡°I love you Mark. I already did, since the first day I saw you. Circumstances were the only reason why I held myself back. But now we are free, I just couldn¡¯t hold myself again¡±.


    After recollecting himself a bit, Mark looked at his blushing teammate with a weird and surprised expression.


    ¡°Really?? I don¡¯t know, but I think I also fell in love with you. I just didn¡¯t tell you because I thought you¡¯ll frown on such things. You know, your personality is not exactly inviting¡±.


    She blushed further on hearing his reply, but she just bumped him on his broad chest. She already knew that he liked her, so she was not surprised. As a woman, she was sensitive enough to notice the feelings he harbored towards her.


    She could only thank her lucky stars for finding the courage to go after him. If she was a minute late, perhaps, she would have lost him forever.


    After clarifying their feelings for each other, the 2 soldiers held each other¡¯s hands, as they turned to go into the ship. They ignored the strange looks coming at them, as the power of love reared its head, removing what they once knew as an embarrassment.


    Aurora did not know where this love will lead her. Love is blind, that quote was true in her situation. But she was ready to dive into it, life was never predictable.


    No matter what situation she found herself in, in the future. She knew that with him by her side, they would pull through any storms obstructing their advancement.


    ¡­


    In another ship belonging to the same fleet of the Mercenary alliance, Arthur stood on the deck, as he looked at the waves of the flowing water.


    After separating from his teammates, just like Mark, he directly located the regional fleet of the Mercenary alliance. As a registered mercenary belonging to this enormous organization, his pass to leave was authorized countless times faster than his Captain.


    He looked back at the slowly fading and disappearing metal platforms, as he thought back on his experiences throughout the years.


    He broke into a smile when the faces of his teammates flashed past his eyes. He didn¡¯t know if he would see them again in the future, but he knew that their impact on his life was enormous.


    His life as a lone mercenary was without a specific direction, he would go to anywhere a mission was offered. He drifts to any direction life threw him at, that was just his life.


    ¡­


    Emily slowly looked for clues, as she tried without much success to look for any trail left behind by Clark.


    She was depressed, as she was rejected by the soldiers from her country. She didn¡¯t know what happened; they just rejected her like she was not a part of them, despite them already searching their database.


    ¡°Did something happen back home?¡± She could not help but question worriedly, as she couldn¡¯t make heads or tail of the situation.


    Clark was the next best choice for her to follow. After so many years together, they already developed a very deep bond as friends.


    She ignored the nefarious ways in which the men around looked at her, as she continued asking for clues. As she searched, a man suddenly grabbed her hand, startling her.


    She turned warily, to see a man dressed in black. ¡°I know who you are looking for,¡± the man said to alleviate her heart a bit, before leading her to a corner.


    He recognized her as one of the teammates of the soldier he just escorted to his country¡¯s secret base, in the morning. That was the only reason why he approached her.


    After explaining the situation to her, he directly contacted Clark through a means exclusive to him.


    Clark rushed there immediately; he was surprised when he heard she came looking for him. After listening to her explanation, he finally understood her situation.


    He decided to take her with him; at least she will be safe staying with him for the time being. He booked a hotel for the both of them to spend the night there, as he possibly couldn¡¯t take her to his country¡¯s secret base.


    As the day grew dark, the team of 5 gladiators finally found their way back to their various destinations and occupations.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 120: military briefing

    The next day, after settling everything needed, the huge fleet of the Spartan republic finally embarked on their journey. After preparing a room for Emily next to his room on the main ship, Clark finally prepared to attend his first military meeting in years.


    The tailors of the fleet, in conjunction with the tailoring A.I¡¯s, prepared a completely brand new Spartan uniform for him. As the fleet was not facing an enemy, the higher-ups could wear their uniforms in the fleet, as no one would recognize them.


    The unique color of the Spartan uniform, blue, black, and white, stood out, making him look like a man of authority. Sergeants were the 2nd strongest soldiers and the most important individuals in the fleet, so they had an exalted status.


    The uniform was so immaculately made that he could not help smiling, as he admired its sharp and delicate edges. Paired with his slightly dark-toned skin, his current look was enough to win him an award.


    The badge indicating his military rank as a Sergeant acted as the cream topping the cherry. It completely blended with the slightly dark colors of his uniform.


    After admiring till satisfaction, he finally put on his military cap before turning to leave the room. The military briefing was scheduled to start in 10 minutes.


    ¡­


    Shortly before the 10th-minute mark, he finally arrived at the meeting room. He was surprised on entering the room, as all the soldiers of the fleet were already here before him.


    ¡°Good morning Captain,¡± he greeted on seeing his Captain while complimenting it with a salute. He nodded at the other Sergeants, as a form of greeting.


    ¡°Good morning Sergeant¡±. Before he could sit down, the dozens of soldiers in the room stood up to greet him.


    Only high-grade soldiers had the authority to attend this briefing that the Captain called for. The soldiers currently greeting him were the 1st rank high-grade soldiers, of the fleet. The 13 soldiers saluted, as they greeted their new Sergeant respectfully.


    Clark acknowledged the soldiers with a nod of his head, before going to sit at the seat next to the commander.


    As he sat, he could not help but think back to years ago when he was a captive of the Camelotian fleet. It just felt like yesterday to him. But now, he was no longer the inconsequential soldier of yesterday, he was now among the higher-ups.


    His seating next to the Captain indicated his status as the new 2nd in command and the 2nd strongest soldier in the fleet.


    Of the other 3 Sergeants in the fleet, two of them broke through 2 years ago. The last one just broke through to his rank, this year.


    Sergeant Scott stared unblinkingly at Clark with glittering eyes, as just like the 1st rank high-grade soldiers, he also stood up to greet him. He was the new Sergeant who broke through this year.


    He was of the same age as Clark, but that did not necessarily mean he was a genius. He was talented, but his breakthrough some months ago was completely by luck.


    Unlike others, his father was a Captain of the Spartan republic, so he started training in the ways of the soldier since he was a child. Comparing when he started training with his current rank, showed his steady but mediocre talent and performance.


    He was very hardworking, but most of the time, his performance underscored the efforts he put into training. Since the first day he heard about Clark, he became his fan.


    After watching all his battles in the gladiator tournament, his respect for him grew exponentially. After looking up his history to see his achievements, and seeing that he emerged as the best cadet in his batch, this new Sergeant instantly became his idol.


    Unless soldiers hated each other for a particular reason, all soldiers admired and respected the strong. After seeing Clark¡¯s achievements, he already crossed his mind to get closer to him by all means.


    After all the exchange of greeting, Captain Oxford finally opened his mouth to speak, instantly taking the center of attention.


    ¡°Good morning soldiers, you are all welcome to this important meeting. I called this meeting to update you all on the contents of our latest mission. There¡¯s not much preparation time left for us¡±.


    ¡°For this mission, we don¡¯t have to leave the sea, as the mission¡¯s location is here in the Mediterranean Sea. Though no mission is easy, when I said this mission is extremely dangerous, I was not exaggerating, I will prove why¡±.


    He waved his hand across the round table, as a projection quickly appeared, covering the whole table. All the soldiers kept quiet, as they looked at the projection. They already recognized the structure being projected.


    ¡°This is a treasure vault that a country deliberately filled up, and kept as a secret from the Seafarers alliance. The Seafarers surveillance team discovered traces of it a month ago, and they eventually traced the vault to its destination¡±.


    ¡°Despite being the absolute rulers of the waters, the Seafarers alliance¡¯s forces are too stretched thin to monitor every corner of the water bodies¡±.


    ¡°The Atlantic Ocean is their main base, and they don¡¯t still have an absolute grasp over all of its corners. They have even lesser forces here in the Mediterranean sea, so manner organizations and countries tend to be slippery at times¡±.


    ¡°One of the countries with high-grade military strength, the Nadan republic, succeeded in getting this valuable information in an auction organized by the Seafarers alliance 2 months ago¡±.


    ¡°This information was supposed to be exclusive information to them, but somehow, the information was leaked. Through some not too convenient means, our information team succeeded in getting part of the gist also¡±.


    ¡°According to the information we received, we believe that some countries and organizations also got this information. But just like us, they only got parts and fragments of it¡±.


    ¡°If the information is accurate, we believe that this vault is a treasure room, holding huge amounts of Arcanite metal. You already know the famous exotic metal, so I won¡¯t elaborate on that¡±.


    The Captain was right, as all the soldiers here knew about the extremely popular high-grade exotic metal. Arcanite metal is one of the best high-grade exotic metals, used by most high-grade countries and organizations to make their equipment.


    When processed, it can be used in the production of high-grade exotic cold weapons, and some countries even use it in the production of some delicate parts in exotic guns.


    If the information was correct, and there was such a vault holding such valuable wealth. Then they had to take part in it, by all means. That was no longer only wealth, but resources.


    If they could get only a small amount, some higher-ups of the republic could immediately upgrade their gears to high-grade gears. Arcanite was not an exotic metal, that could be left behind when found.


    After pausing for a bit to allow the soldiers to process the information he just dumped to them, Captain Oxford continued.


    ¡°As you may have already guessed, the danger of this mission is in the type of competitors we will meet in our quest to take a bite from this huge pie. As I already mentioned, the original owner of this information is already a country with high-grade military strength¡±.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m expecting to meet other fleets there that are also from countries with high-grade military strength¡±.


    ¡°Our chances of taking a bite at this huge meat¡­, is extremely low. And you know that the Spartan republic would not leave such an opportunity behind¡±.


    ¡°Due to these considerations of how insignificant our strength is, we decided to combine our strength with one of our allies. For this mission, we are partnering with the Dawn kingdom¡±.


    ¡°The picture of the vault that we could get is not detailed enough, so we don¡¯t know the capabilities of the vault, nor do we know if soldiers are manning it. Because of this lack of information, our main A. I evaluated the possibility of success to be less than 40%¡±.


    ¡°But we would still try our luck. When we reach there, we would make more sophisticated decisions on the spot. If we can¡¯t get anything, and the chance of dying is high, we have orders to retreat¡±.


    ¡°The mission is dangerous, but so also is the reward being given for it. The reward has not been decided on yet, but expect it to be a satisfying one¡±.


    ¡°Go and get prepared for the next few days, if there are new updates, I will endeavor to keep you all up to date. Most of you have not battled in months; endeavor to brush up your training for the next few days¡±.


    ¡°We are expecting to converge with the Dawn kingdom¡¯s fleet in a week. Do not spread this news to the other soldiers in the fleet, this is an order¡±.


    After giving his last instruction about their mission to the soldiers, the Captain finally ordered one of the Sergeants to report the normal military report.


    Sergeant Brody stood up with the report in his hands, as he gave the military report on the status of the ship, the soldiers, and their readiness for battle. They had to know the state of their fleet, in case any unwanted situation arises.


    After going through all the available reports, the meeting was finally adjourned till further notice.


    Clark stood up, as he exchanged greetings with his fellow soldiers again before going out of the meeting room. As he went out of the room, his implant suddenly sent him a message notification.


    [Ding!! Hostility alert: From the expression and mannerisms of Sergeant Brody, hate and hostile feelings have been detected towards master.]


    Clark smiled helplessly on hearing this; there was nothing he could do. Being the 2nd in command of the fleet previously, his arrival and taking of position pissed off the middle-aged Sergeant.


    He didn¡¯t feel sorry though, as in this age respect and authority were not equivalent to age, but to power. If the Sergeant felt he was being badly treated, he was always available to be challenged to a battle to decide the 2nd in command.


    That¡¯s the way of the Sparta republic, this was not the Mocan republic or any other civilian ruled countries where they manipulate and influence things from behind the scenes.


    ¡­


    After going back to his room, he undressed from his uniform, before dropping on his bed while still in his underwear to rest his aching muscles. He closed his eyes, as he enjoyed the sensation of the sea breeze blowing into the room.


    [Ding!! Incoming call request from Emily.]


    He smiled and opened his eyes on hearing this, as he accepted the call. After knowing that he was back, Emily decided to contact him immediately to spend time together.


    Unlike the days when they were still gladiators, this time he accepted the invitation. Those days, he was constantly under the pressure to improve or die. But now, he was more relaxed.


    He quickly changed into casual clothes, as he climbed up to the deck of the ship to accompany the already waiting Emily.


    For the rest of the day, they leisurely discussed their experiences, while counting the number of sea creatures they discovered as the ship moved forward.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 121: partnership negotiation

    A week slowly passed, as the Spartan fleet moved unhindered in the boundless waters of the Mediterranean Sea. For this period, they were fortunate to not have encountered any hostile fleet.


    Clark¡¯s multiple battle encounters with the Camelotian fleet, was mostly due to their luck completely abandoning them. If fleets fought battles so frequently, no expedition forces of the various countries will ever return home intact.


    Throughout the week, Captain Oxford was maintaining constant communication with the Captain of the Dawn kingdom. After a lot of calculations, they finally decided on a location for both fleets to converge.


    Today, both fleets finally met each other for the first time. The 3 formidable-looking ships of the Spartan fleet slowly came to a halt in the middle of the sea, as they faced their allies.


    The lower-ranked soldiers and workers of the fleet could only guess why they were meeting an unknown fleet, but no one asked. They knew their authority was not enough, to make them privy to such information.


    Their allies, the Dawn kingdom had 4 intact ships in total, as they also came to a halt. Their stopping stirred the seawater, as small ripples like waves erupted from their positions, expanding outwards like the explosion of a psionic bomb.


    The ships of both fleets were plain, without any decorations or indication to show their real identities. The 2 Captains had to confirm remotely again before they got ready to meet.


    An opening suddenly appeared in the intimidating main ship of the Dawns, as an iron bridge rolled out, extending over to the main ship of the Spartans.


    Clark adjusted his military uniform again with a stern expression on his face, as he stood beside his Captain. The soldiers to go for the negotiation were already decided by the Captain, before now.


    Captain Oxford decided to take only one other soldier, to accompany him to their ally¡¯s fleet. And Clark, as the 2nd in command was naturally chosen. Despite snorting in annoyance at the decision, Sergeant Brody did not let out a single word of complaint.


    He was depressed, and he also felt wronged by the Captain. After his many years of service under him, he just dumped him to 3rd in command when a better soldier showed up.


    He was sad, but he knew that was the way the Spartan republic worked. Unlike most countries, you can¡¯t worm your way into higher ranks in the Spartan army just by politics. You have to have the tangible strength backing before you¡¯re even listened to.


    No matter how he wanted to deny it, the new Sergeant was countless times stronger than he was. Sometimes, he could not help but lament how unbalanced the world is.


    Sergeant Scott watched with glittering, respectful eyes, as Clark and Captain Oxford confidently stepped on the iron bridge after it extended fully.


    Thud!! Thud!! Thud!! The 2 soldier¡¯s military boots echoed across, as they steadily marched forward into the main ship of the Dawn kingdom. Emily watched from upstairs in her room as Clark¡¯s figure slowly disappeared from view, into the ship with the Captain.


    She already noticed that the fleet was planning something big, but she had no idea of the exact details. She could only rein in her curiosity, as she knew that she didn¡¯t belong here. She was not a Spartan soldier.


    On entering the ship, Clark knew better than to let his curiosity take over him. He kept a stern face just like his Captain, behaving like nothing interested them here, as they waited for directions.


    No matter which game their ally wanted to play, they could not possibly leave a 3rd rank high-grade soldier hanging. A direction was quickly projected to them, as Captain Oxford was just about to say a word.


    On seeing this, he kept silent as he led his Sergeant deeper into the corridor. Unlike other kingdoms that emphasize nobility, the Dawn kingdom did not put a lot of focus on luxury and decoration.


    The grey metal walls of the ship¡¯s interior painted it like the old workshop of a retired mechanic. They didn¡¯t deem it important to get bright lights also, as the small light illuminating the corridor, made it seem like a haunted ship.


    The corridor they passed through, led them straight to the strategy room of the Dawn kingdom. All the qualified soldiers for the meeting were already seated around the strategy table.


    ¡°Welcome, my good allies from the Spartan republic. It¡¯s an honor to host such brothers in my fleet, I¡¯m humbled¡±. The Captain of the Dawn fleet didn¡¯t find it necessary to use the conventional soldier salute, as he welcomed the Spartan soldiers with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet fellow soldiers, my name is Captain Jack,¡± he introduced himself, as he extended his hands to the soldiers for a handshake.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you also; I¡¯m Captain Oxford of the Spartan sea expedition fleet¡±. Captain Oxford replied with a poker face, as he took his ally¡¯s extended hand.


    ¡°My name is Clark Pen¡­,¡± as Clark was about to introduce himself, the Dawn Captain interrupted him with a smile.


    ¡°No need to introduce yourself, who doesn¡¯t know about you? I never expected the legendary Magician to be a citizen of the Spartan republic. You¡¯re welcome to my fleet; it¡¯s an honor to have you also, the Stranded dragon¡±.


    Clark was surprised. He knew he would get famous from his outcome in the gladiator tournament, but it still felt weird to him. He ignored the blatant way at which the Captain praised him, as he shook his hand also with a poker expression on his face.


    Seeing the reaction of the 2 Spartan soldiers, Captain Jack knew that he just met some hard nuts to crack. After exchanging greetings with the other soldiers at the side, Clark and his superior finally sat down.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already talked extensively about the details of this mission. So, my main motive for coming here is if you are interested in the deal I offered. And, if you are, I want to know the number of soldiers you are committing to this¡±. Captain Oxford did not waste time with words; he directly went to the point.


    Captain Jack kept quiet for a moment, cleared his throat before he finally answered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the number of soldiers I¡¯m committing¡±.


    ¡°I will be going with 19 other high-grade soldiers, including me, that is 20 soldiers from my side. I¡¯m the only 3rd rank high-grade soldier, I have two 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, and the rest are 1st rank high-grade soldiers¡±.


    ¡°But I have a problem with the deal you offered. You know that from the information we gathered, my information team got more details about the vault. The information your team provided was just scraps and pieces¡±.


    ¡°And our current fleet is stronger than yours. After getting our goal, we can better secure our escape with my fleet, than if we put our trust in yours. I know this may not sound well, but I don¡¯t think you have the cards to share the loot we get 50/50 with us¡±.


    ¡°I want to propose a 60/40 share instead. We¡¯ll get 60%, and you will get 40%. I think that¡¯s fair, right?¡±


    From the way they were treated on their way here, Captain Oxford already expected some dubious means to be employed to swindle him. But he could not still help but sigh at human greediness. He slowly stood up, as he presented his answer.


    ¡°If you think that¡¯s the best method. Then forget about the partnership, my Sparta republic has not degenerated to such a state yet¡±.


    ¡°Including me, my fleet will be going with 20 soldiers also. But I have more 2nd rank high-grade soldiers; I¡¯m willing to come with three 2nd rank high-grade soldiers¡±.


    ¡°You know how effective Spartan soldiers are, compared to other countries. The Stranded dragon here you just greeted, is just one of our many products¡±.


    ¡°And I believe you¡¯ve also heard of me, I am stronger than you are. That alone, is enough of a reason to even the sharing odds. If you doubt my strength, you can bring it on, I¡¯m ready any time¡±.


    ¡°If you think our soldier advantage is not enough to make it 50/50, then I¡¯m sorry for wasting your time. See you next time,¡± he made a signal to his Sergeant, as they both stood up to go.


    Captain Jack already heard about the headstrongness of Spartan soldiers, but still, seeing the decisiveness of the Spartan Captain left him startled.


    He was particularly resentful about how this man directly pointed out, that he was stronger than he was. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any shame?¡±


    He knew he didn¡¯t have much room, to argue against the Spartan¡¯s words. The effectiveness and quality of Spartan soldiers have been proven countless times, in this short history of the age of exotics and technology.


    The Spartan president, the Legendary Slaughterer, was a prime example of this. On seeing the Spartans almost reaching the room¡¯s door, he finally relented with a sigh, as he called them back.


    He was not embarrassed at all; he was just trying to get more resources for his country. If he could even negotiate 5% more shares from the loot for his country, then he had done a good job.


    After calling them back, the negotiation went smoothly this time, as everything was finalized in no time.


    After the 2 Captains shook hands, Clark finally followed his Captain back, as they walked confidently out of the Dawn ship. They already secured a good partnership for their country; all that was left was for them to prepare themselves for the great vault looting mission.


    On reaching his room, Clark finally changed back into training uniforms, as he led Emily to the training room to catch up on their training.


    This was the typical life of a soldier in this age where strength reigns supreme. A soldier never gets a moment of rest in his/her life, every moment they are either training or they are going on missions.


    The only moment of rest is the day they retire or the day they die.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 122: aptitude test

    Today was the 3rd day since the allied fleet embarked on their journey, to the general direction of the vault. They continued their preparations for this extremely important mission.


    After training every day for the past few years with only cold weapons as a gladiator, Clark was finally going to brush up again on his skills with the gun.


    Back in his days as a gladiator, he didn¡¯t completely abandon his gun training. He still used his old implant to simulate training arenas, where he trained his mastery of the gun. Though he seldom did it, he was still able to retain his shooting skills.


    Emily and Scott accompanied him to the ranged training arena, as he got ready to take his aptitude test again.


    After staying together for more than a week, Sergeant Scott already kind of became his assistant. Despite being soldiers of the same rank, the Sergeant respected him so much, that he listened to his orders on everything.


    He also liked his company. Despite them being of the same age, Scott was completely open and willing to learn anything useful from his stronger and more talented counterpart.


    After calming his emotions, he finally entered the arena. Scott worked diligently from the side, as he set-up all the parameters to power up the ranged training.


    There was a big hall, built specifically for the ranged soldiers to train in the fleet. After locking himself up in the huge hall, the training time count finally started counting down. His implant informed him diligently.


    [Ding!! Training starts in 5¡­, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­, Start.]


    As soon as the time count ended, the hall¡¯s structure immediately changed, as it now looked like the hideout of a bandit group. Bandits dressed in military uniform started appearing from various corners of the hideout, as they quickly started shooting at him.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The sound of machine-gun fire erupted, as bullets flew at him from a dozen different directions. The advance of the bullets looked just like the advance of a black and red swarm of bees.


    His implant went to work immediately, as his vision now became like that of a 3D world. The bullet¡¯s trajectories were calculated, and projected as black lines to him directly in his brain, as he finally moved.


    Whoosh!! He quickly ducked, rolled forward a little, before jumping up again in a spiral manner, as all the bullets flew harmlessly past his figure.


    Since he learned of this feature of his implant, this became one of his trump cards. Its effects were even more outrageous than that of a vision enhancer, as the paths of the bullets are projected to him vividly like he had eyes all over his body.


    ¡°Sniper,¡± as soon as the first round of bullets flew past him, he whispered this to his training 2-form gun, as it directly morphed into its sniper configuration.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! He finally retaliated, as 3 thick bright blue beams erupted from the sniper rifle. 3 of the bandits died immediately from the shots, as the others hastily scrambled to find cover.


    Despite their scrambling, they still shot back as machine-gun fire and that of sniper¡¯s intertwined, forming a cacophony of loud gunshot sounds.


    Before the bandits even squeezed their triggers, his implant already detected it and informed him. He responded before the bullets left their gun shelters, as he ran while suspending his body horizontally across the wall.


    He practically became a super sniper, as bright beam after bright beam erupted from his gun. All the bullets released by his targets all hit empty air, as his suspended figure running on the wall positioned him in an area that was not targeted.


    Every one of the beams from his sniper rifle did its assigned role of taking down at least one bandit. His aim never missed his targets, as bandit after bandit kept on falling dead from the extreme firepower.


    Despite his exceptional performance, this was not real, it was training. Bandits kept on appearing. As their teammates died, so at the same frequency did others appear. And the new ones were stronger and upgraded versions of the bandits.


    Awwn!! He finally received his first injury, as a thick sniper bullet impaled itself deep into his legs. His implant informed him on time, but his reactions were unable to keep up.


    ¡°Machine gun,¡± he gritted his teeth, as he ordered his 2-form gun to take its other configuration.


    The 2-form gun worked fast, as it quickly morphed into a dangerous-looking machine gun. He quickly opened fire, at the now overwhelming number of bandits trying to push him to a corner.


    Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! The sound of his bullets spraying out was just like the delicate sound of raindrops falling. The originally cohesive bandit force quickly scattered again, as the bullets impacted them with force.


    Most of the bandits took only glancing blows, but the few ones who took direct shots died immediately, after receiving about 5 to 10 bullet injuries.


    His machine gun quickly reached maximum output, as 500 bullets sprayed out of its muzzle every second. Despite this, the upgraded bandits still held their ground, as they cornered him further to the wall.


    As it seemed like his defeat was inevitable, he finally did something that he had not done in years. He started executing his battle art, as the sound of his gunshots changed.


    Bam!! Ta! Ta! Ta! The sound and recoil of the machine gun changed, as different bullets started being shot out of its muzzle. Anti-gravity bullets, stun bullets, gas bullets, and a variety of other bullets shot out, making sounds like the drop of missiles.


    After staying in his hand for so long, he was now a master in utilizing this battle art. He could now interchange between the special bullets, and normal bullets, in a battle.


    The unsuspecting bandits could not control themselves, as the ones hit by the anti-gravity bullets rose from the ground into the air. Other ones stood rooted in place, as the stun bullets impacted their armor.


    Before they could make heads of the situation, smoke quickly covered the whole battlefield, as Clark finally took back control of the battlefield.


    Gunshot sounds continuously rang, as the dying shouts of the bandits kept on echoing across the training hall. They could no longer help themselves, as the smoke succeeded in destroying any attempt at teamwork in the battle.


    Despite the elite ones trying to recover order among the bandits, Clark was perceptive enough to snipe out these strong individuals first.


    Boom!! After what felt like an eternity, the last snipe sounded on the battlefield, as the leader of the bandits finally succumbed to the fast and unexpected techniques of their target.


    [Ding!! Master successfully passed the aptitude test, to test the mastery of the gun.]


    Performance: 9/10 stars.


    Progress: 8% improvement, compared to the last battle.


    Head snipes: 502/1200


    One-shot kills: 780/1200


    Current health status: 68/100


    [Evaluation: An excellent performance from an excellent soldier. Conclusion- Master is the best in everything.]


    Clark finally stood up, as he wiped the blood away from his mouth. Despite his sorry state, he could not hide the grin on his face, as he finally finished this aptitude training after trying 2 times previously.


    He took deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart, before finally walking out of the hall. As he walked out, the dead bandits disappeared, as the training hall finally recovered to his previous state.


    Outside the training hall, Scott watched with wide eyes, as his expression morphed into that of disbelief. After reading the evaluation that the training machine gave, his expression turned into that of horror.


    ¡°502 head snipes and 780 one-shot kills, what type of outrageous performance is this?¡± His world view on high-grade soldiers was completely overturned with this.


    Emily smiled wider on seeing his expression, it felt funny to her. Unlike him, she was already used to Clark doing the impossible.


    Bam!! Clark finally came out of the training room, as he closed the door with a bang sound. The pains he felt all over his body were real. He was not able to listen to Scott¡¯s amazement and praise, as he demanded to be taken to the hospital.


    The bandits he just fought with were not projected. The training room has training dummies that it could bring out when soldiers are training. But in the battle, instead of seeing training dummies, the training soldier will see real bandits.


    It was just the work of technology. If the training soldier can¡¯t finish the training, he can demand it to stop. The training can also stop by itself when the machines detect that the soldier is too heavily injured.


    ¡­


    Later in the evening, Clark was finally discharged from the fleet¡¯s hospital. His injuries were not too serious; he mainly suffered from the bullets that he failed to dodge due to his slow reactions.


    Emily and Scott escorted him to his room, as the day was already beginning to get dark. After reaching his room, as Scott was about to wave farewell and go to his room, he interrupted him.


    ¡°Wait a bit, please, follow me to the armory. I want to get new gears for myself and Emily. If you want some, you can just get for yourself also¡±. He told him, as he went inside to change his clothes.


    ¡°Really??¡± Scott was shocked, as his brain quickly processed what he just heard.


    ¡°Why would a soldier just decide to buy something for another soldier, when their own expense is already astronomical?¡± He could not understand this new Sergeant¡¯s thought process at all.


    Clark finally checked his account balance yesterday, after 3 years of living off others. He was surprised, as not only did Leo not use the money, he also added to the money.


    He was shocked when he found over 2,000,000 Spartan credits in the account. He didn¡¯t know what happened, but he would use the money first, then ask questions later when he meets his friend.


    It did not take them long before they reached the high-grade armory of the Spartan fleet. Clark already got used to seeing armories of different grades; the sight no longer fascinated him.


    He didn¡¯t waste time, as he searched directly for what he needed. He bought his first exotic spear, for a total of 55,000 Spartan credits. His level was already higher than years ago; he could no longer settle for anything less.


    He already had high-level armor, so that saved him some money. He bought an exotic 2-form gun next, for an astronomical sum of 100,000 Spartan credits. It was the best the fleet had at the moment.


    Emily also had exotic armor already, so he just bought her 2 swords for another 100,000 Spartan credits. After this, he bought other complimentary gadgets that are useful to soldiers for both of them.


    After all these purchases, he finally transferred 100,000 Spartan credits to Scott¡¯s account for his personal use.


    After all these transactions, the 3 soldiers finally returned to their various rooms, as they tried to familiarize themselves with their new weapons and gadgets.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 123: final preparation

    The golden rays of the sun shone down, illuminating the surface and edges of the advancing line of ships.


    The waves of the sea flowed at their regular pattern, as the allied fleet moved forward. The 7 formidable-looking ships drifted forward, as their surfaces reflected an orange metallic sheen, due to the direct glare of the sun.


    5 of the ships soon stopped, as they quickly started forming a defensive perimeter around the area. The remaining 2 ships continued their journey forward, as they gradually drifted away from the rest.


    After a lot of brainstorming, the allied force decided to leave most of their ships behind. Their destination is dangerous. They did not want to enter a situation, where their vulnerable countrymen would die because of mistakes that they made.


    If they were not able to make it out alive, at least their other forces would be able to return safely to their various countries to bring the news of their death back.


    The 2 departing ships were filled with soldiers only. The controlling of the ship was left directly to their A. Is this time.


    With this arrangement, when they encounter other forces, they would be more flexible and react faster to unexpected situations. Since they wouldn¡¯t be tied down by trying to protect others, it was a good bargain.


    According to the calculations from their A.I, they would reach the location of the vault in a day.


    All the soldiers got busy, as they got prepped up for battle, in case it was needed. The 2 ships were armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction; they even stripped some from the other ships, to make these 2 have more firepower.


    Any equipment advantage that they could get now was completely worth it to them. It could be their lifesaver sometime in the future. Their defense was not left either.


    The engineers of the ship took the limelight, as their workload increased exponentially. They worked overtime to prepare the ships, to avoid any system suddenly botching when the battle begins.


    After all these preparations, the 2 ships finally continued their journey, drifting forward. They already prepared to the best of their ability, the other variable was how well their future opponents prepared.


    ¡­


    A day quickly passed, as the Spartan/Dawn alliance ships continued drifting forward steadily. As they got nearer to their destination, they started seeing other ships already stationed at the front.


    They already expected to see others, but they were stunned at the number of forces and ships who came for this treasure vault.


    Despite a storm not coming, the water rolled and billowed like something being heated, as the ships rocked from its impact on the surface of the sea. Captain Oxford¡¯s face grew grave, his stomach knotted as he looked outside to see the overwhelming number of ships.


    ¡°How did so many people get the information?¡± He was completely dumbfounded, as dozens of ships spanned across this part of the sea, filling his vision from every angle.


    Their arrival seemed just like a water drop in an ocean, making no significant impact at all. No ship displayed aggressiveness towards them, so they were able to enter into the midst of the growing line of ships.


    From what little they¡¯ve seen already, it seems the battle for the loot would be far more complicated than they thought.


    Despite them still being in the dark, they kept their curiosity to themselves as the line of ships kept on growing, following the inevitable passage of time. The number of ships just kept on increasing, without any action being done by anyone of them.


    As soon as the time struck noon, both Captains of the alliance fleet received an invitation from an unknown fleet.


    They didn¡¯t know the country that owned the fleet, but from their intimidating number of 7 ships, it likely belonged to a country with high-grade military strength.


    Despite their doubt and misgivings, they could only suppress their impulses on seeing the leaders of the other fleets boarding the main ship of the inviting fleet. They also got prepared, as they quickly left for the inviting fleet¡¯s main ship.


    Clark took the helm as the temporary leader of the fleet, as both Captains¡¯ figures quickly disappeared into the distance.


    On entering the large strategy hall of the unknown fleet, both Captains of the Spartan/Dawn alliance fleet discovered that they were late. No one singled them out, as they quickly located a seat in the large hall.


    Despite them coming late, they were still able to make out the main gist of why they were called. The unknown fleet didn¡¯t give out their identity, but they directly admitted their status as a fleet belonging to a country with high-grade military strength.


    A General led the fleet, directly making them the strongest force currently in the area. After listening to the words of the General, they finally understood the situation better.


    According to him, the Nadan republic¡¯s forces were already inside the vault. As the original owners of the information, they naturally arrived before all the others, despite them also getting the information.


    From the knowledge he got from his information sources, he suspected that their target was most likely not a vault, but a hidden military underground base.


    He proposed a way for all the forces here to enter into the base, without them suffering mutual destruction right away. That way, they would be able to get their price first, before their ships could then get involved in the last surface battle.


    Due to his prediction that their target was a military base, he proposed that every fleet should not enter with more than 15 soldiers, to control the chaos resulting from their looting a bit.


    Due to him helming his fleet, such a distribution of soldiers will grant his fleet more of an advantage than all the other fleets.


    Even though the other fleet leaders knew this, no one pointed it out. First, they also didn¡¯t want the battle to blow out of proportion. They were happy that someone volunteered to take the helm, to co-ordinate them a bit.


    Secondly, the influence of a single General coming for this expedition already took its importance to the next level. Arcanite metal alone could not necessitate a General of a country with high-grade military strength coming directly.


    Thirdly, before you oppose a General, you have to have fists strong enough to contend with him first.


    Though the General could not kill all of them alone if a fight breaks out, they cannot kill him either. Instead, he would be able to single out some targets and kill them without the others being able to interfere.


    The General didn¡¯t have to stress himself further before all the leaders of the various fleets quickly accepted his proposal. After tinkering further with the rules, a set of principles were finally set to be followed for the exploration.


    Any fleet that broke the rule will be subjected to concentrated attacks from all the other fleets. For the allied forces, they were allowed to bring more soldiers than they allocated for a single fleet. Though they made this concession, the number of soldiers allowed was still limited.


    The meeting of leaders was finally dismissed, as all the Captains left for their various ships to re-organize their fleet and choose their soldiers.


    Though Captain Oxford and Captain Jack felt bad at being instructed to reduce the number of their soldiers going in, they knew that it was for the best.


    After returning, they quickly called for a military briefing. All their high-grade soldiers acknowledged their summons, as they came to meet them in the strategy room without delay.


    All the soldiers trailed behind Clark, as they sat neatly according to their ranks and capabilities. After everyone settled down, the Captains quickly updated their soldiers on the new unexpected developments.


    The soldiers were surprised that a General joined this expedition. They had only 1 hour to prepare their soldiers, so the 2 Captains quickly re-elected the soldiers that would follow them in.


    As an allied force of 2 countries, the General allowed them to bring only 20 soldiers maximum.


    As expected, all the 2nd rank high-grade soldiers from both fleets were to follow into the vault or better still military base. With the inclusion of the 2 Captains, 9 soldier slots were directly taken.


    They filled the remaining 11 slots, with some of the exceptional 1st rank high-grade soldiers from both fleets.


    After selecting the soldiers to take part in the expedition, the other high-grade soldiers were ordered to take care of the allied fleet. The Captains finally started giving them instructions on how to react to different situations, during their temporary absence.


    They were able to settle all their pending problems, before the given time of 1 hour elapsed.


    Both Captains finally led their soldiers to the deck of their main ships, as the black surface of their armor gleamed under the direct glare of the radioactive afternoon sun.


    All of their military uniforms took on the form of a black vest, completely taking the black spy tone after they activated their camouflage and jamming devices.


    Soldiers on military uniforms of different colors, stood on the deck of their main ships as they waited for further instructions from the General. After every fleet was prepared, the General finally gave the order as the soldiers acknowledged by diving directly into the sea.


    The surface seawater bubbled from the impact, as all the soldiers were quickly swallowed up into its seemingly bottomless depths.


    All the soldiers received a tracking device from their fleet, so they all dived deeper into the sea in a uniform manner, as they all knew the location of their target.


    Clark activated his multi-purpose military boots, as he dived deeper into the dark depths of the sea. He was finally embarking on his 2nd significant official mission, as a soldier of the Spartan republic.


    His implant kept on sending him notifications about his surroundings, as the figures of the soldiers gradually disappeared from the sights of their fleets above.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. And please, if you can please leave a review behind so other readers can know your thoughts on the book.]

 Chapter 124: underground labyrinth

    The Mediterranean Sea, being one of the largest and deepest seas in the world has several sources where it gets its large supply of water. Its most important channels and primary inflows are the Atlantic Ocean, the Sea of Marmara, the Nile, Ebro, Rhone, Chelif, and Po.


    With a surface area of 2,500,000km2, its area is also outrageously wide and boundless. With an average depth of 1,500m, it is also one of the deepest water bodies in the world.


    It has a large water volume of 3,750,000km3 and being a sea that has been in existence for over 200 years ago, it housed some of the oldest and most dangerous predators of the sea.


    Though the advancing groups of soldiers were not afraid to have an encounter with a sea predator, an exobeast sea predator was a different matter entirely. They preferred it more if their exploration was without any other complications.


    Clark kept silent, as the darkness of the sea started hindering their vision a bit. Blue glows started appearing all over the formation of soldiers, as their armors employed means for them to see better in the darkness.


    [Ding!! Master just crossed the 1,400m depth range. Water pressure is gradually taking an upwards trajectory.]


    He soon received a notification from his implant, indicating how deep they¡¯ve already gone below the sea surface. They¡¯ve been diving for over 15 minutes already. With the different special boots, the soldiers wore, their advance was very fast.


    Under the leadership of the General, their advance looked extremely intimidating, just like the advance of a shiver of sharks. Though sharks normally move alone, there are some social ones like the whitetip reef shark.


    Imagine the sight of a bunch of them moving together, it was the right description for their current formation.


    As the darkness surrounding them deepened, the bright silhouette of something like a huge house, built under the sea gradually appeared in their sight. They finally started seeing the sea bed for the first time.


    They reacted fast on the sight, as all the soldiers brought out their guns swiftly, in case any force came out to attack them. This did not stop their advance, but they entered a state of high alert, as they watched out for any sudden attack.


    After getting close enough to the slightly glowing structure below the sea, its real appearance started becoming more and more prominent. It lay dormant on the sea bed, with the only light coming from something like a door.


    A structure like a huge energy shield surrounded and covered the ground, spreading for as far as their eyes could see. It was hard to notice it clearly from above, as it was camouflaged, taking the dark color of the seawater.


    The one thing indicating that this place was not some kind of ruin was the slightly glowing lid that pulsed brightly from time to time. From its structure, they knew immediately that it was the door to an underground structure.


    The soldiers finally landed on the huge shield structure, as the technical ones in their midst immediately started searching around for bombs or any other counter-measures used against invaders.


    For a vault as valuable as the one they were targeting, the owners would definitely be mischievous and plant some surprise packages for any invaders.


    Clark also worked diligently under the orders of his Captain, as he led the other soldiers to search around their perimeter for any unwanted equipment, planted against them in the surroundings.


    They were right to do so, as they found some holes and gadgets left behind, that previously housed various dangerous bombs, artillery turrets, and a bunch of other military equipment.


    What baffled them was that all the holes and gadgets they found were empty vessels. All the previously planted counter-measures against invaders seemed like they were stripped off by the owners.


    ¡°I already predicted this outcome, let¡¯s move inside quickly before the Nadan republic secures all the loot¡±. The General finally spoke up, after reports of the search came back.


    He already predicted this, but he still ordered the search to get a form of assurance. After the Seafarers alliance discovered the secret base here, the owners no longer had any option but to abandon their hard work and escape.


    Them being allowed to escape was already benevolent in the sights of the tyrant of the sea. Throughout all these years, news of the Seafarers alliance wiping out fleets that kept secret bases and vaults from them was now like a seasonal occurrence.


    As they were allowed to escape, if the owners of the vault remained greedy and tried to take back their resources here. Then, that would be crossing the line set by this huge tyrant.


    If they wanted, the Seafarers alliance can decide to directly teleport 1 of their fleets here to this base. With that 1 fleet, they can wipe out any opposition trying to challenge their authority here in the sea.


    After assigning roles, the General ordered 5 random Captains to go closer and sort out the door hindering their advance. The chosen Captains did not complain, as they went closer with their hacking devices.


    Click!! After tinkering with the programmed code protecting the door for 2 minutes, they finally cracked it as it opened with a click sound. As soon as the door opened, a force field appeared at the entrance, preventing water from entering the underground vault.


    The General finally took the lead again, as he went down first into the vault through the now opened door. The hundreds of soldiers surrounding him followed shortly after, as no one volunteered to remain back as the scout for them.


    On entering, they climbed down further into the vault through a ladder that was attached to the wall. The group of soldiers remained alert, as they finally reached the bottom of the ladder.


    As soon as they touched the floor of the vault, lights lit up, illuminating everywhere to unveil a very stunning sight.


    The soldiers were dumbfounded, as they looked on with stunned expressions at the huge hall expanding for as far as their sights could see.


    The hall took on the typical secret spy tone, as its metal walls didn¡¯t have any defining nor bright features. The creators of the base didn¡¯t even deem it necessary to paint it, its dull grey metal walls were an extreme pain to the eye.


    Despite its seemingly unaesthetic appearance, the soldier¡¯s faces remained solemn as the properties of these metals seemed like those of high-grade metals.


    The countless empty slots on the wall where weapons are kept verified their prediction that the owners of this base already escaped.


    ¡°The General was right, something this big cannot just be a vault housing Arcanite metal. This is definitely the military base of an advanced country¡±. This was the thought on everyone¡¯s mind, as they finally set their sights at the edge of the huge hall.


    Dozens of passages appeared at all sides of the hall, painting this military base with a more mysterious tone. With this new sight before them, the thing they once thought was a vault, now looked like a labyrinth.


    No one knew why, but they subconsciously started developing goosebumps, when they looked at the different passages leading to unknown destinations.


    Despite them being temporarily obedient to the General now, it was only because they¡¯ve not gotten what they came for here. After everyone got what they wanted, no one would care about the prestige of a General again.


    But from the chill deepening in their bones, they could not help but dread what was awaiting them deep inside these different passages. For them to experience such a feeling when they were 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, they could not phantom what terror lay deep in the ends of these passages.


    ¡°Soldiers, we already reached the phase where we have to separate. I didn¡¯t expect us to meet this so fast, but we have no choice but to separate to get our target faster before other forces arrive here¡±. The General finally spoke again, after analyzing their situation.


    ¡°I already choose the passage that I would take, decide among yourselves and follow the passage of your choice. Our temporary alliance ends here, I hope I can see your faces again in some hours¡¯ time¡±.


    After addressing the soldiers, he decisively left with his soldiers, going to one of the passages leading forward.


    The other leaders quickly entered a state of dilemma to decide on which passage to follow, as the General and his soldiers disappeared from view. From how the General left, they already suspected that he knew a lot more than they did.


    But no one had the guts to shamelessly follow or confront him. They didn¡¯t know to what extent he knew about the underground base. If they followed him stubbornly, he could easily lead them to their death without them knowing.


    As the leaders deliberated on which passage to follow, some finally made their decision as they also left to their chosen direction with their soldiers.


    Both Captains of the Spartan/Dawn alliance did not have a choice, they randomly decided on a direction before also leaving. In less than 5 minutes, the hundreds of soldiers separated, as they took their different passages. The passages were numerous enough to accommodate all their choices.


    Clark followed his Captain with the other soldiers, as they cautiously walked deeper through the dimly lit passage. As they walked, they could hear each other¡¯s loud and deep breaths.


    The sound from the soldier''s breaths was the only noise in the passage, which only succeeded in making the atmosphere more tense and ominous. From how little knowledge they had on what they would experience, the 2 Captains had to shoulder a lot of pressure on behalf of the team.


    Knowledge is power. The lack of knowledge made the atmosphere seem tenser and tenser, as the clock slowly ticked forward. The current mood was worse than that felt when watching a horror movie; they could only rub their hands on their weapons, to calm the tingling sensation on their skin.


    Ta! Ta! Ta! They heaved a sigh of relief while their walking speed increased a bit, as they finally started seeing the end of the passage. Before their relief could settle down in their heart, a bold glowing line of test suddenly appeared on both walls surrounding them.


    ¡°DING!! INTRUDERS DETECTED: Initiating eradication procedures to wipe out all threats¡­ Eradication procedures initiated, engaging red alert mode¡±.


    ¡°What the¡­,¡± before the soldiers could process what was happening, they suddenly felt a force fling them forward, as they immediately crossed the short distance remaining to the end of the passage.


    Clang!! Before they could recover from the rough way at which they were thrown down, the door behind them closed with a bang, destroying their hopes of escaping back.


    Thud!! Thud!! Thud!! As they hastily scrambled to get back up, loud heavy footsteps sounded from their front, moving directly to their position. Their eyes widened in horror, as they finally saw the culprit behind the loud thudding sounds.


    Woom!! Before they could recover their wit, the monstrous entity before them activated its weapon as a bright red beam flew out, eradicating one of the 1st rank high-grade soldiers in an instant.


    The unlucky soldier¡¯s armor was just like paper before the firepower of this monstrous entity. It was at this moment, that the Spartan/Dawn alliance recognized that they probably bit more than they could chew.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 125: mechanical terror

    The shockwave from the bright red beam shot at them was so forceful that despite not killing them, it flung all the alliance soldiers to various corners of the chamber they found themselves.


    Despite one of their comrade dying so quickly, as high-grade soldiers, they were all battle-hardened and skilled war veterans. As soon as they landed, they rolled to negate the force, as they finally turned to observe their surroundings and to face this monstrous entity directly.


    They were in some kind of mechanical workshop, as mechanical parts were littered all over the place. Metal structures took almost all the space of the room, leaving only a little space for them to stand on.


    They did not have the luxury to observe their surroundings to their fill, as they had a more immediate problem to face. They finally raised their heads, to look at their intimidating opponent.


    With blue glowing eyes like light bulbs, the figure of the giant mechanical soldier loomed over the group of soldiers, like an envoy of death. It''s shining, bulky and intimidating armor indicated its identity, as a mechanical construct of a country with high-grade military strength.


    It had a huge sword, sheathed to the right corner of its armor. After releasing the shot that killed the soldier, smoke wafted out of its gun¡¯s muzzle, as it slowly raised it to face the sky.


    Behind the mechanical soldier, a hole gradually started closing back after this series of events. From this, the soldiers guessed that it was probably released from that hole.


    They wanted to mourn their dead soldier, but they could not, as they knew that the battle was just beginning. Their expressions soured further when they saw the next actions of their giant opponent.


    Its glowing blue eyes looked over, as it scrutinized the soldiers standing before it carefully. After 2 seconds of this, its eyes gradually started changing color; its demeanor was also changing. It was not even a minute before its eyes started glowing with a bright red light, like that of burning fire.


    [INTRUDER¡¯S INTERCEPTED: Activating mechanical terror system¡­, mechanical terror unleashed.]


    After these unsettling words were voiced by its sound systems, its eyes seemed like an explosion was on it, as it gleamed like the initiation point of a psionic bomb.


    ¡°Take cover,¡± Captain Oxford felt the tingling sensation of danger first as he dived under a mechanical structure at the side while yelling at his soldiers to do so also.


    Before the Captain even yelled the order, Clark already looked for cover as his implant spammed his brain with danger alerts.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! The soldiers jumped disorderly about, as 3 bright beams erupted from the mechanical soldier¡¯s gun. The air visibly distorted from the heat, as all obstacles blocking its path were melted into molten iron.


    Despite reacting fast, Clark¡¯s brain still grew muddled from the shock, as his eyes started seeing double. His physique as a high-grade soldier came to his rescue this time, as he quickly recovered his sanity.


    He immediately sprang back up, as he tried to observe his opponent despite the smoke, debris, and dust obstructing the direct view.


    He quickly saw his Captain at the side helping an injured soldier, as he tried to pull the soldier out of his vaporizing armor. After doing this, Captain Oxford hastily turned around, as his high intelligence as a 3rd rank high-grade soldier started showing his merit.


    ¡°Captain Jack, try to guide your soldiers and go behind the mechanical soldier. I will fight it with my soldiers from the front, just try as much as possible to deal damage to it and safeguard your soldier¡¯s lives¡±.


    ¡°Clark, co-ordinate and lead the ranged soldiers on our side. Aim only at the opponent¡¯s gun. Try your best to destroy the gun; it is our only road to winning this battle¡±.


    ¡°Jack, you also heard me. Co-ordinate your soldiers, and aim only to destroy the opponent¡¯s gun. Our victory or success is in how fast we destroy that weapon¡±.


    ¡°All Spartan melee specialists that are with me, you are all to follow my lead when I advance¡±.


    Despite the unfavorable and despair-inducing situation, Captain Oxford showed his flair as a war veteran, as he calmly gave orders to his soldiers. His title as a Captain was not without basis, and he was not only a Captain, he was a Spartan Captain.


    He knew that their opponent had an overwhelming advantage over them, based on the quality of equipment. He did not know about the sword at the corner of its armor yet, but the gun, being the immediate crisis had to be taken care of.


    Dragging the battle out would only lead to all his soldiers being one-shot killed, and wiped out. Rushing the battle was the only way to victory, and that was exactly what he was about to do.


    Knowing that his teammates were all high-grade soldiers, he was relieved as he was sure that they all understood his intentions. He finally unsheathed his broad sword, as his face grew stern and focused.


    ¡°You want to pass through my soldiers, pass through me first¡±. This was the only thought in his head, as veins popped out all over his body, making his face look monstrous from an aesthetic view.


    ¡°Boom,¡± his figure advanced like a raging bull, as his speed directly broke the sound barrier, moving forward like a speeding meteorite. His melee soldiers responded fast, following him with determined expressions on their faces.


    The mechanical soldier¡¯s A. I detected the advancing threat, as it aimed its massive gun at the leader of the advancing soldiers, trying to botch its eradication mission.


    Woom!! After charging up for only 2 seconds, the unsettling but intimidating sound of the gun reverberated again, as another hot beam shot out of its muzzle.


    Captain Oxford brazed himself for the impact, as he activated his sword¡¯s force field. Being his only high-grade equipment, he had a lot of love and belief in the power of his sword.


    Boom!! Bam!! Bam!! The first sound of impact sounded out, before other ones sounded out consecutively in quick succession, as the momentum of the beam shot from the tyrannical gun was finally negated.


    ¡°NOW!!!¡± Clark did not need the reminder, he moved immediately. Under his leadership, his already prepared ranged soldiers shot all their high-caliber bullets at the intimidating gun of the mechanical soldier.


    Boom!! Boom!! Explosions from the bullets engulfed the whole room, as the monstrous form of the mechanical soldier staggered backward from the extreme firepower, directed at it.


    The red glow in its eye slots flickered faster, as its A. I rapidly thought of counter-measures against the focus fire.


    Despite the extreme power of its gun, it was not a defensive mechanical soldier, it had no shield. The only thing still keeping it intact was the huge amount of reinforced Arcanite metal used in the creation of its body parts.


    Before it could recover from this short burst of power from its opponents, the figure of Captain Oxford blurred, as he finally came to a range that was favorable to him.


    As a full melee-oriented soldier, it felt to him like he finally came back home to where he belonged. The force field of his sword started materializing again, as he stumped the ground with both his legs forcefully.


    He was launched from the force upwards, as he quickly reached a height where he came to face the gun wreaking havoc among his soldiers directly.


    On seeing this scene, the glowing red eyes of the mechanical soldier flickered faster, as it tried to react by withdrawing the hand wielding the gun. Unfortunately for it, its realization came a little too late.


    Clang!!! The sound of the 2 high-grade weapons colliding rang throughout the room, as the mechanical soldier staggered further backward. The walls of the room refracted the sound of collision back, as it echoed loudly all over the room.


    Despite the vibrating sensation, all the soldiers felt in their ears, they were able to still concentrate, as the ranged soldiers continued their shooting at the gun.


    The melee soldiers following Captain Oxford finally arrived, as they all engaged their opponent fiercely without restraints. The sound of metal colliding with metal kept on reverberating around the room, as they finally succeeded in restraining the lethality of their opponent.


    The melee soldiers under the leadership of Captain Jack finally got their time to shine, as they entered the battle with unstoppable momentum.


    Heavy shockwave impacts kept on being generated on the battlefield, as the mechanical soldier A.I¡¯s processing power got cramped from the huge data it was receiving. After getting the initiative, Captain Oxford led his soldiers impeccably, as they firmly held on to their advantage.


    As a ranged mechanical soldier, being mobbed by such a large amount of melee experts in close range spelled doom to it.


    As they fought, the synergy of the soldiers increased further, as they already knew the pattern to keep their opponent suppressed.


    As a mechanical soldier working under the instructions from a program, it could only perform according to the instructions that were programmed into it. Due to its limited sets of instructions, it could not develop any countermeasures against the soldiers, as its armor¡¯s durability kept on being chewed at.


    Boom!! Bam!! Bam!! Clark shot in rapid succession with precise aim, as the formidable-looking gun of the giant mechanical soldier finally exploded. The explosion lit up like fireworks being shot, illuminating the surrounding further.


    Despite heaving huge sighs of relief, no soldier relented in their offensive, as the bullets of the ranged soldiers pelted its now exposed armor. The melee soldiers continued hacking at its hard surface armor, as they tried to break its defense.


    [Warning!! Destruction of secondary weapon detected¡­, initiating red alert mode.]


    [Ding!! Red alert mode activated¡­, primary weapons systems activated. Swordsman mastery system activated.]


    Despite the extreme firepower being directed at its armor, the A. I of the mechanical soldier quickly initiated its counter-measure plans, after it lost its secondary weapon.


    After these series of notifications, the already blackened armor from the relentless assault of its opponents quickly started falling off. The excess armor all over its structure quickly fell off, as it now became more aesthetic to the eye.


    The once giant bulky-looking mechanical soldier immediately took on a different shape entirely.


    It quickly unsheathed its sword, as it held it at a backhanded grip. After the excess armor fell off, it was now more streamlined and it now looked like some kind of mechanical soldier from a world of fiction.


    Before the soldiers could comprehend what was happening, the sound barrier was breached again, as a sword advanced with incredible speed at the nearest soldier.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Being the only soldier at its path, Captain Oxford¡¯s eyes widened like round saucers, as he scrambled to prepare his defense.


    Boom!! The huge sword finally found its target, with a huge boom sound accompanying it. All the soldiers held their breath while squinting their eyes, as they tried to better see the outcome of the clash.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 126: the swordsman mechanical soldier

    Captain Oxford¡¯s armor held despite the force and momentum behind the strike, but his face twisted in agony as pain erupted all over his body. The sword on his hands became heavy for him to hold, as his hands became numb from the impact.


    His figure flew backward like a speeding ship without a sailor, as his bulky form finally hit the iron walls with a loud boom sound. His figure created a dent in the reinforced iron walls, remaining stuck in it like a traitor on a stake, about to be sentenced to death.


    His brain grew muddled and blurry, as he fought hard to keep his consciousness. He felt terrible, like all the bones in his body were displaced and bent out of shape. The pain was excruciating.


    The other soldier¡¯s eyes widened in horror, as they finally came to a realization. The mechanical soldier they were fighting against previously was just the secondary form of this bringer of terror.


    This streamlined, sword-wielding form was the original and primary form of their opponent. What they were fighting against previously was just a shell, this was the real body.


    The once imposing and giant-looking form of the mechanical soldier was now reduced to a less ridiculous size. Its current look of a swordsman mechanical soldier looked more aggressive and tyrannical, as it exuded the forward ever, backward never aura of a melee specialist.


    The sharp edges of its sword gleamed with a dangerous silver sheen under the glare of the light, complementing the fine contours of its new armor form.


    The soldiers felt shocked and cheated. ¡°After putting in so much effort, and even losing a soldier, you¡¯re now telling us that that was just your preliminary form. What the f**k¡±.


    Despite the anger, apprehension, and resentment they felt, they were still prepared to fight. This was a battle, their opponent was not about to allow them to enjoy a moment of peace.


    The mechanical soldier¡¯s ominously glowing red eyes started flickering again, as it started planning for the right and most efficient way to finish off its opponents.


    ¡°Attack!!!¡± Before it could finish its plans, Captain Jack took the helm of leading the battle, as their previous leader¡¯s health status was still unknown. He started giving orders while running forward to engage their opponent.


    As he advanced with his sword, he made a signal for a soldier to check up on Captain Oxford.


    Despite the mechanical soldier¡¯s better, faster, and more efficient battle form now, its opponents were still war-hardened veteran soldiers. They would not botch and give in to defeat, just because their opponent suddenly grew stronger.


    Instead, on seeing the sorry state of their Captain, the Spartan soldiers grew red in rage, as they advanced with momentum to engage their opponent.


    Boom!! Boom!! Both sides quickly clashed aggressively again with more force than before, as the mechanical soldier started executing the finesse of a sword maestro.


    Its originally defense-oriented form now took on an elusive speedy form. Its figure blurred, as it drifted in and out of the battlefield with speed. Unlike the last time, it was the ruler and director of the battle.


    The soldiers¡¯ armors left sparks and energy residues behind, as their opponent¡¯s sword impacted them again and again. Despite their rage, nothing would happen in the face of absolute power.


    The sword techniques stored in the A. I of the mechanical soldier made it a nightmare to face, as it executed all sorts of elusive sword techniques on the battlefield.


    Its sword left only afterimages behind, as it continued to outfight the dozens of soldiers facing it. It completely controlled the battle, suppressing its opponents, as they began passively defending.


    As these soldiers fought, Clark stormed off to the corner of the battlefield, as he quickly dragged down the battered form of his captain down. The current look of the Captain was just a shadow, of its former self.


    Despite the worry he felt, he calmed down as he quickly administered first-aid techniques to regain the Captain¡¯s vigor.


    5 seconds after receiving the first aid administration, Captain Oxford¡¯s blurry eyes started clearing up, as the sounds from the ongoing battle started being transmitted to his hearing again.


    His strong physique as a 3rd rank high-grade soldier played a huge role in his quick recovery. His muscles, organs, and bones were naturally extremely strong after developing them for so long.


    After remembering what happened, and seeing Clark before him, he grabbed his hand immediately. ¡°Why did you leave your brothers alone to fight that thing? I don¡¯t need your help; I can take care of myself, I can handle such a blow¡±.


    Clark ignored the tone of his Captain, as he dutifully checked his other injuries, before finally heaving a sigh of relief. His superior¡¯s recovery rate was outrageously faster than his.


    As soon as he felt his palms again and regained his strength, Captain Oxford sprang up quickly as he ran back directly to the battleground. As the leader of this expedition, he was not resigned to rest while his soldiers fought alone.


    Boom!! Captain Jack withstood another strike from the mechanical soldier, as he slid backward while stabbing his sword at the metal floor to stabilize his backward moving figure. The friction from the stab ignited sparks all over his position.


    Despite only fighting the new form of the mechanical soldier for less than 3 minutes, the groups of soldiers were already at an absolute disadvantage. He already started regretting his decision to come here for this expedition.


    ¡°Arcanite metal is something above my league, why did I let greed take over me?¡± He lamented sorrowfully, as he got up again to lead the offensive of the soldiers.


    Bam!! Bam!! Captain Oxford finally returned to the battlefield with a bang, as he directly started executing his battle art and his self-created technique. Following his lead, all the soldiers also executed their battle arts, while those with self-created techniques executed them also.


    His arrival only eased the struggle of the group of soldiers; it felt just like the arrival of a bigger prey for their opponent to prey on.


    The soldiers fought with vigor, but their hearts continued being filled with despair, as they recognized that if the situation continued like this, their death was guaranteed.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Bam!! The sword of the mechanical soldier rotated with speed, as he activated a new sword technique. The soldiers tried to respond fast, but one of the 1st rank high-grade soldiers was slower as he took the full brunt of the blow.


    He would have died immediately, but his Captain saved him as he directly took the remaining force of the strike. Despite not dying, the soldier completely lost all ability to fight, as he suffered deep injuries from the unexpected maneuver.


    Having taken the rest of the force, Captain Oxford¡¯s armor flickered a bit, as he coughed out blood while staggering backward. His brain was already trying to revolt, but he steeled his heart not to regret his decisions.


    No retreat, no surrender. That is the Spartan way. Even if his decisions led him into dangerous situations, instead of regret, he would look for a way to solve his problems.


    Feeling regret at any slight mistake is the attitude of cowards. The Spartan republic was a country that didn¡¯t welcome cowards.


    Annoyance slowly gnawed at his consciousness from the stress he was in, as he wondered what the hell Clark was still doing at the corner. The boy did not have any record of being cowardly, so what was happening now?


    After so long, most of the soldiers already accepted their fate, as they fought with the thought of only delaying their inevitable death. As the soldiers gradually lost all hope at victory, a change finally appeared on the battlefield.


    [Ding!! High-grade stealth means detected from an unknown source¡­, implementing stealth counter-measures. Counter-measures implementing in 5¡­4¡­,]


    Before the A. I of the mechanical soldier could implement its plans in full, Clark¡¯s figure already materialized behind it, as he prepared himself for a charge. Despite executing it so many times already, he never grew tired of the feeling of boundless power he felt when executing it.


    His armor creaked while the energy film flickered from the pressure, as he entered the animation phase of his self-created technique.


    With the speed and strength of a dragon, his figure blurred as he quickly closed the short distance separating him from his opponent. The mechanical soldier tried to dodge, but it already calculated that it was too late to avoid it directly. So, it tried parrying the strike instead with its sword.


    With the precise 3d perspective at which his implant projected the battlefield to him, Clark knew the battle situation like the back of his hand.


    Boom!! His spear finally impacted the streamlined back of the swordsman mechanical soldier, as mechanical parts fell from it like rain. The pressure and force from the strike did not end there, as it continued wreaking havoc in the internals of the mechanical soldier.


    With one well-planned solid strike using stealth, he succeeded in breaching the lighter armor of the mechanical soldier.


    The other soldiers did not need instruction to know what to do. They unleashed hell, as they vented their pent-up anger and frustration at the slightly frozen figure of the mechanical soldier.


    The mechanical soldier tried to evade, but the two 3rd rank high-grade soldiers were already before it, as they tried all means to hold it down.


    Bam!! Bam!! Melee attacks and gunshots were all aimed at its now vulnerable internals, as bright sparks and small explosions covered the small room at which they fought at.


    The soldiers were not going to waste this small opportunity that presented itself, as they unleashed all their abilities at the mechanical soldier. Despite flickering rapidly, the A. I could not find an escape path this time, as the soldiers stuck to it like the way a bee stuck to honey.


    After successfully getting his opponent cornered, Captain Oxford finally got the chance to shine. With his high-grade sword, he directly took the role of the main damage dealer.


    His strikes sounded like thunder, as he vented his pent-up anger at the mechanical soldier.


    This stealth maneuver from Clark became the turning point of the battle, as the red glowing eyes of the mechanical soldier started diming. As it had no emotions, it felt no pain despite its energy systems depleting rapidly.


    After what felt like an eternity, with a final violent strike from Captain Oxford, the glow from the mechanical soldier¡¯s eyes finally dimmed. Despite this, no one left their guard, as they continued attacking it for 2 more minutes before finally stopping to rest.


    Bam!! The enormous streamlined form of the mechanical soldier fell with a bang, as its systems finally lost all energy supply. The mechanical terror terrorizing the group of soldiers was finally brought down.


    The soldiers heaved a sigh of relief on seeing this. It was finally over; they survived this arduous battle despite its many difficulties and the complications involved.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 127: highgrade conspiracy

    Hmmm!! Captain Oxford¡¯s armor dematerialized from his face as he grunted in a deep tone, before vomiting out the blood overflowing in his throat. After emptying the blood, he cleaned his mouth with his hand as he finally felt the fatigue from the battle overwhelming him.


    He was weak, but he forced himself to stand as he looked at the bloodstains all around the room. He was the Captain, if he was the first to drop from exhaustion, it would undoubtedly affect the morale of his soldiers.


    The battle was still a stunner to them. They never expected to get involved in such a battle with a mechanical soldier, shortly after entering the passage of their choice.


    He didn¡¯t know when last he got involved in a battle where the odds were completely against him, like this one. They would have all died, if not for Clark¡¯s timely use of his stealth armor. The high-grade stealth armor was the only reason they were still alive.


    Despite them emerging as the winners of the battle, the strength of the mechanical soldier still sent chills down his spine.


    ¡°Can a country with high-grade military strength create such a fearsome mechanical soldier?¡± He started doubting the veracity of the information he got, for the first time.


    If the extremely durable metal and other materials used in its production were exchanged for lower grade materials, the mechanical soldier would still be a formidable machine of war.


    The knowledge required to create such war machines was not something that countries with high-grade military strength could just get their hands on.


    If they could even produce such a mechanical soldier, that was not something that they would take from their country and place in the territory of the Seafarers alliance. That was just not normal.


    If such mechanical soldiers were things that can be produced at will, then there was no need for high-grade soldiers. Machines would have been the main soldiers, fighting wars for countries.


    Despite him not being an engineer, he knew enough to know that a regular engineer, bred by a country with high-grade military strength could not possibly create such a highly sophisticated machine.


    The knowledge, hands-on experience, technique, and skill required to make such a mechanical soldier was simply not available to an engineer from a country with high-grade military strength.


    Despite Sparta just being a country with middle-grade military strength, it was at the upper tier of the middle-grade countries. Even if they don¡¯t have the technology, they knew enough about countries with high-grade military strength to guess what type of technology they possessed.


    After observing the mechanical soldier some more, Captain Oxford finally diverted his attention to the bloodstain on the floor that looked different from the rest.


    With some parts of it already evaporated, this pool of blood seemed lighter than the others. It was so, because of the extreme heat that it was subjected to. These were the only remains left behind by the first soldier, who died in this mission.


    After observing it for a bit, he closed his eyes to hide the pained expression slowly creeping into his face. The room was silent, as the soldiers all looked at the blood remains of their fallen comrade with a solemn expression on their faces.


    The Spartan soldiers felt it more, as the fallen soldier was a soldier of the Spartan republic. Captain Oxford felt bad, as this man was a soldier that he recruited into the sea expedition fleet.


    He knew that deaths were inevitable in the soldier occupation. But he could not help but feel guilty when he recalled the smiling, happy, and vibrant face of the soldier when he was first recruited by him.


    The soldier probably felt honored, to be recruited personally by a 3rd rank high-grade soldier back then. He didn¡¯t know that this same Captain would lead him into a path of death.


    The Spartan soldiers stood rigidly in place, as they followed the lead of their Captain to sing a military farewell song to their fallen comrade. They ended it by reciting the anthem of the Spartan republic before they saluted the remains of their dead comrade.


    A Spartan soldier was allowed to die in the line of duty, but his death remains were not allowed to be disrespected. Respect for the fallen, was a very essential and important rule of the Spartan military.


    After the military farewell procedures, a soldier advanced to take a small portion of the soldier¡¯s blood to give to his family for the burial. After checking their weapons and equipment, the soldiers finally converged at the corner for a meeting they urgently needed.


    The scope of the mission already exceeded the safety level they were prepared to encounter. They did not know how dangerous the deeper parts of the base were, but the first room they entered alone already resulted in the death of a soldier.


    Such deaths were not acceptable to any military force, no matter how it happened. High-grade soldiers were highly valuable resources that could not be lost in such a manner, in any country¡¯s army.


    After converging together, Captain Oxford finally spoke up with a grave tone.


    ¡°First, I¡¯m sorry for the death of our comrade. I never expected the original vault mission to devolve into something entirely different like this. I don¡¯t know what is happening, but from our short encounter, I believe the leaked information is not accidental¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what exactly the Nadan republic is after, but I believe that they released the information themselves on purpose. There¡¯s a conspiracy likely being in play here¡±.


    ¡°After analyzing the situation from a different point of view, I concluded that they likely need a lot of high-grade soldiers to enable them to get to the goal they are going after. That¡¯s probably why the information was leaked, and we fell for it¡±.


    ¡°I no longer believe that the purpose of this mission is just for the Arcanite metal. Such an outrageously strong mechanical soldier guard, cannot be created just to protect a vault housing Arcanite metal¡±.


    ¡°And this is just the first room we¡¯ve entered after we choose our passage. I don¡¯t know how more dangerous, the other rooms waiting for us are. I would have called the mission off immediately on normal circumstances¡±.


    ¡°But as you all can see; our way back has been blocked and locked by some kind of high-end encryption. Clark and some other slightly technical soldiers already tried, but they could not crack the encryption code¡±.


    ¡°The protective firewall of the door is now too advanced for us to crack. The only option of getting out of this military base now is to continue forging ahead. Going back is no longer an option for us¡±. He sighed with a resigned expression on his face when he said this.


    ¡°A lot of you suffered severe injuries from this first encounter. I¡¯ll leave the choice of continuing with us to you. If you want to remain here in the first room and wait for rescue, I will respect your choice¡±.


    ¡°My new plan is for us to forge ahead, and get another way to escape from here. Any soldier that decides to remain behind; after finding a way of escape, we¡¯ll come back for you¡±.


    ¡°Make your decisions now. After 2 hours of rest, I¡¯m going forward with anyone that decides to follow ahead¡±. After saying this, he finally turned to address his allied Captain.


    ¡°Captain Jack, I hope you can persuade your soldiers to make a good decision. It will only become more dangerous if we are separated. If you originally had any ulterior motives, I suggest you abandon it now. Our fates are now tied; for our survival, don¡¯t try anything foolish¡±.


    After allowing a lot of side suggestions from Captain Jack and some of the 2nd rank high-grade soldiers. Captain Oxford finally called off the meeting, so that they could rest.


    Clark went to the corner to rest; he cleared the area of all the metallic debris lying about, before lying down. He was already a veteran when it came to surviving in desperate situations. He had experienced worse circumstances than this.


    Just like the other soldiers, he did not sleep immediately. They were still not in the know of the real circumstance of this military base. They faintly felt like prey, that was slowly being fattened to be devoured in one fell swoop by their predator.


    From this one battle, there were already signs that they were given an impossible mission to accomplish. What was really in the depths of this military base, that would necessitate employing such machines of mass destruction as guards?


    As they ruminated about these questions. Sleep finally came, as exhaustion overwhelmed their consciousness. Fighting such a fast-paced and tense battle was not beans.


    ¡­


    2 hours later, all the soldiers promptly woke up. Their current situation did not leave them the luxury of sleeping peacefully for hours. They already had elaborate plans of what to do, so they didn¡¯t waste time as they started preparation immediately.


    No matter what situation they found themselves in, their core identities were still the soldier''s identity. Despite the death of their comrade, none of them volunteered to stay behind, making the situation more stable for the allied group.


    Despite the mechanical soldier being a nightmare to them, that was when it was still functioning. Now in its state of slumber, it was the greatest loot they got here as compensation for the effort they put into taking it down.


    Though not all of its parts were made of Arcanite metal, there was more than enough to satisfy them from its giant frame. They started working immediately, as they began salvaging it for any valuable.


    Their original mission was still looting, after all, so they were not wrong. After salvaging the parts of the mechanical soldier, they also salvaged the metal-filled room for any valuables.


    From the mechanical soldier, they got a lot of valuables. Its internal systems and energy batteries alone were already looting which was worth a fortune. Its enormous sword would have been the biggest loot, but it was too big to be wielded comfortably by a soldier.


    Despite it not being wieldable, they still took it. The amount of Arcanite deposits in it alone was enough to influence their decision.


    Despite the mechanical soldier¡¯s gun not functioning again, its high-grade and sophisticated systems alone prompted them to strip it to its barest form. It now looked like a naked gun. It served its purpose to the group of soldiers well.


    They already came prepared with expandable bags to carry their loot. Despite the amount of loot, they got being enormous, their bags conveniently swallowed them all up, like it was a black hole.


    After so many technological breakthroughs, the law of expansivity also witnessed a lot of breakthroughs to increase its usefulness. The saying that scientists were one of the drivers of this era, was not completely wrong. Their importance was easily as worth as that of soldiers.


    After all these works, they finally got prepared to continue their advance in this mysterious military base filled with conspiracies.


    After checking their guns and equipment, under the lead of Captain Oxford, they entered a battle formation before proceeding further into the long corridor, through the door.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 128: diary and research

    After the experience of the previous room, the advancing group of soldiers was now extra cautious. Only the soft thudding sounds of their boots echoed in the corridor, as they moved forward while remaining alert.


    They were ready to nullify any sudden ambush like the one of last time if it came. Even an animal hardly falls for the same trick twice, if the hunter refuses to employ new measures against it. They were not foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.


    Captain Oxford already prepared a lot of plans, strategies, and counter-measures to go through any unfavorable situation they find themselves in.


    After knowing the preparations of their leader, the advancing group of soldiers were now more confident in surviving. Fighting a prepared battle, was completely different from fighting an abrupt, completely unprepared one.


    Their confidence showed, as despite them passing through the same eerie-looking corridor, their expressions were not as tense. And their steps were steady, showing their decisiveness this time.


    Unlike the last time, they did not experience the expected alarm notification appearing on the walls of the corridor. They were already before the door leading to the next room, but they waited for some time to see if a change would occur.


    After not seeing a change in 2 minutes, Captain Oxford finally ordered his soldiers to storm inside the room. They already predicted that they would likely meet completely new circumstances, so they were not too surprised.


    Under his leadership, a soldier quickly opened the door, as they all stormed into the room immediately after.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! Their figures blurred, as they all swiftly moved with practiced fluid movements, they quickly formed a formation that was already decided on beforehand. The structure of the formation formed a shape like that of a bow and arrow.


    Captain Oxford stood at the head of the formation, with his sword placed vertically on his front to protect against any sudden attacks.


    His armor already covered his face, but from his stance, you could easily predict that his face was fearsomely tightened right now. He acted as the tip of the arrow, in this formation.


    Captain Jack stayed in the middle of the formation, to act as the pivot maintaining the stability of the formation. He was just like the bow of the formation, which will control the battle from the middle.


    His role was mainly to co-ordinate from the middle, to not let the soldiers fall from the formation when they encounter any unexpected situation.


    Naturally, Clark garrisoned at the back with his exotic 2-form gun firmly grasped with both his hands. With his head held high, his legs firmly planted on the ground, his shoulders and back kept straight, he maintained a stable aim, pointing at the front of the formation.


    On his lead, all the ranged soldiers stood in formation, acting as the arrow that would shoot at enemies from behind for the allied group of soldiers.


    Overall, the soldiers formed a cohesive whole, as no holes to exploit were left in their formation. As high-grade soldiers, their execution of battle formations was already on another level entirely.


    Silence pervaded in the cold room as the allied group of soldiers, maintained focus, searching for any hidden threat.


    After already being in the formation for over a minute, they finally started recovering their calm a little, as the expected ambush did not happen. Despite being calm, they did not lower the level of their alertness. They kept their formation, as they finally had the time to observe their surroundings.


    This room was similar to the one they just came from, with mechanical parts and metallic residues littered all around. Grey was the main color dominating the room, making it look like something from a picture in a black and white movie, from the 1970s.


    They kept the formation for another 5 minutes before they started poking around for clues under the direction of their leading Captain.


    After cautiously poking around for some minutes, they finally verified that the room was safe. This relaxed their tense nerves a bit, as they quickly embarked on a new mission to search for an exit. They did not want to waste any time in these suspicious rooms.


    After looking over the whole room, they found that this room was different from the previous one. Unlike the first one, this room¡¯s exit door was hidden from their view.


    This was a complication that they did not want to face, but they had no choice. Under the orders of Captain Oxford, they were all dispatched out in batches of 2 to search thoroughly for the exit.


    As they searched, they conveniently pocketed anything of value that was found. Though they¡¯ve not found any threat, for now, they still kept their alertness, as the death of their comrade was still fresh on their minds.


    ¡°Captain, I found something¡±. A Spartan soldier quickly reported back, as he handed a slightly worn-out diary over to his Captain.


    [Military base- 103], was written with bold letters at the front of the diary cover. On seeing this, Captain Oxford¡¯s irises constricted, as he quickly located an elevated platform to sit on. He started reading the diary, as the soldier who brought it returned to search for the exit.


    ¡°Dec. 28, 2163. I was brought today to the organization¡¯s secret military base. I was told that as the best engineer in this batch group of trainees, I will be the leader of the 2nd room engineering department¡±.


    ¡°I was extremely happy then. I did my best to make the best mechanical soldiers that I could make. I always used up all the materials they provided to me within 6 months¡­¡±


    ¡°Aug. 13, 2165. After getting a lot of contribution points, I was finally promoted to the position I wanted. I finally became the leader of the 56th passage¡¯s engineering department, after 2 years of relentless hard work¡­¡±


    ¡°Nov. 27, 2165. I came into contact with the biological research team. This was when I knew the truth. I thought I was helping the organization¡¯s military force with my mechanical constructs, but they were just being used as guards to guard this special research team¡­¡±.


    ¡°Dec. 3, 2165. It started today, I started hearing the screams coming out of the special research room daily. I was frightened and curious, but I succeeded in suppressing my impulse¡­¡±.


    ¡°Oct. 1, 2167. It¡¯s over, the Seafarers alliance finally discovered the base. Orders came that we are evacuating, we are leaving all our research results behind¡±.


    ¡°Jan. 5, 2168. Blood rained today, as the preliminary fleet of the Seafarers alliance attacked the base. We lost a lot of good warriors. I don¡¯t know what will happen to me, the guards are coming to take me away¡­¡±.


    Captain Oxford finally closed the diary, as he took in the information he just got. He was shocked, ¡°so this was actually a military research base? And he said this is the 56th passage, right? Passages to where?¡±


    From this little time that passed, his knowledge about this military base was completely unturned. He was not able to get most of the information, as the owner seemed to write only on the days he wanted.


    The owner skipped a lot of days, so he didn¡¯t understand most of the events. As he thought, he was quickly drawn out of his ruminating mood, as a soldier made another discovery.


    ¡°I think I just found it,¡± one of the 1st rank high-grade soldiers of the Dawn kingdom announced, as all the others quickly converged back to his position.


    Facing them was the normal grew colored metal walls of the room, there was no door facing them. No one said a thing, as they started their analysis on the wall while waiting for the soldier to explain his rationale.


    After listening to the explanation of the soldier, the rest finally understood. He was one of the few technical-oriented soldiers from the Dawn kingdom, so the group respected his verdict.


    According to him, his special detection device, detected an abnormal electric pulse when he came near this place. Such pulses were employed on electricity and A. I powered doors, so he suspected that a door was hidden behind the wall.


    With the help of the other soldiers, the wall was successfully caved in by their weapons, as the reinforced door behind it finally came into view. The Dawn soldier was right, there was a door which security firewall was being overseen by an A. I behind the wall.


    After inspecting the level of firewall that was protecting the door, the soldier confidently stated that he could crack it, but it would take time.


    The others surrounded him, as he quickly went to work on cracking the code locking the door. Words moved across the projected monitor in a blur, as words were imputed into the monitor directly from his brain, through his implant.


    This was one of the advantages of this era. Instead of stressing yourself by typing by hand, your implant can simply be personalized to your taste, to enable you to type directly from your brain, through a neural network.


    Click!! A soft click sound finally sounded out, as a countdown started moving down on the timer in the door.


    On seeing the timer, all the soldiers brandished their weapons, as they prepared for an ambush if any came. They were proven wrong again, as nothing came out to confront them.


    This time the countdown time was 30 minutes, so they had some time to prepare before leaving. Using this opportunity, Captain Oxford finally showed the diary to the soldiers, while telling them what he read.


    They were shocked, as they did not expect this to be a research military base. From what little the Captain said he got from the diary; they were able to conclude that the original owners of this military base were at least a super high-grade organization like the Roman empire organization.


    The original owner of this base could even be one of the big 5. On the thought of this, goosebumps emerged all over their skin, as they worried about their safety.


    If by any means, they found themselves in the secret military bases of any of the big 5. Then they were screwed, as they would definitely not be able to escape the measures employed against intruders there.


    After knowing this much about where they were, they felt some kind of relief from getting so much knowledge. But they also felt tense and worked up, as the knowledge they just got was terrifying news.


    Wom!! Wom!! Alarm sounds suddenly started ringing around the room when the countdown came down to 15 minutes remaining.


    This succeeded in startling them, as they quickly wielded their weapons while entering their battle formation again. They were right After all, nowhere was safe in this military base.


    The sound of boots of an advancing army reverberated, making the floor vibrate, as mechanical soldiers quickly started emerging from various corners of the room. The soldiers had no idea how those openings escaped their detection, but they got prepared to face the present.


    Unlike the elite swordsman mechanical soldier of the first room, this room focused on stacking a lot of soldiers together, to implement the army style.


    Mechanical soldiers relentlessly emerged from various hidden corners, as they all advanced, forming a black and grey metallic scenery that completely covered all corners of the room.


    Despite all their preparations, the Spartan/Dawn alliance soldiers were still shocked and petrified on seeing the pursuing wave of black metal. The sight of so many mechanical soldiers was so intimidating and dark, that it looked like the descent of purgatory.


    ¡°Is this judgment day?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave a review in the review section to enable other new readers to quickly know more about the book.]

 Chapter 129: the tentacled alien machine

    Boom!! Despite the intimidating sight before them, the high-grade soldiers would not lose their fighting will so easily. Clark started the battle, as a high-caliber sniper bullet left his sniper rifle.


    Clang!! The bullet lodged itself past 2 different mechanical soldiers, as their systems immediately shut down from the impact.


    Unlike elite grade mechanical soldiers like the swordsman they faced, this was the conventional cannon fodder or army-style method used by most countries. It can be practically interpreted, as staging a horde of mechanical soldiers against a single opponent.


    It seemed like Clark¡¯s gunshot acted as the cry to battle, as the ranged soldiers under his lead released their full firepower at their mechanical counterparts.


    Captain Oxford was as calm as always. His rich battle experience was a very good boon to him, as it helped him to adapt to basically any situation in battle. He quickly adapted to the situation, as he started giving orders steadily in rapid succession.


    ¡°We are using the semi-turtle shell formation this time. Captain Jack, co-ordinate your soldiers well, you are to lead them to support me and my men. We are not fighting an aggressive battle this time; we are going defensive¡±.


    Unlike their last encounter, this one was a completely different enemy. Though the number of soldiers storming out of the corners seemed endless, they were not required to kill them all.


    Their only requirement in this battle was to survive for 15 minutes before the door opens. If they took a defensive formation, they would have a better chance of surviving since there was no outrageous mechanical soldier like the previous one, they encountered.


    Captain Jack obediently complied, as he led his soldiers to follow the Spartan captain. Captain Oxford started giving his next series of instructions, as he advanced forward to form a defensive formation with the soldiers.


    ¡°Clark don¡¯t shoot at will, reserve your energy to intercept in time if any unfavorable situation arises. Go further back to protect the Dawn soldier as he operates on the door, and shoot from there¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot energy-intensive projectiles or bullets, there is no need. Just focus on crippling the soldiers with regular shots, to help us better defend against their offensive¡±.


    Clark also immediately acknowledged the order, as he quickly formed the vertical defense line of the semi-turtle formation.


    After all these orders and technical movements, the formation of soldiers now formed something like the first half of a turtle shell. The turtle shell formation was one of the most defensive military formations against opponent sieges.


    Every country and organization utilizes it for defensive battles, as its effects seemed just like magic in battles. It is universally accepted.


    The formation the soldiers were using was not the real turtle formation, Captain Oxford just improvised according to the situation.


    His soldiers didn¡¯t ask questions, as they also understood his thought process immediately. That was the joy of working with like-minded high-grade soldiers, the efficiency was just that outrageous.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The mechanical soldiers finally reached the right range that their A. Is preferred, as all the weapons of the ranged ones started spewing fire at the intruders.


    The muzzles of their guns turned bright red like the entrance to a furnace, as bullet after bullet flew out rapidly. Others, red beam after red beam flew out, forming a parabolic curve range of destruction.


    Under Captain Oxford¡¯s lead, the soldiers finally brought out their shields to use. Energy shields quickly covered their front as the ranged soldiers, led by Clark started retaliating.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Bullets quickly started interchanging in mid-air, as the cannon fodder mechanical soldiers started dying, directly turning to scrap metal.


    The few ones that were able to pass through the gunshot range, were quickly finished up by the defending melee soldiers of the Spartan/Dawn alliance. The battle seemed easy, but the reason why Captain Oxford decided on going defensive started becoming apparent.


    Other mechanical soldiers came from their various storage corners faster than their comrades died. In the short 2-minute time range since the battle started, all corners of the room were already occupied by the mechanical soldiers.


    Some quickly started climbing the various elevated mechanical platforms in the room, as the ground under their control grew further.


    More mechanical soldiers started passing the gunshot range, as the melee soldiers finally started feeling the strain. The shields erected by them flickered disorderly, as the horde of mechanical soldiers attacked its energy surface.


    The energy shields started popping off, as their energy reserve depleted in seconds. But others quickly replaced them, as the soldiers quickly brought out their spares.


    Their life was clearly not in danger, but if this situation continued, their equipment reserve for this expedition would be depleted swifter than they predicted.


    From the way the mechanical soldiers just threw themselves at them without any tactics, it seemed this room was designated to deplete the resources of intruders.


    Though the loss of so much energy was painful, the alliance of soldiers could still bear it. Meeting something life-threatening, was clearly the worst choice than their current situation. They preferred this one than to witness the death of other soldiers in the squad.


    As the fight continued, a different type of mechanical soldier finally emerged from one of the storage corners.


    This machine did not look like a mechanical soldier, it looked like an alien machine construct instead. With countless tentacles extending from all over its big, blotted and round form, it looked like an alien mechanical space zombie.


    A blue glow shone from its rounded form, making it look like something blotted with energy.


    Krrr!! It suddenly let out a strange mechanical shriek sound, as the blue glow in its mechanical form erupted outwards from its position.


    The soldiers were slightly confused, as no powerful beam was shot out. But before they could think deeper, a hole suddenly emerged in their new sturdy energy shields that were still filled with energy.


    Before they could respond, bullets flew in quick succession through the hole, while hordes of melee mechanical soldiers forced themselves in through it.


    Boom!! Despite this unexpected situation, they reacted fast as they quickly started executing their battle arts. Dozens of mechanical parts flew randomly, as the mechanical soldiers who entered the formation all turned to scrap metal.


    After eliminating this threat, they finally closed the opening that emerged in the shield. After doing this, their face became solemn as they all turned their attention to the tentacled alien-looking mechanical soldier.


    This was not a combat mechanical soldier; it was actually the rare support mechanical soldier. When the blue glow in its body erupted, an electrical pulse followed, as all the mechanical soldiers received a temporary boost in their use of tactics and teamwork.


    From this short exchange, they were able to deduce that this machine was a support type that increased the performance of its ally¡¯s A. I¡¯s.


    A gap opened in the shield because the originally clumsy mechanical soldiers managed to cooperate and wield power that was stronger than their normal individual strength.


    ¡°Clark, we can¡¯t leave our defensive formation. The job is up to you, find a way to snipe and eliminate this threat from the battlefield¡±. Captain Oxford was as perceptive as always, he made a decision after analyzing the situation and gave new orders immediately.


    Clark quickly acknowledged as he changed his focus on the battlefield. The threat of this new machine was evident, as the lethality of these cannon fodder mechanical soldiers rose up a level from its support.


    This was bad news to the allied group, as the cumulative increase would bring unimaginable pressure to them. After all, they were not just fighting mechanical soldiers, but a horde of mechanical soldiers.


    Boom!! Boom!! Under Clark¡¯s lead, all the ranged soldiers equipped their sniper rifles, as they all directed their aim at this alien machine.


    This support mechanical soldier showed its cleverness, as part of the hordes of mechanical soldiers started stacking themselves before it to form a huge and enormous wall of defense.


    The melee soldiers kept on urging their ranged counterparts, as the pressure they had to face continued increasing, following the alien machine¡¯s release of other electric pulses through its blue energy glow.


    They already depleted a lot of their energy equipment. This was unacceptable, as energy was too essential a resource to lose in a battle. Even the force fields of their weapons were energy-powered, so the energy was one of their lifelines.


    After trying various measures, but still failing to take down the troublesome mechanical construct. Clark finally took matters into his hands, as he instructed his soldiers to hold the helm, while he stormed out of the formation they formed.


    Captain Oxford did not stop his advancing soldier, as he was sure that he probably had a plan of his own.


    He would have also stormed out, but he was not confident in clearing a path through these thousands of mechanical soldiers to get to his target.


    Clark quickly stored his 2-form gun in the equipment hold in his armor, while bringing his spear out of his bag. His nimble figure streaked past the battlefield, as mechanical parts became the only thing left in his wake.


    His skill with the spear started showing its use, as he gracefully beheaded mechanical soldier after soldier. Despite the increased performance abilities of their A. I¡¯s granted by the supporting machine, they would not just become elites.


    He was still superior to them. He continued clearing his path forward, as his armor released sparks from the gunfire being directed at him. If his armor was not high-grade armor, he would not have dared to make such a bold move.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! As he advanced, he conveniently brought his 2-form gun. Using its machine gun configuration, he calmly discarded the dozens of mechanical soldiers surrounding his alone form on the battlefield.


    He started executing his battle art, as through its unique abilities, he cleared a larger space for himself on the battlefield. After finding an opportunity, he suddenly jumped up as he steadied his arms for a shot.


    Boom!! The high-caliber bullet of his sniper rifle left its home, as the muzzle of the sniper released sparks of fire.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! 4 to 7 mechanical soldiers directly turned to scrap metal from the shot, before it finally impacted the blotted round form of its intended target.


    The blue glow of the alien machine dimmed a bit, but its form did not fall apart, as it quickly hid behind dozens of other mechanical soldiers. Clark finally started falling down, as his assassination plan got botched by his target¡¯s durability.


    He did not allow himself to freefall. He quickly kept his gun, while retrieving his spear, as he did a gravity-defying flip mid-air to stabilize himself.


    His military uniform fluttered in the air under his armor without the influence of wind, as the fabric of space surrounding the tip of his spear distorted a bit.


    Boom!! His form finally came crashing down, as he executed his battle art again. The area became vacant after the great crash, as it suddenly seemed like a forbidden ground on the battlefield.


    All the mechanical soldiers in this area of the battlefield directly got destroyed from the pressure of impact. The metal floor of the room caved in from the center of impact, as visible shockwaves erupted out from the position.


    [Ding!! Master successfully executed his self-created technique with an 89% perfection rate.]


    Clark heard the message of his implant, but he did not pay attention to it. He quickly ordered his implant¡¯s A.I again to project the current location of the alien support machine.


    With his 3d battle perspective granted by his implant, he knew the situation of the battlefield like the back of his hand.


    He quickly located the alien machine again, as the mechanical soldiers swarmed at him again. It was at the animation phase of releasing another electric pulse, through its glow.


    Quickly equipping his 2-form gun in its sniper configuration again, blue light started erupting from his position. The blue light got so intense, that it captured the attention of the whole battlefield.


    BOOM!! Before the alien machine could react, a dangerous blueish red energy beam already impacted its bloated form. Before it¡¯s A.I could understand the situation, its already bloated form bloated further, as it finally exploded from the huge reaction of energy triggered in its internals.


    Boom!! Bam!! Bam!! The sound from the advance of the energy beam finally sounded out, as it originally broke through the sound barrier.


    Shortly following it was the sound and explosion of the alien machine, as red-hot fire covered the whole battlefield.


    Clark responded fast, as he activated all his energy shields while cuddling himself up in mid-air to withstand the impact. He left the rest to fate, as his figure was finally hit by the initial shockwave of the explosion.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 130: the third room

    This terrifying explosion showed the resources and skill required to create a support-type mechanical soldier. The extremely volatile energy batteries in its bloated form did most of the work in spreading the reach of the explosion.


    When the deadly charged energy beam from Clark impacted its round form, it tried to withstand the impact like always. But this time, it was an energy-powered shot, and the force of impact behind it was too much. It overwhelmed its safety limit, and the rest was history.


    The impact, its volatile energy batteries, and the tricky angle at which it was shot made its systems react violently in both the chemical and mechanical fields.


    The result was, its location directly became a desolate ground. The metal floor in that location quickly melted from the extreme direct heat, while all the mechanical soldiers in the area either melted or turned to scrap metal.


    The peripheral heat wave from the point of the explosion was just like the descent of an apocalypse. The systems of all the surviving mechanical soldiers got fried immediately, ending their life prematurely.


    Click!! At the same time that the result of the explosion was wreaking havoc, the A. I controlling the countdown time also malfunctioned, as it directly fell from 8 minutes to 0 seconds remaining.


    This helped the allied group of soldiers, as they all hastily sprinted into the corridor. Captain Oxford activated shields around his armored form, as he waited for his last remaining soldier.


    Boom!! Clark was finally hit by the explosion, after being hit initially by the shockwave from it.


    Whoosh!! His figure streaked backward with speed like a spaceship without a pilot, as his armor grew red hot from the heat in its surrounding.


    [Ding!! Master¡¯s armor just suffered 12% damage¡­, Master¡¯s armor just suffered 5% damage¡­,]


    Consecutive damage reports were reported to him via his implant, but he could not hear a thing, as the sound from the explosion completely dulled his senses.


    The sound entering his ears, made him feel like a battalion of soldiers were singing and beating war drums in his head. Sweat filled his body despite the protection of his armor, as the heat affected his body condition enormously.


    His body grew extremely hot, as the heat made him suffer from hemorrhagic stroke. His eyes rolled back from the shock before he directly fainted from the extreme negative status of his body.


    A high-grade soldier fainting from heat seemed ridiculous on normal circumstances, but that was just the degree that the heat reached. He fainted, after only 2 seconds of coming into contact with the explosion.


    Having fallen unconscious, he was not able to control himself, as his figure continued flying backward with speed.


    Captain Oxford was already prepared before this. On seeing Clark¡¯s speeding form, he ran forward a bit as he jumped, aiming to land at an elevated metal platform by the side.


    Bam!! He quickly straightened his legs, as he used them to hit the side of the metal platform with force. The force propelled him backward, as Clark¡¯s speeding form finally reached his position.


    He grabbed Clark¡¯s hot form in mid-air, as he applied force to adjust their forward trajectory. His applied force did the magic, as both figures successfully streaked with speed directly into the open door.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! The explosion finally took over the whole room, but it was unable to enter the corridor as an extremely durable force field prevented it from crossing over.


    Bam!! Bam!! The soldiers cleared the way, as the red-hot figures of Clark and Captain Oxford finally landed on the metal floor of the corridor with loud bam sounds.


    They quickly moved forward to the 2 figures, while hurriedly bringing enhanced fire extinguishers from their military bags. They went to work immediately, as the red-hot sheen on their Captain and Clark¡¯s armor finally cooled down.


    Captain Oxford felt weak and a little dizzy, as 2 soldiers came closer to help him up. After steadying his steps, his eyes finally cleared completely as he turned to look down at Clark¡¯s unconscious figure.


    Clark was the only reason that they escaped without suffering any further loss of resources, or even sustaining an injury.


    None of them would have died if the battle was allowed to go on the normal way. But their resources would have been almost completely depleted, which was a set-back they did not want to experience.


    A high-grade soldier without his weapon and gadgets was countless times less effective in battles. Even the legendary Aragan the Conqueror, once said that high-grade soldiers needed their equipment to perform at their best.


    Captain Oxford could only thank his God that a force field prevented the explosion from coming into the corridor here. If the explosion reached here, his life and that of Clark would have been in danger.


    The still rumbling sounds coming out of the room they just escaped from, indicated the destructiveness of the explosion.


    He was sure that the room was now only a shadow of its former self. All the metal structures in the room were probably already melted by now, if not directly evaporated.


    The temperature in the room was probably a few thousand degrees, as they still felt some residual heat emanating from the room into the corridor.


    He decided to leave Clark at the corner there to rest, as he also found a corner to rest. The other soldiers also found a corner to rest, as the battle took a lot from them.


    ¡­


    After a little over 20 minutes of rest, Captain Oxford finally woke up again to see the dimly lit corridor. The grey dull colored walls made him quickly recall his memories, as he decided to sit up after going through them.


    He already recovered most of his vigor and strength, so he decided to rest some more. As he rested, he analyzed the current situation of their allied group.


    5 minutes later, Captain Jack also woke up. On seeing this, Captain Oxford drew nearer to him, as both captains quickly started brainstorming on how optimistic their chances of leaving alive were.


    As they both discussed, they were startled as the familiar bold glowing line of text quickly appeared again on both walls of the corridor.


    ¡°DING!! UNUSUAL STAY OF SOLDIERS IN THE CORRIDOR DETECTED. CONCLUSION: INTRUDERS DETECTED.]


    [Ding!! Initiating eradication procedures to wipe out all threats¡­ Eradication procedures initiated, activating the fried corridor plan... Fried corridor plan activated, initiating in 10 minutes. 10: 58]


    All the soldiers, except Clark, were startled awake from the sudden glow in the corridor. In a mission as dangerous as this one, soldiers were not expected to sleep deeply if they loved their lives. Clark didn¡¯t wake up, only because he fainted.


    After reading the glowing notification message on the wall, and seeing the countdown timer ticking down, their faces turned dark. They had no idea what the hell, fried corridor plan was but it surely did not sound inviting.


    ¡°Prepare and pack up your things quickly, we¡¯re leaving¡±. Captain Oxford said immediately, as he advanced closer to wake Clark up.


    After exercising a small amount of effort, Clark finally woke up groggily as he rubbed his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the corridor.


    He was still weak, but he immediately understood the urgency of the situation after a short summary from the Captain. With a little help, he was able to stand up, as they started rushing over to the next place the corridor led to.


    After a little over 5 minutes, they finally came before the door leading to the next place. They hesitated for a few seconds, before finally storming in as they formed their battle formation quickly.


    Click!! Whoosh!! The sound of their weapons swinging around and aiming around to find any target reverberated, as they all stood orderly in their original bow and arrow formation.


    Silence pervaded around the room despite the way they stormed in, indicating that this room was exactly like the 2nd one they just scaled through.


    They did not scatter the formation yet, as they all looked around first to take in the surrounding of the room. This seemed just like the last room, but they had to confirm first.


    The room was of the same size as all the other rooms, but unlike them, there were no mechanical parts littered around the room. And there were no metal platforms in the room like the others.


    This room¡¯s atmosphere was completely different from the previous 2. The walls were not metallic grey like the others, but they were painted with a purple color to enhance its outward look.


    Metal, glass, and energy chairs were placed in different corners of the room. A huge library was placed in the middle of the room, making it very conspicuous to the eye.


    These small but subtle differences painted this room as a room used by scholars compared to the other 2. It was less barbarian, and its surroundings were more pleasing to the eye.


    Under the orders of Captain Oxford, the soldiers followed his well-laid-out plans as they slowly poked around to see if any mechanical terror would suddenly appear. After doing this for 5 minutes without any reactions, they heaved a sigh of relief as they finally confirmed their temporary safety.


    Like the last time, Captain Oxford ordered for a thorough sweep of the house to check for any hidden compartments, traps, or any clue.


    The soldiers quickly went to work, as they started scouring around the corners of the room. Like the last room, the exit was hidden from view, so they had to also look for it.


    Captain Oxford ordered the soldiers to not act impulsively when they find the exit, that he was to be informed before any action is taken. As the soldiers started their search, he steadily walked forward to the conspicuous spot where the library was located.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 131: the super dog program

    The huge square-shaped library covered a significant part of the room, enhancing the scholarly vibe it exuded. Its internals was divided into 2 rows and 4 columns, all filled with books of different sizes.


    Captain Oxford finally arrived at its front, as he extended his hand outward to caress its smooth surface. After admiring its smooth wooden curves for 2 seconds, his attention was finally drawn to the books stored inside.


    With one glance, he immediately knew that this library was for research purposes. All the books that his eyes scoured over, their titles were all related to biology and research.


    In this age of exotics and technology, physical libraries are a rare sight as practically everything can be done online through your implant. Despite this abnormal sight, he was not too surprised as he was able to guess the reasoning of the original owners of this military base.


    Though working online was more convenient, it was also far more vulnerable to hacks and virtual intrusion. For extremely confidential information and research data, most big organizations prefer keeping hard copies to prevent them from hearing stories that touch.


    He was not a scientist nor an engineer, he was a soldier. He did not have the patience to start reading any of the books here. The sight of so many books was already putting him in a bad mood, but he kept his patience as his life and that of his soldiers depended on it.


    After focusing a little, he was surprised as he found a book that was separated from all the other big books in its own separate column. Though it was very inconspicuous, he was able to see it thanks to his high perception


    He decided to start his search with this, as something in hand was better than ten in the bush or even nothing. He unsheathed his sword, as he got prepared to strike at the thin energy shield protecting the library.


    With one decisive but forceful swing of his sword, the shield protecting the library disappeared with a pop sound.


    Using such a low-grade shield, indicated that the people here did not expect any intruder to breach into the base. Well, they were wrong as groups of soldiers just did.


    He extended his hands forward, as he finally took hold of the book that was isolated from the rest. After seeing it at a closer range, he was immediately able to deduce that it was a diary.


    ¡°SUPER DOG PROGRAM,¡± this was the first thing that greeted his sight, as he finally turned the diary to its front page.


    His eyes immediately narrowed in alarm on seeing this title. He did not know why, but his instincts were just screaming danger to him as he continued staring at this seemingly harmless diary.


    From this title on the front page of the diary, he was able to deduce that this room was probably another research room.


    ¡°Is this room the room of the special biological research team that the other diary talked about?¡± He could not help but make this connection, as the super dog program sounded like something biological.


    He suppressed his randomly flying thoughts, as he finally settled down in one of the chairs at the side to read the diary. He quickly got engrossed in it, as he forgot his surroundings to better immerse himself.


    ¡°Nov 13, 2163. I¡¯m so angry. I thought I would be part of the main biological research team with such good grades, but I was brought to take part in this backward research team. Such obvious bias, the favorability is just too much.¡±.


    ¡°I want to be part of the scientists that will make history. But life is not so easy going, I guess I¡¯ll just focus to do my best in the Super dog experiment program¡±.


    ¡°March 2, 2164. Yes!!, we finally succeeded in creating the first super dog. I¡¯m so happy, I finally made some important contributions to the research department¡±.


    ¡°Mr. Parkinson personally congratulated me. He said that with this breakthrough, the speed of the main biological research team would increase exponentially¡±.


    ¡°June 16, 2165. I¡¯m so tired. Despite performing different sophisticated research for 2 good years, we are still not able to control the intelligence of the super dog¡±.


    ¡°Jan 5, 2168. Jesus!!, I¡¯m so scared. The Seafarers alliance finally discovered us; we are so dead. Oh!!, my research, my everything. I don¡¯t want to leave any of them behind, but the guards are coming to take me away¡­¡±


    Captain Oxford exhaled, as he stretched his body to relieve his stiff joints. Unlike the first diary he read in the 2nd room, this one was intact so he read only some of the parts he thought were important.


    In the other parts, he just skipped them as time was not on his side. Even if he spent a whole day reading it, he was not sure if he would be able to finish it.


    Though only about 40 minutes passed, he felt like he just time traveled between worlds, and thousands of years already passed. He was happy as his speculation was right, this was one of the side research bases of the biological research team.


    The only thing he did not understand was the super dog that was emphasized on various occasions repeatedly. ¡°What is this super dog?¡±


    He could not extricate himself from thinking about this seemingly dangerous operation. Super dog was definitely not an operation about breeding pet dogs, it was definitely something else.


    The saying that the unknown was the most dangerous was simply perfect for his current mood. He felt a faint sense of danger that he could not explain since he entered this room.


    ¡°Captain, I think I found the door to the next room¡±. He was jolted from his contemplating mood, as one of the soldiers loudly reported his finding.


    He put all the unsettling thoughts behind his mind, as he stood up, going to where the soldier found the exit.


    On reaching there, he was surprised as the door was not secured by an A. I like the other ones. Though he was surprised, he still followed his plans as he ordered his soldiers to re-enter their battle formation.


    Before going forward, he quickly summarized the contents of the diary he just read to his soldiers. They did not have much of a reaction to it, so he just forgot about it.


    After settling everything, they finally moved forward orderly, as the door leading forward was easily opened with a slight push.


    With all of them staying together in such a tight formation, they were more confident as they calmly but alertly crossed the door over to the other side.


    ¡°Hmmm¡±. They were all startled, as for the first time they did not enter the already familiar-looking corridor. Surprisingly, this door led them to another room directly.


    After looking more carefully, they quickly deduced that this room was not entirely a separate room. The 2 rooms were connected, as the first one seemed to be the study room, while this one was the biology laboratory.


    They heaved a sigh of relief again, as no mechanical soldier or anything came out to attack them. This was the first room that they entered that was illuminated by extremely bright light.


    After observing the surroundings, a bit, they were able to see that this was a typical laboratory without any abnormal add-ons to impede or attack them.


    Throughout their stay here in this military base, all the places they entered were abnormal and unique in their own way, so this came as a fresh experience to them.


    The small room was completely filled with the aura of research, as they were able to recognize the microbiology section through the incubators, deep freezers, and clean benches occupying there.


    Different optical instruments like stereo and fluorescence microscopes occupied most of the few spaces in the room, making it look cramped up. Unlike the other grey rooms, practically everything here was white, making it look more vibrant and inviting.


    They finally relaxed their nerves on seeing this, as under their Captain¡¯s orders they followed their normal routine of spreading out to poke the surroundings for any reaction.


    Being in a clean research lab did not necessarily mean that it was safe. They were still alert, as they skillfully scoured round the whole research chamber for anything out of the normal.


    After what seemed like an eternity, a soldier finally found the switch to open the door leading to the corridor.


    At this moment, they no longer knew what they were doing. All they knew was to just continue forging ahead, the plan was maybe they¡¯ll find a way to leave this military base by continuing forward.


    All the soldiers quickly converged, as they came closer to observe the switch that the Dawn soldier showed them. It was a rigid white painted lever, pivoted about by a grey painted fulcrum.


    After the last room¡¯s experience, they were more cautious this time. They took their time to set up a sturdy-looking defense perimeter, by forming the complete turtle formation this time.


    After getting a defense that satisfied them, Captain Oxford finally ordered for the lever to be pulled down. Being caught unprepared was a situation that they no longer wanted to face in this military base.


    After the nearest soldier applied a little force, with a snap sound the lever was displaced downward.


    Click!! As soon as this happened, with a soft click sound, a part of the wall opposite them opened up, indicating that it was the hidden door they were looking for. Nothing emerged immediately like in the last room, making them heave another deep sigh of relief.


    Clang!! Clang!! They were not able to relish in this feeling of relief for long, as they suddenly started hearing loud and deep sounds of chains falling down from below them.


    The deep dropping sound of the chains unsettled them, as all their faces tightened in alarm.


    ¡°Is this because of the lever being pulled down?¡± All of them speculated their own answers, as they firmly held their weapons while looking around alertly.


    Grrrr!!! Before they could think further, a deep predatory growl escaped out of a small opening that was slowly widening opposite them.


    They did not know when, but a small opening was suddenly enlarging before them. They had an urge to rush and cover the opening back, but before any of them could move, a massive pair of dog paws emerged from the opening.


    Following the appearance of the giant paw, an oversized, ferocious-looking bloodhound dog finally emerged from the opening. It made another deep growl, as its eyes gradually turned red on the sight of the humans.


    At this point, the soldiers were already at their breaking point as they all held their breath. Captain Oxford was shocked speechless, as he gazed at the fierce-looking dog with pure horror written on his face.


    ¡°An exobeast bloodhound emitting the pressure of a 4th rank high-grade soldier,¡± this was the only horrifying thought revolving in their brain at the moment.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 132: bloodhound the bringer of death

    The extremely intimidating and suppressive pressure domain the bloodhound was emanating, indicated its identity as an exobeast dog with the strength of a 4th rank high-grade soldier.


    Despite already preparing a defensive formation to handle any unexpected situation, panic and fear was the only emotion now on the faces of the soldiers. Fighting a 4th rank exobeast; was something that they could never even dare think of in their dreams.


    With its long ears already standing like antennas at the sight of the humans, the low rumbling sounds of the bloodhound¡¯s breath was the only thing reverberating around the room.


    It''s now red eyes narrowed as it let out another deep predatory growl. Its fully packed leg muscles contracted like springs, as its enormous chest muscles followed by tightening up rapidly.


    The soldiers understood what was about to happen from seeing this, but fear did not allow them to react. The dreadful power of fear started rearing its head again.


    Boom!! Before Captain Oxford could recover from his shocked state and give orders, the bloodhound already left its original position with immense speed. The air protested as it twisted like a squeezed fabric to allow the advance of the dog.


    Crack!! Ptui!! With one sharp but forceful bite at the nearest soldier, a 2nd rank high-grade soldier lost his life immediately. Blood dripped down from its mouth, as it threw the bodiless head in its mouth away before turning to face the other soldiers.


    ¡°Attack¡±. Captain Oxford''s voice sounded on the battlefield, as he finally snapped out of his daze at the sight of the dead soldier. With the help of his deep vocal cords, the sound reverberated harshly, rudely jolting all the soldiers from their dazed state.


    Even if this was going to be a one-sided massacre, they still had to put up a struggle. Them not putting up a struggle due to fear, was why a soldier just died in a second without any form of resistance.


    Fear was a dreadful intangible variable that can result in the death of battalions of soldiers. You fear fear, and fear is not there.


    He was a Captain of the Spartan republic; no retreat, no surrender was their motto when the situation becomes too unfavorable. When the going gets tough, only the tough get going.


    He did not just give an order alone, as he acted on it first. His armor materialized, covering his face as the force field of his sword erupted, blazing around it like a magical fire of protection.


    The soldiers had no hope of surviving. But seeing the reckless but aggressive emotion their Captain displayed, all their emotions were also riled up as they advanced to give their enemy the hardest time of its life.


    ¡°If I die, I die. But just one thing, you¡¯ll surely not have an easy time killing me¡±. With this ideology, all the Spartan soldiers moved momentously without fear like a stampede of dinosaurs.


    Captain Jack was reluctant to engage in the battle despite his 2nd rank high-grade soldier being the one who just died. He was already feeling deep regret for being a part of this mission.


    Despite his fear, as a Captain, he was able to still think calmly. He knew that there would be a zero chance of them escaping if they stayed behind and let only the Spartan soldiers fight this battle.


    If they helped, at least, the percentage can be a more optimistic 0.5 percent chance of surviving. With this motivation, he led his soldiers as he also rushed forward to give his all against this exobeast.


    This was just the terror of an exobeast wielding the strength of a 4th rank high-grade soldier. They could only think of giving it a hard time.


    Seeing the advance of the puny humans, the hound dog displayed an intelligent sneer as it sped forward again to finish its prey.


    Boom!! Boom!! Captain Oxford finally collided with the bloodhound; with a bang sound, he was thrown backward like a deflated balloon. His pioneering of the exobeasts strength only brought more despair to the soldiers, but they were still determined to give their all.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Bullets shot out, raining down like rain, as under the leadership of Clark all the ranged soldiers unleashed their best high-caliber bullets at the exobeast.


    All the soldiers started the battle while already activating their battle art. Without their battle arts and self-created techniques, they had no chance of victory at all.


    The 4th rank was a great divide in strength. As from the 3rd rank upwards, the increase in strength becomes more and more outrageous.


    Despite no other soldier dying immediately due to them activating all their life-saving gadgets, they were all firmly suppressed by the outrageous strength of the exobeast.


    All its bites and claw attacks moved so fast like thunder, that they could barely keep track of it. Their armors diligently reported regularly after every attack of the exobeast, as their defensive systems became overloaded from the force behind its attacks.


    The originally white and clean laboratory immediately changed in less than a minute, as the battle became fast-paced and fiercer.


    Money continued draining like water, as energy shields utilized by the soldiers popped continuously after only one deep bite from the exobeast. The bloodhound became a complete terror to the soldiers, as they could only stack defenses while randomly retaliating without any finesse like barbarians.


    Despite his implant projecting the battle in a 3d manner to him, Clark felt like he was in a fictional world of magic. His brain could not keep up at all with the speed at which his implant worked, and the speed at which the exobeast bloodhound moved.


    Their bullets shot around the battlefield randomly, painting the scenery in a random mess of red-hot explosions.


    Desperation started setting in, as the armors of the melee soldiers started getting below the safety threshold.


    Boom!! The exobeast leaped back swiftly, as red-hot fire engulfed its original position. The soldiers finally started using their highly energetic exotic bombs, as they now aimed at mutual destruction.


    Despite already being prepared, a soldier was still not fast enough as he was cooked alive by the extreme heat of the explosion.


    The bloodhound only suffered glancing injuries, before it bolted back again through the fire to meet the soldiers.


    Seeing that their desperate plan was so easily nullified, instead, one of their comrades died to it put the soldiers in a more depressed mood. This did not stop them though, as they started pulling out all their mutually destructive cards.


    No matter how manner explosions rocked the room, the exobeast was able to avoid suffering any life-threatening injuries.


    Ptui!! With another quick but well-timed bite, it succeeded in beheading another soldier from the Spartan/Dawn alliance.


    After losing 3 soldiers already but seeing no way out, Clark finally made his first desperate decision of the battle. After making his decision, he retreated back a little from the battlefield.


    His fellow ranged soldiers were surprised, but they maintained their focus on shooting as many bullets as possible at the exobeast.


    After retreating to a relatively safe distance, he finally dropped his 2-form gun and brought out his bag. His face showed a reluctant expression, but he quickly suppressed it as he dipped his hand into his bag.


    Though he was not an engineer, he knew enough about guns through his learning years to tinker with them. After getting hold of what he wanted, he quickly brought his hands out of the bag.


    He glanced at the highly energetic batteries in his hand for a moment, before he quickly dropped them at the side.


    What he was about to do was very wasteful, impractical, and highly dangerous, but he was still ready to do it. The energy batteries that he brought out were the highly energetic batteries of the swordsman mechanical soldier that they salvaged.


    He was about to overload the operation systems of his 2-form gun with these batteries, to bring out the best in it at the cost of its breakdown.


    He quickly went to work, as he stripped the 2-form gun to its barest form in less than 20 seconds. In under a minute of concentrated tinkering, he was finally able to integrate the highly energetic batteries into the gun¡¯s systems.


    The originally stable 2-form gun started glowing with an unstable blue glow, like the bloated form of the support mechanical soldier they encountered previously.


    After giving a quick retreat warning to his teammates to enable them to avoid the aftermath of what he was about to do, he raised the glowing gun as he aimed at the bloodhound exobeast.


    Captain Oxford did not know what Clark was about to do, but he respected his decision as he led the soldiers to stack their shields for better defense and retreat to the side.


    On seeing all its opponents retreating and leaving only one behind for it to face, the exobeast was confused. But it didn¡¯t mind, as it rushed forward to finish off Clark¡¯s glowing and extremely conspicuous form.


    As it rushed forward, it suddenly felt a faint feeling of danger tingling its senses for the first time. It tried to escape immediately, but it was too late.


    Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! Enormous blue dangerous-looking beams, flew out of Clark¡¯s 2-form gun in its machine gun configuration as he staggered to withstand the recoil force.


    Boom!! Boom!! Any intact structure facing this rain of bullets was reduced to dust and fire immediately, as the front of the gun became a terrain of destruction.


    The bloodhound growled in pain for the first time, as blood finally flowed out of its thick hide. It moved around with speed, as it tried hard to dodge the dangerous beams flying at it.


    It was finally intimidated by these life-threatening beams, but its situation was nowhere close to death yet.


    Unfortunately for the soldiers, Clark¡¯s desperate plan was just a shine for a minute plan. Despite the extreme firepower being released, his 2-form gun could not take such a load, it was only a middle-grade weapon.


    With a booming sound, the gun finally exploded as all its systems overloaded. He staggered backward from the shockwave, as his armor reported damage warnings to him.


    Before he could stabilize himself, his A. I spammed his brain with danger notifications as his own soldier instincts also felt it immediately.


    His eyes despaired, as he saw the enormous jaws of the bloodhound aiming down at his head. He tried getting his spear, but he knew it was a desperate struggle as his speed was nowhere fast enough.


    Before he could close his eyes to accept his fate, he suddenly saw a figure appear at his side. Captain Oxford stood before him with a determined stance, as he got prepared to stall the advance of the exobeast.


    He was already a middle-aged soldier, even if he died, he would not allow the death of such a genius soldier of the Spartan republic. His potential was almost fully realized, but this young man had a boundless future ahead of him. He would by no means let him die.


    Using this as his form of motivation, he started feeling a peculiar feeling of strength enter his bones.


    Clang!! His sword was thrown away by the momentum of the exobeast, but he was not concerned, as he focused all his attention on gathering strength.


    Boom!! Shockwaves blasted out from the point of impact, as he finally collided with the exobeast. What surprised everyone was that this time, he was not pushed back by it.


    Veins popped out all over his face, as his legs dug down into the metal floor of the room. All his muscles tightened as he firmly grabbed the upper and lower jaws of the exobeast with his hands.


    The soldiers were shocked when they felt the new aura emanating from their Captain¡¯s position. ¡°He broke through in battle,¡± this was the only astonishing thought in their heads.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 133: captain oxfords upgraded form

    Shockwaves repeatedly blasted out like rolling thunder from the point of contact, as Clark was thrown away from the fierce wind wave¡¯s impact. He was shocked and excited, as he felt the skyrocketing aura of his Captain.


    All the other soldiers were confused about what to do at the moment, they could only look on in awe at this legendary moment. A soldier breaking through in battle was definitely a legendary moment.


    WOOF!! The exobeast was startled by the current strength being displayed by the human, it was confused but still barked in rage as it felt that its dignity was being trampled upon.


    All the soldiers closed their ears, as the deep vocal cords of the bloodhound spread the sound outwards like a sonic disaster. Visible ripples appeared in the air, as the sound spread outwards like something under the influence of a spatial storm.


    The metal walls of the room made the sound reverberate and echo more loudly, as they creaked weirdly and loudly in protest. Tables and chairs were overturned, debris flew about like the descent of an archmage was imminent.


    The current scene looked so legendary, epic, and magical, that the soldiers could only close their ears while watching with awed expressions on their faces.


    Despite it applying more strength and barking, Captain Oxford kept a determined expression on his face as he firmly held its jaws apart.


    At this moment, greenish-red veins already took over more than half of his body. He growled deeply as his muscles contracted to gather more strength, he was currently at his peak powers.


    Boom!! He finally did the impossible, as he used his now outrageous strength to topple the giant form of the exobeast. The sight of the giant exobeast falling looked so intimidating, making it look like the fearsome rush of an avalanche.


    It landed with a loud sound, as all the debris nearby was thrown up again like something under the influence of a dangerous tornado.


    Despite his expression being hidden behind his armor¡¯s helmet, the soldiers were still able to deduce that their Captain was currently experiencing the pure bliss of wielding great power.


    After toppling the exobeast, he felt fulfillment like never before as he also roared his own challenge at it.


    For the past few minutes, he experienced the most disastrous battle of his life, apart from the Spartan/Mocan war. It was practically torture to him, as the exobeast wreaked havoc into their formation.


    He could only watch helplessly as the first soldier died. The second followed, and he was still rendered helpless. After the death of the third soldier, he became desperate but he still could not do anything.


    But when he saw that the next victim would be Clark, he threw all caution to the wind as he ran in between them immediately to at least buy some time for him.


    His extreme loyalty to the Spartan republic would not let him leave such a talented soldier to die such a cruel and unfortunate death.


    His plan paid off, as he successfully rescued Clark. But not only did it pay, but it also paid off in a way he never expected, he finally had a breakthrough after 20 years of remaining stuck in the 3rd rank.


    He wanted to thank Clark for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where he got to break his limits. Without him being in a dangerous situation, he could have never found this opportunity. But he knew that this was not the right time. He still had an exobeast to kill.


    Despite him having a breakthrough, this bloodhound was not something he could casually kill. He quickly rolled to the side, as he took hold of his precious high-grade sword again.


    ¡°Today¡­, we dine in hell!!!¡±. He yelled as he rushed forward to engage the bloodhound again.


    After being overpowered in strength, the bloodhound finally knew that this human could now threaten it. There was nowhere for it to escape to, it could only use its intelligence to retaliate back as cleverly as it could.


    Boom!! Boom!! The soldiers at the side were quickly reduced to mere spectators, as the 2 silhouettes in battle moved with extreme speed. Sword strikes and claw strikes collided repeatedly, as their position caved in from the shockwaves erupting from their battle.


    After recovering, Clark quickly made a new decision after carefully observing the current ongoing battle.


    He quickly located the soldier with the strongest sniper rifle in the room, as he took away his weapon without much resistance from him. He knew that as Captain Oxford broke through so abruptly, there would definitely be side effects.


    The Captain just broke through, he did not have a 100% chance of killing the bloodhound alone. Following this logic, he quickly performed his malicious tinkering again as the sniper rifle became overloaded with energy.


    He climbed the biggest elevated platform in the room, as he relaxed and calmly aimed at the battlefield. He was good at fighting a melee battle when required, but he still loved sniping from a distance more.


    As Captain Oxford continued entangling with the bloodhound, he already noticed Clark¡¯s movements. He was relieved, as this exobeast was still a tricky opponent to face despite his current strength.


    After biting and clawing repeatedly at its opponent without getting any meaningful result, the bloodhound finally started panicking. It sometimes thought of escaping, but the thick walls of the room could not be breached by its claws.


    It suddenly barked loudly and tried to retreat, as it felt the same tingling sensation of danger again. Its decision was fast, but Captain Oxford was faster as he moved closer tyrannically.


    His hand speed erupted fiercely, as he tried every method he could to restrain its movements. His figure only left afterimages behind, as the bloodhound hastily tried to defend.


    BOOM!! It was at this moment that a bright blue light flashed on the battlefield, followed by a loud sound of impact. The energy beam moved so fast that the soldiers only became aware when blood erupted out from the exobeast¡¯s body.


    The bloodhound whimpered in pain, as the enormous energy beam destroyed a significant part of its leg muscles. It felt unimaginable pain, as it tried without much success to stabilize its unsteady steps.


    Boom!! Boom!! Bam!! Clark released 2 other deadly energy beams before the sniper rifle finally exploded with a loud sound after its energy systems were fried from the enormous energy overload.


    The exobeast dropped down weakly in pain, as it barked resentfully at the soldier who shot at it. 2 other holes were already in its massive body, as blood poured out in waves from its neck and back.


    Captain Oxford obviously was not about to waste such a heavenly opportunity, as he jumped up with his sword raised high above his head.


    Boom!! Clang!! He landed momentously as shockwaves billowed out of his position, while his sword cut deeply into the bleeding neck of the bloodhound exobeast. Despite digging deep, its advance was halted as it got entangled in the steel-like bones of the bloodhound.


    This only temporarily saved its life, as Captain Oxford jumped again while gathering his armor¡¯s energy at his fists. With another loud sound reverberating, his fists slammed down heavily on the sword.


    Ptui!! The exobeast terror, the first super dog, the super dog program subject¡¯s head was finally separated from its body, as blood flowed out like a river overflowing its banks.


    After doing this deed, Captain Oxford felt satisfaction like never before as his armor finally dematerialized from his face, revealing his grinning and joyful expression.


    As he grinned, the repercussions of his forceful breakthrough finally hit him hard as he staggered weakly. Weariness suddenly overwhelmed his whole body, as he felt it even strenuous to maintain a steady step.


    Bam!! His burly figure finally dropped down unconscious, as his soldiers rushed forward swiftly to his position.


    After checking his pulse, they were relieved as he was still alive. Though he was currently very weak, they were satisfied with him not dying.


    After making sure that there were no complications, they finally had time to take in their surroundings as they looked at the destruction the battle brought to this room.


    After an epic battle where they lost 3 good soldiers and their leader had a breakthrough, they finally emerged as the winners.


    The scenery of the laboratory already took on another form, as only battle scars and marks of the various desperate explosions remained behind. Blood dyed the originally white floor red, making it look like the location where a zombie apocalypse took place.


    Everything around indicated that they lost, the only thing saying otherwise was the dead body of the giant bloodhound lying down in a pool of its own blood.


    This battle impacted their psyche enormously. Even as high-grade soldiers, they could still suffer from trauma. Losing 3 comrades in one battle was definitely not an encouraging situation.


    If it was a mission involving the survival of their country, they would not hesitate to jump at death. But this mission was not, this was a contest originally above their league.


    Captain Jack was already regretting his decision to come here fiercely, as of the 3 dead soldiers in the battle, 2 were his subordinates. He could only thank his luck for the unexpected breakthrough of his ally at the last moment.


    After Clark came down, they finally took the body of their Captain to the corner to administer first aid treatments to him. They also needed the first-aid treatment, as, despite the protection of their armor, they all survived certain degrees of injuries.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 134: the lyrics of life

    After settling down, they decided to slow down and rest properly as Captain Oxford would not be available for a while due to him over-exerting himself.


    They also needed rest, as they were practically sapped of all strength from this battle. This battle was a nightmare to them while also being a wealth of valuable experience, as they definitely gained more battle knowledge from it.


    No pain, no gain. This quote was true, as without being soaked in battle it was very hard to improve.


    A perfect example just verified this claim in the person of their leader, Captain Oxford. Perhaps, he would have never advanced to become a 4th rank high-grade soldier in his life if he followed the normal training route.


    But just one traumatic but desperate battle was able to drain him and draw out his hidden strength. He was able to break and expand his limits when such a fierce battle stimulated his potential.


    Apart from him, though no other soldier broke through in the battle, they all improved to a certain extent.


    Especially Clark, he did not know when, but he knew that he was extremely close to crossing the first great divide of the 3rd rank. His short but eventful life has brought him to high heights that he could not have even dreamt of if he decided to live a normal-like.


    Despite some being as a captive and extremely traumatic, he treasured all his experiences. And most especially, he treasured all the people and friends that he made for these short few years.


    Another perfect example was the great mechanic Han of Galaxy. Though he is just a fictional character created in a novel, Clark learned a lot from him as his experiences were so broad and insightful.


    Despite him having a training cheat like a system, he was still only able to attain such great heights because of his many battle experiences and the powerful friends he made.


    Hard work was the main reason that he was able to fulfill his destiny of being the greatest muscled mechanic in history. If he just left his life to fate, he would have never become the legendary mechanic.


    Clark never knew when he would fall into a situation that he needed the help of others to be saved. But if such a day came, he was confident that there would be others that would come to his rescue.


    Show me your friends, I will tell you who you are. If you look at his history since he graduated as a soldier of the Spartan republic, all the friends and people he encountered were mostly all influential or strong people.


    Though it may seem like it was not genuine relationships, they were beneficial relationships so there was no fuss to be made.


    Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up. Like the mysterious old man once told him, every individual in this world is all connected by invisible strings of fate. That¡¯s why humans are social beings.


    Everyone came to this world as the main character of their own life, the first thing you need to start the fulfillment of your dream is acknowledging that. Lionel Messi accepted his fate as the main character of football, and he went forth to do exploits throughout his career.


    Only you can decide the way in which the lyrics of your life will be written. No other person can decide your fate, you are the owner and the decider of your fate by your actions.


    Despite being talented, Lionel Messi wrote the lyrics of his life by being hardworking. When you decide to take the writing of your life lyrics by the horns, that is when your life will be like a beautiful melody.


    Though Clark¡¯s career as a soldier was still in the blooming and beginning stage, he was ready to take over the writing of his career lyrics. He was ready to take a firm grasp of his advancement in the ranks as a soldier.


    After going through this huge mental session, he finally turned in to rest. After making sure that there was no more danger, the other soldiers also finally slept peacefully as the weariness overwhelmed them.


    ¡­


    The clock slowly ticked forward, as the atmosphere of the room¡¯s surroundings grew darker and darker.


    After 5 uneventful hours of rest, they finally woke up again. Though 5 hours was not too long, as soldiers they were able to retain most of their strength in this short time.


    Under the orders of their new temporary leader, Captain Jack, they finally decided to count their losses in this battle.


    Despite emerging as the winners of the battle, their losses were still hard to stomach. After so many consecutive uses, they were left with only 20% of the initial resources they came with.


    They used up more than 50% of their resources, during this single battle. This was unacceptable as they did not know how much more complicated circumstances, they had to pass to leave this military base.


    Having no preparation for the unknown was preparation for death. The Persian army was able to overwhelm the brave 300 Spartans of legends, only because they were more prepared and had the advantage of information and resources.


    This directly placed them in a difficult situation, as having no more reserves definitely spelled death despite them now having a General to be in their midst. In this era of exotics and technology, energy was life for soldiers and a lot of people.


    Almost everything that needs technological skill to be operated and used, made use of energy. Losing energy to them felt like being cuckolded, and losing your wife or fianc¨¦e.


    In this battle, they used up all their shield reserves, leaving them with less than 10% of their original stash. This spelled danger no matter which direction they looked at it from.


    Most, if not all of the soldiers now had the energy reserves of their armor below the critical 20%. They were now in their most vulnerable state.


    The only bright side was the energy reserves of their various weapons. Apart from the 2 guns Clark overloaded and destroyed, all their weapons still had an energy reserve of above 50%.


    This was only possible because weapons hardly used energy like armors and other equipment. Their energy reserves are only drawn upon when the users use their force fields. In the case of guns, their energy reserves are drawn upon when the wielder decides to shoot out energy beams.


    Practically all guns made in this era have 2 modes of outputting their power. It''s either the physical by using different types of bullets, or the energy-based by shooting out beams as their mode of outputting firepower.


    Despite all these losses, they were not too disheartened as life was the most important. They would face any situation that came with their best, as worrying about the future would only decrease morale.


    The dead could not lament about losing energy reserves, they appreciated their lives more than their energy reserves.


    After taking note of their losses in the battle, Captain Jack finally ordered for them to search around the room for any loot that they could find. Though the losses were huge, they were still within his calculated range so he was not too anxious.


    Though there was no material resource loot like Arcanite metal or anything of the sort here, there were still valuable substances and resources that can be looted here. This time, instead of material resources, it was lots of knowledge.


    The research books originally kept in the library were all loot, they were all resources with inestimable value. At least, Arcanite metal can be quantified, but the importance of knowledge cannot be quantified.


    Their country¡¯s biological research department would increase in skills and techniques immensely from such valuable knowledge.


    Such hardcover books like the ones kept in the library were all exclusive and secret textbooks belonging to the original owners of this military research base.


    If this military base really belonged to any of the big 5 organizations, then they¡¯ve struck it rich. The research capability of the big 5, was something that no other organization could contend against.


    After Captain Oxford woke up, Captain Jack already decided to hand over all the loot they found to him. He originally still harbored some secret plans of his own, but he discarded them all after this man directly broke through in battle.


    It was only normal for him to have some lingering ambition despite their desperate situation, he was a human Afterall. But this could not affect his thinking faculty, he still loved his little life.


    Going against a newly advanced 4th rank high-grade soldier was still a suicide mission to him. He was ready to even fawn on the Spartan Captain if that was what was required to continue staying at his good side.


    His strength as a high-grade soldier was not his greatest strength, his greatest strength was his flexibility in different situations.


    He was clever enough to know that his authority in this operation was now less than 10%. His secret plots would no longer be effective, in the face of absolute strength.


    As the soldiers checked, they found parts and pieces of the books, which they gathered. The explosion did a lot of damage. Though the majority of the books only had fragments remaining, some of them still remained intact.


    They did this for the rest of the day, as they were not ready to leave without Captain Oxford recovering his strength. Despite him still sleeping, his presence alone was just like a morale booster to the soldiers.


    Some fragments of the walls were also collected by them, as the battle made a lot of its protective cover break and fall down. The wall was made completely out of Arcanite metal, so this was extremely valuable loot.


    After this series of looting, the day was already dark according to their electronic time. So they just decided to rest again for the night, as Captain Oxford was still recovering.


    They just took this as an opportunity to recover their full strength, before going deeper into the military base tomorrow.


    As they were already disadvantaged in terms of energy reserves for their equipment, they would just make up for it with their personal strength as high-grade soldiers.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 135: dream the massacre

    A pair of eyes blinked open in a completely dark room, as it squinted to adapt to the low light intensity. The owner of this pair of eyes shakingly stood up, as he fumbled around with his hands to get hold of anything nearby to support himself.


    Everywhere around him was filled with absolute darkness, that he could not even see his palms. After getting more control of his senses, he finally started looking around but he could not see anything due to the extreme darkness.


    ¡°Why is this room so dark? Where am I?¡± He soliloquized in a soft low tone, confused, as he tried to think of how he ended up here.


    As he thought, he suddenly squinted his eyes again as a bright source of light suddenly emerged at a place far from where he stood. He heaved a sigh of relief, as the sudden emergence of light in such darkness calmed his nerves.


    The light was not bright enough to illuminate where he stood, but at least it served as a beacon of direction to him.


    Despite the location of the light being far, he was able to faintly notice that it was fluctuating irregularly. Sometimes it would become brighter, at other times it would suddenly become dimmer.


    From the faint light reaching his location, he was finally able to locate the walls around him. After supporting himself with the nearest wall surface, this was when he was able to get a better outlook of where he was.


    It was a long corridor that leads deep into the darkness on opposite ends. The source of light that appeared, was coming from one of the ends of the corridor.


    ¡°Is this not the corridor of the military base?¡± The person soliloquized in the darkness, as a faint but blurry memory suddenly tried to emerge back into his brain. He quickly closed his eyes, as he tried to catch that blurry memory.


    After trying hard but not recalling the memory in detail, he decided to rest his brain and leave it behind. He made the most logical decision he could make at the moment, as he started walking closer to the light source ahead.


    Though it seemed just like something here, the distance to the light from his position was actually long. He was continually surprised, as all his distance estimates were repeatedly passed without him drawing near to the light.


    Despite this, he persevered and continued walking forward for hours, as he made sure to keep track of time in his head. As he walked forward, he could not help but think that these walls were getting more familiar.


    After what seemed like an eternity, he finally came before the light source. He heaved a huge sigh of relief, as he leaned against the wall to rest his aching leg muscles a little.


    On seeing the light source at a closer distance, he was finally able to see what it came from. He was surprised as this light was actually being projected into the corridor from an open door. The light was coming from the other side of the door.


    It was now that he noticed that the light was not just white. As it fluctuated, it sometimes changed to red like the color of blood, then yellowish-orange like the color of an explosion.


    At times, it changed to blue like the color of an energy eruption before it would morph back to the regular white color.


    This sight did not intimidate him, it only made him more curious as he now really wanted to know what lied beyond this door.


    He did not know if he was under the influence of anything, but he was feeling kind of weird. He felt an unnatural kind of confidence that he could never feel before on normal occasions.


    ¡°Am I high?¡± He could not help but ask himself again, as he struggled to control his staggering breath.


    After recovering his breath, he decisively walked forward to the door as he extended his hands outwards to open it directly.


    As soon as the door opened, he was surprised as the loud sound of explosions suddenly overwhelmed his hearing organ, rendering him stunned for a second.


    It was at this very second that stray bullets and explosions overtook him, shredding his body to pieces instantly. He could only watch astonished, as he immediately died from the huge firepower.


    He was horrified, as he saw his physical body being shredded and burnt to ashes before his eyes. He was even more horrified when he saw his new illusory manifestation floating without a body in the air.


    ¡°What am I? Where is this?¡± He questioned in alarm, as his brain could not make sense of what was happening. He did not know what gave him the courage, but he suddenly felt all the horror leave him like it was never there.


    He finally looked down to see what exactly was happening. He finally understood as he saw soldiers shooting at each other viciously, while explosions rocked the large hall where they fought at.


    ¡°Are these people fighting a war?¡± He could not help but soliloquize, as he temporarily forgot about his abnormal illusory form.


    ¡°Wait¡­, these people look familiar.¡± He muttered again, surprised as he faintly felt a sense of familiarity on seeing these people. He tried to think more about it, but just like the last time, he could not get a complete memory.


    He decided to just ignore it, as he focused back on the battle. He squinted his eyes, as he tried to get as many details as possible from it.


    It was at this moment that a change finally came into the battlefield. With the sound of barriers breaking, a huge blurry-looking animal suddenly appeared on the battlefield from a place he could not pinpoint.


    Before the warring soldiers could observe it, it directly started a massacre. It sided with no one, as it killed every soldier who came near it.


    With momentum and force like a stampede of rhinos, strength like that of a leviathan, this blurry-looking animal made blood rain on the battlefield. Blood and body parts were the only things left in its wake, as it wreaked havoc on every side.


    The soldiers finally started directing attention to it on seeing its strength, but it didn¡¯t matter as it barged through all obstacles with its horrifyingly thick skin.


    ¡°How can an animal be so strong?¡± He questioned in alarm and awe, as the animal wreaked havoc in every corner of the battlefield.


    His figure suddenly froze, as he looked on with a horrified expression. He did not know why, but the animal suddenly turned as he looked him in the eye.


    ¡°What???¡± He was completely shocked and emotionally shaken, he could no longer control himself. He messed himself up in fear, directly wetting his illusory trousers as his illusory form started shaking unstably.


    Pop!! With a soft pop sound, he finally disappeared from the battlefield, still confused about why he was even there in the first place.


    ¡­


    Clark finally woke up, as he immediately jumped up to look at his surrounding alertly. His face was covered with a thick sheen of sweat, making him feel sticky all over.


    He heaved a sigh of relief, as he saw no soldiers fighting and no abnormally strong animal massacring them. He slumped and supported himself with the walls of the room, as he tried to recollect his thoughts.


    After glancing at the still sleeping soldiers, he finally calmed his nerves before silently finding a place to sit down and think.


    He was surprised, as, after so many years of silence, he finally had a dream again. Though the dream was not really clear, it was better than his initial dreams where everything was blurry. He came to this corner, as he wanted to quietly brainstorm and see if he could understand it better.


    He did not know the implications of this dream, but he knew that all the groups of soldiers will surely fight when they get hold of what they came here for. But what was that blurry-looking animal that emerged at the end? This was his dilemma.


    After hours of brainstorming, he was still unable to understand what he saw exactly. He just decided to forget it, as a soldier just woke up.


    On looking clearly, he was surprised and excited as the soldier who woke up was none other than Captain Oxford. After thinking it over, he quickly went over to meet him.


    After exchanging greetings, he quickly told him everything that they did and the decisions Captain Jack took after he passed out. He hesitated for a bit, but he still decided to tell him about his dream.


    Captain Oxford was surprised but he just told him to not think too deeply about it nor tell anyone else.


    Despite saying it so casually, he actually took the dream seriously. He already experienced a lot of things in this life, he was not about to just ignore it despite it seeming insignificant.


    The main reason why he told Clark not to tell anyone else, was because he did not want to spread panic. Yesterday''s battle was not a pleasant thing to remember, it still affected the soldiers immensely. Adding such an ominous dream would only worsen things.


    After discussing some other matters, they both returned back to sleep as it was not morning yet. They already grew close from this encounter, as one saved the other¡¯s life while the other broke through because of it.


    ¡­


    Morning finally came, as all the soldiers promptly woke up to continue their journey inside the military base. Though the military base was isolated from the outside world and they could not see direct sunlight, the feeling of morning still lingered in the air.


    After arranging all their possessions, they finally embarked on their journey again under the lead of Captain Oxford. They moved with much more confidence than before, as their safety was practically guaranteed with the upgraded form of their Captain.


    They left the room swiftly, as no other exobeast nor mechanical soldier emerged to confront them.


    Though they came out battered and lost 3 soldiers from the last battle, they were not defeated. They did not lose courage, instead, they took their Captain who broke through as an example to motivate themselves.


    Even in the darkest nights, there is still a beacon of light that shines to show a clear path. Though it''s small, it¡¯s still valuable. Light cannot exist without darkness, that is just nature.


    This quote was good to describe their situation, as, in their darkest hour, their leader broke through which acted as their beacon of light and hope.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 136: convergence

    Under the directions of Captain Oxford, the allied group of soldiers moved forward alertly in the corridor as they firmly kept the integrity of the turtle shell formation. Even if he was a 4th rank high-grade soldier now, he was not ready to take unnecessary risks.


    Being alert and maintaining their battle formation, was something that he was not ready to compromise on. Even if it drained their concentration, its benefits could negate its disadvantages.


    Just like the other 2 rooms they just passed; no alarm was triggered as they safely arrived at the door leading to the next room.


    After having so many experiences already, they were no longer novices as a soldier immediately came out to open the door. He worked fluently, as the door was swiftly unlocked in less than 10 seconds.


    Tightly holding his sword in a defensive pose, Captain Oxford moved in first to scout the environment. As soon as he moved in, the other soldiers neatly swarmed in after him, in their battle formation.


    Clang!! The sound of their weapons moving in the air reverberated, as they checked their surrounding for any latent threat.


    They originally wanted to inquire about what happened, when they saw their leader just standing. But the scene in front of them stunned them as they also froze in surprise.


    All of them widened their eyes in surprise, as they saw some of the soldiers from the other fleets that came to the military base with them here.


    Though they did not know what was happening, they all raised their caution level as they looked at these soldiers warily. They did not know how and why they were suddenly meeting these guys, they naturally had to take precautions.


    On seeing them, it seems the other soldiers did not also expect to see them as surprise became evident on their faces. They all stood up, as their armors dematerialized from their faces to reveal their appearances.


    It was at this moment that one of the Captains from this group stormed out to meet them angrily, apparently in a bad mood.


    ¡°Why are you just arriving now? We had to wait for a whole day. Such imbeciles, which stupid country, bred soldiers like you chickens? I can¡¯t¡­¡± As he blabbered on, he suddenly froze in place as Captain Oxford suddenly released his aura.


    ¡°Did you just insult my country?¡± He asked in a deep tone, as the atmosphere directly became oppressive and toxic.


    It seemed like the pause button was pressed on a remote control, as all noise of dissatisfaction and anger calmed down. Gulping sounds replaced it, as the soldiers looked on, shocked.


    He did not know what happened, but from the number of soldiers gathered here, he could directly make out that these soldiers were from multiple fleets. They were not together.


    And from the battle scars, metallic debris, mechanical soldier parts, and the signs of explosions around, he faintly understood what happened.


    On seeing the aggressive and arrogant manner in which this Captain confronted them, he immediately decided to take the forceful route. There was no need to be polite when strength could directly simplify everything.


    On feeling the aura being radiated by the leader of this new group of soldiers, the Captain who came angrily and all the others at the side immediately frowned as their expressions became grave and wary.


    They never expected the leader of this new group of soldiers to be a 4th rank high-grade soldier. The Captain who confronted them, his back was already filled with cold sweat as he thought of ways to escape his situation.


    After gaining the upper hand by utilizing the intimidation factor, Captain Oxford directly asked for the situation here to be explained to him. He pardoned the Captain who tried to insult his country, he knew that picking up petty fights was not beneficial to his cause.


    On seeing the way in which he handled the matter, the other group of soldiers heaved a huge sigh of relief as their Captains all came up to explain the situation to him.


    From what the Captains said, he was finally able to understand the situation. These people being angry with them was actually not wrong, as their one-day delay already placed them all at a disadvantage.


    This room that looked twice as large as the other rooms they entered, was some kind of convergence room. 5 groups of soldiers that took different passages are supposed to converge here if they could survive the initial rooms.


    This room was the key room, to gain access to the deeper parts of the military base. Due to their delay, of the 5 groups of soldiers that are supposed to converge here, only these 4 groups were able to come on time.


    This resulted in them fighting a battle, that was originally designed for 5 different groups of soldiers. After losing a lot of resources, they were finally able to emerge victoriously.


    Despite not losing any soldier, the loss was too much for them to handle, since they clearly knew that another group was supposed to be here and help them.


    After resting and waiting for 6 hours, they thought the last group of soldiers was already annihilated from the previous rooms.


    Despite feeling it was a pity, they decided to leave them behind. But to their surprise, the energy signature of five 3rd rank high-grade soldiers was required to open the door to the next area.


    So, they could not do anything but curse their luck and wait hopelessly for a miracle as only the 4 leaders were Captains. After a whole day of waiting, they already lost hope, they did not expect to meet them now.


    On seeing them, they were all unhappy and outraged. The others were able to restrain their emotions, but that Captain was not able to do it which brought the awkward situation.


    From the account of these soldiers, the Spartan/Dawn alliance soldiers were able to know how lucky their allied group was.


    Of the 4 groups of soldiers who converged in this room, they all lost a minimum of 4 soldiers in their way here. The group with the worst luck directly lost 6 of their soldiers, losing more than half of their strength.


    Their allied group of soldiers losing only 4 soldiers was already extremely good, as it meant that they lost only 2.5 soldiers when divided individually.


    After understanding the situation, Captain Oxford directly told them to prepare themselves that he and his soldiers were ready to depart.


    He felt a faint sense of urgency. If the words of the soldiers were correct, then the other group of soldiers probably already had a head start over them in the vault looting.


    After all their experiences, he already came to a conclusion. This was a biological research base, but the resources here were very worth them coming here for the loot.


    He naturally did not want to fall into a disadvantage before the main battle to get the loot begins. All his thoughts were on escaping previously, but his breakthrough in strength granted him much more confidence.


    After listening to his reply, all the Captains left as they quickly started organizing their soldiers.


    They also knew that they were already behind, they could not kill themselves over it nor could they complain to a 4th rank high-grade soldier for wasting their time. They could only silently endure.


    After settling everything and completing all the preparations they wanted to make, they finally got ready to go.


    Captain Oxford led his soldiers, as they quickly came before the energy-powered door.


    There was a sensor device designed in the door to detect the energy signature of soldiers. After they released their power, the device was immediately able to capture it as it started opening with sharp metallic grinding sounds.


    Though they were obediently following the mechanisms in the military base, they did not let down their cautiousness.


    Why did they make such a door that required the energy signatures of 3rd rank and higher-grade soldiers to be unlocked? Did they know that their research base will be infiltrated one day?


    All these questions and doubts were reasons that they could not still relax, despite them already reading and knowing much about the military base.


    Was this really a high-grade conspiracy like they speculated? Well, they did not know, these were just assumptions. They could only rein in their curiosity, move forward, and solve any problem as it comes.


    ¡­


    On opening the door to move forward, they were surprised as just like their last rooms, this one led to another room that was connected to the first one.


    Unlike the last rooms, this one was a teleportation room. They were able to recognize it immediately on entering the room.


    Clark was surprised, as this room looked exactly like the teleportation chamber he passed through when he went to the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance.


    The whole room was completely white without blemish, painting it in very bright and beautiful light. Everywhere was vacant, the only thing occupying the room was the constantly pulsing teleportation field at the corner.


    Before they could analyze the situation and think further by themselves, a voice emerged from the room as the A. I controlling the teleportation function directly communicated with them.


    It seems that it was not designed to be able to detect intruders, as no alarm rang despite already communicating with them for minutes.


    After understanding the requirements for them to be teleported to the next room through their communication, they underwent some procedures before finally being teleported away.


    On arriving at their teleportation location, they blinked their eyes open as they squinted a little to adapt to the low light intensity. They were in the familiar-looking corridor again, but it seems this was where its boundary ended.


    The only thing before them was a staircase leading upwards. After receiving instructions from their leaders, the soldiers climbed up while being alert as they quickly reached the top of the staircase.


    After a simple programming battle by one of the technical soldiers, the abnormally reinforced door was finally unlocked. After unlocking it, they cautiously opened it as they all prepared their defenses for any ambush.


    Boom!! Boom!! Despite being prepared, some of the soldiers were startled as soon as the door opened. Loud sounds of an ongoing battle immediately assaulted their hearing sense organs, disorienting them for a moment.


    ¡°Take cover¡±. Captain Oxford was already prepared, as he quickly gave an order to his soldiers. He ducked while rolling forwards as he tried to get a better view of what exactly was happening.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 137: the main battle begins

    Due to them being prepared and alert, none of the stray beams and bullets were able to impact them. All the soldiers followed the leadership of their leader, as they all rolled away from the point where the stray fire was more focused.


    After rolling to a safer corner, under the leadership of Captain Oxford they all activated their remaining shields. Their movements were like that of a well-oiled machine, as their previous preparations started showing their importance.


    A blue energy glow quickly sprang up, covering their location, as it started flickering from the bullets impacting its surface.


    After getting a reliable defense, it was at this moment that they finally had time to look more clearly at the battlefield. A large hall appeared in their sight, enlarging on all sides in a roundabout manner.


    They heaved a sigh of relief as it seems that this was really the main hall of the research base. Though they could see its ends from a glance, it was still outrageously long and wide.


    According to the information that they already gathered and the one they got from the teleportation room¡¯s A.I, this was the main work area of the military base. All their core research was carried out here, and all their vaults were also located here.


    Despite them trying to observe their surroundings first, they were not blind that the extremely chaotic battlefield would escape their sight. Seeing the soldiers fighting and shooting at each other viciously, they understood the situation immediately.


    All these groups of soldiers finally found what they came for, so they already shed all pretense of peace and obedience. In the face of their goal and loot, everybody directly started releasing all their trump cards.


    Due to how chaotic the battle was, only some of the soldiers fighting noticed their arrival. And they were still not able to notice that a 4th rank high-grade soldier was in this new group, which was a good thing to them.


    Lots of side rooms and warehouses were glaringly connected to this main hall, and all the soldiers fought for the right to enter and loot these warehouses and vaults. These were the rooms housing their goals, so they no longer had their previous restraints.


    It was at this moment that the new arrivals also saw their goal, the 5 groups of soldiers who just came also separated immediately. They had no affinity and benefits from staying together, from this point on, it was every man for himself.


    Captain Oxford quickly gave new orders, as he stormed out into the battlefield with his soldiers. The battle for resources and loot officially started for them.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Clark coordinated his soldiers, as they ran outwards while shooting chaotically in already designated directions.


    Boom!! Their momentum was unstoppable, as Captain Oxford, being the spearhead directly carved a hole in the sea of soldiers before them. His advancing figure looked like that of a war god, as his armor¡¯s signature blue energy streaked after him from behind, painting a domain of blue terror.


    His sword, being his scepter of authority moved like a sickle, as soldiers were harvested and thrown out of the way like ripe fruits in the harvest season.


    His soldiers stuck to him like the way bees stuck to honey, as they utilized his momentum to carve deeper into the formation of soldiers.


    Seeing the unstoppable momentum of these new groups of soldiers, attention was finally being drawn to them. The other soldiers were surprised, as they finally felt the indomitable aura of a 4th rank high-grade soldier emanating from the leader of these soldiers.


    They originally thought that there was only one General on the battlefield, but this new group, unfortunately, introduced a new variable.


    Despite him being one of the strongest individuals here currently, Captain Oxford did not aim too high. Arcanite metal was the primary reason why he was here, the research data of this base was secondary to him.


    Wayam Wayam bi jegedi. This was a native saying of the Spartan republic, that meant slow and steady wins the race. He would secure his first goal before he would think of benefiting further.


    Other military forces clearly didn¡¯t think that way, as the General of the mysterious country with high-grade military strength led his soldiers to take over the few vaults that served as the research data vaults of the military base.


    He was surprised, as he did not expect to meet another General among these group of soldiers. The main reason that made him more astonished, was that he was sure that none of these soldiers were originally a 4th rank high-grade soldier.


    ¡°A soldier actually broke through in this military base. Is he a genius, or is it just luck?¡± He soliloquized, as he led his soldiers to continue forging ahead.


    Though he also led his soldiers to loot, from their slow movements, the other soldier groups already noticed that he was probably looking for a specific room. He definitely knew more about this military research base.


    Clark was prudent, as he diligently focused on leading his ranged soldiers to support his leader. In such a large and chaotic battlefield, he knew that apart from people like Captain Oxford and the other General, soldiers like him could hardly make an impact.


    With their fierce momentum, the other soldiers in the large hall were finally scared as they tried to minimize their losses by clearing a way for them. Only a few headstrong ones, continued competing with them for the vault that they targeted.


    Captain Oxford raised his sword, as a force field erupted around it, covering it in a deep purple glow. His armor stretched like a predator cobra, as his figure leaped up at the huge reinforced door facing him.


    Boom!! Bam!! Bam!! The door broke into pieces, making loud continuous sounds as the metallic fragments from it flew out across the hall in a parabola.


    The soldiers nearby hastily docked, as the sharp metallic fragments flew above them. Currently, there was no soldier on the battlefield whose armor still had an energy reserve level above 30%, except for the soldiers from the country with high-grade military strength.


    If your armor¡¯s energy got depleted in such a fast-paced battle, no matter how strong you are, there is a high chance of you dying.


    Though the battle was still fierce, the soldiers fought in a slightly restrained way as they all tried to prevent the energy reserves of their armors from depleting. After so long, the first vault door was finally opened.


    As soon as the doors to the vaults opened, other variables appeared on the battlefield as mechanical soldier hordes swarmed out in waves like they were waiting for the vaults to be opened.


    From one of the most contested vaults, terror appeared again as 3 of the elite swordsman mechanical soldiers emerged. With their enormous energy-powered guns, the battlefield situation immediately took on another direction.


    Boom!! The first soldier casualty appeared in the battle, as one of the soldiers was directly vaporized from the extreme heat of the swordsman mechanical soldier¡¯s energy beam. The battle finally entered the next phase.


    ¡­


    After 15 minutes of relentless battle, the Spartan/Dawn allied force finally forced their way into one of the vaults that they targeted. Captain Jack acted as the pivot of the battle formation that they used, as they slaughtered the mechanical soldiers facing them ruthlessly.


    This time, they no longer adopted the turtle shell formation, they decided to use the more offensive bow and arrow formation.


    The large hall no longer looked like a place on planet earth. The black gleaming metal plates of the mechanical soldiers covered every corner of the hall, painting it in an extremely ominous and alien-like light.


    After creating a strong defense perimeter in the vault room that they raided, the technical soldiers in the group finally moved out under the protection of their comrades.


    They brought out their still functioning hacking devices, as they started work immediately. They directly started hacking the defense firewalls protecting the safe that stored their loot.


    Loud sounds of gunshots and explosions continued ringing in the background, impeding their concentration as they tried to focus on what they were doing.


    Till now, none of the fighting soldiers knew how they would get out of the military base after the battle for loot. They would decide that after the battle was over, and when they already got what they came for.


    ¡°Clark!!!¡± Captain Oxford suddenly called in a loud voice, as Clark acknowledged immediately by drawing nearer.


    ¡°Follow the plan that we discussed, we already secured the essential material that we came here for. Our mission is completed, but as I said, I don¡¯t want to settle for less¡±.


    ¡°Take half of the soldiers with you and join the other soldier groups in the contest for the research data. Take 80% of our remaining defense resources, the shields are all free for you to use¡±.


    ¡°You personally said that you could do this. Don¡¯t disappoint me, I have high hopes for you. If you can bring benefits from this side mission, I¡¯ll personally apply for a promotion for you¡±.


    After listening to the orders of his leader, Clark acknowledged the orders immediately as he took more than half of the soldiers with him. With his leader and Captain Jack here, he was sure that they could maintain this defensive perimeter.


    Captain Oxford was the perfect person originally to take on this side mission, but he was needed to secure their escape path. With him preserving his strength, they would have a higher chance of escaping if his speculations came to pass.


    Since he started his journey as a soldier, he was not one to remain idle. When they started discussions, preparing for how they would execute their looting mission, he volunteered to do more.


    His leader was already a 4th rank high-grade soldier, so he had room to be more flexible. He was not going to waste this advantage, he wanted to press deeper for more benefits.


    On seeing the large hall, he knew immediately that this was the exact hall he saw in his dream. But this did not discourage him, he would deal with any situation as it came. Despite his confidence, he was still cautious, he already made some contingency plans with Captain Oxford on how to save their lives.


    After taking the shields and resources that he wanted, he led the soldiers that he selected. He left through the short path that Captain Oxford and the other soldiers created for them.


    After the Spartan/Dawn alliance secured this room, the other group of soldiers directly gave up on it. The only things that they were to take notice of, were the horde of mechanical soldiers relentlessly emerging into the battlefield.


    With the new 2-form gun that Captain Oxford provided for him in his armor¡¯s back weapon hold, Clark marched out momentously with his soldiers.


    This time, he marched forward as the spearhead leading the soldiers. He was going melee; his spear was going to be his main weapon for this side mission. That was just the versatility of focusing on both extremes as a soldier.


    Boom!! His spear revolved rapidly in his hand, as the tide of mechanical soldiers fell back in droves following his advance. Sparks from damages and mechanical parts were the only things left in his wake, as he led the soldiers forward.


    His direction was the main vault area that the mysterious high-grade country was forging towards. Despite their overwhelming strength, the other soldier groups refused to let them monopolize this one.


    They all spared some soldiers to compete for this particular vault. From the mobilization and actions of the high-grade country, it was evident that this was the most valuable vault in the whole military base.


    Research purposes were the reason that this military base was built after all. Though Captain Oxford already secured their mission objective, they still wanted to take a bite from this huge pie.


    This was where the main battle was raging on, and if their speculations were right, the Nadan republic soldiers were most likely also here.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 138: the apocalypse military organization

    Captain Mark of the Diadem republic waved his dual swords ferociously, as the elite swordsman mechanical soldier facing him was blown away. His face was stern and tightened under his armor¡¯s coverage, as he alone fended off the strikes of the 2 elite mechanical soldiers facing him.


    Unlike the other country¡¯s soldiers that were still kind of fumbling in the dark, he knew a lot more about this research base.


    He was sure that if these people knew the original owners of this research base, they would most likely duck their heads under their legs in fear and run.


    This military research base was one of the hidden research bases of the Apocalypse military organization. As one of the big 5 powers, and being the one with the highest number of high-grade soldiers, their power was undeniable.


    As this was not their territory, they secretly kidnapped and indoctrinated workers from other places to serve as their researchers here.


    No matter how strong they were, they could only submit to the territory of the Seafarers alliance. They did not want to take the risk of sending their core researchers here, so that¡¯s why they resulted in kidnapping others from other places.


    Being the organization that created the first known exobeast, they were at the forefront in biological research about animals and high-grade soldiers.


    According to rumors, the number of their high-grade soldiers is easily twice as much as those of the other big 5 powers. As an organization that focused on biological research, there was no way that they would be restricted to just their territory.


    They always explored outside to find and experiment on different types of animals. Their fanatism for research went so deep that they already started spreading their tentacles outside earth, to get new species of animals on the other planets for research.


    After this base was discovered by the Seafarers alliance, they directly abandoned it. After seeing the unusual lenient way, the tyrants of the sea treated the matter, they secretly came back to rescue their indoctrinated researchers.


    Despite this, they left all their research data and experiment results behind, as taking them away was looking down on the leniency that the tyrants of the sea showed to them.


    The Nadan republic and the Diadem republic were the 2 high-grade countries that fought monetary-wise in the auction at the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance to get information about the military base.


    Unfortunately for General Mark, his country was outdone and the Nadan republic got the information. But surprisingly, after a month of inactivity, the Nadan republic suddenly started disseminating parts of the information through secret channels.


    They were surprised and happy, but at the same time cautious. To confirm the viability of the information, they invested in deep and elaborate investigation.


    After a week of intensive investigation, they finally confirmed the viability of the information, but they found something else.


    After the Nadan republic researched and went through the information they got in detail, they found that dozens of 3rd rank or higher high-grade soldiers were required to access the deep and important parts of the military research base.


    After a lot of brainstorming, they finally decided to release parts and pieces of the information. Their plan was to allow more soldiers to get access to the military base so that they could use them to access the main area of the research base.


    The main reason why they were determined to attack the military base, was not because of the Arcanite metal deposits nor even the research data. The Apocalypse military organization left one of their important experiment samples, that can accelerate the breakthrough of soldiers.


    This sample was their target. That¡¯s why they could allow other soldiers in, by tempting them with the Arcanite metal while they take the main price.


    Despite the Diadem republic getting a lot of information, they were still not able to get the exact location of this extremely valuable sample. That is why General Mark was ready to do anything to intercept the soldiers of the Nadan republic.


    They knew that the sample was in the location around this vault that he was currently at, but they did not know the exact place where it was hidden.


    After he entered the vault and not seeing the soldiers of the Nadan republic, he knew immediately that they were probably looking for the sample in another hidden compartment close to this place.


    He fought the 2 mechanical soldiers cautiously, as he tried his best to minimize the damages to his armor. He could destroy the 2 elite mechanical soldiers alone, but he wanted them to damage the pestering soldiers of the other groups behind him.


    Some of his soldiers were already entering different side compartments to loot the research data of the military base, but they were all preserving their strength and resources for the ultimate price.


    ¡­


    Whoosh!! Clang!! Clark impaled the last mechanical soldier blocking the path leading to his destination with his spear, before forging ahead to join in the looting of the research data of the base.


    He jumped and did a front flip, as his hand blurred, leaving afterimages behind.


    With his fearsome power, he directly cleared another path in the horde of mechanical soldiers in the large vault, as his implant diligently notified him of the situation of the battlefield.


    He finally ordered his soldiers to converge, so that they could form a battle formation. They formed the turtle shell formation, as they slowly advanced like an impenetrable fortress.


    They had to form a battle formation to cross this part, as the last unoccupied swordsman mechanical soldier was already wreaking havoc on the battlefield.


    As General Mark of the Diadem republic was already occupying 2 of them, the last one was left to them to take care of.


    Boom!! Boom!! Despite the looting already going on, the sound of gunshots continually reverberated in the vault, forming a cacophony of loud unpleasant sounds.


    As Clark drew closer to one of the side compartments of the vault where the research data were kept, another source of trouble finally came.


    It seems that the other soldiers also encountered this troublesome opponent on their journey here, as they all adjusted their battle formations in alarm.


    Some soldiers finally poked a hornet¡¯s nest, as 2 of the familiar tentacled alien-looking mechanical structure emerged as soon as some soldiers broke into a new side compartment of the vault.


    Clark immediately gave new orders as soon as he saw this nightmarish tentacled mechanical monster. He still vividly remembered that it was this same mechanical soldier that almost ended his life, from its terrible explosion.


    Hum!! The expected pulse quickly started, as the blue glow in their mechanical bloated form quickly erupted outwards in a spiral manner.


    The cannon fodder mechanical soldiers quickly gained more attack power, as they attacked more ferociously like drugged soldiers who no longer cared for their life.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The beams being shot out of their guns thickened further, as the high-grade soldiers finally started feeling the pressure from the horde of cannon fodder mechanical soldiers.


    Whoosh!! An unlucky soldier failed to adapt quickly to the increased strength of the elite swordsman mechanical soldier. With one fast and decisive swipe of its sword, the soldier¡¯s life was erased forever as his head got separated from his body.


    Boom!! Boom!! The swordsman mechanical soldiers'' increase in strength was more exaggerated, as they fought on a whole new level entirely. All the soldiers close to them suffered from the brunt of the damage, as 3 other soldiers died again from their fierce attacks.


    Despite the increase in strength that they received; General Mark was still able to firmly suppress the 2 swordsman mechanical soldiers that he fought, though with more effort.


    Seeing the death of 4 high-grade soldiers immediately after the tentacled mechanical soldiers arrived, some soldiers quickly developed fear against its methods as they tried to shoot at them.


    From this, it could be seen that not all these soldiers experienced these monster¡¯s second disaster form like the Spartan/Dawn alliance soldiers.


    On seeing the actions of these ignorant soldiers, the soldiers on the know quickly increased their efforts to enter the side compartments that they originally tried to enter.


    They did not see any need of warning the ignorant soldiers about the repercussions of their actions. Experience is the best teacher. And through this, they would have fewer competitors for the loot.


    Clark did not also say any word of warning, the only thing that overtook him was the urgency to enter the side compartment before him swiftly.


    He was no saint, this was war. They all came here to loot when they clearly knew that it would be dangerous. All other soldiers here were his enemies, him not warning them about impending danger was something natural.


    You don¡¯t tell your competitor ways to enable them to continue competing with you, instead, you do anything possible to topple their advance.


    He urged his soldiers to use their trump cards to move faster, while he brought out his 2-form gun. He left it in its machine gun configuration, as he started executing his battle art.


    Boom!! Bam!! Bam!! He rotated in place like an acrobatic athlete, as the muzzle of his gun spewed out different types of bullets rapidly.


    The rush of the mechanical soldiers around his group was stalled, as his bullets impeded their advance. His anti-gravity bullets swept across the mechanical soldiers, as they started floating uncontrollably in the air.


    His emp bullets directly disrupted their originally steady supply of energy, as his soldiers used this opportunity to bulldoze their way into the side compartment.


    The ignorant soldiers were surprised, as their counterparts rushed into the side compartments like they were seeking refuge from an imminent disaster.


    This move alarmed them, but they focused on finishing these 2 troublesome tentacled mechanical soldiers before they would also rush into the side compartments.


    After all his soldiers entered the side compartment close to them, General Mark also suddenly left the 2 elite swordsman mechanical soldiers as he sprinted away rapidly. His military boots pulsed with a blue glow, as his speed increased exponentially.


    This made the still firing soldiers more alarmed, as they also decided to enter the side compartments now. They made a sound decision, but it was too late.


    Boom!! Boom!! The 2 tentacled alien soldiers could no longer take the extremely concentrated firepower, as their bloated forms quickly bloated further before shrinking like an inflated balloon.


    The very foundation of this vault was shaken, as red-hot fire erupted out, covering everywhere in an instant. The side compartments lit up with blue shield glows, as the explosion was contained only to the main vault room.


    Clark finally landed on the other part of the side compartment, as he looked back at the vault while trying to stabilize his steps in the shaking and vibrating compartment.


    He felt a faint kind of pity for the soldiers that were just roasted to death miserably from the explosion. Knowledge was really power; ignorance was the factor that just killed so many high-grade soldiers.


    Though he felt pity, it was because of how miserable they died without knowing why and how. As the temporary leader of his assigned soldiers, he would not let pity affect his decisions.


    He ordered his soldiers to quickly form their battle formation again, as he stepped to the front to intercept any sudden danger. While doing this, they also took this opportunity to observe this compartment.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 139: 30 minutes countdown to annihilation

    As a side division compartment of this seemingly most important vault, its construction was just like the others. Though the compartment was dimly lit, they could still make out its structure.


    From how sturdy-looking the walls of the surprisingly large compartment looked, they knew that this was another wall made from reinforced Arcanite metal.


    From how large and well-designed this place looked; it was hard to believe that it was just a compartment of the main vault. It looked too luxurious to take it as just a storage compartment.


    Unlike the main vault that was in a metallic grey color, the walls of the compartment were painted in a bright white color. This brightened up the atmosphere a bit, reducing the tension in the air.


    After observing thoroughly, they were not able to see anything that indicated danger so they finally started moving forward. They moved steadily while keeping their alertness, as their eyes roamed around in circles to continuously confirm their temporary safety.


    What came as a relief to them was that despite its large size, what they came here for was directly placed in a conspicuous place for them at the center of the small compartment room.


    A large grey-colored electronic safe was placed in the middle of the room, confirming their speculation that this was one of the research data compartment storage.


    Following Clark¡¯s orders, they all formed the semi-turtle shell formation, as they escorted their best technical soldier closer to the safe. Despite their surroundings looking safe, he was not ready to take any chances.


    After getting close enough, the soldier swiftly went forward after he placed his military bag down. He went to work immediately, as he started bringing his work materials from his bag.


    Being one of the main safes keeping some of the most valuable data in the whole military research base, its security firewall was definitely top-notch. Everything about its virtual safety was well-tuned and in place.


    Originally, the Apocalypse military organization already decided not to use security measures of the big 5 standards, to prevent their kidnapped scientists from knowing or even guessing their identity.


    Despite the indoctrination procedures that the scientists went through after training them further, they did not tell them their real identity to avoid any variables or complications from emerging.


    If it became known to the world that one of the big 5 was secretly kidnapping scientists, the outcome would not be favorable to them. Public opinion was a very potent weapon, to help them maintain their rule.


    The only reason why the Spartan soldier could attempt cracking the firewall, was because it was not to the standards of the big 5.


    After testing the sturdiness of the security firewall with his equipment, his expression became grave as he quickly started explaining his discovery to Clark. He already expected this slightly, but confirming it still dampened his mood.


    From the results that his equipment gave him, despite the security firewall not being to the standards of the big 5, they were of the standard of super high-grade organizations like the Roman empire organization.


    There was no way that he could deceive the A. I and safely crack the firewall with his current knowledge and equipment, the only way was to use brute force. He was apprehensive, as he did not know if any means were employed against hackers who try to breach it through brute force.


    Despite his dilemma and hesitation, he listened to Clark¡¯s suggestion as time was not on their side.


    They did not know if their safety was temporary. Even if it was permanent, it was still wiser to start their actions early and finish before any new variable emerges.


    He quickly brought out his support hacking equipment, as he dived straight into the virtual world. His consciousness blurred, as he seemed to enter a world full of data.


    His brain worked in sync with his implant, as he started programming countermeasures to fight the safe¡¯s A. I on the spot. He could not deceive it, but he could definitely fight and cause it trouble.


    The soldiers remained alert, their breathing tense as they carefully surrounded the working soldier to protect him. Fresh sweat flowed out from their foreheads, as the old one got dried up, repeating like an avatar circle.


    Despite the tingling sensation from it, they stood rigidly to detect any complication at the fastest speed.


    After 5 minutes of intensive programming, the working soldier heaved a sigh of relief as he finally succeeded in dealing a huge blow to the A. I¡¯s virtual integrity.


    Before he could celebrate his success, he was startled as ominous robotic words started sounding out of the safe.


    [Ding!! Intruder detected¡­, Intruder forcefully erased the security firewall. Initiating critical countermeasures¡­, Critical countermeasures effective immediately. Hum!!]


    Before they could take in the words that came out of the safe carefully, a timer countdown from 30 minutes suddenly emerged on the walls of the compartment. They were shocked, as they quickly found out that it was a timer to a bomb blast.


    The demolition expert among them immediately came out to try if he could hamper with the countdown. After trying for a minute, he shook his head, indicating that this was above his league.


    Clark¡¯s face turned green on seeing this, as he thought of the implications of what just happened. If all the other compartments were like this one and the other soldiers could not also stop it, then this military base was going down in less than 30 minutes.


    The explosion from such an energetic exotic bomb as this one was not something that this base could survive.


    Clang!! Before he could think more critically, with a loud sound a hidden part of the compartment was suddenly opened.


    Horrified expressions overtook their faces, as they saw an exobeast slowly coming out of the just-opened cage.


    Grrr!! The Bengal tiger growled on leaving its cage, as it glared at the humans before it with malice. Scars from unimaginable experiments performed on it took the role of its strips, making it look more ferocious.


    The soldiers suddenly heaved a sigh of relief, when they felt the aura released by it after it fully emerged. Fortunately, this fierce-looking tiger was an exobeast with strength only equaling a 3rd rank high-grade soldier.


    Even though it was still stronger than them individually, with their combined strength, they could deal with it.


    ¡°Eliot, continue with your work. Just focus on it, I want that safe to be open in at most 8 minutes¡±. Clark quickly gave a new order, as he tightened his grip on his spear.


    Boom!! Dust billowed from its initial location fiercely, as the tiger finally picked up speed, sprinting at the humans before it.


    Its predatory eyes were red from rage, the only thought currently occupying its brain was how to more efficiently snap the heads of these puny but wicked creatures.


    Whoosh!! Clark¡¯s figure also blurred, as he sprinted from his position to meet this exobeast. Even if he was not a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, he had a lot of confidence in his current strength.


    Bam!! The dagger-like claws of the tiger finally collided with his spear, as the force made him feel like he just hit a mountain with his bare body.


    Despite the uncomfortable feeling from the huge force and the sudden change in speed, he tried to persevere as veins erupted all over his body. His legs dug into the metal floor, as he aimed at contending against this deadly predator strength for strength.


    He tried, but the exobeast was still stronger than him. It was already a miracle of his genius that he was able to endure for so long.


    His figure was finally thrown back, as he quickly adapted in mid-air. Before the tiger could regain sufficient momentum and charge at him, he did a backflip in mid-air before stabbing forward with his spear again.


    Ptui!! The tiger was not prepared, as it ran straight into the spear¡¯s path. It roared in pain, as its left eye was destroyed from the unexpected stab. The pain stimulated its killing instincts more, as its advance grew more reckless and deadly.


    ¡°Now!!¡± Clark already rolled back before this, as he immediately gave his soldiers the green light to join the battle.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Bullets impacted the thick hide of the exobeast, as half of the melee soldiers rushed out to help kill it. He already made his killing plan on the spot, after knowing the strength of the exobeast.


    With half of the melee soldiers helping him plus the ranged soldier¡¯s firepower, he could kill this Bengal tiger. He instructed the other melee soldiers to stay behind and protect the working technical soldier if the need arose.


    With the arrival of so much help, the fight became much easier and enjoyable for him.


    Bam!! Bam!! His figure moved swiftly like a phantom, as he dodged all the claw attacks and bites of the tiger while his spear repeatedly struck its thick hide.


    After receiving consecutive stabs and slashes, blood finally started flowing from its hide. The bullets of the ranged soldiers worsened its situation, as it became completely suppressed.


    It could only roar helplessly and angrily as its injuries grew further, while it only left glancing blows at its opponents¡¯ armors.


    Clang!! Clark reacted fast, as his spear parried a deadly strike from the tiger that was aimed at one of the 1st rank high-grade soldiers.


    Despite his quick interference, the soldier got terribly injured as his armor¡¯s energy was finally depleted. He coughed out blood, as he obeyed the instructions of his leader to fall back immediately.


    ¡­


    Clark slowly removed his blood-stained spear from the thick hide of the tiger, as it finally breathed its last under his strike.


    After a relatively short battle of only 5 minutes, the Bengal tiger exobeast finally died to his spear. Though the other soldiers helped, he dealt more than 60% of the damage it received.


    He paused with the other soldiers, as they tried to catch their breath. Though they succeeded in killing the exobeast without them suffering any casualties, it was still an extremely fierce battle.


    After 30 seconds of rest to stabilize their body metabolism, they finally turned back to face their soldier who was working on the safe.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Happy Easter to you all for giving time and coins to read my book, I really appreciate it. I wish you all a happy celebration.]

 Chapter 140: betrayal

    Sweat rolled down his face, tingling his fair skin as he worked, but Sergeant Eliot refused to wipe the sweat away. His body was completely tense from the expectations on his shoulders, as the soft but steady ticking sound of the bomb timer sounded in the now quiet compartment.


    Knowing that how fast he worked would influence the side mission that they were assigned, brought him loads of pure pressure that he could barely suppress.


    He felt like his body was present, but his soul was already in an alternate world. He succeeded in getting to a realm of concentration, that he had never been to before.


    Though he was confident that he could work his way around it, he was still extremely intimidated by how complicated the manual mechanical set-up of the safe was. Compared to the ones he had worked on before; the difference was miles apart.


    Throughout his years as a soldier, he already worked on and successfully opened dozens of safes. But this one was undoubtedly the most complicated one that he had ever encountered.


    He knew that if he could leave here alive, his gains from this experience would be enormous. But would he survive? This was the big question that was plaguing him and bringing him more pressure.


    He tried to keep his breathing steady, as he used his electronic picking stick to work the internals of the safe carefully. He could already feel faint aches, all over his neck and body.


    His hands felt so sweaty and stiff, as the stethoscope transmitted the mechanical moving sounds of the safe¡¯s internals to his hearing. His eyes were closed and he was completely focused, as he listened carefully and attentively.


    Click!! His figure slumped down on hearing this, as he finally heaved a sigh of relief. After what seemed like an eternity to him, he finally heard the sound that he was looking for.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Clark asked cautiously in a probing tone, as he looked at the weary look of his subordinate.


    ¡°It¡¯s done sir. The safe is now open, you can now access it¡±. He finally recollected himself, as he answered immediately with a smile of triumph on his face.


    ¡°Good¡±. Clark smiled, as he directly moved forward to unlock the safe. Time was not on their side anymore, they were currently treading on a path of no return filled with thorns.


    Everything was without complications, as the door to the safe opened without any fuss. With another click sound, it finally revealed the contents that were stored in it.


    On seeing the research books and documents stored inside, his face could not help but bloom into a wide smile. He was sincerely happy, but this was not the time to celebrate as a time bomb was ticking away above their heads.


    He asked for the special storage device that they brought, which was handed to him immediately. After inputting the required code, he opened it and stored everything that was on the safe into the storage device, before he ordered their retreat.


    All the soldiers were happy and they felt fulfilled, their faces were all filled with smiles as their achievement was worth celebrating over.


    They already finished their original mission; they now got an extra mission and also secured its success. They walked back confidently like victorious soldiers from war.


    [Ding!! Hostile intentions detected from Master¡¯s allies¡­, Initiating deep detection procedures.]


    [Ding!! Warning alert¡­, Imminent attack on¡­]


    His implant did not even finish its warning before he felt the strong killing intent from his side, being directed at him. His subconscious sent him deep danger signals, alerting him immediately.


    His body reflexively reacted even before his brain could completely analyze the situation in detail, as he immediately ducked and rolled forward.


    Whoosh!! The vicious stab of his ally¡¯s sword narrowly missed him, as he quickly turned to observe and get a better understanding of what exactly happened.


    He was fast, but his opponent was still on the move, so he was faster. He was not given the chance to calmly observe, as he saw what was about to happen. The same soldier who stabbed at him was aiming at Sergeant Brody, after failing to take him down.


    He knew that if that strike was to connect without any interruption or intervention, he would lose this veteran soldier of the Spartan republic.


    Almost all the soldier¡¯s armor¡¯s energy reserves were already depleted, this strike could completely finish the remaining reserves and kill Sergeant Brody immediately.


    Despite his small beef with this Sergeant, he was still a loyal and extremely capable soldier of the Spartan republic. He would not allow him to die such a miserable death from their own ally¡¯s hand.


    His body burst forth with strength as his figure blurred, rushing forward to Sergeant Brody¡¯s side speedily. He was fast, but the sword already connected and stabbed the Sergeant¡¯s armor.


    He used his forward momentum to push the Sergeant¡¯s body forward, as he narrowly avoided being cut in two.


    Before the nearby Spartan soldiers could react, the Dawn Sergeant already took hold of the free-falling storage device. After getting what he wanted, he made a hand sign as his fellow Dawn ranged soldiers immediately unleashed hell on their Spartan counterparts.


    This was when the Spartan soldiers finally understood what was happening, as they hastily took cover by jumping to the side. They reacted fast after understanding the situation, but their armors were now too vulnerable.


    Blood sprinkled down from their diving figures, as the Dawn soldiers used this opportunity to sprint for the door.


    They knew that with an outrageously strong soldier like Clark here, they would not win if they stayed to fight a battle. But they did not have to fight, they already got what they wanted.


    The soldier who planned and initiated the attack was the 2nd in command of the Dawn fleet.


    Since the mission started, he was already annoyed by how the Spartan Captain was allowed to lead them. But he persevered, as Captain Jack reassured him that they would get the last laugh in the end.


    He was originally ready to endure this, but his mind changed when his Captain decided to stop all the plans they initially made. After Captain Oxford broke through, his Captain immediately became cowardly as he directly canceled all their plans.


    Being his leader, he could not directly refuse his Captain¡¯s orders. But he was already planning something else himself, he was fed up, he no longer had hope in his superior.


    When the Spartan Captain separated the group, he finally started having hopes that his plan would work. In the end, he gathered the courage to implement his plan and it succeeded.


    Clark finally rose up after the Dawn soldiers escaped, his face was completely twisted from rage as he looked at the bloody gash in the ribs of Sergeant Brody. Without his intervention, this soldier would have been directly split in two.


    Seeing his other injured fellow Spartans made him angrier, as he clenched his fists to calm his mood.


    He was originally suspecting the Dawn soldiers, but this suspicion stopped when his Captain broke through to become a 4th rank high-grade soldier.


    He thought this intimidation factor would be enough, but it seems he was too naive.


    His current hot-blooded mood was pushing him to go after the Dawn soldiers alone, but he forced his impulse back.


    If he left his injured soldiers behind, they would likely not survive alone. And if he fought against the Dawn soldiers, he would necessarily not emerge as the winner.


    After thinking of all these, he forcefully calmed his fluctuating emotions, as he calmly ordered his uninjured soldiers to administer first aid treatment to the injured.


    Despite the Spartan soldier¡¯s fury, they all calmed down as they listened to the orders of their leader. They all knew that their being allies for this mission did not grant them trust in each other.


    Being allies under the European alliance did not mean that they should leave their interests, and fulfill that of their ally countries. The European alliance only enforces the ally rule, when there is a threat to its existence. So, this betrayal was not entirely unexpected.


    Clark went to the corner, as he brought out the special communication device that Captain Oxford gave him. He was suspecting that this ambitious Dawn soldier made this decision without asking his Captain for approval.


    He did not doubt his implant¡¯s decision, as it notified him yesterday of how terrified and resigned Captain Jack was after seeing the breakthrough of his Captain. Well, he no longer cared.


    ¡°If your subordinate betrays us behind your back and escapes, then you have to take the punishment on his behalf¡±. With this reasoning, he contacted Captain Oxford and swiftly sent a message of what happened here to him.


    Though the loss of his hard work pained him, he was confident that Captain Oxford would wrath vengeance on his behalf.


    After sending the message, he toyed with the communication device a bit before going back to regroup his soldiers.


    They had no time, they had to leave the military research base now. The bomb timer was set to go off in less than 20 minutes. He already informed Captain Oxford about the bomb countdown, so all he had to do was regroup with them.


    ¡­


    The Spartan/Dawn allied soldiers under the lead of Captain Oxford rested at the side, as they calmly waited for the return of their soldiers.


    After a lot of fighting and fumbling around, they were finally able to find a hidden compartment where the horde of mechanical soldiers could not access.


    At this moment, Captain Jack had an anxious expression on his face as he fidgeted nervously.


    His subordinate just sent the message to him about what happened, which left his back soaked with cold sweat. This was an unexpected bomb that just dropped down from the sky to him.


    Like Clark predicted, he had no hand in what just happened. He was ready to follow the Spartan soldiers till the end of this mission, he did not expect such a reckless decision from his subordinates.


    He was currently in a dilemma. Should he just support his subordinates and betray the Spartans, or should he apologize? Would they even believe and forgive him?


    As he was thinking, Captain Oxford suddenly stood up with an expression of rage on his face as he turned to face him. All the Spartan soldiers also received the message, as they stood up with twisted expressions of anger on their faces.


    On seeing this, Captain Jack immediately knew that he was screwed as these people probably already knew. As he thought of how to escape, the enraged Captain Oxford finally spoke.


    His deep vocal cords spread the sound, as his loud voice echoed around word by word.


    ¡°Jack! What! Have! You! Done!!?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 141: the battle of warship begins

    Captain Jack responded swiftly as he decisively ordered his subordinates to escape, there was no longer any explanation to make.


    On seeing the furious expression on the Spartan Captain¡¯s face, he knew that explaining would not result in anything good.


    The soldiers who just defected were his soldiers, there was no evidence to indicate that they took the decision themselves and that he was innocent. After considering all the pros and cons, escaping immediately was the best verdict that he could reach.


    Boom!! Before he could fully take any action to retreat, the large sword of Captain Oxford already came to meet his chest. His armor¡¯s energy barely held, as his figure was blown back with a loud sound of impact.


    He was even more horrified from this, as he did not know when the Spartan Captain moved. Despite the muddle-headed feeling trying to overwhelm his consciousness, he persevered and picked himself up.


    ¡°Run!!¡± He yelled at his soldiers, as he took the backward momentum as an opportunity to dash for the door. From this one attack, he directly lost any foolish courage to resist, only escape was now in his mind.


    Captain Oxford¡¯s face was twisted from anger, as he rushed forward to demolish the escaping Dawn soldiers. He was right after all; the Dawn soldiers were not to be trusted.


    The Spartan military creed stated that a betrayal in war was treated as offense number 10 in the Spartan military constitution. The republic hated being betrayed the most, it was an unforgivable crime.


    The Dawn soldiers knew this, and they still did it when they knew that his side was superior in this military research base. If they are courting death, he would gladly give it to them in a way they never expected.


    He quickly gave another command through his communicator, as he continued his pursuit at the escaping Dawn soldiers.


    His sword wreaked havoc tyrannically in the escaping formation of Dawn high-grade soldiers, as two 1st rank high-grade soldiers died to it immediately.


    A third death quickly followed as the Spartan ranged soldiers behind him finished what he began by shooting the nearest Dawn soldier whose armor¡¯s energy reserves got depleted.


    Boom!! The large reinforced door was finally breached, as Captain Jack¡¯s sword, empowered by its force field forcefully hacked it in two.


    He got more shocked and horrified, as he watched 3 of his soldiers get killed in an instant.


    Such strength made him afraid, but it also triggered his escape instincts fiercely. This made him resentful and regretful, as he secretly cursed his soldiers who started the betrayal.


    Despite his resentment, it did not stop his escape maneuvers as he dashed into the unmoving hordes of mechanical soldiers. He moved like a phantom thief, weaving around the storage room swiftly.


    Only his soldiers that could keep up with him, were able to receive a modest form of protection from him. The others were all on their own, this was a personal race of survival.


    [Ding!! Intruders detected again¡­, resuming cleansing plan.]


    As soon as his figure crashed into the motionless sea of mechanical soldiers, their A.I¡¯s discovered him immediately as they all started battle again.


    The area quickly became chaotic again, as gunshots, energy beams, and flying attacks of melee mechanical soldiers filled every corner of the room again.


    Captain Jack knew that his soldiers would suffer more from this, but this was the only way he could think of to escape the raging Spartan Captain¡¯s pursuit.


    Boom!! As they escaped, Captain Oxford¡¯s figure finally jumped from the room where they previously hid like the launch of a rocket.


    He landed in the midst of the mechanical soldiers like an old monster of war, as all the machines in his surrounding got blown away from his landing momentum and the shockwave.


    His soldiers stayed back, as he alone rushed into the formation of mechanical soldiers in pursuit of the Dawn soldiers.


    The mechanical soldiers were more lethal to the soldiers now that their armor¡¯s energy reserves were almost depleted.


    He told his soldiers to wait back and form a defensive perimeter to protect themselves, he was the only one qualified to wreak havoc on such a chaotic battlefield.


    Today, he would reinforce the notion into these Dawn soldier¡¯s brains that Sparta could not be betrayed, nor could its dignity be put aside. It''s either you¡¯re an enemy or a friend. A betraying friend was definitely not allowed.


    ¡­


    In the originally large and calm Mediterranean Sea full of artificial green peninsulas, undercurrents finally started steering again as the calm facade was gradually being torn off.


    The fleet of ships, still waiting on the sea already received status notifications from their soldiers who went down to the military research base. This was something that they all already secretly agreed on.


    But not all of them received notifications though, as unlike the Spartan/Dawn alliance soldiers and most of the other groups, some of the group of soldiers who entered the military base were unable to cross the peripheral section of the base.


    The sudden appearance of the swordsman mechanical soldiers was a nightmare to some soldiers, as they were nearly annihilated from its fierce attack power and cuckolding defense.


    Though they were able to narrowly survive. On reaching the next room, the appearance of the exobeast being experimented on there completely destroyed all their hopes.


    These unfortunate fleets, unlike their high and middle-grade counterparts, belonged to countries with low-grade military power, which was a disadvantage from the beginning.


    They were not much though, as almost all the fleets that came for this expedition were from countries with middle-grade military strength like the Spartan republic. But this was on paper, not all of them were as strong as the Spartan republic.


    There is a difference between the middle-grade countries and organizations, both in terms of the quality of high-grade soldiers and resources.


    These few middle-grade country¡¯s soldiers that met their unfortunate end in the military base, were the weakest among the middle-grade countries.


    Though it seemed like their complete annihilation only affected them, this was wrong as each of them that was annihilated indirectly affected 4 other groups of soldiers. The convergence room was the problem that was restraining these soldiers now.


    They could not leave without the 5th appearance of a 3rd rank or higher high-grade soldier, which was complete torture to them.


    After trying for so long without many positive results, they finally decided to break the temporary peace orders of the General who acted as their default leader.


    They sent messages to their fleets above for reinforcements, as they were sure that the other soldiers already started looting while they were still trapped there.


    The fleets above had nothing to consider before obeying the new orders, the soldiers down below were the real leaders of the fleets after all.


    They quickly obeyed the orders of their leaders, as they sent hundreds of soldiers to go below the sea as reinforcement. This move did not escape the sight of the other fleets, as commotion quickly started.


    ¡°What?? You¡¯re already cheating, then let¡¯s cheat together¡±. Using this ideology, most of the fleets also sent reinforcement into the sea to help their leaders.


    Chaos and instability quickly took over this rarely calm sea again.


    The only exception to this move was the Spartan and Dawn fleet. The communication Captain Oxford previously made was to contact his soldiers above the sea.


    Though they also sent down reinforcement like the other fleets, they also prepared for war after the news of the betrayal reached them.


    The delicate calm was finally broken, as the Spartan ships separated themselves from their Dawn counterparts. All their weapons started warming up, as a surface battle started brewing.


    Boom!! The Spartan main ship started the battle, as an enormous blueish red beam erupted out of its main cannon. The advance of the beam sounded like thunder, as it impacted the shield of the Dawn main ship¡¯s shield.


    Boom!! Boom!! The Dawn battleships also retaliated, as thick bright beams crisscrossed, painting the sea surface in bright white lights like the descent of a thunder and lightning formation.


    Bright red and white sparks erupted from the friction and fierceness of this sudden battle, as the sea became unstable again.


    The seawater waves started growing momentum from the sudden large impacts from battle. Lightning seemed to flash continuously at this moment, darkening the sky a bit, as the other fleets were also roused from this battle.


    They did not know why these 2 fleets suddenly started battling, but it undoubtedly affected them. It seemed like a war cry was sounded across the sea surface, as the other fleets joined in the battle.


    Boom!! Boom!! The main cannons of their ships erupted fire, as their thick energy beams impacted the armor of their unprepared close counterparts.


    A battle of warships was not the same as that between high-grade soldiers, this was a different level of battle entirely.


    The originally carefree crew of the ships became cramped with work, as they worked rapidly to enable the optimum level performance of their ships at this crucial moment.


    Betrayal was the small fuse that switched on all these ships to battle mode. But no one deemed it necessary to know the truth, they no longer cared as every ship tried everything in their capacity to take down the nearest unknown ship.


    All the sea creatures in this region escaped in search of refuge, as they all knew that an earth-shaking battle was about to take place here.


    ¡­


    After Clark received information from his Captain, he hurriedly mobilized his soldiers despite most of them being exhausted and injured from the previous battles.


    They had only 10 minutes before this military research base gets blown to kingdom come. All the soldiers motivated themselves at the sight of death, as they all hurried out of the room with their leader.


    Clark¡¯s face was focused, as he tightened his grip on his spear. The main reason why they were rushing out was because of the bomb, but he had a side objective which was to hunt down the Dawn soldiers who betrayed them.


    Though his chances of meeting the Dawn soldiers again were extremely low, he would still try his luck. His implant reported any important notification to him, as he sternly led his soldiers out of the room.


    The battle of loot was finally over, now it was time for the most important battle of escape.


    Some soldiers were not able to get their objectives, so they would definitely try to stir up trouble for the victors who got the loot.


    Escaping was not going to be easy.


    Today, this military base would be the burial ground of dozens of high-grade soldiers. Only the fast, prepared, and quick-witted ones would be able to escape.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 142: carving an escape path

    Bam!! The door leading to the small side compartment was burst open, as Clark rushed out with his soldiers. Despite the impediment from exhaustion, they moved neatly in formation.


    They quickly arrived back in the burnt main storage room. The explosion from the 2 support tentacled mechanical soldiers wiped the room of all its former grace and beauty.


    Everything was wiped out, even the remains of the soldiers who died to it were not left behind. The walls and floor of the room were now just a burnt grey and black metallic structure, with small but noticeable tints of red.


    Boom!! Boom!! This was the little that they could get from slightly observing it, as they were not given the luxury to observe it further. A large battle between the surviving soldiers and the mechanical soldiers was already raging on, as everyone tried their different means to escape.


    Though the fierce eruption of fire from the explosion vaporized all the initial mechanical soldiers, the mechanical soldier stores of this military base were basically endless.


    Other mechanical soldiers quickly replaced their melted and vaporized counterparts, as they searched around for the intruders.


    Because of this vigilance, the battle started again immediately as soon as the first soldier group returned from the compartment that they raided.


    No one wanted to stay behind, as this military research base was destined to be buried as mere fragments below the sea in the next dozen minutes.


    As the soldiers fought, what actually shocked them was that the soldiers from the Nadan republic were still not in sight.


    ¡°Did those guys really come here, or they actually never came? Or did they escape from the room already?¡± Different speculations filled their minds, as they tried to guess the thought process of these pioneers.


    Due to their energy reserves being almost depleted, the fighting soldiers tried to hold back and save more energy. The Spartan soldier group also faced this problem, as they fought in an unconventional way to save energy.


    Sergeant Brody and the other injured were placed in the middle of the formation to protect them, as they slowly forged their escape path forward.


    Clark became the only pro-active soldier actively fighting from the Spartan ranks, as all the others formed their turtle shell formation again to protect themselves.


    He was able to act so pro-actively because, unlike the others, he had a gadget that he had not touched nor drawn much energy from since the battle started.


    His military multi-purpose boots were equipment that was created according to the standards of the big 5, he was finally going to exploit this advantage.


    Whirr!! With sounds like those of a helicopter starting up, his military boots shone with a bright blue glow as he finally activated them for the first time.


    Whoosh!! His figure blurred, as he charged directly into the hordes of mechanical soldiers. As he charged forward, he suddenly jumped forward and aimed his boots at the machines facing him.


    With a soft pulse being released from the boot, an emp field erupted as all the mechanical soldiers before him received different degrees of malfunctions. Their movements became stiff from the abrupt stopping of their operating systems, which he eagerly took advantage of.


    With another soft humming sound, a pair of rotating saws emerged from the edges of his boots, granting him a new offensive option.


    He immediately jumped and displaced himself upside down. Following that, his legs revolved around crazily as he used a whirlwind roundhouse kick to propel his legs to all the motionless mechanical soldiers.


    Loud and unpleasant metallic ringing sounds reverberated, as all the mechanical soldiers within a 2-meter radius around him lost their heads. Sparks followed shortly after, as their systems directly shut down immediately.


    After this short but effective maneuver, he finally got ready to complement his advance with his sword. His sword became his side weapon, as he reaped the life out of every mechanical soldier before him.


    After releasing another of the emp pulse wave to disrupt the operating systems of the mechanical soldiers, he finally gave a new order to his soldiers.


    They acknowledged immediately, as the few melee ones with their armor still intact rushed out to help in his attack. The ranged soldiers also finally cocked their guns, as bullet after bullet flew out of their muzzles amid rapid sparks and friction explosions.


    After quickly stabilizing their escape momentum, he finally activated another effect of his military boots.


    With quick and rapid movements, he swiftly landed back on the floor after performing a backflip before his boots took over.


    Whoosh!! The boots emitted faint blue gas like the propel gas of a rocket, as his figure flashed around their short battlefield. On their battlefield, he became the ruler as his movements became unhindered despite the mechanical soldier¡¯s huge numbers.


    He didn¡¯t have to exert effort again, as he slid about on the boots swiftly like a gold medalist skater. He finally brought out his 2-form gun again, as he expertly kept his spear on his armor¡¯s weapons hold.


    The bullet encyclopedia displayed its power here again, as he directly started executing his battle art.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The muzzle of his gun erupted flames out, as bullets were released from it like falling, pitty pattering rain. The gun repeatedly made clicking and cocking sounds forming a cacophony of different caliber bullets, as he expertly rotated between his stash of bullets.


    Through this extremely practical battle art, a clear path outside the storage room finally appeared. His stun bullets, anti-gravity bullets, and air compressed bullets directly changed the situation of the battlefield.


    He just added his other bullets as complimentary materials, to hold a firm grasp over the direction of the battlefield. He was now king.


    As there was no longer any elite swordsman mechanical soldier or the tentacled support machine, his battle art worked wonders, enabling his soldiers to stably push forward to the door.


    The soldiers took full advantage of their leader¡¯s outrageous performance, as they cleanly ripped the lives of the mechanical soldiers that were now disorganized.


    Some floated freely in the air under the effect of the anti-gravity bullets, others emitted electrical sparks and froze as the stun bullets impacted their metallic frames.


    The emp bullets were the real terror of the mechanical soldiers, as their A. I¡¯s repeatedly malfunctioned after they came into contact with them. Despite already devising counter-measures, the A. I¡¯s could not change the situation.


    They could not take more drastic measures also, as the storage room was completely cramped up with their fellow mechanical soldiers.


    ¡­


    In another corner of the main storage room, General Mark led his soldiers as they momentously stormed out of the storage room.


    With him around, his soldiers were not pressured as they destroyed their way steadily out of this horde of mechanical soldiers.


    They advanced like a fierce beast stampede, leaving only mechanical parts and metallic debris in their wake. Their advance was unstoppable, as the mechanical soldiers could only act as mosquitos relentlessly sticking to them.


    ¡­


    On other locations of the main storage room, the other soldier groups fought ferociously as they desperately tried to escape from this doomed military base.


    Despite their determination and perseverance, the situations of some of them were already crossing the safety boundary. In the end, they did not have a 4th rank high-grade soldier leading them or an outrageously strong 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    Only the ones whose Captain led here directly were able to cope, as they steadily advanced like the Spartan soldiers.


    After a minute of frenzied escape, casualties finally started appearing on the battlefield. It was only a matter of time, as the horde of mechanical soldiers was simply too enormous to just safely pass through.


    As the pressure from the mechanical soldiers increased, so did the desperation to survive increase as some soldiers finally started disobeying the orders of their superiors.


    It was now each man for himself. Fight for your survival first, then apologize and receive punishment later. With this ideology, the battlefield became more chaotic.


    Clang!! As they fought, with a loud sound an underground passage suddenly opened in the middle of the storage room. The soldiers were startled from this unexpected occurrence, as they all hastily tried to distance themselves from that area.


    After seeing what came out clearly, they were dumbfounded. They were shocked, as a well-armed and organized battalion of soldiers emerged from the underground passage with a new batch of mechanical soldiers pursuing them.


    The soldiers were not foolish. Seeing this, they immediately connected these new soldiers to the elusive Nadan republic.


    ¡°So you finally came out of your hiding hole,¡± with this thought, they all directed a small part of their energy to attack this new variable.


    What easily influenced this decision, was the sight of the small metallic cage being tightly protected by the Nadan soldiers. They did not know what was there, but what they knew was that these people got the best loot in the military research base.


    The General of the secret high-grade country, being the Diadem republic, led the sabotage, as his soldiers directed some special attention at the Nadan republic soldiers.


    The Nadan republic soldiers finally showed why they were the original owners of the information.


    They came prepared, showing how much effort they put into this operation. A General led their escape, as their neat and organized force nullified all the attacks of their greedy opponents.


    The number of soldiers that they brought was not limited like the others. This advantage let them firmly control the direction of the battle.


    Despite the other soldiers attacking the Nadan soldiers, they did it in a tactical way as they also slowly drew closer to the door leading outside to the main hall of the base.


    After a great battle where all the groups exhausted almost all their resources, they finally came out of the storage room, back into the main hall.


    On reaching here, the battle here was even more ferocious, as fire and explosion already took over half of the large hall. Despite this, no one cared as they tried to converge back to their forces and find the escape path.


    As the soldiers tried to hinder the Nadan soldiers while also trying to escape, another change finally came into the battlefield. Today was just full of changes to the soldiers.


    ROAR!! A deep predatory roar suddenly reverberated from deep below the surface of the military base. It sounded more like a loud growl, as following this roar was a huge and fierce vibration spreading across the large hall.


    The roar echoed, while the sound of barriers breaking also sounded out as the hall shook fiercely from the sound of impacts below.


    The soldiers were horrified and shocked by the loud roar, as they all felt their spirits shake in fear. Even the few 4th rank high-grade soldiers in the military base shook in fear, as they warily glanced around the large hall with horror on their faces.


    ¡°Which terror is it this time?¡± Everyone held their breath, as this phrase went through their minds in tacit understanding.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 143: drakonous the primordial one

    Boom!! Boom!! The vibration of obstacles being bulldozed over kept echoing, transmitting to the whole military base as the sound got nearer and nearer. The atmosphere in the hall became suffocating, as gulps involuntarily escaped out of the soldier''s throats.


    The dangerous sounds echoing around them frightened the hell out of them, but they were not allowed to think further as the one responsible for this huge commotion finally emerged.


    Roar!! With another deep roar, followed by a loud boom sound, a large and dangerous-looking animal head finally broke through the Arcanite floor casing of the hall like it was just paper.


    The sight of this alone took the soldiers'' fragile hearts away, this was Arcanite metal, not wood. Their brains were fuzzy from the shock, as they tried to make out the shape of this extremely huge exobeast.


    With large enormous wings like that of a dragon, this mighty exobeast finally landed gracefully on the main hall before directing its gaze at the puny humans before it. Its mighty presence pressed against the soldiers like a mountain, increasing the pressure that they felt.


    Though its emergence was powerful, graceful, and epic, its real appearance was the exact opposite. It spread out its large wings proudly, as the humans finally saw its complete appearance.


    If just looked out casually at a first glance, you would think that this was the animal version of Dr. Frankenstein¡¯s monster. Different parts of its enormous body were deformed, making it look like an animal horror of mangled flesh.


    Its head was like that of a lizard with a draconic bloodline, like those in fictional novels. Its main teeth were as long as daggers, as they shone and glinted with a dangerous light after it opened its frightening mouth to roar.


    Its large claws were roughly contoured in different shapes, forming a chaotic mess of destruction. Their sharp edges gleamed coldly, as they seem to have a consciousness of their own.


    Its thick skin, being the largest part of its body was like the skin of a thousand-year-old crocodile. Despite just using it to breach the armored Arcanite metal floor, it felt like it was just an itch to it.


    Scales filled its skin, as they glinted dangerously under the glare of the lighting of the hall. From these short details alone, it was clear that this was an animal with cockroach-like vitality.


    Despite looking just like a Frankenstein mangled piece of flesh, the boundless strength overflowing in the body of this enormous animal could not be denied. All the soldiers felt pressure like never before, as this exobeast exuded the aura of a 5th rank high-grade soldier.


    Despite all these discoveries from observing its appearance, the soldiers could not move as they froze in shock.


    Recognition showed in all their faces despite their ranks or status, as they stared blankly at this familiar figure. This did not last though, as pure terror quickly replaced it.


    "Drakonous. One of the primordial ones?" This thought emerged in all their minds, as they despaired completely.


    They recognized this Frankenstein like exobeast, as it was one of the first 5 exobeasts that humanity bred. All the first 5 exobeasts are collectively referred to as the primordial ones.


    Every soldier who passed through the learning years knew this basic knowledge, as these were what led to the breakthrough phenomenon among humans.


    Of the 5 primordial ones, the big 5 only had the weakest 2 in custody, the others escaped immediately after becoming exobeasts. Though they all had the strength of 5th rank high-grade soldiers, the exact power output between them still varied.


    If their knowledge was correct, this monster before them, Drakonous, was the strongest and deadliest between the 3 escaped monster trio.


    Sometimes, knowing something was worse than being ignorant. Knowing the power and terror of this exobeast, all the soldiers were prettified from fear as their brains directly short-circuited.


    Roar!! It finally let out another deep guttural roar after stabilizing itself, as its gaze stared straight at the small metal cage in the custody of the Nadan republic soldiers.


    Boom!! Before the Nadan soldiers could swallow their saliva on noticing this, with a flap of its wings, it appeared before them instantly like a phantom demon.


    "Leave the cage and escape, immediately!!" The Nadan General finally snapped out of his daze, as he ordered with a loud voice while scrambling away for his life.


    He was fast, but his subordinates were not lucky to be so fast, as 5 of them immediately became snacks for this Frankenstein terror.


    "Run!!!" Commotion started instantly from seeing this, as all the soldiers in the hall turned tail immediately to escape. This was pure terror.


    "What?? Fight an exobeast with 5th rank strength, and not just an ordinary one, Drakonous? You are mad, escape is our main focus forever". With this thought process, all the soldiers escaped crazily to different directions like a swarm of locusts.


    After getting what it came for, an intelligent sneer emerged in the exobeast¡¯s fearsome face, as it destroyed the small metal cage with one swipe of its sharp claws.


    The fragile contents in it were destroyed immediately while its target was finally exposed, as thick dark red blood like congealed oil poured down from the destroyed cage.


    Its eyes showed excitement and slight relief on seeing this, as its large tongue licked it up immediately. This was a sample of its blood, that was drawn from it decades ago before it escaped.


    It never knew that it would get to retrieve this back, its whole essence was packed in this. This was a blood sample that contained a part of it, and all its DNA.


    It was originally in deep slumber, thousands of kilometers below the sea surface. But this extremely familiar smell and presence of its blood aroused it from its deep slumber.


    Roar!! It roared again satisfied after getting its long-lost blood essence, before turning again to face this puny species that dared to capture and perform inhuman experiments on it. It still vividly remembered how it was slowly dissected and experimented on.


    Whoosh!! Its figure finally moved from its position with the same jet-like speed again, as it soured up into the air to get a better view of its prey.


    Boom!! Boom!! It finally started raining down destruction, as havoc was wreaked all around the hall through its extremely long teeth and claws.


    In just a short 10 seconds, blood, body parts, and mechanical parts started lying about like abandoned goods as it spread its terror to all corners of the battlefield.


    At the moment that it appeared, its extreme pressurizing aura also affected the mechanical soldier''s operation. They only adapted and started fighting again now, but they were no longer the top side of this battlefield.


    Seeing dozens of high-grade soldiers die in seconds, the escaping soldiers despaired as they started directing attention back at it to retaliate. If they continued like this without retaliating, they would likely be wiped out of the surface of the earth.


    What made them madder and more desperate, was that they did not plan for an escape route when they came into the military research base. They regretted their greediness, as their comrades died every second to the talons of this mad exobeast.


    The hole that the exobeast created in the middle of the hall was supposed to be an escape route, but the speed at which water rushed out from it into the hall would not allow them to pass safely.


    In less than a minute, explosions and seawater covered a significant portion of the large hall, making their situation look less optimistic. If they get submerged in water, their survival would require more effort then.


    After what seemed like an eternity, their reinforcement finally arrived, as the new soldiers rushed into the base through the hole with the flowing water.


    Following the tide in, was far easier than going against it outwards.


    They all rushed in with high spirits and vigor, but shock filled their hearts the next second as blood, water, and fire greeted their sights.


    The sight of the high and mighty high-grade soldiers dying like chickens scared the hell out of them, as they held their breath foolishly.


    They wanted to repeatedly confirm that this was not a dream, but they were not given the luxury to stay secured as the flames of the battle quickly submerged them also.


    Chaos spread everywhere, as the superior soldiers no longer recognized their subordinates. All the soldiers only had the one thought of escaping safely, it was now every man for himself.


    As high-grade soldiers, they would have never believed, not even in their dreams that they would be so easily slaughtered in a mission that they thought would be a workover.


    Drakonous, as an intelligent exobeast clearly recognized the most important and strongest humans on the battlefield. Because of this, the 4th rank high-grade soldiers that were supposed to be the safest were now the ones facing the most danger.


    The neat battle formation of the Nadan republic was already in chaos, as they already lost more than 40 soldiers in this short minute which was a horrifying figure. These were not just soldiers, but high-grade soldiers.


    Captain Oxford, Captain Mark, and the Nadan Captain struggled futilely, as the exobeast started giving them special attention. They were furious, but in here, Drakonous was the judge and at the same time the executioner.


    Despite being such strong powerhouses, they could only retreat hastily like rats being chased by a house cat.


    Captain Oxford felt it worse, he became a 4th rank high-grade soldier for only 2 days now. Would he just die such a miserable death? Was his luck so bad?


    As their Captain was already in such a dangerous situation, Clark became the temporary leader of the Spartan soldiers as he led them steadily to the hole where water gushed out from rapidly.


    He did not know if he should feel lucky that he was not among the strongest soldiers in the military base. Because of his seemingly low strength, he received less attention, so he was free to do more.


    No matter how and why it happened, he didn''t care, he was just happy. He could only pray for his Captain''s safety while planning to reap more benefits from such a chaotic battlefield.


    That was his nature. Run when you receive special attention from enemies but cannot resist, but when you are ignored, loot to your heart''s content.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 144: 1 minute countdown to destruction

    All the soldiers tried their best to move faster to the hole, taking advantage of their temporary respite as the 3 Generals now took the brunt of the damage and attention.


    Though strength was, without doubt, good, some soldiers were already thanking their lucky stars for not being Generals. If that was the attention received by such powerful soldiers, then they were content with their own strength.


    They always envied the strength wielded by 4th rank high-grade soldiers, but it was today that they learned the important lesson of contentment, proving that no condition was insignificant in the world.


    It¡¯s just that life is in phases, men are in sizes. You will always face the problems that are isolated for those of your size.


    Your strength may not be the best among soldiers, but you enjoy advantages that higher-ranked soldiers do not enjoy. Every rank or position in life has its pros and cons, so being content was a must-learn skill.


    As the Generals continued being toyed with by the exobeast, the first batch of high-grade soldiers finally reached the position of the hole.


    They did not give a damn about their reinforcement, as they hastily left. They did not have the time to look after subordinates when their survival was not even guaranteed yet.


    The soldiers that came as reinforcements became the most tragic group on the battlefield, as they died in the dozens every second from the stray fire and explosions rocking the hall.


    Their armors were more fragile than those of their superiors, they had lesser battle experience and they were also less skilled. With such a glaring disadvantage, they could only get roasted to death like chickens in the deadly Christmas period.


    Clark''s multi-purpose boots spewed out hot blue energy gas, propelling him forward rapidly as he repeatedly lends a hand of help to his soldiers. With this magical boot of his, he succeeded in saving Sergeant Brody and almost all the other injured soldiers of the Spartan republic.


    Only one soldier died from the initial aggressiveness of the exobeast, which was already better than all the other soldier groups.


    In some groups, the leader, being the Captains were the only ones still alive and escaping. All the others were already dead, displaying the deadliness and ruthlessness of this exobeast.


    Despite all these deaths, they were not the most miserable nor the most tragic. The soldiers still stuck in the convergence rooms were the most miserable. Unlike the others, they could only hopelessly wait for their death.


    They did not know what exactly was happening as they couldn¡¯t see the main hall. But from these blood-freezing roars and the loud sounds of battle echoing about, they knew that they were likely already doomed to die.


    They could only hopelessly curse their luck while regretting their decisions and impulse to get involved in this mission.


    Those with families already started thinking of them in sorrowful and heavy moods. The more soft-hearted ones directly started sobbing, when they thought of the expressions their loved ones would have when they hear of their death.


    The aura of death was now so strong, that they could faintly feel it whispering to them in the air.


    ...


    After successfully getting all the surviving Spartan soldiers outside the military research base, Clark finally turned to swim back. Before turning back, he gave them a direct order to go back straight to their fleet that was still engaged in battle above the water surface.


    He was not leaving now. Unlike them, he still had an important personal mission that he wanted to take care of.


    During his escape here, he was able to get sight of the soldiers of the Dawn republic. He had not forgotten this grudge; he was going to make sure they regretted this decision of betrayal that they made.


    The Dawn Captain already escaped, leaving his subordinates decisively as his thoughts were on saving himself first. It may seem selfish on his part, but he didn¡¯t have much of a reason to help his soldiers as their reckless decisions basically screwed him over first.


    With this variable already gone, Clark was confident that he could give the remaining Dawn soldiers a run for their money in this water environment.


    His battle training to adapt to fighting in water environments with the Camelotian fleet was not just a luxury after all. He was able to learn valuable techniques from those random training sessions, that originally seemed insignificant.


    This just emphasized the saying that no knowledge learned was wasted. The more you read and learn, the more you know. And the more you know, the more you feel you don¡¯t know. From his many experiences, he already learned to never neglect any knowledge that came his way.


    As the soldiers hastily swam away, his military boots finally powered up again as he was propelled back through the hole which was already looking like a black hole, into the military base.


    Whoosh!! As he no longer had anything burdening him, his figure streaked forward speedily like a predator shark searching for its prey.


    As soon as he emerged back into the large hall, he spotted the Dawn soldiers immediately. They stuck close to other soldiers that were trying to escape like them, forming a close defensive cluster to better resist the water current.


    After the emergence of the frightening exobeast, the soldiers all forgot about their small beef as they bonded together temporarily to have a higher chance of escape.


    Almost every part of the hall was already filled up with water from the relentless flow-in through the hole channel, as mechanical debris, blood, and body parts floated freely, painting the hall scenery in a bloody and gory light.


    Though the sight looked terrifying, none of this mattered to Clark, as he finally prepared to charge at these traitors.


    Boom!! His figure suddenly accelerated forward speedily from the boost that his boots gave him, as he unsheathed his spear again to prepare for another battle.


    "Separate immediately, save yourself. We''ll have a better chance of surviving that way". The Dawn soldiers already noticed him, as they hastily tried to separate and escape individually after their traitor leader gave orders.


    They stayed together for extended periods of time, so they clearly recognized the lethality of this new assaulter.


    Hum!! Before their body could even move forward and turn a bit in the water, a deep low sound reverberated from Clark''s boots as more energy visibly erupted from it.


    His figure accelerated countless times faster to meet the unprepared Dawn soldiers, as he placed his spear horizontally at a perfect impact angle. He executed his self-created technique immediately; he had no time to fight a drawn-out battle.


    Boom!! Before the unlucky Dawn soldier could react, her opponent''s spear already impaled her directly on the chest.


    Shockwaves billowed fiercely from the point of impact, as the only female high-grade soldier of the Dawn fleet directly lost consciousness from the shock impact heavily batting her chest.


    The tyrannical force of dragon breaks the ranks, like always wreaked havoc in her internals for another second before her body directly exploded from the extreme pressure.


    Clang!! Clark suddenly crossed his spear to the side, as he calmly parried the swift stab from his opponent''s sword. The escape order was a feint, the Dawn soldiers still wanted to try their luck on killing him, which they thought was the best.


    His boots pulsed softly with another energy eruption, as his figure was swiftly displaced to the side. His movements were like a phantom, unhindered, despite them fighting submerged in water.


    Bubbles escaped up from his last position, as the other Dawn soldier tried to sneak attack him. In his current state, it was hard to ambush him as his implant was always on detection mode, providing him with a 3d view of the battlefield.


    The Dawn soldiers paid for this lapse in judgment, as with a quick and decisive slash, the sneak attacking soldier was directly split in two in a dangerously clean way.


    The 2nd in command of the Dawn fleet was now extremely intimidated by his opponent''s power, but he still tried his luck for the last time as he stabbed his sword viciously at his opponent''s abdomen.


    As his opponent just performed such a fast maneuver, he deduced that he would be unable to quickly react for a moment. This reasoning was good, but that was for normal high-grade soldiers, not Clark.


    His spear revolved around, stirring the water like a spin wheel as he directly performed his minor technique. The unique maelstrom counterattack showcased its defensive power, as it nullified all the attacks of his opponent.


    Seeing this, the Dawn soldier finally lost confidence, his eyes constricted in alarm as he hastily turned to escape.


    Ptui!! He reacted fast, but Clark reacted even faster as his spear impaled his opponent''s ribs. Blood flowed out rapidly in waves, dyeing the water with another extra tint of red.


    Gritting his teeth, the Dawn soldier persevered as he quickly made a painful decision. He grabbed the storage device in his pocket and threw it to the side opposite him before quickly activating his last escape device that still had small energy reserves.


    The water stirred revoltingly before parting swiftly for him, as his figure moved backward quickly from the momentum, aiming directly at the hole.


    Clark narrowed his eyes on seeing this; he wanted to pursue further, but he knew his priorities.


    He forced himself from pursuing the Dawn soldier, as he turned quickly to go back for the levitating storage device. This was his goal, in the end, killing was just him executing vengeance.


    On seeing the battle that just erupted, the other soldiers who were nearby increased their effort as they tried to get far away from this battle demon.


    The manner in which they all looked at him changed to that of respect and fear. As his armor''s energy reserves were already depleted, the other soldiers recognized his exposed face as they were originally all in the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance.


    Clark paid no attention to the stares of wariness being directed at him, as he swam swiftly to get closer to the storage device.


    As they were in the water, the device was not able to move far due to being hindered by the water resistance, so he caught it immediately after only 30 seconds.


    After doing this, he finally turned around, as he began a mad swim race to leave the military base.


    He was faintly worried about Captain Oxford, but he could do nothing as Drakonous still firmly stalled the 3 Generals.


    He swam swiftly in a way that he had never done before, as this base would be blown to bits in less than a minute.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 145: boom boom boom

    Boom!! Captain Oxford¡¯s figure flew back rapidly for a moment as he coughed blood pitifully in waves before he was quickly dragged back into the earth-shaking battle by the exobeast.


    The 2 Generals of the Diadem and Nadan republic had it even worse, as Drakonous gave them the honor of receiving the most attention. As the strongest, they received the best-reserved portion for the strongest.


    They both caught a sorry figure, bloodied all over, as their armor¡¯s energy reserves were already depleted by this Frankenstein exobeast terror. The only thing now keeping them alive was their various high-grade gadgets and their rich battle experience.


    These 3 top-tier high-grade soldiers were now really feeling desperate, as they already figured out the plans of this deadly exobeast.


    Drakonous, as an intelligent exobeast, knew that it could not end the three 4th rank high-grade soldier¡¯s lives instantly. It also already detected the extremely volatile and energetic bombs that would soon explode, through its sharp senses.


    After knowing this, it decided to focus on stalling the 3 soldiers with an arrogant reason.


    ¡°I¡¯m confident in my thick skin, I can tank these bombs without feeling as much as a fierce punch or even a prick of a needle. Can you?¡± With this outrageous mindset, the 3 soldiers were directly placed on the path of doom.


    After receiving another short but draining series of injuries, they grew more desperate as according to their calculations, the bombs would explode in less than 30 seconds.


    The Spartan Captain already exhausted his protection reserves, so the pressure was now mostly being held by the 2 Generals as they started unleashing their trump cards.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Fierce counter-attacks rained down on the exobeast from their various trump cards, but it only suffered light bruises here and there as its thick skin showed its outrageous protection.


    10¡­, 9¡­, 8¡­, Seeing the ominous but despair-inducing countdown, their heartbeats sped up as terror finally started appearing on their faces.


    General Mark of the Diadem republic gritted his teeth on seeing this before his eyes started glinting with a dangerous light shortly after as he quickly and decisively made a decision.


    He and Captain Oxford were extremely angry with the Nadan General, as he and his soldiers were the cause of all these. If they did not bring that blood sample, perhaps such an outrageously strong exobeast would not have emerged from the depths of the sea.


    Captain Oxford suddenly showed a surprised expression on his face, but he suppressed his feelings as he hastily answered the call notification on his military pocket phone. The Diadem General just contacted him.


    ¡°I will lend it to you. Don¡¯t worry, I have a unique protective exotic treasure. After I tie him down, protect me for that short period so that we can both hide under the protection of my shield¡±. General Mark summarized his words as best as he could, showing his sincerity.


    ¡°I hope you can really be sincere and not botch our only chance of survival. Please¡±. He pleaded with the recently advanced Captain while gritting his teeth, as he quickly explained his plans to him.


    7¡­, 6¡­ ¡°Got it, let''s do it immediately¡±. After checking the time again, Captain Oxford quickly agreed to the proposal as he could only bet his chances on this. He originally already felt that the situation was hopeless, so any survival plan was welcome to him.


    Whoosh!! As the battle raged on with Drakonous still firmly suppressing them, before the Nadan General could react, General Mark suddenly closed the distance to his position rapidly.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± He could not even let out a word before he was enveloped from behind in a hug by the shameless and ruthless Diadem General.


    Before his brain could react to allow his struggle, he was shortly distracted as a sharp sword, gleaming under the depths of the water was thrown at the newly advanced Spartan Captain.


    It was at this moment that he felt himself being dragged swiftly to the bottom of the main hall of the military research base. He still could not understand what was going on, but he was sure that it was not to his benefit at all.


    Captain Oxford¡¯s eyes shone brightly under the cover of the shadows in the water, as he kept his sword while advancing closer to grab this new sword that was floating in his direction.


    After firmly grabbing the sword, he felt a wave of excitement rush through him as he turned to face the exobeast again. But this time, with a determined expression on his face.


    He let loose completely, as he started executing his 2 battle arts simultaneously, while at the same time preparing to execute his self-created technique.


    Drakonous was surprised by the human¡¯s actions, but it didn¡¯t give a damn as it swatted at the one still remaining behind with its dagger-like claws.


    Whoosh!! Bam!! Bam!! This seemingly humble sword displayed unmatchable power in the hands of the Spartan Captain, as he stalled the exobeast for 2 seconds before being swatted back down.


    Despite still being overpowered, the time he stalled for was extremely precious. His being able to stall was already outrageous enough.


    He rapidly disengaged from the exobeast, as he used the momentum from the hit to dive swiftly to meet the 2 Generals at the bottom of the hall. He could only pray that the General would fulfill his promise.


    Drakonous did not hinder his disengagement this time, he wrapped itself up with its enormous scaled wings as it could feel that the time for the bam bam was now.


    After quickly reaching the bottom, General Mark fulfilled his promise to the Spartan Captain as he welcomed him in before activating an extremely energetic exotic shield above them.


    He finally let go of the Nadan General, as the latter floated on top of them, stunned with anger written all over his face.


    3¡­,2¡­,1¡­, The Nadan General wanted to roar in anger, but he could only bottle up his frustration as he activated all his other remaining shields to grant himself a layer of protection.


    Whirr!! A soft whispering sound seemed to reverberate across the military base for a moment, before extremely bright light shone everywhere, blinding every eye that was still opened.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! The long-dreaded explosion finally followed as the sound shook the foundations of the military base like rolling thunder, echoing along with the flames to all corners of the base.


    Drakonous being at the top felt the impact first, as the explosion submerged his tightly wrapped-up form like an egg being cooked in raw fire.


    The Nadan General felt it next, as all his erected shields started igniting and popping off like lit candles being subjected to a mighty rushing wind. Their protection lasted only for an instant, only succeeding in weakening the heat waves a bit as he was quickly submerged by fire.


    Ahhh!! With a blood-curdling scream echoing around the hall, the General was roasted to death in less than 5 seconds, as his outrageous soldier constitution could hardly lend him any protection.


    After getting the brief protection of the Nadan General, the remaining two 4th rank high-grade soldiers left their fate to God and this unique shield that they relied on, as their muscles tightened from tension.


    Boom!! The shield surface flickered rapidly from the impact and heat, as it struggled to resist everything being thrown at it.


    Captain Oxford did not know what happened next from here, as he fainted directly from the impact of the shockwave to his brain.


    ¡­


    On the few convergence rooms. After hearing the loud booming sounds, the trapped soldiers displayed terrified expressions on their faces as they speculated their fates.


    They were not allowed to guess for long, as bright white light quickly blinded their vision for a moment. Before shortly being followed by the extremely red-hot fire from the explosion.


    Ahhh!! Nightmarish roars of pain escaped from the various convergence rooms, as their inhabitants were all roasted to death in less than 2 seconds after their defenses were swiftly breached.


    The lingering aura of death finally harvested its returns, as all these high-grade soldiers were harvested from this world tragically.


    ¡­


    After getting outside the military research base again, Clark¡¯s multi-purpose boots blasted out blue energy gas at its maximum output as his figure streaked forward rapidly from its surrounding.


    He left afterimages behind, as he quickly overtook dozens of the soldiers who escaped before him.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! It was at this moment that the fuse was finally switched over, as the long-expected explosion sound reverberated out before spreading outside the base the next moment.


    The water in the surrounding released mist from the extremely hot temperature, others directly evaporating as the red-hot fire spread out its tentacles like a death god of fire releasing its heavenly tribulation punishment on arrogant humans.


    Ripples appeared, spreading around the water as the glaciers in the surrounding were melted immediately, indirectly raising the volume of the water.


    The Sea reacted fiercely like it was provoked, the water rolled while constricting like a black hole before expanding outwards the next second to create a frightening undersea current.


    Clark felt the shock impact hit his brain, as he was barely able to hit his consciousness. Despite this, only joy filled his heart as he narrowly escaped the initial range of the explosion, though it was still expanding.


    His expression was grave, as his implant diligently sent him footages of soldiers being roasted to death behind him. He increased his efforts, striving to arrive at the sea surface in the fastest way possible.


    ¡­


    The ongoing battle of warships on the sea surface suddenly came to an abrupt halt, as the loud booming sounds of the explosion were finally transmitted to the sea surface.


    The eardrums of some ordinary ship crews burst immediately as the sound decibels surpassed their endurance range.


    The already unstable water from their battle became more unstable, as the rolling waves and tides became higher, higher, and fiercer.


    Some of the more fragile ship¡¯s operation systems directly botched from the fierce shockwave and pressure impact, as the soldiers watched with pure horror written on their faces.


    As the explosion was not visible from up there, they could only picture an image of what was causing this, which was only bringing more horror to their faces.


    Boom!! Boom!! They thought it was over, but this was just the initial shockwave. The next and real shockwave finally came to the surface, hitting them hard as some ship¡¯s armors were directly breached.


    Ahhh!! Screams of terrified soldiers echoed across the sea surface, as their comrades died from the shock impacts immediately.


    Gloom and death spread across the sea surface, as these fleets finally started reaping the reward of their looting expedition in the way they never expected.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 146: emergence of the seafarers alliance fleet

    Somewhere deep below the Mediterranean Sea, an enormous and heavy armor-protected military base stood, spreading as far as the eyes could see, though it could not be seen.


    The water around the area was completely calm and still, no creature was in sight, making the surroundings look like an abandoned part of the sea.


    The outer surface of the military base blended with the dark blue color of the underwater environment. The addition of strong stealth measures made the base completely undetectable by animals and even other human devices.


    As calmness reigned, an alarm suddenly started ringing inside the base. All the originally white lights turned red, indicating that it was an S rank alert.


    Military alert signals are in 7 different categories. There are the F, E, D, C, B, A, and S, and they are categorized according to their order of importance. Following this order, the S rank alert was the highest grade of security alerts.


    After hearing the tone in which the alarm rang, and the red flashing lights all over the military base, all the worker¡¯s expressions became grave as they all rushed to their work posts.


    The original calm was disrupted, as every worker professionally went to work immediately to detect the source of the alarm.


    Unlike the other workrooms and offices, one of the room¡¯s lights was finally switched back to the original white color. Thudding sounds echoed along the hallway, as a bunch of heavily armored guards escorted a soldier to this particular room.


    [Ding!! Source of anomaly pinpointed..., matching co-ordinates and energy signature with records in the database.]


    [Ding!! Energy signature recognized¡­, projecting the full known picture of target. Last full seen picture of target projected.]


    The soldiers working in the room were startled, as their eyes all narrowed in surprise and alarm at what the main A. I of the base just projected. They all recognized the familiar figure of this dangerous beast.


    ¡°Drakonous¡±. This thought passed through all their heads simultaneously, before the man being followed by the soldier entourage finally entered the room.


    ¡°Good morning Commander¡±. On seeing the man, the soldiers all stood up respectfully as they proceeded to greet and give him the military salute.


    From the way that he was just called, it became apparent that this was a pinnacle soldier with the 5th breakthrough already under his belt. This indirectly showed the formidableness of this military base.


    ¡°Tell me¡±. He didn¡¯t waste time with words, as he directly ordered for the situation to be explained to him. The soldiers acknowledged him, as the technical leader in this room immediately came forward to present the results of their detection.


    His eyes narrowed into thin lines as he entered a contemplating mood, after hearing that this ancient primordial exobeast appeared. After 10 seconds, he finally snapped out of his daze with a grin on his face.


    ¡°Hehe, Drakonous, you finally appeared out of your hole. Well, prepare to get back into your cage¡±. With this thought, he immediately came up with plans on the spot before giving orders to his soldiers.


    ¡°Dan, prepare a fleet immediately. I¡¯m personally leading an expedition there to intercept this unruly exobeast, I¡¯ll get it back to its rightful place¡±.


    ¡°Chase, go and bring my armor, gadgets, and my sword. I¡¯m about to go exobeast hunting¡±.


    After giving this series of orders, the originally calm sea started stirring, as the bigshots of the sea were finally about to mobilize their forces.


    2 exotic enhanced submarines quickly emerged from the big hibernating lot of the military base, following these appearances were the emergence of 5 dangerous-looking warships. This was the standard formation of a Seafarers alliance fleet, imposing and tyrannical.


    The 5 warships were surrounded by an energy shield, so the surrounding water was unable to penetrate and go inside.


    After coming out of the military base completely. They moved forward swiftly to cross a small distance away from the base before a spatial fluctuation appeared in their front.


    Hum!! With a soft pulse and sound, the 7 war assets disappeared, as they were transported immediately to their destination.


    The exobeast hunting expedition officially took off, as the military base restored its calm nature again like all these were just an illusion.


    ¡­


    Back in the location of the ongoing crisis, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, the explosion range finally started expanding outwards in a spiral manner after the initial eruption range.


    Body parts and blood finally reached the water surface, dyeing it with a deep tint of red. After losing so many soldier crews, all the fleets were already scrambling around to leave this cursed area.


    Though the explosion was not able to reach the surface, the orange color of its still spreading form and the heat now emanating from the sea scared the hell out of them.


    All they aimed to do now was escape first, before returning later to rescue their leaders when the commotion has died down. Staying here would just lead to their deaths.


    ¡­


    Under the sea was still raging and stirring like a broken violent washing machine, as Clark tried hard to stabilize himself while still swimming with all his might to get to the surface.


    Though the momentum has reduced, he could not afford to rest as the fire of the explosion was still steadily spreading outwards.


    Today would really be an unforgettable dark day of death to him if he survived, as hundreds of high-grade soldiers were already dead. Hundreds were still persevering like him, as they tried to scramble their way to safety.


    After only 2 minutes, because his boots were operating at their maximum output, they finally lost steam as their energy reserves got depleted.


    Despite this, a relieved and happy expression was on his face as he was finally within the range of the water surface.


    When he got close enough, he was finally able to contact the Spartan fleet without interruption. Through this brief contact, he was able to know the circumstances that were being faced by the fleet.


    He quickly showed them a co-ordinate, before turning to swim there as the environment there was safer, closer, and calm.


    After a deep underwater adventure where he basically exhausted all his life-saving measures, he finally regrouped with his fleet.


    He climbed the main ship, as all the high-grade soldiers came out to welcome him. They all survived due to his earlier help, which was something they were deeply grateful for.


    On climbing to safety, he quickly acknowledged their welcome gestures before hastily urging them to move forward.


    Originally, this surrounding of the sea was now not safe again. But this was no longer enough to threaten their retreating fleet, but his intuition was telling him that something more frightening was about to happen.


    The soldiers were surprised at his strong urge, as their real leader, Captain Oxford was still behind. Till now, there was no sign of the 3 Generals. Their health status was also not known, so they originally wanted to wait and linger around for some time for their Captain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will order for the fleet to come back for Captain Oxford when we are safe. Turn and retreat now first, this place is no longer safe¡±. He urged them with an anxious expression on his face.


    Seeing how flustered and worked up he was, the skeptical soldiers no longer hesitated as they ordered for an immediate retreat.


    The ships of the Spartan fleet slowly gained momentum, as they also started blasting off like most of their counterparts.


    Most of the fleets already lost all their confidence in this mission, they no longer cared about protocols, only how to escape faster was on their minds. Their ships blasted out at maximum output, as they moved faster to get away from this death region.


    On the main ship of the Spartan fleet, Clark stood with rows of soldiers behind him, as he looked out into the sea.


    His brows were furrowed, as he entered a deep contemplating mood. His danger instincts were never this precise to him before, he felt like a cold dagger was placed on his neck which was constantly leaving him flustered.


    And he was sure that this incoming danger was very near, that¡¯s why he came out with the high-grade soldiers to watch.


    He was right in the end, as a change finally started emerging into the battlefield. Faint ripples spread in the air, the fabric of space around the area started folding ominously before a large teleportation field suddenly materialized, extending down below the water.


    The remaining bold fleets that still lingered around the military research base¡¯s surrounding, waiting for their leaders were horrified when they saw the eye-catching symbol of the sea hegemon on these newcomers.


    Seeing the appearance of the 5 thick armored and formidable-looking warships, some of the already overwhelmed soldiers directly fainted from the shock.


    This mission battle was already legendary enough to be recorded in the international history records, the participants alone were already exceeding the originally planned boundaries.


    Following the appearance of the 5 warships, the 2 war submarines quickly plunged deep into the sea before the teleportation field finally disappeared.


    After getting new and precise orders, the submarines dived deeper, straight to the detected location of the military base. They passed countless dead and roasted soldiers before they finally set their eyes on their huddled-up target.


    Hum!! A deep frightening pulse emerged from the 2 submarines with a large release of energy. Following this action, a dangerous-looking rope covered by an electric field was launched, each from the 2 subs.


    The surface of the seawater in contact with the ropes produced sparks and released more heat, distorting the unstable water further before they finally attached to their target.


    Drakonous already sensed the danger nearby, but it was unable to react fast enough as the explosion still lingered in its location.


    Feeling the deep electric current flowing through its nerves, it tried to roar angrily but it could not as all its monstrous muscles suddenly felt too heavy for it to utilize.


    Blue light representing another large discharge of energy was released again from the 2 submarines, as they started moving back to the surface while dragging this still struggling and heavy exobeast along.


    The bold fleets still originally waiting already lost their courage, as they all hastily scrambled away now that they still had the chance.


    Reverence, fear, and respect emerged from their hearts, as they saw the frightening Drakonous that almost wiped them out being easily dragged to the surface by just one maneuver of these sea tyrants.


    Clark¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits like that of a cobra¡¯s on seeing the fleet of the Seafarers alliance. This battle just got a lot more complicated.


    ¡°Attention, all the ship crews. On behalf of the Spartan army, I¡¯m granting a bonus that will be given if we survive, to the workers that perform best on this our escape¡±.


    ¡°Listen to my order. Full speed ahead, we are getting out of this battlefield immediately¡±.


    This time, no one protested as everyone went to work on how best to make their ships blast off at a faster speed.


    As they started their preparations, this was when a loud imperious voice, like that of an emperor was transmitted across the sea. Commander Lionel of the Seafarers alliance¡¯s matured voice echoed loudly, as their target¡¯s body finally emerged above the sea surface.


    ¡°Drakonous!!! After so long, you finally came out of your hiding hole. Today, you are either dying or being captured by me¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 147: aftermath 1

    On hearing the domineering words of this human facing it, Drakonous felt more angered but it did not let this get to its head. Though in a one-on-one, it was confident that it could defeat this human, this was not a one-on-one battle.


    Despite not knowing the specific parameters of the ships facing it, it felt enough threat from them to know that these people really came for business.


    Its situation was hopeless when looked at critically, but that was in others'' perspective. Despite facing this enormous force, it was confident in its strength. Dauntless Courage and boldness was the only thing written on its ugly face.


    "Take this beast down," the Commander of the Seafarers alliance fleet finally ordered again, as he took hold of his sword while his armor enveloped his face.


    The energy fluctuations in this part of the sea grew extremely fierce and intimidating, demarcating it from the rest as the main cannons of these top-grade warships finished charging up in 5 seconds.


    Boom!! Boom!! Large and loud impact sounds reverberated, following the cannons shot sounds, as the large form of Drakonous was bombarded ruthlessly without mercy.


    Blood finally flowed out of the thick skin of this exobeast, the expression on its ugly face grew more ferocious as the huge kinetic energy cannon shots kept impacting it without pause.


    Commander Lionel finally launched himself out of the main Seafarers fleet with the help of an air compressed device, after putting on his war attire. His figure streaked closer to the enormous figure of the exobeast, forming a parabola as energy blasted out of all his devices like blazing fire.


    Roar!! On seeing this, Drakonous finally got fed up with all the firepower directed at it, making exerted strength like never before explode out of its body with a roar.


    Visible ripples spread outwards from the sonic wave accompanying its loud roar, as a fiercer pressure field suddenly appeared, radiating outwards from its position like the descent of a higher being.


    After getting dragged up from below the sea and being relentlessly bombarded with cannon shots, Drakonous was finally able to trigger the rare rage phenomenon.


    The tense atmosphere of the surrounding became tenser and more frightening, as the soldier crews of the Seafarers fleet struggled to maintain focus.


    After gathering momentous strength through its roar, the restraining electric ropes attached to it were finally snapped in 2 by its outrageous exertion of strength. Its enormous figure shook unstably for a moment, as it finally escaped its shackles.


    Boom!! With a frightening fast maneuver, its large and enormous mouth suddenly opened as its dagger-like teeth aimed at the brave commander advancing to clash with it.


    Commander Lionel adapted extremely quickly on seeing this, as his armor blazed fiercer by releasing more blue energy glows. He activated series of quick instructions through his implant, as shields popped out, covering his figure completely.


    He continued fearlessly like a fighting bull, as a strong force field erupted around his sword, making it shine brightly like a beacon on the battlefield.


    Boom!! The collision was like rolling thunder, a crack appeared in the air for a moment before the 2 figures separated immediately.


    In the end, Drakonous still had the upper hand as it recovered immediately. But Commander Lionel flew backward swiftly; he took a little time before he stabilized himself in the air the next moment.


    Boom!! Boom!! More energy cannon shots were released, as 4 more other soldiers were launched out of their various ships.


    This was an outrageous force, as the energy signatures being emitted showed that these 4 new soldiers were all 4th rank high-grade soldiers.


    The fierceness of a battle involving 5th rank powerhouses cannot be estimated nor described with mere words. The reaction of the nearby sea was a perfect resource to describe it.


    With the already frenzied Drakonous dealing outrageous damage through its claws and teeth, Captain Lionel led his soldiers as they dodged all the attacks using experience in a well-practiced manner.


    Their pinnacle-grade multipurpose boots continued spewing out hot blue energy, enabling their continued suspension in the air by it. Money kept being burnt like water, as shield energy reserves kept being depleted.


    They kept their weapons force field on at all times, as their outrageous energy reserves could sustain such wasteful use.


    If the soldiers of the other fleets were still here, they would marvel at how rich these soldiers were. With such a hegemon supporting them, they could afford to bruise their way through any battle by burning money.


    The surface of the sea kept on spilling water and mist upwards, as the energy impacts and the kinetic impact from the warships continued stirring it without holding back.


    The 10km area of the sea around their battlefield was no longer the same, as it now looked like where primordial chaos energy just descended on. The water continued stirring relentlessly under the continuous impacts, as the nearest unlucky ships started being submerged.


    The surrounding seawater took a deep dark red tone, as the thick blood flowing out of the exobeast dyed everywhere ominously.


    Drakonous, despite triggering the rare rage phenomenon was still firmly being suppressed by the Seafarers alliance fleet. This was the power of just one fleet of this sea tyrant.


    It already tried to escape several times, but it was firmly prevented from doing so by the different strange means that its opponents utilized.


    Roar!!! It released another blood-curdling roar of pain, as Commander Lionel¡¯s sword succeeded in driving deep into its thick skin again. With a forceful sideways drag, the injury extended as blood fell down like a shower of thick rain.


    At this moment, it finally made a decision as it suddenly bet all in to injure the Commander. All the 4 Seafarers Generals took advantage of the opening, as they also finally scored their first injury into the thick skin of this exobeast.


    Commander Lionel was ready for this, as shields were stacked all over his body to firmly protect him.


    Drakonous did an unexpected move after getting its enormous maw close enough. It knew that biting, swallowing, or clawing at this human would only give it more injuries, so it finally decided to make use of its strongest move.


    ROAR!!! Commander Lionel was surprised, as instead of biting, the exobeast suddenly started roaring at him. He wanted to scoff in ridicule, but his expression immediately changed the next second as it directly became ugly.


    The sound of the roar reverberated like something enhanced by the legendary magician of sound, as he under its direct effect closed his eyes immediately to endure.


    Ahhh!! He screamed in pain as his eardrums directly got damaged from the loud sound. His ears burst, erupting into a puddle of blood from the extremely high decibels as his eyes rolled backward immediately.


    All the Generals at the side felt it also, as they all directly fainted from the extremely loud sound exceeding their endurance range.


    The outrageously strong armor of the nearest Seafarers alliance ship suffered the brunt of the sonic disaster, as its armor immediately suffered threatening cracks.


    Hundreds of ship crews inside died immediately, as their brains exploded from the huge brain impact of the terrorizing sonic attack.


    From this one ability displayed by this ancient exobeast, the battle immediately came to a stop. Despite such a huge advantage gained, it didn¡¯t pursue victory as it knew that it would still be defeated. Its intelligence was not just for decoration.


    Using this brief window of opportunity, its bloodied form plunged back into the sea, diving deeper into the bottomless depths, back to its hiding place.


    In a short 3 seconds, it crossed the 3,000m depth. As an amphibian, after staying in the water for so long, it already adapted to it. It was now more acquainted with moving faster and more efficiently underwater.


    Commander Lionel finally regained control over his body, as he trembled from rage all over on not seeing his target again. On feeling the pains all over his body, he got more furious as he never expected this beast to have such an outrageous ability.


    Despite his fury, his face grew grave as from the effects shown; he was able to glean more details about this unique ability that it showcased. This was a sonic type of self-created technique.


    The thing that baffled him the most was that, since the beginning, there was no record of exobeasts creating self-created techniques.


    Though he wanted to go after it alone, he clearly knew that his ability was not enough. He called for large reinforcement from his military base; he would scour this region completely to find it no matter where it hid.


    This was when he finally snapped out of his contemplating mood, as he looked at the unstable chaos that their battle caused.


    Though hundreds of his soldier crews died from the exobeasts last ability, he didn¡¯t really care. The damage to the warships was even less significant to him; money was not a problem of the Seafarers alliance.


    What he really cared about, was the unstable and raging water of the sea for kilometers. The water was already unstable originally, but their battle escalated this to this extreme.


    He was sure that within a day, all the nearby town coasts that were close to the sea would welcome a new natural disaster.


    He quickly started thinking of ways to compensate for any losses to the nearby towns. If news went out that they caused the destruction of multiple towns, public opinion around them would dip.


    After a quick mental tour, he finally started retrieving his unconscious Generals and re-organizing his army.


    ¡­


    Somewhere on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, a small fairly flourishing town stood alone, far away from the nearby city.


    This was a hub where fishermen gather to catch fish. The town also had another identity as a fish market, as practically everyone in the town was either a trader or fisherman.


    In one of the small market stalls, an old grey-haired man stood with his hands behind his back, as he calmly watched the water flow and current of the seawater.


    His face was calm and peaceful; sometimes morphing into a sorrowful mood, while at other times a happy mood as he watched the rise and lowering of the tide.


    As he watched, his calm expression suddenly disappeared, as a grave expression replaced it.


    ¡°What taboo have these reckless Seafarers broken again? Blood-thirsty opportunists¡±. He cursed under his breath, as he directly turned around to go into his market stall.


    He did not know what happened, but from his experience, he knew that it was probably human¡¯s greediness that was bringing this calamity again.


    ¡°Larhd, prepare your things, we are leaving this town immediately¡±. On entering, he told his only helper at the side, as the boy''s eyes widened like saucers curiously.


    He was found in the streets and taken in by the old man 2 years ago. Since then, he became his one and only helper. After so long, they already developed a father and son relationship.


    He was not happy at this abrupt decision; he wanted to protest and ask for the reason. But on seeing the unusually stern and serious expression on the man¡¯s face, he stood up to prepare his things directly.


    In less than 5 minutes, they finally arrived at the large gate leading outside the small town.


    ¡°Dad, why are we suddenly leaving¡±. The boy coughed a little on reaching here before he finally gathered the boldness to ask his helper and dad. The old man kept silent for 5 seconds before he turned to him with a stern face and solemnly said.


    ¡°A storm is coming¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Larhd, please I''m using your name for this new character, I hope you''re not offended. If you don''t want it, you can indicate, I''ll remove it immediately.]

 Chapter 148: aftermath 2

    10 minutes after the old man left with his boy, the natural signs of an incoming storm finally started becoming apparent.


    When he quickly left with the boy, his neighbors were naturally curious and asked about his hasty leave. He told them that a storm was coming, that the town was in danger.


    But just like typical humans, they all scoffed at him and laughed at his unusually timid behavior. They did not take it seriously, and the old man felt too lazy to force or compel them, he did not elaborate so they were all still here.


    Despite already seeing the darkening skies, and the steadily increasing fierce blowing winds, they were still nonchalant as storms were kind of normal occurrences here.


    Woo!! Woo!! The wind blew fiercer and stronger, spreading a hollow-like sound as the traders quickly started packing their trade wares to temporarily go back home and wait out the storm, not knowing that this was not the regular storm.


    After 5 minutes of relentless and continuous blowing of the wind, the first sign of the incoming disaster was finally sighted.


    One of the trade helpers who was left alone in a stall watched with widening eyes, as he tried to make out the giant silhouette that was approaching. Due to the wind, his sight was impeded so he could only see a giant incoming shadow.


    Rumble!! Rumble!! Hearing the steady but gradual increase of rumbling sounds unnerved him more, as he finally got up, going closer to the window to get a clear view.


    This was when horror finally took over him. His fragile heart directly stopped; his brain short-circuited as he just dumbly stared at this frightening scene before him.


    The giant tsunami of water approached like rolling tigers and crouching dragons, it approached speedily like a meat grinder as everything facing it was ripped to shreds like mere paper.


    The ground vibrated and shook from the momentum of the giant tsunami, like an earthquake was imminent, as all the inhabitants of the town came out to see this despair-inducing sight.


    The town was completely unprepared, though their preparation would not have done much.


    Horror appeared in all their faces, as the ones with a midget of courage picked themselves up to run for their lives. In the face of danger, brothers abandoned their sisters, boys abandoned their girlfriends as they all ran for their dear lives.


    Boom!! Boom!! The tsunami finally hit the town hard, making loud sounds like those of missiles dropping like rain as everything was swept away by it like random dirt by the roadside.


    In less than 5 minutes, it passed the town, going to the nearest one as the town was completely leveled from the momentum and force of its advance. The town became an abandoned water reservoir immediately.


    Every soul in the town was wiped off the face of the earth ruthlessly without mercy. The commoners, were now the ones paying for the actions of high-grade soldiers, showing the cruelty of the world.


    Well, no one cared about them as the same scene happened in hundreds of other towns acting as coasts to the Mediterranean Sea. Millions of lives were lost in under an hour, as the frightening tsunami continued like the god of death.


    Its fierce momentum triggered other natural disasters like earthquakes, as every town facing it immediately became a wasteland.


    The only coasts that was able to avoid this disaster were those city coasts that were extremely prosperous and rich. Their high-grade detection devices already detected the tsunami before it arrived, so they were more prepared.


    They erected their defense dome energy shields immediately, which was the only reason that they were able to avoid the frightening aftermath of its advance.


    Though they survived, almost all their energy reserves were depleted, which indirectly represented money as their dome shields required a lot of energy to withstand the pressure of the raging tsunami.


    ¡­


    After so long, the old man who noticed the storm first finally escaped to the area not affected by the tsunami. He looked backward with a sigh, as this escape made him bring out stories that were once buried deep in his heart.


    After living as a recluse from cities for so long, he finally escaped back, but he had to use his long hibernating exotic car to facilitate his escape which was something he originally wanted to avoid.


    Larhd was completely shocked and shaken, as his gaze alternated between the car his dad suddenly brought and the aftermath of the tsunami. He did not know which one of these happenings was and should be more shocking to him.


    His dad suddenly becoming rich, or how he was able to notice such a frightening tsunami that others could not notice in time, or how his cheerful friends that he once played with were probably all now dead.


    His small brain could not facilitate so much shock, as he directly broke down into tears, he was confused and terrified.


    ¡°Humph!! That¡¯s just the many occurrences of life, you¡¯ll get used to it¡±. The old man refused to comfort him as he maintained a stern expression on his face, making the boy cry more.


    After stopping their high-speed drive, the police cars relentlessly going after them finally caught up to them.


    ¡°In the end, I cannot be a recluse forever. The world is so f**king messed up¡±. He cursed under his breath, as he finally dipped his hand into his pocket after so long to bring out his military badge.


    ¡°Get out of the car now with your hands raised, place them behind your head¡±. The policemen came down, as they all surrounded this fast car with their weapons fully loaded.


    Thud!! With confident, stylish, and intimidating steps, the old man finally came out of the car.


    He used his left hand to softly brush unseen dust from his coat before his demeanor changed completely. His slightly bent back straightened, as he raised his military badge up to show the policemen.


    ¡°What?? Sir¡­, sir, I¡¯m so sorry sir¡­¡± The police leader was completely shocked when he saw the rank displayed on this seemingly useless old man¡¯s badge.


    This old man was actually a soldier. And not only a soldier, a 4th rank high-grade soldier, a General. He was horrified, as thoughts of his possible punishment started flashing past his head.


    Thud!! With one smooth maneuver, the old General stepped into his car again, as he took off immediately to the city. He did not give a damn about the thoughts of these policemen, he wanted to know what caused this damn disaster.


    Larhd was now completely shocked, he could no longer recognize the man he called his father. He stuck close to the edge of the car, as he secretly stole glances at this now mysterious man before him.


    ¡­


    In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, at the location where the legendary battle took place. Despite so long already passing, the water around here still billowed fiercely from the aftermaths of the battle.


    The damage was already enormous, but Commander Lionel was determined to go to any means possible to retrieve this exobeast, he was not resigned to return empty.


    The reinforcements that he called for finally arrived, as the surrounding area was now hosting 15 ships and 6 exotic enhanced submarines of the Seafarers alliance.


    At this moment, all the fleets that participated in the military research base¡¯s looting were already gone, so they did not see what happened next. They left their leaders who were still trapped to fend for themselves.


    After giving elaborate but precise orders, Commander Lionel finally led his soldiers down as almost all of them plunged deep into the sea, in search of the exobeast.


    Lights shone into every corner of the dark blue depths of the sea, illuminating everywhere as the Seafarers alliance soldiers officially started their elaborate search under the seabed.


    Using the countless utility exotic devices of their organization, they succeeded in scouring through the 12km area around the battlefield.


    After getting the width, they finally started going deeper as they penetrated the cold depths of the sea. The battle already killed most, if not all the sea creatures around, the once still remaining were the leaders of territories.


    As a consequence of their elaborate search, these territory leaders were aroused. Though they were strong, they were facing the tyrant of the seas. They died with the same fast frequency as they came.


    After 2 hours of search and not seeing anything nor trace leading to the exobeast, Commander Lionel could only suppress his frustration and disappointment. He finally ordered for a retreat.


    Amid the still billowing waves roaring as a consequence of their battle, this Seafarers'' alliance fleet finally retreated back to their base.


    ¡­


    As soon as the Seafarers fleet left, a pair of eyes opened in the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea as it hatefully watched the aftermath of their battle.


    Drakonous laid stiffly under the cold and iced depths of the sea, as bubbles kept emerging from its nostrils indicating its steady breathing.


    This part of the sea was a place it was confident that no human has ever reached, this was the depth of exobeasts like it. Only thick-skinned exobeasts with the strength of 5th rank high-grade soldiers could survive here.


    It let out a silent growl, as it prepared to enter another deep slumber. From its blood that was taken and experimented on, after taking it he found that he was slowly but steadily increasing in strength.


    It wanted to lay low and carefully take in this new power that was slowly emerging, deep in its bones. Its large eyes finally closed up, as it went into its slumber again.


    ¡­


    In another part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Spartan fleet stopped to count their losses, their gains, and to also wait for their Captain, hoping that he would appear.


    It was now already more than a day since the legendary battle was fought. Though the water was still unstable and raging, the frequency was now far lower than yesterday.


    Clark stood alone silently at the deck of the main ship, as he looked hopefully at the sea. He was still expecting Captain Oxford, this man was now an important superior in his life.


    Just the saving of his life is enough for the Captain to be his benefactor for life. As a 4th rank high-grade soldier, he was sure that the Captain would make it. What he didn¡¯t know was that the Nadan General already died, even when he was a more veteran 4th rank high-grade soldier.


    Well, there was nothing he could do to help as they still could not pinpoint his location. He could only wait hopefully.


    After what seemed like a lifetime, the Spartan fleet sheltering their civilian crews that they originally left behind finally converged back to meet the main fleet.


    When they heard of the betrayal, they directly split from the Dawn fleet. But unlike their main fleet, they did not engage in a battle with the Dawns, they separated and retreated peacefully.


    After the battle became more chaotic, their communication was cut off. But they later cross-communicated again, when the main Spartan fleet escaped from the main battle area.


    After a whole day of travel, they were finally able to regroup with their main fleet.


    After arriving, most of the civilians boarded the main ship of the Spartan fleet. The doctors were here, so the wounded soldiers could finally receive proper treatment from the experts.


    After settling down and taking care of the wounded, the fleet stood in place on the sea surface as they patiently and hopefully waited for their leader¡¯s return.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 149: captain oxford returns

    Captain Oxford jerked before coughing out blood again, which his armor diligently recycled away into the sea surface. His armor¡¯s energy reserve was originally depleted, but he and General Mark of the Diadem republic were lucky.


    At the last moment before the explosion erupted, when they huddled up behind the unique high-grade shield that the Diadem General brought, they were surprised to find a remote energy charge transmitter.


    After the initial explosion erupted, the heat of the explosion accumulated very fast before peaking in seconds as the shield directly started having cracks. On seeing this, they hastily plugged into the energy transmitter to refill the reserves of their armor.


    None of them played tricks as their fate was tied together; they needed each other to escape the disaster. After quickly recharging by turns, they were finally able to get their reserves back up to 40%.


    It was at this moment that Captain Oxford fainted from the extreme heat and pressure affecting his brain. The Diadem General grew more desperate on noticing this, as he quickly decided to use the Spartan Captain as his next human shield.


    Before he could move closer to grab him, the shield finally succumbed to the heat as the fire quickly submerged them. The fire unleashed its full fury, as it raged like the eye of a disaster storm.


    Their barely recharged armors saved them from being cooked immediately, but the heat being transmitted directly to his body also finally made General Mark fall unconscious.


    What happened for the next hours, they could not account for it as they both separated and drifted randomly under the sea without a specific direction. The raging sea did a good job in separating them further through its fierce waves and undercurrents.


    After hours of being knocked out that seemed like an eternity, Captain Oxford finally woke up to find himself still under the sea.


    His armor with only 5% energy reserves remaining, entered the safe mood by default when it detected that the water environment was hostile. This was the only reason why he was able to survive.


    In its safe mood, the armor recycled the liquid oxygen in the water to atmospheric oxygen for his use. It also injected him with its stored emergency life-preserving injections, which was the reason why he was able to wake up.


    After his brain completely cleared up, he was relieved as his special detection radar device to track his fleet was still intact.


    His armor¡¯s energy reserves were limited, and recycling oxygen required energy. He didn¡¯t see General Mark around, so he directly left, swimming in the direction that his tracking device showed him.


    Though he was terribly injured, his will to live was still strong. After gaining so much strength and most of all surviving the explosion, he was not ready to die and leave it.


    ¡­


    Clark had a sad and depressed expression on his face, as the new second in command of the Spartan fleet raised the suggestion again that they should leave now that they still can.


    Deciding to not leave now was dangerous, but he felt reluctant to just leave Captain Oxford behind.


    After a strong mental battle against his conscience, he finally ordered the fleet to leave. In the end, the lives of everyone in the fleet were now under his care, he could not just neglect them.


    The soldiers heaved a sigh of relief after hearing his order, as they finally started getting prepared to leave. Their hearts were not once calm when they knew that they were still somehow close to the location where the disaster started from.


    Thud!! As Clark was leaving, he was startled and alarmed as a loud thud sound was suddenly heard in the deck of the ship where he originally stood.


    His instincts were already sharpened like those of veteran soldiers, he moved like lightning as his spear was unsheathed from his back swiftly in a smooth manner.


    All the soldiers in the deck also became alarmed, as everyone brought out their weapons immediately to face any new threat.


    ¡°Captain!!¡± One of the 1st rank high-grade soldiers suddenly yelled on looking closer, as the figure that just emerged from the sea became clearer after his armor dematerialized from his body.


    On hearing this and also finally recognizing him, Clark quickly called for the fleet¡¯s medical practitioners as he also rushed to his leader¡¯s position.


    Captain Oxford was completely battered and bloodied, as he lay exhausted on the floor of the ship. His military uniform was already destroyed, exposing his innerwear as his camouflage device was already spoilt.


    ¡°Captain¡­, Captain¡±. He was not currently unconscious, he could hear the faint sounds of people calling his name, but his brain could not focus as this only made him feel dizzier.


    The sound of his name being called kept echoing in his head like the summoning of ghosts, as his brain felt like a studio where drums were being played loudly.


    The next second, someone gave an order as all the noise around him subsided. He saw the blurry silhouettes of some people in white uniforms coming to him after this, as he was quickly lifted into something that looked like a stretcher.


    Though his brain felt muddled and heavy, he was only able to be so quiet and relaxed because he knew that this was his fleet.


    As he was finally being pushed away for treatment, despite feeling weak, his face slowly morphed into a jackpot winner¡¯s grin before his consciousness finally faded away.


    His grin was because; first he survived which was something he was grateful for, and secondly was the sword that the Diadem General lent to him.


    He was able to output so much strength when using the sword, only because it was a weapon made according to the standards of super-high grade organizations like the Roman Empire organization.


    He never knew that he would get such valuable equipment from this mission. With this alone, it was the best loot that he got from this mission for his personal use.


    It was originally lent, but as they were now separated, it was now his own. He and the Diadem General only helped each other because they were in a desperate situation; there was no rule between them not to loot when they finally escaped.


    Clark and all the other high-grade soldiers stood outside the surgical operation theater with various expressions on their faces, as their leader was carried inside to undergo emergency medical operations.


    ¡­


    After working in the surgery theater for hours, the head doctor finally finished his work before he came outside to give a verdict to the high-grade soldiers that were still waiting outside.


    According to him, the Captain¡¯s situation was now stabilized, but he¡¯ll still have to undergo subsequent surgeries to avoid any complications.


    According to the readings of their medical devices, the Captain suffered from multiple impacts and burn injuries, some of which already impacted his physical body and psyche seriously for a long term.


    To completely avoid any further complications, he was to stay in their care and receive constant treatment for at least 2 weeks.


    After understanding the situation, Clark thanked the head doctor for his hard work before he dismissed the high-grade soldiers to go perform their various tasks.


    There was no need for them here again; the fleet still needed coordination as a lot of scars were left from the battle.


    After giving instructions, he sighed exhaustedly before finally also leaving to go back to his room after so long. He had not slept nor rested for hours after the legendary sea battle, which was already commendable.


    ¡­


    ¡°Clark, you¡¯re finally back¡±. Emily said happily with a broad smile on her face, as she ran forward to meet him before leaping into his hands for a hug.


    Clark subconsciously wrapped her in an embrace on seeing how she welcomed him. He breathe another sigh of relief when he felt her soft cheeks resting on his shoulders.


    The soft sensation reinforced the notion in his head that the battle was over; it was a refreshing feeling to him.


    After hugging each other for over a minute, it got awkward before he finally tried to separate their selves with a cough. After separating, he finally got to look at her cheerful face.


    She didn¡¯t follow the main Spartan fleet to the military research base, so she was completely fresh as she also didn¡¯t engage in any of the battles.


    She didn¡¯t know exactly what happened, but from the little that she saw, she knew that something huge happened. She could only suppress her anxiety initially when she thought of Clark probably going through another life-threatening battle.


    Now that he was finally here, she could no longer suppress herself. She threw herself at him happily on seeing him, as her mind finally achieved inner peace.


    After exchanging small talks, she volunteered to take his bag before leading him forward to his room. She knew that he was exhausted; she would get her time to talk later.


    Clark already ordered the fleet to set sail for home; he was going back directly to the Spartan republic. They no longer had any reason to stay in the sea again; they already filled their warehouses with exotics.


    ¡­


    In another part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Dawn fleet continued rushing forward under the orders of their Captain.


    No matter how fiercely his soldiers protested, Captain Jack firmly held to his decision to not retreat to save anybody. He had no obligation to turn and save any comrade when their own living was not even guaranteed.


    The appearance of Drakonous scared the hell out of him; he already marked the Mediterranean Sea as a personal prohibited zone. He was not coming here again, not even in his dreams.


    These soldiers that were complaining that he was selfish didn¡¯t go below the sea with him; they were the ones who stayed behind in the ships.


    If they followed and passed through the same horrors he went through in the military base, they would not find the strength, the teeth, nor the energy to suggest going back.


    And with the excuse of his 2nd in command defying his orders to pursue his interests which brought their first misfortune, he had the moral high ground to leave them without sympathy.


    Of all the Dawn soldiers who entered the military research base, he was the only one who survived and regrouped with the fleet. The status of all the other high-grade soldiers who followed him was unknown.


    Well, he did not care. When the Dawn government sees the loots that he brought back, such bad records would be easily wiped clean off his career.


    Even if he did not get the research data of the base, in the end, the batch of Arcanite metal that he got alone was extremely valuable.


    ¡­


    For the next few days in every location, the news headlines of every country were occupied with the recent mysterious raging disaster of the sea.


    Rumors filled the internet, as people discussed the cause of it. Others discussed how it happened, and others took it as a conspiracy of advanced countries to wipe out their lower counterparts.


    The fake news was endless, as exaggerated versions of the fierce tsunami filled everywhere, spreading like wildfire in summer.


    As this series of rumors and fake news spread, a week gradually passed as all the participants of the battle finally took a complete analysis of their losses and gains.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 150: farewell

    It was now already more than a week since the battle ended, and just like the other fleets, the Spartan fleet already took the record analysis of their losses and gains.


    In total, they lost 3 high-grade soldiers from the initial 10 that went into the military research base. For the ordinary soldiers that came as reinforcements to meet them, they lost 134 soldiers to the initial explosion and the subsequent aftermaths.


    For the fleet that remained in the surface and battled with the Dawn fleet, they lost 47 fine soldiers and 30 workers of the Spartan republic.


    This loss was astronomical, as the number of soldiers in the fleet was originally only a thousand and some few additions. Well, despite their unfortunate deaths, it was for a good cause. As miserable as the loss was, so were their gains also miserably good.


    For the Arcanite metal alone, they got an astronomical figure of approximately 53,000 tons, which was countless times above their expectations. This was completely outrageous, as this amount can easily be worth hundreds of millions of Spartan credits.


    As for the research data that they got, their value cannot be quantified as they don¡¯t have a price tag like the Arcanite metal.


    But according to the calculations of the main ship¡¯s A.I, the research data¡¯s price could go for as much as twice the amount of the Arcanite metal loot. This was a mind blowing surprise to them.


    With this alone, the deaths of so many soldiers could be justified. To most of the soldiers, this was completely worth it.


    Though human life was the most important, in this age the importance was still a little reduced compared to the 21st century. In this era, only the ones with the strongest fists and best resources can survive.


    Though the countless deaths were a little justified with all these gains, the dead still could not be ignored, they needed to be honored.


    Clark already waited for more than a week but the Captain was still unconscious, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. The military farewell for the dead could not be stalled for too long.


    After convening with the other high-grade soldiers of the fleet, they finally decided to conduct the military farewell today.


    After so many days of relentless travelling, the Spartan fleet finally stopped for the first time. The 3 ships of the Spartan republic formed a circle formation, as they got prepared to conduct one of the most important soldier practices of the Spartan republic.


    After setting their detection devices on full power to check if any other fleet was nearby, all the soldiers started coming out after confirming that no fleet was close.


    The iconic Spartan republic flag was raised in all 3 ships, as the soldiers quickly arranged themselves in all the corners of the 3 ships. Clark finally took hold of the voice amplifying device to address the fleet.


    ¡°Good morning Spartans. Most of you may already know who I am, but for those who don¡¯t know, my name is Clark Pendragon¡±.


    ¡°I am standing here as a bridge for our Captain who is still unconscious, to apologize for the recent storms of battles that we had to pass through. As soldiers, it is inevitable that we battle, but it¡¯s a crime for our comrades to die in such huge numbers¡±.


    ¡°I want to plead to all those here that either lost a husband, or a wife. I¡¯m sorry for your loss; I hope you all can control your emotions¡±.


    ¡°I want you all to know that your loved ones died for the Spartan republic¡¯s growth. Without their sacrifice, the Spartan republic will quickly become one of the countries that have gone done in history for being too weak¡±.


    ¡°This is the era of exotics and technologies were cruelty and strength reigns. I want you to know that all the dead in this battle are our pride, the pride of our president, and the pride of the whole Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°We cannot stop their death, nor can we raise them from the dead. The best we can do is to send their spirits to heaven to meet God, the almighty creator, the owner of their lives¡±.


    After saying this, he stretched out his hands as one of the flags was handed over to him, before he continued.


    ¡°I shall use this sacred flag as a symbol of farewell. As I place it in the water, the sea shall be their eternal place of rest, where their spirits shall help us in all our incoming battles¡±.


    ¡°We shall all forever remember this sacrifice. The Spartan government shall provide adequate compensations to all the family members of the fallen. We never despise nor abandon our dead soldier¡¯s families¡±.


    After concluding his speech, he threw the flag into the sea under the gaze of everyone, as the singers of the fleet directly started singing their military farewell songs.


    All the soldiers followed shortly after with solemn expression on their faces, as they sent their comrades home. After this, they finally started singing the Spartan national anthem as a form of honor to the dead.


    On hearing this familiar one, all the crews in the fleet sang the anthem in sorrowful, hopeful, and determined moods. All of them collectively singing it in sync brought a change, as a motivated vibe started exuding in all the ships, the crying crews of the ships finally stopped their crying.


    They all echoed the lyrics of the anthem with vigor and determination, as the pain of their closed ones dying suddenly became more bearable to them.


    After going through this most important procedure, Clark finally dismissed the large gathering. He also did not fail to add bonuses to the ship crew and every other worker in the fleet.


    They needed it to cool down, as nothing was more comforting than money in the end. And they all did a good job to enable their escape; a little appreciation gift at times does not hurt.


    Even the bible supported it. Money is everything, the only important notice was that don¡¯t become desperate to get it.


    ¡­


    After travelling for another week in the sea, the Spartan fleet was now finally close to getting home. They finally left the deep parts of the Mediterranean Sea.


    This brought a happy mood back to the fleet, taking the gloomy atmosphere away. There is no place like home, just the thought of getting home did a good job in elevating everyone¡¯s mood.


    And it was also at this time, just like the head doctor predicted that Captain Oxford woke up. His body already recovered since a week ago, the problem was the impact to his brain. But fortunately, he finally recovered.


    After resting for a whole day to further recuperate, he finally called for a military gathering. There were a lot of things that he did not know about; he had to get up to date as the leader of this fleet.


    After hearing the order from his Captain, Clark also acknowledged it immediately as he started preparations. The gathering was in an hour¡¯s time, so he had enough time to prepare.


    ¡°Emily, it seems our discussion time will be cut off, I have to get prepared. My Captain finally woke up and he just called for a military gathering of high-grade soldiers, I need to be there in at most 50 minutes time¡±.


    He quickly stood up from the sofa after reading the notification from his implant, as he informed Emily in an apologetic tone before rushing away.


    ¡°Oh, wow, your Captain already recovered. Thank God, that¡¯s relieving. When you go, extend my greetings to him if possible¡±. She answered back, as Clark¡¯s figure gradually disappeared from her sight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely inform him¡±. He yelled back in reply, as he quickly went straight to the bathroom to get his bath.


    His tone and demeanor was completely unlike the leader who gave a speech to his subordinate¡¯s, days ago. It was far more casual, less emotional, and far more approachable, like a normal human being.


    Emily giggled to herself as this thought crossed her head. On hearing the sound of the water rushing, her face bloomed into a wider smile without a particular reason, as she leaned back to rest on the sofa.


    In less than 5 minutes, Clark came out of the bathroom as he quickly went to his room to get dressed.


    This time, he didn¡¯t freeze to admire his handsome physique as he didn¡¯t want to go for the gathering late. Despite this, he still stole glances at his improved biceps and muscles.


    20 minutes later, he finally came out of his room with the nice scent of perfume all over him. He quickly went forward to meet Emily that was busy watching a movie, before nudging at her on her shoulders.


    ¡°Hey!! How do I look?¡± He asked with a grin, as he patted his suit to better emphasize his point. She slowly turned back to see him, with a slightly irritated look on her face.


    She wanted to complain of why he disturbed her, but her expression froze immediately on seeing this man in a new suit again.


    Seeing the handsome face before her, the fine dark-toned skin enveloped by the sweet looking suit, her face betrayed her surprise as she blushed a bit before standing up to face him.


    ¡°The suit is nice, you really look good on it. Let me help you arrange your tie¡±. She complimented, before proposing this as she went closer to him.


    His face bloomed into a smile on hearing her reply. He wanted to thank her for the compliment, but he was interrupted by what she said next.


    ¡°Clark¡­, have you ever thought of marrying? Sometimes, I envy the girl that will marry you. I hope she treats you well, or she¡¯ll see my enraged state¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± He was completely stumped and surprised by her completely unexpected words. What should he say? What did she expect him to say?


    Seeing the look of expectation on her face terrified him more, as he surprisingly became nervous. He stuttered to speak, as he just faced her with a dumb look.


    ¡°Ah¡­, its time for me to go. I don¡¯t want to be late, see you later¡±. He finally bailed himself with this, as he directly ran out, not waiting for her reply.


    Seeing his abnormally flustered state, she could not help but giggle as her face slowly bloomed into a wider smile.


    ¡°I hope I can get into your sight one day¡­, in the future¡±. She softly muttered after he left, before dropping down on the sofa to continue watching her movie.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 151: the mysterious mask

    In less than 2 minutes, Clark quickly navigated his way to the military-strategic planning hall of the main ship. As he came very early, he met only 2 soldiers that were already there.


    On seeing him, Sergeant Scott immediately came forward to welcome him. As a fervent and loyal fan of the magician, his mood changed immediately on seeing him.


    Clark already got accustomed to this guy¡¯s constant presence, so he didn¡¯t avoid it as he was led to the seat beside that of their Captain. The other Sergeant in the room saluted him before quickly turning silent, not everyone was familiar with the 2nd in command of their ship.


    On seeing the way Scott kept on babbling cheerfully and no other soldier was coming at the moment, he sighed before deciding to indulge this boy.


    They engaged in small talks to spend the time as soldiers steadily came into the hall. Some minutes later, Captain Oxford finally came into the large hall to meet his soldiers.


    On seeing him, Clark ended the conversation as he quickly stood up to greet and salute his Captain. The other soldiers followed his lead, as they also stood up to welcome the Captain.


    Captain Oxford did not change much because of the battle that almost led to his death. The only obvious change, was his more refined and unfathomable aura, befitting of a 4th rank high-grade soldier.


    He did not engage in any side conversations with his soldiers on coming, he went straight to the point as he quickly started the meeting.


    Though he already guessed most of what happened after he left his soldiers to Clark, he was still shocked at how much this soldier was able to do in his absence.


    Rescuing almost all the soldiers during such a chaotic battle situation, retrieving the lost research data back, all these were accomplishments that were astonishing and worth rewarding.


    He was so much impressed by this 2nd in command of his fleet. His plan to save him by giving up his life initially was not without merit after all.


    After quickly going through the initial stages of his soldiers¡¯ escape, his face grew grave when they mentioned that a fleet of the Seafarers alliance came after to restrain the exobeast.


    He was even more disappointed when he learned that they did not know the current status of Drakonous, if he escaped, was captured, or was killed. Well, them escaping safely with the fleet was already commendable to him.


    His originally grave face morphed into a smile when the total amount of calculated loots was finally displayed before him. After swimming in his happiness for minutes, he finally turned back to face his soldiers.


    ¡°Clark, I really commend what you did in my absence. Without you, the mission would not have been as complete. I promise you that the Spartan republic will not overlook your contributions¡±.


    After spicing his praise with more sweet words of encouragement, he finally turned to address his other high-grade soldiers.


    ¡°Soldiers, I¡¯m also impressed by what you all did during this mission. Be rest assured that the republic will not put you aside. From this one mission result alone, you¡¯re all now the head, you¡¯re no longer the tail¡±.


    ¡°Expect some really good rewards, when we get back home. Also, I¡¯m sorry for the loss of so many comrades in one mission. I feel bad for having missed their farewell ceremony¡±.


    ¡°As Clark already said, be rest assured that their families will be appropriately compensated¡±.


    After heaping praises on those who deserved it, and encouraging those that lost their friends in the battle, he finally proceeded to read the current military protocols of the fleet.


    After making sure that everything was in order, he finally dismissed the gathering in a satisfied mood.


    The fleet would enter the Sparta republic in 2 days maximum. They still had a lot of things to prepare before docking, so dismissing early was for the best.


    ¡­


    After the meeting, Clark went back straight to his apartment on the ship. He had a lot currently going on in his mind, but he was trying to narrow them down to the ones with the highest priority.


    After more than 3 years of staying in the sea, he will finally get back to land in most likely 2 days. He felt weird, as he already grew accustomed to staying in the sea. Well, he just had to adapt again when the time came.


    The main thing that occupied his mind, was how he would surprise Leo, Benny, and most especially Sonia.


    Though it was not up to 5 years yet, he was ready to get a girlfriend now. He made the decision to wait for 5 years, and he could also decide to cut the time down.


    He could not wait to see her cute and smiling face, the thought was already leaving flying butterflies in his stomach. As he thought of this, his mind could not help but go to Emily¡¯s.


    He would be a fool if he still couldn¡¯t notice the feelings that she had for him. This was a situation that he had never been trapped in before, so he always felt weird when around her.


    Unlike the way she probably felt, he honestly took her as a very good and honest friend.


    Staying around her helped a lot in him being able to remain sane. It was doubtful if he would have still been rational, if he stayed alone, fighting gladiator battles in the sea without any friend.


    He appreciated her presence a lot, but not in the other sense. He only had an honest agape love for her, as a genuine friend should.


    ¡°Oh, Clark you¡¯re back?¡±


    Speak of the devil, it seems the person he was even soliloquizing about was outside, waiting for him.


    She prepared 2 chairs and a table on top of his apartment roof, facing the calm sky as she enjoyed herself. Seeing her, he diverted, taking the corner staircase, before scaling to the roof to meet her.


    ¡°Clark, I¡¯ll go back to my country after your fleet docks. I prepared this special meal to thank you for all the care and hospitality throughout the journey, I really appreciate it¡±.


    She greeted him with this. She didn¡¯t need to point it out, as Clark could already see what she made on the table.


    He subconsciously licked his lips, while his eyes twitched a bit as the faint aroma of the food wafted across his nose tantalizingly. He forcibly controlled himself despite the impulse to devour the food immediately, as he directed a questioning gaze at her.


    This was his best meal, and it was a local specialty of Vatican City. How did this girl know this? And most especially, how was she able to make it?


    Seeing his questioning gaze, she giggled a bit as she gestured for him to sit down first. After he sat down, she finally explained.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve not noticed it when you frequently visit the ship¡¯s local Spartan food cook specialist to get this? I just asked curiously, and I learned it, it¡¯s no big deal¡±.


    ¡°Oh, that explains it¡±. He finally nodded in understanding, before digging into the food unceremoniously.


    ¡°Clark, are you sure that you want to escort me home?¡± She cautiously asked again, after he finished eating.


    ¡°Emily, I told you that I already made up my mind. Your country is not that far from mine also, so the journey won¡¯t take too long for me¡±. He answered lazily, as he leaned back into the chair to take in the full glow of the morning sun.


    He already noticed something fishy, when her fellow countrymen refused to take her in back in the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance.


    Though he didn¡¯t have any solid conclusions yet, that was clearly not normal. As a friend, he would make sure to guarantee her safety before leaving her alone. She came for protection under him, and that is what he would give her.


    After finalizing their talks, they kept quiet as they enjoyed the faint sea breeze blowing. The tingling sensation of the breeze against their skin was so satisfying, that Emily fell asleep shortly after.


    After noticing this, he didn¡¯t disturb her as he enjoyed it for some more before standing up to go down to his apartment. He still had some unfinished business to take care of.


    After the meeting, before coming back he went to meet Captain Oxford for help. After listening to his request, the Captain was benevolent, as he lent him his detection device without much fuss.


    He wanted to perform a last elaborate probe, to see if he could know the usefulness of the strange mask that he got during his escape from the military research base.


    This strange mask that he got has proved during the last 2 weeks to be extremely valuable. Despite lending and using all the detection devices in the fleet¡¯s armory, he was still not able to know its use nor its grade either.


    This showed that it was too advanced for its internals to be detected by regular detection devices. He already checked it, and no camouflage device was activated. This indicated that he probably got hit a jackpot in this mission.


    If it was not just bluffing; if this thing was as useful as he thought. Then, he was sure that he would be the one who benefited the most from this mission.


    After entering his apartment, he went straight to his room before activating his jamming devices to keep any prying eyes at bay. He finally bent down, as he brought the hidden mask from under his bed.


    He stored it in a small exotic safe, that was covered with a jamming device, paired with a camouflage device. He was very careful in how he safeguarded this loot; he did not want to hear stories that touch.


    Click!! After inputting the code, the exotic safe opened with a click sound, before he carefully brought the mask out.


    After doing this, he finally brought the new borrowed detection device closer, to enable it to perform its work. It started reading the mask, as a detection scan was constantly on, trying to penetrate this mysterious mask.


    Unlike the other detection devices that just scanned for seconds before announcing their verdict, this one took its time. On seeing it take so long, his hopes gradually became ignited as he stared at it without blinking attentively.


    [Beep!! Beep!! Sorry¡­, the mask¡¯s properties could not be detected. Upgrade to a better detection scanner, to have a better chance of penetrating your equipment].


    On seeing these elaborate bittersweet words just to tell him sorry, his lips twitched fiercely as he restrained the urge to punch the detection device.


    He was disappointed and at the same time relieved. He was disappointed because he could not detect what it was now, but he was relieved because this meant that this mask was as valuable as he thought.


    He comforted himself with this thought, as he kept it back before lying down on his bed to rest.


    Sweet traveling music gradually started blazing out of the sound amplifiers, as the sweet melody slowly led him into the path of sleep. He slept with a smile consistently kept on his face, showing that he was a happy man.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 152: home the spartan republic

    After going through so many trials and tribulations, today the Spartan fleet finally crossed over to their territory. This was when the feeling of peace and relief really came, as calmness spread through the fleet like a drowsiness drug.


    On seeing so many familiar Spartan vessels, they inhaled the familiar breath of home as the border coast defense formation was opened to them.


    The water covering kilometers around the coast was constantly being patrolled by dozens of warships, painting an extremely intimidating sight. Though the sight seemed intimidating, after all, that they¡¯ve seen for the past month, this was just like a children¡¯s game to them.


    They already confirmed their identity, so their entry was without mishaps. They moved safely to the harbor, where they finally started alighting on the orders of Captain Oxford.


    A delegation of soldiers was outside to welcome them, in their midst was the vice leader in chief of the Spartan navy, General Kadosh.


    After they got down from the 3 ships, the soldiers who came to welcome them went in immediately, as they started working to bring the goods stored in the ships down.


    News of what happened during their encounters was already reported to the higher-ups on their way here, so General Kadosh already knew everything.


    ¡°Oxford, welcome to the higher ranks of power. After so long, you finally succeeded in crossing the barrier¡±. He greeted Captain Oxford with a smile, before proceeding to exchange a hug.


    As they did this, all the remaining Spartan soldiers stood at attention before saluting their vice naval leader.


    The General acknowledged their salute, praised them for their hard work and achievements during this expedition, before ambiguously promising them rewards for everything.


    After doing this, he finally turned to give attention to the 2nd hero of the fleet, apart from Captain Oxford.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon, what a surprise. I can see that your journey is filled with legendary events every time, I don¡¯t know if it''s good luck or bad luck. You defied all odds when everyone thought you were dead, you impress me a lot¡±.


    ¡°But despite all these, the republic appreciates your accomplishments, welcome back to the Spartan republic¡±. After giving a short appreciation speech, he quickly diverted his attention back to Captain Oxford.


    Emily was the only lonely one among the soldiers. She stayed at the back to avoid getting attention, as she patiently waited for Clark to settle everything on his side.


    Clark left shortly after to the parking lot of the coast, to get his car. After so long of separation, he was finally getting his baby back, he really missed his monster baby car.


    After filling an application for leave, he was finally allowed to claim the car and leave the Spartan border. They already knew of his request before now, so everything was pretty easygoing for him.


    He finally called for Emily, after driving his car close to the water. She came quickly with her equipment and goods, including his also, as she quickly stuffed them into the car.


    She was not too surprised on seeing the car. When she was on the Spartan main fleet, though she didn¡¯t have access to a lot of information, looking this up was not restricted for her.


    Despite already seeing it, it was still admirable. The car lay dormant like a hibernating beast, waiting to be disturbed and unleashed just like the way Drakonous did.


    After arranging everything, she finally went into the car. The car was in a mini-armored truck configuration, so there was enough space to fit everything that they brought.


    She sat down, while secretly admiring the car¡¯s interior as Clark went outside to bid farewell to his Captain.


    ¡°Clark, make sure to come for the fleet expedition ceremony in a month. That will also be my rank promotion ceremony day, don¡¯t dare to miss it. All your pending awards will also be given that day, I hope you don¡¯t waste too much time taking your girlfriend home¡±.


    Captain Oxford said with a smile on his face, before fiercely patting him on his shoulders to emphasize his point that he meant what he said.


    ¡°Cough¡­, cough, who told you that she is my girlfriend?¡± Clark was left speechless, he coughed awkwardly to hide his blushing face at the Captain¡¯s words, before swiftly slipping away.


    ¡°Captain, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to be back in a month. And try to get a wife before then, you are no longer young, you¡¯re already passing your prime years¡±.


    After getting to a safe distance, he retaliated with his own bomb-like words before quickly slipping into his car.


    Captain Oxford only shook his head with a rare smile on his face, as he imprinted the face of this soldier into his head. He was sure that Clark would go to great heights, probably even more than he ever reached.


    Zoom!! The hibernating car finally woke up from its slumber with a soft mechanical roar, before flying down the road, straight back to the direction of the sea.


    The coast security men opened the punishment gate that was designed to punish intruders, as the car smoothly sped past it before diving directly into the sea the next second.


    Splash!! The seawater was stirred up, creating a small water wave as the silhouette of the car quickly disappeared into the depths of the sea.


    Clark didn¡¯t want to go by land this time, he decided to use his car¡¯s sea form for the first time since he got it. He smiled on seeing the effect, he liked what he saw.


    On entering the sea, the car transformed its shape just like a 2-form gun, as it quickly changed forms into that of a mini-submarine. It was just like a normal speed boat, but in a larger form and completely protected by a transparent exotic covering.


    The fishes close to this area were startled away by the unexpected entry of this mechanical vessel, as they did well to maintain their distance.


    The stunning sight of the sea was further enhanced when looking at it through a transparent screen, it looked so beautiful. He let lily control the mini-sub on autopilot, as he lazily rested back on his chair.


    ¡°Emi, how do you feel this? Cool, right?¡± He suddenly cocked his head to look at his friend with a grin on his face, as he cooly asked.


    Emily¡¯s face twitched fiercely on seeing this side of Clark. She took deep breaths to calm her unsteady heart, before finally getting a poker expression on her face.


    The sight stunned her, but on seeing this naughty guy¡¯s expression looking at her, he decided to disappoint him to see his reaction.


    ¡°Humph!! It¡¯s just so so¡±. She bombarded back savagely with this, as she folded her hands while crossing her legs to wait for a reaction from the boy.


    Clark already expected such a reply on seeing her initial expression. His figure shook, as he chuckled amusedly with an I understand you expression on his face.


    This only made her face twitch more, as she fought hard to restrain herself from pouncing on him. After controlling herself, she broke into a laugh instead.


    ¡°I guess I should just enjoy these few days that I still have with him¡±. She soliloquized emotionally. She would surely miss Clark after they separate in a few days.


    ¡­


    Somewhere deep in the territory of the Spartan republic, in Delhi city, a group of soldiers exchanged gunshots in a chaotic battle where one side was completely suppressed.


    ¡°Smart man, carry your unit and aim at the terrorist''s ranged soldiers. Stop trying to rush forward to grab attention, you are paper soldiers for God¡¯s sake, behave like one¡±.


    ¡°Stay in your position, you¡¯ll still get your merits after we wipe out these murderers¡±. Leo said while panting, as he led his melee unit forward to intercept the terrorist soldiers¡¯ escape path.


    ¡°You better take care of yourself then. Don¡¯t call me or Benny for help, when the situation gets dangerous¡±. The man referred to as Smart man snorted in disregard, but he still shot at the terrorists diligently.


    This was a special operation to wipe out a big base of the Persian tigers organization. The terrorists recently took the news headlines, as they almost massacred a small town of all its inhabitants.


    After the death of thousands, the nearest soldier reinforcement arrived at the fastest possible speed as the massacre was finally stopped.


    After a great battle that saw the death of hundreds of soldiers from both sides, the terrorists finally escaped after paying a great price.


    They escaped, but the Spartan military was not just going to let such a massacre end so easily. The nearest python military division invested a large number of resources to track the terrorists. After a week, the trails of the terrorists were finally discovered.


    The python military division immediately mobilized its soldiers to follow up this lead. This was the result, as they finally discovered the main force of the escaping terrorists.


    Captain Daniel personally led the assault, as terrorists died in droves from his power and momentum.


    After more than 3 years of service under the Spartan republic, though they did not have their second breakthrough yet, Leo, and Benny were already veteran high-grade soldiers.


    Leo led the charge at their assigned area, bulldozing through the enemy ranks, as Benny guided this new high-grade soldier who called himself Smart man to integrate into their tempo.


    After a battle that stretched for over 3 hours, the terrorist base was finally annihilated. A massacre was a provocation that the Spartan republic does not tolerate, their reaction this time perfectly showed their stand on such matters.


    Captain Daniel barbarically paraded the head of the terrorist Captain round the battlefield like a bloodthirsty barbarian, as his soldiers cheered him on.


    After this, he finally left the battlefield after instructing his soldiers to tidy up the area where they fought at. It was at this moment that Leo finally had the time to react to what happened during the battle.


    ¡°F**k, this bastard is back after 3 years, and the first thing he does is recall his car back. What if I was driving on the road? He grumbled fiercely, attracting the attention of the nearby soldiers.


    ¡°You mean Clark?¡± Benny asked leisurely, as he serviced his overheated 2-form gun. He already got used to this guy referring to Clark as a bastard, so he caught into it immediately.


    Staying 3 years without your best friend was torture to Leo. He never knew that Clark meant so much to him until he disappeared.


    After knowing that he was alive but refused to come back, he decided to start referring to him as a bastard anytime he was discussing him. Due to his frequent use of it, most of the soldiers around him already knew this.


    Benny wanted to ask further, but on seeing the location where the car was originally parked empty, he finally understood.


    Leo wanted to grumble more, but he knew that he did not want to attract the ire of the hot-blooded Captain Daniel. He instead started muttering curses as he worked with the other soldiers.


    He did not want to express happiness to show that he missed Clark, his new friends would just finish him with mockery laughter. He instead used his muttering of curses to express it, it was his clever trademark method now.


    Only Benny knew this, but he didn¡¯t expose him, he only shook his head with a chuckle. He also missed Clark a lot, that legendary soldier, he could not wait to see him again.


    Perhaps, Clark would not recognize them again. Well, he¡¯ll worry about that later when they meet probably later in the day.


    They worked faster to get back home quickly to see Clark, not knowing that he was already on his way outside the country again. Unknowingly to them, a hallow of mockery and pity was currently revolving above their heads, as they worked faster.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 153: the ratliff republic

    After traveling for hours under the extremely beautiful and colorful shallow depths of the Mediterranean Sea, Emily finally fell asleep.


    She was not a robot. Though the calm and peaceful sight of the undersea was undoubtedly beautiful when no war was being fought, looking and admiring it for hours would still bore anyone.


    The exotic car¡¯s mini-submarine configuration made use of some middle-grade compression devices, so the inside of the sub was fairly large, enough to occupy a large main control area and a room.


    After she went inside to sleep, Clark stood up, going to the sub¡¯s control panel as he finally decided to check their direction and do something he badly wanted to do.


    After giving a voice command, virtual screens flickered before hovering before him from the control panel, lining up like a well-disciplined battalion of soldiers.


    He cracked his knuckles with a smile, before placing his fingers down as they typed away rapidly, forming a blur as information kept flashing across the virtual screens.


    After typing for 2 minutes, he finally connected to the nearby satellite before an image showing his surrounding emerged on the virtual screens.


    He was able to do this so fast remotely, because of the caliber of a ride he had. His car¡¯s A.I¡¯s processing power was among the most outrageous, even when placed in this whole European region. Combined with his op implant, his virtual skills were unreal.


    A red dot flashed repeatedly across the screen, indicating his current location. According to what was being shown, he was 3 hours away from getting to the Ratliff republic.


    He badly wanted to directly hack Emily country¡¯s defense firewall, to directly see what exactly happened there. But sadly, he couldn¡¯t. His exotic car¡¯s hacking add-on was not potent enough to crack a middle-grade country¡¯s virtual firewall.


    After pondering for a minute on what to do, he finally decided to see what was happening at home, and back in his military division.


    After inputting the right orders, the virtual screens before him suddenly started converging to one position as they quickly formed a whole new and large virtual screen.


    After this convergence, the screen blacked out for a second before immediately lighting up the next. A map of the Spartan republic appeared on the screen, as he immediately narrowed it down to focus on Vatican City.


    Unlike his restriction to use the Ratliff republic¡¯s satellite, as a soldier of the Spartan republic, he had access to a lot of the abilities of the Spartan erudite satellite. His rank as a soldier determined his authority.


    The large virtual screen flashed repeatedly, as it finally slowed down, settling in his home street, precisely, his home.


    He knew that there was only a little chance that something would happen to his house, but he still breathe a sigh of relief on seeing his ancestral home still intact and in order.


    After this, he quickly navigated forward, arriving at his mom¡¯s restaurant, Eat with delight.


    The restaurant was as buoyant as ever, business was moving like usual, and the old woman was in her corner as usual as her curious eyes scanned the customers who came into her shop cutely.


    On seeing this, his face involuntarily bloomed into a smile as he took in the scene before him thoroughly. After the smile widened to the depths of his mouth, he finally inputted another order as the view moved, navigating to another area.


    ¡°Shit, Clark actually didn¡¯t come back immediately. What a bastard, I¡¯ll skin him alive when he comes¡±.


    ¡°The border coast battalion soldiers said that he actually escorted a foreign female soldier away. He left for so long, a new girlfriend was what he could bring back home, and he actually forgot his buddies to escort her home, what the f**k?¡±


    Leo completely blew up after getting back home and not seeing Clark, as he vented his frustration through his words.


    After all his rush to get home quickly and meet his friend, not still seeing him when his expectations were already so high was complete torture to him. He punched the hardened wall to vent his anger but immediately recoiled back from the pain feedback.


    After trying this but not getting any result but only pain, he decided to vent his anger elsewhere. He picked up his new computer game console, as he directly started playing a military war game.


    Click-clack sounds reverberated furiously, as he smashed at the console keys with angry speed. Despite his speed, his situation didn¡¯t look good. In less than a minute, he finished his life count as he was killed 5 times.


    He paused after finishing his life count; his palms gripped the console tighter and tighter as his already red face grew redder from frustration. It seemed like red smoke was emerging from his head, as his mouth twitched fiercely. Even the game was not supporting him, what a day this was.


    Bam!! He smashed the console to pieces, before storming off to his room. Before passing the door to the room, he grabbed another random object, throwing it in a random direction before leaving.


    Benny only chuckled at seeing this, as he cleverly left his raging friend. He was also a little depressed about not seeing Clark immediately, but he could still control his emotions, unlike this lovesick boy.


    Clark laughed hard on the other side on seeing this, as his legs could barely support his weight.


    He never knew that this naughty boy missed him so much. It was a refreshing feeling to see the originally calm Leo behaving frustrated, on not seeing him.


    He also missed his best friend a lot; he could not wait to meet him in a month. All he hoped for was that Leo would not vent all this pent-up frustration on him when he finally returns.


    He chuckled again on this thought before he finally inputted orders again to look for another person that was super important to him.


    [Ding!! Target not found after 8th consecutive scan. Verdict: The target is likely outside the Spartan republic or your authority is not enough to know her current status.]


    His face turned odd on seeing this. ¡°Sonia left the Spartan republic? Is it for a mission?¡± He muttered to himself doubtfully.


    This was the only one that seemed true out of the 2 suggestions, as he did not believe that she suddenly grew in strength faster than him, and now had higher military authority.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be back in a month. I¡¯ll naturally know everything then, no need to be anxious over it. No one is stealing my girlfriend¡±. He muttered sarcastically, before finally deactivating the virtual screen.


    He checked the time that he took in all this, before finally turning to go rest again. He sat at the sub¡¯s comfort chairs, as he began thinking of where he was going, the Ratliff republic.


    Though the Ratliff republic was also a middle-grade country just like Sparta, it was far weaker. Unlike its counterpart, it was at the lower tier of the middle-grade countries.


    Extremely strong middle-grade countries like the Spartan and Mocan republic were fairly few and far between, as not every country¡¯s situation was the same.


    Just like the Mocan republic, the Ratliff republic chooses its leaders through diplomacy, not through military strength. High-grade soldiers were not their rulers, big men of other occupations were.


    As their military power is weaker than most of their middle-grade counterparts, they formed alliances with other similar countries to safeguard their continued existence.


    Unlike most countries of their caliber, they have the same amount of focus on technological and agricultural development, so their technological development was fairly subpar for a middle-grade country.


    Apart from the alliance that they joined, the other thing securing their continued existence was that a lot of countries trade with them to get their agricultural produce.


    Though in this era, there was no absolute friend or enemy. Having so many countries patronizing their products, indirectly gained them a lot of powerful connections.


    As they won¡¯t proactively try to invade other countries, most countries were also not greedy enough to attempt to invade them. In a sense, connections are also power in this cruel age where strength rules supreme.


    Unlike the Spartan republic that was divided into 4 protectorates, it was divided into 20 states and a capital city, just like the Mocan republic.


    It was because the military strength of this country was not too overwhelming for him, which was the main reason why he offered to escort Emily home.


    After thinking of all these, he finally started drawing contingency plans for any unexpected scenarios or complications during his short stay in this country. Being prepared was always better than being caught off guard.


    Like the great Abraham Lincoln once said, in every operation or situation you find yourself in, you must always have a contingency plan. Planning thoroughly today can save your life tomorrow.


    After making elaborate plans for various scenarios, he finally joined Emily as he was drawn into the sweet world of sleep.


    ¡­


    [Ding!! Master, you have only a kilometer remaining to enter into the territory of the Ratliff republic.]


    He woke up through the diligent notification of his implant¡¯s A.I, as he finally took in his surroundings.


    He could already see land, as the mini-submarine cruised forward to the shallow waters of the Ratliff republic. After taking manual control of it, he finally woke up Emily as he prepared to go back into dry land.


    With a splash sound, the submarine emerged out of the water as it quickly morphed back to its original configuration in mid-air.


    Bam!! The sturdy tires of the car landed on the rugged road, as it started moving closer to the real border of the Ratliff republic.


    Through the satellite, he was able to find a place that was remote enough to avoid detection to emerge from the water. Though the main reason for him not being discovered, was his car¡¯s superior anti-detection coating.


    After another 2 hours¡¯ drive to get closer to civilized space, the car finally stopped in its tracks.


    After coming down, he finally utilized the car¡¯s stealth systems for the first time. After activating it, it disappeared immediately from view eerily, like it was never there.


    On seeing this, he nodded in satisfaction before helping Emily, as they both carried her luggage. He used his new camouflage device to change his appearance, before following her to the nearest town.


    Unlike his days as a cadet, he was no longer the nobody he was. Who knew if the Ratliff republic had a complete biography of him, he didn¡¯t want his identity to be known so quickly.


    After taking all these countermeasures, the 2 finally embarked on their journey. Their lonely but cheerful figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the road, painting a lullabic sight.


    The Ratliff republic just welcomed a foreign soldier into their territory without their knowledge, showing their mediocre technology. Well, only grace would follow them.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it.]

 Chapter 154: the conspiracy of large families

    The 2 silhouettes continued walking forward for hours before they finally came before the real territory of the Ratliff republic. They emerged in the Draken state, which was the only state that was close to the Mediterranean Sea in the whole country.


    It would still take them about an hour if a regular civilian transport car was taken from here to the Madbull state.


    Madbull was Emily¡¯s home state. It was ranked among the middle tier in terms of development potential and resources in the whole Ratliff republic, so it was not too exceptional.


    As Clark was new to the Ratliff republic, she just used this opportunity to show him around while she quickly ordered a transport bike online.


    They already ate today, but she still decided to take him to a restaurant that she knew nearby. As this state was a neighbor to her state, she came here a lot during her days as a field agent of the Ratliff military.


    As they ate, the courier delivering the bike finally arrived at the restaurant. After directing him to keep it at the corner of the restaurant, they paid before continuing their meal.


    After they finished eating, Emily showed Clark around some more. After admiring the scenery a bit, they finally embarked on their journey back to Madbull state.


    It was already more than 4 years since she left with her country¡¯s naval fleet. She felt excited and some faint anticipation, as she planned on leading her friend directly to her ancestral home.


    After 40 minutes of being on the road, they finally arrived in the Madbull state. Compared to the previous Draken state that looked more militarized, her state looked like one that focused more on luxury and explosive fashion.


    Clark felt dizzy on seeing all the colorful sights, he felt like he just entered a cartoon world. Emily smiled on seeing his expression, as she smoothly turned the bike into a curve, going down from the highway.


    In less than 8 minutes, she finally arrived at the Bauer mansion. Her face was lighted with a nostalgic smile, as her sight fell on her grandfather¡¯s mansion after a separation that lasted so long.


    After admiring her family¡¯s mansion for a moment, her gaze finally came down to the people facing her. A slight frown quickly crept into her face, when she saw the soldiers manning the mansion.


    ¡°Umm¡­, Emily, is anything wrong?¡± Clark quickly caught on to her slight frown, as he cautiously asked.


    ¡°These soldiers are not my family¡¯s soldiers. Our soldiers have their unique uniform, which my grandfather personally designed for them. These soldiers are from the local military regiment instead¡±.


    She nodded heavily with a confused and irritated expression on her face, as she slowly went forward to meet and confront these soldiers before her.


    This was when it became apparent that something was wrong. Her confusion and worry grew, as the originally boisterous Bauer mansion was strangely quiet, with only soldiers on her sight.


    Despite the unsettling feeling in her heart, she gathered courage and continued forward. The soldiers already noticed her and seemed to recognize her, as they faintly discussed among themselves.


    From where she was currently, she quickly deduced that none of her extended family members were at home. This was her home; she was extremely familiar with it, so her perception was frightening here.


    It was at this moment that one of the soldiers came forward to stop her from moving further.


    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m sorry. This territory is now restricted and in custody under the orders of the Dead pool military division. Please respect yourself and obey orders, or I would help instill discipline in you¡±.


    Seeing this ordinary soldier trying to discipline her so blatantly, her already angry mood almost led her to kill him on the spot.


    She took a deep breath to calm herself, before suddenly blowing up with abusive words. She didn¡¯t want to kill anyone, but no one could restrain her mouth.


    Not seeing any of her family members, and hearing the ridiculous words of this soldier brought back an unknown fear that was kept hidden deep in her heart.


    Her words became very high-pitched, as she fiercely questioned these soldiers before her. On seeing her fearless attitude and that his soldier was even a little intimidated, the leader of this group of soldiers finally came forward.


    He was just a 1st rank high-grade soldier, but he could manage the pressure being emanated from her.


    Seeing their extremely unyielding attitudes, brought her more panic as her questioning voice grew louder and louder. As it slowly started taking the aggressive route, Clark finally decided to intervene.


    He was shocked, as he had never seen this side of Emily. He knew that she could single-handedly massacre this group of soldiers, but that was definitely not advisable.


    ¡°Emily, please restrain yourself a little. I thought you said that your sister worked in one famous hospital as a doctor. Let us go there and meet her first, she¡¯ll probably explain what happened to you¡±.


    After being restrained by Clark, and listening to his advice, she finally calmed down. She also knew that fighting here was not advisable.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you, just wait¡±. She said, emphasizing it by pointing at the soldier who initially came forward to intercept her, before turning back with a dangerous expression on her face.


    Clark also turned to follow her, as speculations on what exactly was happening kept flashing past his head.


    His implant recorded and analyzed the expressions and mannerisms of these soldiers, which was not reassuring. During the brief confrontation, they all either secretly displayed expressions of pity or that of mockery on their faces.


    He was not yet too proficient with making direct speculations through expressions alone, so his verdict from this was still a little vague and ambiguous, that is why he said nothing to her.


    That is why he proposed that they go to her younger sister¡¯s workplace, they¡¯ll surely know more there.


    With an aggressive jerking of the bike, Emily hopped on it and ignited it with rough and hard moves. On seeing her glare for him being too slow, Clark was not offended as he worked faster and entered the bike.


    Broom!! With deep aggressive and loud sounds which looked more like growls, the bike finally picked up speed momentously, leaving Bauer street immediately.


    As soon as they left, the leader of the soldiers stationed at the Bauer mansion took out his military pocket phone before making a call outwards to reach the Captain of the Dead pool military division.


    ¡°Got it¡±. A deep voice replied from the other end of the phone, as he finally dropped his phone.


    ¡°Want to kill my soldier? Fend for yourself first¡±. After the call ended, a malicious smirk appeared on his face as he muttered darkly.


    ¡­


    In less than 2 minutes, the bike quickly arrived at the Multi-purpose Madbull military hospital. This was where Kate Bauer, Emily¡¯s younger sister worked as a doctor.


    Emily jumped down from the bike immediately on arriving, as she started marching directly inside the hospital with loud thudding sounds accompanying her advance.


    Clark¡¯s advance was more modest, as he tried to understand his surrounding carefully to check if any threat or ambush was nearby. Despite this, he was still able to keep up with her speed.


    [Ding!! Master, a scanning device from an unknown source just performed a deep scan on you and Miss Emily. Counter tracking immediately to detect the source, wait for a minute.]


    As he advanced, he jerked for a short moment on hearing the notification from his implant. He was shocked, as normal scanning devices usually left traces behind on the one being scanned.


    This meant that this hospital was probably fortified with extremely high-grade scanning, jamming devices, and probably camouflage devices also.


    This increased his cautiousness, but he did not stop as he followed the still confused and furious Emily. Her normal thought process was already clouded by rage and worry, so she could not give any attention to her surroundings.


    It seems the hospital operatives and security recognized her, as their entry inside was without any mishaps.


    She knew where she was going, so she didn¡¯t have to ask as she went up directly to where she remembered that her sister¡¯s office was. After entering the elevator, she waited for Clark a bit before they were both lifted.


    Despite her rage, she still had enough control of her emotions to know that Clark was following her. She felt bad at him seeing her like this, but her inner mind forced her to ignore it as the worry for her family reigned supreme.


    She finally reached the familiar door leading to the familiar office. She wanted to knock, but she didn¡¯t have to as another medical practitioner in white just came out of the building.


    She heaved a sigh of relief inwardly before going in, as she could already hear the voice of her sister coming from the office.


    The fear that her sister was also not here was bugging her fiercely on the way here. Hearing her voice did a good job in calming her mood a bit, which she really needed.


    As soon as she entered the office, she drew all the attention immediately. Kate Bauer was lecturing 2 other doctors standing before her, but she froze immediately on seeing this familiar silhouette before her.


    She fell into a daze immediately on seeing this, as her brain could not keep up with her raging emotions.


    ¡°You can go, please come back later¡±. She finally controlled herself a bit after much effort, before ordering the 2 learning doctors before her to leave.


    Emily¡¯s face involuntarily bloomed into a smile again on seeing the familiar face of her kid sister. She felt like a burden was just lifted from her heart, as she advanced to meet her.


    She quickly wrapped her younger sister in a hug, but she was surprised as she didn¡¯t reciprocate. She finally disengaged from the hug, when she noticed that her sister was crying.


    ¡°What happened exactly Kate? Please tell me¡±. She finally remembered why she came here on seeing this, as she asked softly in an anxious tone.


    ¡°Emily, you shouldn¡¯t have come here. Why did you come back? The republic is no longer safe for us, the Bauer family is gone. Go now before they come to also take you¡±. Kate answered emotionally, as she shook and jerked from her sobs.


    ¡°And I thought you were dead in the sea, that¡¯s what they told me. Thank God that you are alive, but please leave now before it¡¯s too late¡±.


    Hearing her sobbing sister and what she said, impacted Emily¡¯s psyche but she was not a coward. This only pushed forward her rebellious mood, as she held her sister and told her with an unquestionable tone to explain what happened.


    Kate¡¯s sobs became a full-blown cry, as she already expected such an answer from her sister. As a soldier, her sister would definitely not run away without knowing what happened.


    She calmed down a moment later after hearing this, as she finally started narrating what happened when Emily was gone to her.


    In the end, the worse already happened. With this mindset, she freed and opened her lonely and half-dead mind to her only sister amid more sobs.


    After Kate finished narrating what happened, total silence filled the whole office as Emily tried to internalize what she just learned. Clark could read the atmosphere; he made his already invisible self, more invisible, as the silence reigned.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 155: stealth assassin

    After so many tempering encounters and experiences throughout the years, Emily could confidently call herself a veteran. But after hearing the devastating news that was presented to her, all her anger dissipated, only despair was left behind.


    Hearing the news that almost her whole family was murdered, and only those who surrendered were still alive, she completely despaired.


    According to Kate, the deed was done just 2 months ago. Her grandfather refused to peacefully give away his power, so he was killed immediately. Only her father and some other relatives survived, as they read the situation well and surrendered.


    Despite all the pent-up anger and rage, she came with, she couldn¡¯t muster her overwhelming 2nd rank strength again. Devastation took over her when she heard that her mother was also among the dead.


    From the little she already learned, she knew that her resisting would not achieve much, as politics was involved in this, complicating things further.


    As one of the ruling powers in the Western part of Madbull State, with a street named after them, the Bauer family was an undisputed hegemon in this region.


    Though their rise in power just started a few decades ago after the great battle of supremacy, their foundation was still solid. Their rapid rise was mainly a result of Duke Bauer¡¯s talent in the military commanding field.


    As a veteran soldier of the Ratliff military, though he could not achieve the much-coveted breakthrough. His great talent in the commanding field completely offset this disadvantage.


    As a man who led numerous winning battles that involved warships, he could already be referred to as a legend of the Ratliff republic.


    Though he was already retired, his exploits during his active days brought him a lot of fame, renown, and money. He singlehandedly propped his family to the heights it was today.


    Being the patriarch and the main supporter of the Bauer family, he took the building of his family seriously. After so many years, he succeeded in making the family extremely strong and highly respected.


    To his fortune, the talent of his eldest son stabilized their hold as the hegemon of this region. Ark Bauer took after his father¡¯s talents. But instead of being a commander, he was a soldier.


    He was the only 3rd rank high-grade soldier of the Bauer family. His individual power helped prop it up and also helped stabilize its power.


    He was the only soldier of the Bauer family that was able to escape during the sabotage conspiracy, after a long, draining, and drawn-out battle.


    Though the Bauer family had a lot of power, so was the power of their enemies and rivals also. Their closest and fiercest rival, the Rivaldo family instigated the calamity that befell them.


    They allied with a fellow large family, which was also a rival of the Bauer family. Despite this, the enormous power of the Bauer family could not be toppled so easily. They succeeded only because of the secret help of the Madbull state leaders.


    The Ratliff republic was a country that put a lot of importance on controlling its subordinates. They didn¡¯t want any subordinate to grow too strong, so they either eliminate or trim anyone that was attempting to grow too strong.


    This foolish and narrow-minded leadership mindset displayed why they are still where they are today.


    In a country like the Spartan republic, such nonsense can never be instigated. Not when the legendary slaughterer was still sitting on the presidency seat.


    If you misbehave, no matter how strong you are, the Spartan legend did not mind eradicating a whole large family to reinforce the deep notions of the Spartan republic that were enacted during its creation.


    ¡°Hehe, Emily, I didn¡¯t think that you would make it out of the dangerous Mediterranean Sea. And you actually had the guts to come back to the Ratliff republic. Well, I¡¯ll just get a new pet then¡±.


    It was at this moment that a light-skinned young man finally entered the office, with loud but evil laughter emerging from his grinning lips. As soon as he entered, a battalion of soldiers followed him in immediately.


    Leon Rivaldo, the one and only heir of the Rivaldo family. Being the only heir to such a large family, he was naturally cocky. The latest victory of his family inflated his ego more, he now became super cocky.


    For long, he already had a crush on the two Bauer daughters. After their fall, he directly demanded to get the 2 girls as his new play girls. But he was disappointed, as he later heard that Emily already died in the Sea.


    He was angry and disappointed in hearing that, but he consoled himself with the fact that one of the sisters was still left behind.


    That was why Kate could still come to work, despite all her remaining family members being in prison. As long as she behaved well, Leon would still allow her to pursue her profession.


    Her teary face turned incredibly strained, as the spoiled boy reached her side and groped her on her backside.


    Originally, on seeing this, Emily would have blown up immediately. But now, she could only look on with eyes that seemed soulless without any hint of hope. To her, as the government politics was involved, it was already over.


    Tears rolled down her eyes, as this despicable man used her sister¡¯s body as his playground.


    She didn¡¯t resist, as the soldiers who came into the office came forward to restrain her. After she was restrained, Leon finally came forward to meet her with a wider grin on his face.


    He closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation, as the 2 teary sister¡¯s backsides rested on his palms. He felt like he finally got the goal he was looking for, he definitely had to thank his father in a special way.


    As the soldiers restrained the 2 sisters, while the spoiled brat continued with his shameful practices. The man that remained stuck to the side, completely ignored, finally made his move.


    Clark gave an order through his implant first, before activating the stealth mode of his armor. With this, his already inconspicuous self disappeared from the office room completely.


    He moved cautiously, navigating through the room filled with soldiers before he finally brought out his daggers silently.


    Leon was already feeling high through his originally casual actions, as he suddenly started feeling the urge to take it to the next level. His impulse became too strong, as he ordered his soldiers to restrain the sisters more tightly.


    Clark finally moved at this same moment with impeccable timing. He acted fast decisively, as his invisible figure appeared behind the spoiled brat immediately.


    The soldiers felt the sudden shift of the air, but before they could respond, blood suddenly blossomed, painting a beautiful red and ominous picture in the atmosphere.


    Though Clark originally fought with a spear, and sometimes with a sword and gun, his dagger assassination skills were not to be trifled with either.


    Taking advantage of the short distraction due to lust, he cut the throat of the spoiled brat with his daggers ruthlessly and decisively.


    Gar!! Ga¡­!! Blood spurted out of Leon¡¯s neck in waves, as he held his neck tightly with panicked and widened eyes. Despite this, he could not achieve much as he slowly felt his life slipping away out of his grasp.


    ¡°What??¡± The soldiers finally understood what happened, as alarmed expressions appeared on all their faces. But they were not given the time to react, as they started paying the price for joining the wrong side.


    Whoosh!! Whoosh!! The sound of something moving rapidly in the small office room echoed repeatedly, as soldier after soldier received a clean and delicate cut to their throat.


    At Clark¡¯s current level, he did not require any effort to reap the life of these ordinary soldiers.


    He didn¡¯t even draw his main weapon, as with the daggers, blood flowed in his wake like he was an asura descendant.


    The soldiers tried to retaliate, but their weak strength, experience, and inability to see their opponent completely rendered them helpless. They could only watch with wide eyes, as they died like chickens in the butcher¡¯s den.


    Clark fully displayed the power, flair, and style of an assassin that kills from the shadow as he finished all the soldiers with them not even seeing the color of his armor, in less than a minute.


    Bergh¡­!! Kate could not take the sudden change in environment calmly, as she vomited immediately on seeing the gory scene before her.


    Her originally neat, white, and well-perfumed office suddenly became like the depths of an abyss. Blood and body parts now filled the room, as Clark finally came out of his stealth.


    Emily only looked on with her daze, as she imprinted this scene into her head. Due to her devastated state, she already forgot that she came here with Clark.


    ¡°What are you looking at? Pick up yourselves and follow me immediately, if you want to survive¡±. He barked an order immediately on seeing them still in their pathetic states, as he started bringing his weapons from his backpack.


    Emily reacted instantly on hearing his words, as she sprang up immediately. She was someone that experienced all the magic of Clark during their days in the sea. If he said they could survive, then they could. His words were law to her.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± It was at this moment that Kate finally recovered a bit, as she asked vigilantly with a wary expression on her face.


    ¡°Shut up and follow me. Ask questions later¡±. Clark impolitely barked back at her, leaving her speechless and her dignity hurt.


    Emily was also surprised at Clark¡¯s harsh words, but she quickly stopped her sister from retorting back. If he was so in a rush, then it met their escape would even be a problem for him.


    Kate felt wronged and angry at this impolite and harsh-tongued man, but she listened to her sister and kept quiet. To her, Clark was already the same as Leon, just different in the way they showcase their despicableness.


    Following Clark¡¯s actions, Emily also started preparing for battle, as she guided her sister to start rushing outside the office, following his lead.


    Kate was already resigned to die; she didn¡¯t believe that they could escape despite the strength that this soldier just displayed. She just followed her sister, because she wanted them to be together when they died.


    The death of Leon would surely anger the Rivaldo patriarch. To her, their fate was already sealed.


    Clark moved while most of his attention was in his implant¡¯s world, as his surrounding suddenly became displayed to him in a 3d form. From what he was seeing, soldiers were already converging to this location, which meant what happened here was already discovered.


    He started planning routes to take, as he began leading the 2 sisters outside. He ordered Emily to protect her sister before he unsheathed his spear.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 156: the battle of raining money

    Through his clever and well-planned maneuvers, Clark was able to lead the 2 sisters to avoid the battalion of soldiers that were converging towards the hospital. But he could not keep this for long, the soldiers originally stationed around the surrounding of the hospital were just too much.


    This alone clearly showed the current power of the Rivaldo family. Though they were still far from the peak Bauer family, their influence was already more or less there.


    Knowing that he could no longer avoid the soldiers, Clark prepared well for their unavoidable clash.


    Boom!! His figure launched into the ranks of the soldiers unexpectedly with his spear, killing no less than 6 soldiers in the process as a large chaotic battle immediately erupted.


    The soldiers quickly recovered, but he took advantage of this opening to push further, straight to the direction of the gate.


    Blood blossomed in his wake, forming a beautiful and intimidating sight of blood and gore as his spear went through these soldier¡¯s armor like they were just paper.


    No high-grade soldier was among these randomly matched groups of soldiers, so his fierce massacre could not be stopped.


    Despite this, none of the soldiers stopped as they all received clear orders from their leader. The leader of the Rivaldo family was extremely angry with his son¡¯s death, he was ready to go to any lengths to avenge him.


    They were being butchered like mere chickens, but most of them didn¡¯t give a damn as they knew that the main Rivaldo army and the soldiers of the nearest military division were on the way coming.


    As soldiers who were already guaranteed to not cross the boundary to become a high-grade soldier, their life was not worth a fart here in the Ratliff republic.


    The government recognize them as cannon fodder and so were they treated, as there was nothing they could do about their country¡¯s cruelty.


    Should they migrate to another country? The new country would just take them as spies. Should they conspire and revolt against the government? They did not dare, as the strength backing was not there.


    Their only compensation in life was that they were better paid than normal civilians, which was still better than nothing.


    Clark already knew of this cruel reality, so he was not startled by the soldier¡¯s brainless offensive. This didn¡¯t bother him though; he was no saint when his survival or that of his friend was on the line.


    Emily quickly gave an energy shield to her sister for protection, before quickly joining the battle as she knew that breaking out would be hard.


    With her help, Clark¡¯s offensive became more efficient as they smoothly started carving a path of blood towards the hospital¡¯s large main gate.


    This battle was just too unbridled, as, in less than a minute, a place that was originally a place of healing became a place of blood and gore.


    The medical practitioners were shocked by the sudden battle, but they did not pay much attention to it as they tried to prevent their patients from seeing the overflowing blood and body parts lying outside.


    A patient that originally came here for healing could develop a lifetime trauma from witnessing this battle alone, but the Ratliff republic clearly did not care.


    In less than a minute, hundreds of the soldiers were already dead, cramping the hospital ground with dead bodies as the others still tried to rush forward.


    After all these kills, Clark finally escorted the 2 sisters to the main gate. The gate was locked, but as a high-grade soldier, he had his ways to go around this limitation.


    His forward speed was unimpeded, as his spear released its force field for the first time since the battle started. He jumped high to gather momentum, before falling like a meteorite as he aimed at whatever was before him.


    Boom!! His figure crashed down with the force of an avalanche, as the gate divided into 2 immediately.


    Every soldier that stubbornly remained at the gate to protect it received a free death ticket, as they were all cleanly cut through in the process.


    Kate watched with glittering but fearful eyes, as the enormous gate before her was hacked in 2. From the way her sister unconditionally listened to whatever this man said, she could already deduce that she trusted him a lot.


    ¡°Who is this mysterious man that suddenly appeared with sister? Did she finally get a fianc¨¦e? And such a strong one?¡± All these thoughts revolved around her head, but she could not think deeply as she followed her sister closely.


    Escaping was still her priority, despite her not being optimistic about its practical reality. To her, they were playing a deadly game of chess.


    This overwhelming battalion of soldiers was left destroyed and devastated, as their opponent was escaping before their eyes after wreaking untold havoc in their midst.


    They still pursued though, as the order from their higher-ups was still fiercely blazing in their minds.


    Under Clark¡¯s leadership, the 2 sisters were more efficient as they quickly disappeared from this leaderless group of soldiers in less than a minute.


    As a result of the gunshots echoing around, all the houses in this surrounding were locked as their owners feared for their lives. This acted to their advantage, as they weaved between compounds like experienced thieves.


    As soon as they went into another alley in a street about a kilometer away from the hospital, reinforcement finally came.


    Through his 3d battlefield view, Clark was able to see the outrageous new soldier entrances immediately. He already expected such, so he suppressed his shock as he led the sisters to hide at a corner.


    From his view, heavily modified and armored military vehicles entered the small street that they hid in droves. From the logos in the vehicles, he confirmed his speculation that these newcomers were from the Rivaldo family and the nearby military division.


    ¡°Emily, come help me¡±. He said calmly before quickly bringing his bag down. He already expected such a situation, and his contingency plans also covered all these.


    ¡°It seems the Rivaldo patriarch is really angered. He even used his influence to access the Ratliff satellite, that is not made available to soldiers¡±. He muttered with a chuckle, as with Emily¡¯s help, he brought out a large device from his bag.


    He knew that their pursuers were using the advanced functions of the satellite to search for them because he could see the soldiers slowly converging to their location, despite the countermeasures he took against satellite tracking.


    Well, he didn¡¯t care as he prepared a real surprise for them this time. After carefully placing the device down, his face involuntarily turned into a smirk.


    Apart from the devices and equipment that were given to him as rewards, this was the most expensive device that he had bought using his own money, to date.


    This large and seemingly unwieldy device was a safe energy discharge over loader, that can be used on any type of weapon as far as it was made using exotic materials.


    It cost him a whopping 500,000 Spartan credits to get this, which is a completely outrageous price for one device. It may seem expensive for a device of such a size, but what was packed in it was more outrageous than its price.


    After his battle experience in the sea with the exobeast wielding 4th rank strength in the military research base, he learned a lot of new battle techniques from it that were very practical.


    The main reason why Captain Oxford was able to kill it, was because he overloaded his 2-form gun with energy and wasted it all on its thick skin to grant his captain a chance.


    This technological device utilized the same logic in its creation. He knew of it before, but he understood its importance only after that battle experience. So he bought it immediately online, on getting back to the Spartan republic.


    As this was the main deal unlike his hasty jury-rigged efforts, it was far more practical.


    It could overload any weapon with energy to enable it to perform above its original parameters, while at the same time protecting it from breaking down. Its 2nd ability was the only reason that made it cost-effective.


    The only downside was that energy would naturally be consumed faster, but he was prepared. This was basically burning energy, which was indirectly burning money to achieve a better result.


    After setting it down, he brought out energy shields from his bag which he gave to Emily to erect at their front.


    After doing this, he finally started working on connecting his 2-form gun to this outrageous device. After more than a minute of working it, he finally connected them with the discharge wires.


    This was all the preparations that he made for any unexpected complications in this current battle, and he trusted this device to pull him through.


    ¡°All you have to do now is calm down, rest, and watch as I pull you both to safety¡±. He finally turned to speak to the sisters with a grin on his face like a kid who was trying out his new toy. After this, he finally concentrated.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long again as with the sound like that of an animal stampede, the soldiers emerged neatly in formation, unlike the previous cannon fodder soldiers.


    The heavily armored cars followed, representing the convoy from behind as one of the cars stood out glaringly. An extremely furious voice was suddenly amplified from this specific car.


    ¡°Foreign soldier, you dare kill my son. Wait t¡­¡±


    ¡°Sniper¡±. Clark did not allow this man to finish blabbering out his nonsense, as he configured his gun and immediately started the battle.


    Boom!! The voice was suddenly silenced by the louder gunshot sound, as one of the first group of soldiers neatly leading the charge suffered the brunt of the damage.


    Blood sprinkled down like a shower of rain as 5 of the soldiers died immediately, while dozens of others in that group suffered from the brunt of the damage.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! The soldiers were startled as they originally thought that their targets stopped because they already surrendered. But their reasoning was clearly flawed, as bright beam after bright beam clawed deeply into their ranks.


    This aggressive attack seemed to lit a fuse, as the Ratliff soldiers also counterattacked from all sides. They already surrounded this area, so the counterattack was from every direction.


    Bright blue and red beams Crisscrossed in the battlefield, as one side lost dozens of soldiers every shot while the more modest side hid safely behind a sturdy looking energy shield.


    As this country refused to upgrade its technological skill, Clark was ready to exploit this advantage to the fullest.


    Seeing the battle situation, the Rivaldo Patriarch calmly withdrew back into his safer car as he gave orders from there. Even if he was angry at his son¡¯s death, he would not avenge him by giving his life up also. That was foolishness to him.


    Due to the technological advantage, this battle that originally seemed like just a practice session for the pursuers took an awkward and dangerous turn.


    With his implant¡¯s help, Clark¡¯s aim was impeccable as soldier after soldier died to the might of his big pocket. This time, he was not utilizing skill.


    ¡°Let the one with the deepest pocket win. But I know you¡¯re richer than I am, but I have stronger gadgets and devices¡±. With this reasoning, he reaped lives like vegetables from the battlefield.


    Despite his seemingly good situation, the now furious Ratliff soldiers were slowly gaining the advantage back. Like he said, the energy consumption of this device was outrageous.


    ¡°Emily, prepare yourself to enter my car¡±. He finally called out to the 2 sisters, as a faint zooming sound started emerging in the battlefield before quickly growing louder.


    Before the Ratliff soldiers could comprehend what was going on, an enormous strange-looking armored car suddenly entered the battlefield with outrageous speed.


    They were shocked, but this was just the start as gun muzzles suddenly appeared out of the sides of the car.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Bullets rained down in the thousands, as hundreds of soldiers died from the initial volley alone.


    No armor could withstand the force of the bullets, not even the armored cars as they also exploded, forming a short brilliant explosive scene like fireworks, but the destructive kind.


    ¡°Which demon is this? Who did I offend?¡± The Rivaldo patriarch was shocked speechless on seeing this, as his unique car suddenly felt like something from the slums in comparison to this.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. ]

 Chapter 157: the earth rending cannon

    The emergence of this frightening armored car scared the life out of the Ratliff soldiers, as they all left their offense to focus completely on defense reflexively.


    In less than 5 seconds since the car came into this isolated battlefield, no less than 300 soldiers died to its rapid automatic machine-gun fire as chaos spread in the originally neat and disciplined soldier units.


    Boom!! Boom!! Explosions spread their red-hot tentacles, rocking the other parts of the battlefield as the Ratliff armored vehicles shined bright before exploding and turning bloody, painting dark red beautiful lights like fireworks on a Christmas night.


    The surrounding houses and the landscape were completely leveled from the degree of destruction being wrath in these few seconds, burying their unlucky inhabitants in the process tragically.


    As the car drove closer to meet the 3 huddled-up escapees, one of the best and most conspicuous Ratliff multi-purpose armored military vehicle in the formation of vehicles decisively drove out to confront this new arrogant newcomer.


    Before this Ratliff ace vehicle could completely come out, a new weapon emerged from the corners of the dangerous-looking exotic car.


    An enormous dangerous-looking sniper rifle suddenly materialized, its black hole-like muzzle aimed at this challenger, as the atmosphere suddenly seemed to have frozen for a moment.


    Boom!! With a loud sound, an exotic high-caliber bullet accompanied by a bright blue energy beam launched out, inducing sparks as it went straight at its target momentously.


    Bam!! Bam!! Boom!! The Ratliff military ace vehicle jerked like a drunkard, making 2 loud consecutive bam sounds as its internals got destroyed, before exploding with one last final metallic cry of annihilation.


    The battle now progressed at such a fast pace that the soldiers could hardly keep up, both the pursuers and the pursued.


    Despite this, all of their expressions turned to that of horror on seeing this, though it was in slow motion as the car continued its speedy and tyrannical advance.


    The horrified expression on the 2 sister¡¯s face did not even materialize fully before the exotic car arrived before them the next second. It opened itself up automatically, before quickly swallowing them up with one fluid movement.


    Unlike the others, Clark was the only one that was able to track the complete movement pattern and speed of his car. This was only possible, due to his high standard implant.


    As soon as the 2 sisters were safely kept in his car, veins erupted all over his body as he exerted effort to lift the energy discharger alone. Despite being covered by armor and his expression could not be seen, it was clear that it was taking him a lot of effort.


    After finally lifting it, his car contracted its size at the same time, lowering its height a bit as he easily jumped on its rooftop.


    As soon as his legs touched the car¡¯s roof surface, his multipurpose boots glowed with a reddish grew metallic light as it activated its magnetic field immediately, thereby stabilizing him.


    At this same time, thick wires emerged from the four corners of the car as they quickly embedded themselves into the thick sides of the energy discharger.


    All these happened in less than 3 seconds in complete sync, like they were being done by one person, and not with a car. This was only possible because he already planned meticulously for a scenario like this.


    Due to the extremely short time at which all these happened, the Ratliff soldiers were still disorganized and unable to understand the situation well and react.


    This was his original plan from the beginning. He knew that he didn¡¯t have enough energy reserves to remotely power up the energy discharger, which was a disadvantage he didn¡¯t want to be burdened with.


    After brainstorming for only a few minutes, he found his idle plan. What other thing was the best reserve for energy than his outrageous exotic car?


    After doing all these and stabilizing himself on the car¡¯s rooftop, a metal platform emerged from the car as he stably arranged his 2-form gun, now in its machine gun configuration on it.


    ¡°Eat this, bitches¡±. He yelled inwardly as he finally pulled the trigger, while his car started retreating with its mind-blowing speed again.


    Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! Thick, enormous dangerous-looking bullets empowered by thicker energy beams were released in rapid succession, shooting out rapidly to form an unpleasant cacophony of noise.


    The energy release was completely outrageous, as the sight alone directly made the lesser Ratliff soldiers with weak will faint pathetically.


    Fire followed the rapid bullet release, as soldier after soldier fell dead like grass that was being weeded with a sharp cutlass. It was now time for harvest, and his sickle of death was finally ready to reap lives.


    The Ratliff soldiers could not react nor could they put up any ounce of resistance, as they died tragically without knowing how it happened.


    Zoom!! As Clark shot out bullets like a mad battle maniac, his car streaked forward like the ghost rider¡¯s ride, making the scene look completely mad and thrilling.


    The car trampled the soldiers that were still standing under its thick hoof-like tires, as it quickly carved an escape path open from them.


    As chaos and explosions reigned, this was when the Rivaldo patriarch finally recovered his senses. Seeing his son¡¯s murderers escaping no longer bothered him, as he urged his driver to take him out of the battlefield immediately.


    His only source of joy now was that his car was of better quality than those of his subordinates, so it didn¡¯t explode immediately like the others.


    Despite the extreme fear now in his heart and his desire to escape, he still decided to make this unbridled foreigner pay. He contacted his subordinates and ordered for a complete emergency lockdown of this whole region.


    As he gave this order through his communicator, his personal 3rd rank high-grade soldier bodyguard that was originally quiet and inert suddenly lunged forward and hugged him tightly to himself.


    3rd rank high-grade soldiers hardly become the subordinates of other people and families, except their country. But this was different, as this man was a soldier that was adopted and trained since his childhood by the Rivaldo family.


    The Rivaldo patriarch became meek, he did not complain at this shameful gesture of his bodyguard. He knew that if this guy acted, then his life was truly in danger. His instincts were right, as loud sounds suddenly disrupted his thought process.


    BOOM!! BOOM!! Clark finally let his car release its cannon shot for the first time since he got it, as the ground shook like a world-ending earthquake was imminent.


    The red fire traveled across, spreading everywhere like the descent of a fire elemental incarnation, heating and melting anything that was before it and near it.


    Destruction wreaked savagely across the whole street, as its very structure was redefined immediately.


    After the initial eruption, the aftermath and heat struck again as anything still left intact immediately met its end.


    All the houses in the area were leveled down, every resource and equipment in the street was destroyed, every soldier in the street met his/her untimely end, while every vehicle became ashes or molten iron immediately.


    Molten dark red fire flowed like lava on the street floor, as the whole area now looked like the location of an apocalypse.


    Zoom!! The aftermaths spread wide, but Clark¡¯s car was more than capable of pulling through what it initiated as it drove through the expanding fire like a wild raging bull.


    It passed this street that was now ruined, as it quickly entered the nearest street to continue its escape.


    ¡­


    A minute after the initial eruption of the cannon fire, the aftermaths finally subsided a bit, leaving the street look like a desolate volcano valley.


    In one of the deep trenches near the battlefield, with soft cracking sounds, an armored man struggled to pull himself up from the damaged earth.


    The Rivaldo family¡¯s 3rd rank high-grade soldier felt dizzy as he took the brunt of the damage on behalf of his boss. He finally helped his boss up, as the latter looked around with a dazed expression on his face. They were both the only survivors of the cannon blast.


    Different emotions flashed past his deflated face, as he tried hard to control himself. It was first shock, before regret and indignation replaced it before anger completely took over him.


    He suddenly grabbed his barely functioning patriarch communicator roughly, as he barked out a new order into it, to his men.


    ¡°All Rivaldo soldiers, if you are in the Madbull state, gather and converge to the area around the family territory immediately. Hunt and kill this foreign soldier for me, NOW!!!¡±


    He was now completely angry. This time, it was not about his useless son, it was personal.


    His actions led to the death of so many civilians and the destruction of a whole street, he knew that the Madbull state would not spare him. As he was already doomed, he would make sure to drag this foreigner down also.


    The rapid power that his family gained was now completely stripped away due to an impulsive decision. Well, there were no regrets, he would pull out all stops to kill this foreigner before facing the state bureau.


    ¡­


    Emily and Kate shook timidly from shock and fear, as the car carried them away with unmatched speed like they were in a space flying shuttle.


    Despite being a soldier, the destruction wrath by this small car scared the hell out of Emily. Her fragile heart was already on the verge of giving up the ghost, as she stared at Clark¡¯s figure with reverence now completely on her eyes.


    Unlike her sister, Kate only had an expression of horror on her face as she stared at this legendary figure that loomed above the speeding car.


    Her heart skipped a beat, as Clark finally came down into the car through an opening that just emerged. After calming down his rapidly breathing heart, he turned to face the 2 sisters.


    Plop!! Kate fainted immediately, as this devilishly handsome face stained with blood turned to look at her. Her heart was even more fragile than her sister¡¯s, she could not face this spreader of death directly.


    `Well, Clark did not have the luxury to care about her condition. He successfully hacked into the communication systems of the Rivaldo family, so he also heard the new order.


    His face grew more serious, as he turned off the autopilot. He was now ready to cruise his car to escape himself.


    ?[Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 158: the go fk yourself move

    Though the Rivaldo family soldiers did not know the exact reason why their patriarch summoned them, they were not in the position to ask. Just obey, that was their one and only responsibility.


    They all started journeying back through various means, as the anger in the tone of their patriarch was indicative enough that something was wrong.


    All the various large families and powers of the Madbull state noticed the large-scale mobilization of soldiers. This alarmed them, as they increased the defense of their territories while sending investigation teams out to investigate.


    The commotion that this was bringing already started attracting the attention of the whole state, as all the large powers finally pinpointed the location of the battle.


    They were shocked on seeing the footage of the destroyed street. They developed cold feet shills immediately, as the Madbull capital city finally got the information also.


    The state leaders were shocked and angered at the ruthless means of this foreigner. But this anger was trivial, compared to what they were feeling about the actions of the Rivaldo family and the officials they bribed to get their way.


    The governor sent his troops out immediately, as he was determined to sanction the perpetrators of this destruction.


    ¡­


    Zoom!! Somewhere else in the next street, Clark drove his car manually, speeding across while leaving afterimages behind. He was moving at the car¡¯s maximum speed for the first time, for over 500km/hour.


    In less than a minute, he left this street, before finally taking the road that led to the highway.


    The local police also already noticed the destruction, as they mobilized immediately, going after him.


    Ignorance was bliss, and it was being shown as these policemen confidently pursued the car that could sniff them out of existence in a second. Not that they could see its shadow though, they were already left in the dust.


    As Clark¡¯s car streaked forward, the effects of the Rivaldo patriarch¡¯s command started becoming obvious, as different blockades emerged to block his way in the highway.


    Most of the cars in the road already stopped driving, as the speed of this car left them speechless and shocked. This saved them, the erecting blockades were not able to hit them and cause accidents as they were motionless.


    This move by the Rivaldians could have been effective on normal circumstances, but this situation was by no means normal.


    Lily diligently obeyed the orders of her master, as she entered through the Ratliff virtual network into the quantum world.


    Her enormous computing power started being displayed, as she started a fierce virtual battled with the main A. I of the Madbull state.


    The latter was not her match, showing how low the Ratliff republic was in technological skill. The originally erecting blockade platforms jerked a bit, before falling back with faster speed than they emerged with.


    The Rivaldo patriarch, the Madbull governor, and all the other influential family¡¯s patriarchs were already connected to the satellite, so they could see what was happening clearly.


    As these measured were easily nullified by him, his advance was unimpeded as he drove forward like the ghost rider reincarnated.


    Emily¡¯s eyes dilated from the speed and rapidly changing view before falling shut, as she fainted, joining her sister in the dark world of faint sleeping.


    Clark didn¡¯t know of this, as his implant¡¯s A. I worked in conjunction with Lily to detect if any other measures were employed to delay him. The Governor of the state already cut off his connection to their satellite, so this was his only way to check.


    In just 3 minutes, he quickly crossed the originally 30 minutes journey. The tiled highway emitted faint smokes and sparks, as the car emerged out of it like a raging wild bull.


    Due to the speed, it emerged at, it flew up into the air, soaring with the same speed and momentum.


    Boom!! Clark quickly gave a new order, as the car¡¯s energy rose and erupted outwards again. With the sound like that of a rocket launching, fire erupted from its exhausts as it flew above the blockade of military armored vehicles waiting for him here.


    The soldiers watched, stunned and in awe, as with one maneuver, their target left them in the dust by flying over them. The car landed in the nearby forest, leaving a small depression behind as it quickly picked up speed again.


    ¡°Stop looking, you fools. The target is escaping, shoot immediately¡±. The soldiers finally reacted after being rebuked by their commander, as they all opened fire immediately.


    Dust billowed from its former position, as the car accelerated momentously, making a sharp beeline to the depths of the forest.


    Zoom!! Zoom!! The Madbull soldiers quickly ignited their military vehicles and followed in pursuit as the chase became a forest chase, not a city chase anymore.


    The car moved like an unstoppable bull, plowing through the rough roads of the forest, while at the same time like a cheetah as its immense speed enabled it to evade any obstacle before it.


    The Madbull military vehicles bulldozed the trees obstructing their advance, as they tried to keep up to their target.


    Despite their efforts, it did not amount to much as their target slowly disappeared from their view, becoming a small dark dot ahead.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon¡±. The Governor of the state muttered with rage evident on his face, as he finally guessed the identity of this foreign soldier.


    After going through their records to find a soldier similar to this one among the neighboring countries, he was surprised as the result came that the culprit was a 1st rank Spartan soldier.


    It was not difficult to find, as not every extraordinary soldier had such a badass car.


    After knowing that it was a 1st rank high-grade soldier who just raped his wife in his backyard, his rage became ignited more fiercely. He directly ordered for the mobilization of his sea troops, as they already figured that their target was moving towards the sea. This was a humiliation to him if he let it be.


    Though the strength displayed by Clark was abnormal, they did not suspect anything, they remained stuck with the outdated knowledge that he was still a 1st rank high-grade soldier.


    This was so because the news of what exactly happened in the sea was not circulated to the public. Only the aftermaths were announced by the news channels, that was all.


    After acknowledging the orders of their Governor, the commander of the Madbull naval force gathered his sea troops as he led them to confront the escaping target.


    ¡­


    Back in the forest, Clark had a focused expression on his face as the scene continued changing rapidly in his eyes. His speed was so much that it felt like he was teleporting instead, no image stayed at his sight for long.


    Bam!! Bam!! Loud sounds of gunshots kept on echoing behind him, as his pursuers shot randomly with the hopes that some would hit him.


    As they already lost him due to his abnormal speed, they could only try their luck by following his general direction.


    Whoosh!! After another minute of speedy drive, he finally emerged out of the thick all green forest with a loud sound.


    As his speed was too much, there was no way that the Madbull naval force would be able to respond and mobilize their resources and soldiers in such a short time.


    Though the sea here was still calm and scanty, he could already see 3 to 4 police patrol speed boats coming in his direction at the border.


    This did not deter him, as he stepped down at the accelerator harder. With a large sound, prompting the wind¡¯s protest, his car dove into the seawater naturally like it was home.


    Before the few speed boats could react, the car emerged from the water again, now in its speed boat configuration.


    Whoosh!! It sped across with even faster speed than on land, as the few Madbull patrol speed boats swiftly became lost. All they saw was billowing waves, bubbling water, and blowing winds as their target left them behind like they were snails.


    ¡°What the f**k?¡± The boat pilots all watched with stupefied expressions while questioning inwardly, as their target sped past them.


    Clark wanted to save energy, as the mini-submarine configuration took more energy. And he had another reason for his decision.


    His focus did not subside yet though, as he knew that more trouble was coming ahead. His intuition quickly proved to be true, as the initial defense fleet of the Madbull state started showing up.


    The preparation time was too short, the main fleet could not prepare immediately. But to them, this force alone was enough.


    The intimidating size of the fleet alone could send chills down the spine of any soldier. 2 medium-sized warships led the formation, followed by a battalion of military exotic speed boats.


    ¡°Surrender immediately, Clark Pendragon. As respect for your country, we would not kill you. But surrender and leave your car behind, perhaps then we can contemplate releasing you without any fuss¡±.


    A deep voice, amplified by a voice amplifier echoed out from one of the warships, stating their verdict decisively.


    Boom!! Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Clark did not listen to the nonsense that these nutjobs were spouting, as he controlled his car to release its load immediately at the fleet.


    When he safely reached the sea, he immediately knew that his escape was guaranteed. The main reason why he tarried, was that he still wanted to deal damage to these arrogant Madbulls.


    The Madbull soldiers did not expect it, as their fleet immediately became overwhelmed by the force of the bullets flying at them.


    Some of the speed boats exploded immediately from the impact, reaping the lives of the soldiers piloting them also.


    What really dealt the most shock to these soldiers, was the thick energy beam that was released at one of their main warships. They all watched with horror on their faces, as this energy beam impacted their warship in less than a second.


    The first impact sound came, reverberating loudly as the warship jerked before part of its internals exploded from the volatile energy reaction induced from the energy impact.


    Loud explosions rocked the sea surface, as in less than 3 seconds since their arrival, one of their warships became crippled immediately.


    Though it was still floating on the sea, it could not move again and hundreds of ship crew soldiers died from this decisive shot from their target.


    Anger quickly took over the faces of the Madbull soldiers, as they all aimed their weapons at this lone speed boat. Seeing all these weapons aimed at him, Clark made a move that he always wanted to make since he was a child. The go f**k yourself move.


    There was no way that he would stand still, and wait for the shot of a warship¡¯s main cannon. No matter how backward the technological skill of the Ratliff republic was, warships were still warships.


    He gave an order, as his car, now speed boat dived under the sea surface immediately after being covered by an energy shield.


    As he left, an extremely large virtual screen suddenly appeared in his previous position, drawing the attention of everyone.


    His face was projected through the screen. He smiled like he was right there seeing the soldiers, before raising his middle finger at them with a wide grin on his face.


    This was the move that he wanted to make since he was a child badly. Wreak your enemies, wipe your butt and leave when they try to retaliate. It surprisingly felt so refreshing. Was anything more badass than this?


    The Ratliff soldiers could only watch with indignant and furious expressions on their faces, as they slowly retreated. The Governor knew what was good for him, after witnessing this intimidating display of power. He ordered his men to retreat immediately.


    In the end, some people were just too strong to offend. Next time, if there was one, he would try better to control his subordinates so that they would not offend someone that they cannot afford to.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 159: taking the 2 sisters in

    An hour after their escape, Clark finally woke up again to see himself still under the sea. After the long escape struggle, he was mentally exhausted so he had to rest a bit after guaranteeing their safety.


    He stretched lazily while being careful not to disturb the 2 sleeping sisters before turning to peep at them a little.


    He was surprised, as what greeted him were 2 pairs of large, round, glittering, weary, and timid eyes. Such a sight startled him, as he jumped a little on his chair before quickly averting his eyes.


    Though he could not see them, he could still feel the pair of eyes watching his back.


    ¡°Ahh, I didn¡¯t know that you guys were awake already. Were you both just there looking at me since? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± He coughed before asking them questions to relieve the awkward atmosphere.


    Emily finally closed her eyes on hearing this, as faint teardrops dripped down her face. She knew this strategy that Clark was using, she knew that he wanted to divert their attention to something else, but no.


    She held her sister¡¯s hands to gather confidence, before opening her eyes again. After clearing her throat, she finally spoke up.


    ¡°Clark, I¡¯m sorry for putting you through so much trouble. Without you, my life would not be the same as it currently is. I and my sister, we are grateful for all your help¡±.


    ¡°Though my family is imprisoned, I¡¯m satisfied with getting my sister back. I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if she remained behind without accompanying me¡±.


    ¡°What you did may seem insignificant, but it means a lot to me. Thank you¡±. After saying this, she steeled her heart before kneeling to express her gratitude.


    Kate bit her lips on seeing this, before also making up her mind as she knelt also. Though this man was harsh with words on her initially, she was still extremely grateful for all the help he rendered to them.


    Clark almost coughed blood on seeing this, as he jumped out of his chair immediately.


    ¡°What¡­? No¡­, no, Emily, please don¡¯t embarrass me. You¡¯re my friend, it''s my duty to help you when you¡¯re in need. That¡¯s what friends are for, right?¡± He quickly reached her side and helped her up, before saying this to her.


    She only nodded while trying hard to restrain her tears. She tried, but she was not a robot, her tears dropped faster as she buried her messed up face in his broad chest.


    Kate remained on the floor, till her sister left the man¡¯s hug. This was when she finally stood up also after Clark urged her.


    She thanked him also with her own words. She was not petty. As a doctor, she recognized good when she saw one.


    After this, the atmosphere slowly livened up as Clark spiced it up further by making dumb and lame jokes. Though he knew that his jokes were not really funny, he still felt good when they laughed.


    ¡­


    After settling down, and calculating his loss secretly, Clark finally connected to the Spartan republic¡¯s satellite again to see what was happening back home. As he did this, this was when Emily dropped the bomb question.


    ¡°Kate, I can¡¯t wait again. Please describe to me in detail what exactly happened that our family fell so easily¡±.


    Kate looked hesitantly at her elder sister on hearing this. But on seeing her determined and resolute expression, she left her misgivings and finally started describing what happened.


    On seeing this, Clark wisely stood up, going to the mini-sub¡¯s control panel as he made himself busy. Listening to others'' family matters, was bad manners.


    ¡­


    It was a Wednesday evening. In the boisterous and prosperous Bauer mansion, children ran around while laughing and chuckling, as the adults looked at them play with smiles on their faces.


    As it was evening, almost all the important members of the family were already back from work, so the mansion was livelier.


    ¡°Yay!! Uncle Ark is back¡±. The playing children suddenly cheered, as they all ran out to meet the eldest son of their patriarch.


    As the first direct descendant of the Bauer family, Ark Bauer was known by basically every member of the family. His huge renown was not due to his father¡¯s position alone, a lot more people knew him because of his talent.


    Just like the other large families, the Bauer family is involved in the practice of adopting abandoned children and orphans, to train them to become soldiers of the family.


    It was a fair system. As long as you are exceptional, you¡¯ll get promoted, so the adopted children always grow up to become loyal soldiers of the family.


    For this generation, Ark was the leader and commander of the current battalion formed from these adopted children, who were now soldiers.


    Being the main military force of the family, Ark being able to become its leader made him extremely famous and influential. Apart from his father and the elders of the family, he had the most authority within the family.


    All this authority was due to his strength, which made the family members admire him more. If you randomly ask a group of soldiers who their mentor was, about 85% of them would say it is Ark. This was how admired and popular he was.


    After giving all the children individual hugs, he greeted his elders that were around, before ordering his soldiers to go to their various residents in the mansion.


    After doing all these, he finally climbed up the mansion to visit his father. On reaching his father¡¯s office, he saw his brother, Manuel Bauer also there.


    He greeted him with a smile, exchanged hugs before he finally turned to face his father, the patriarch. After speaking family matters a little, he officially started business talks as he narrated all his experiences throughout the day.


    As they engaged in discussions, this was when the disaster finally came. They were startled, as gunshots and cannon shots started echoing around the mansion all of a sudden.


    The attack was so sudden, fast, smooth, and well organized that it smelled suspicious. Though the attack from 2 families was overwhelming, they were in no way overwhelmed immediately that they could not retaliate.


    The family immediately entered high alert mode, as they mobilized their soldiers immediately.


    The suspicion finally started becoming more apparent, as their main defensive structures and equipment suddenly botched, rendering them weaker defensively. The enemy penetrated their ranks like they held them in the hollow of their palms.


    After analyzing the situation, Ark decided to fish out the traitor first as he was really angered. Seeing some of the children that just greeted him moments ago dying from stray bullets, he exploded completely.


    After a thorough and intensive sweep search of the mansion records, he finally found the traitor.


    On knowing the truth, his anger was quenched immediately. Confusion replaced it before disbelief and doubt took over.


    To his dismay, the traitor that he was looking for was actually his second in command. He was shocked, as he never believed that the traitor would be someone adopted, nurtured, and trained by his family. And someone so close to him.


    This man was among the only two 3rd rank high-grade soldiers that were trained by his family, apart from him.


    This betrayal threatened to leave him in doubt and disappointment, thereby making him vulnerable at such a crucial moment. But he proved all expectations wrong, as he channeled this disappointment to rage instead.


    As rage took over him, he led his other second in command, as they both bulldozed into the joint forces of the 2 attacking families to find the traitor.


    After a great battle, where almost all his soldiers died, and where his father already died, he finally killed the traitor.


    But he was surprised as this did not give him the relief that he was looking for. Instead, it brought him more grief and guilt, as he left his father and soldiers to die just because he was pursuing a traitor.


    This brought another mental breakdown to him. Since he was born, he had never experienced such consecutive mental breakdowns.


    This downcast and unfavorable situation almost resulted in his death also, but his last, second in command sacrificed his life to save him.


    On seeing the look on his second in command¡¯s face as he died, he knew that all he wished for was for himself to survive. This was when it finally clicked to him, his Bauer family was no more.


    He started fighting for his escape immediately. He tried to save his brother also, but he could not as the concentrated attacks were overwhelming. After putting in a lot of effort, he finally escaped.


    His escape spelled the official end of the great Bauer family, as through Manuel Bauer¡¯s lead, all the other soldiers and family members surrendered.


    The victorious families happily took them away like they were their war trophies, before cheerfully imprisoning them.


    In just one evening, the great Bauer family that had deep foundations since the great battle of supremacy became history, due to the sabotage work of a traitor.


    ¡­


    After finishing her story, Kate finally heaved a sigh of relief like she just released a burden from her body. She relaxed on the chair, as she let her sister process the information that was just dumped at her.


    Clark continued standing rigidly at the control panel of the mini-sub like he heard nothing, among all that was just said. His hands smashed different control buttons, to indicate that he was busy doing something.


    What surprised him and Kate was that the Emily they thought would break down in tears again did none of that.


    Only the scene of her biting her lips indicated that she listened to what was just said.


    ¡°Clark, you said that we can stay with you, for now, right?¡± She finally took her focus from what she just heard, before throwing this question at Clark.


    Today, she already embarrassed herself before Clark enough. She didn¡¯t want to again; she was fed up already.


    ¡°Umm, yeah. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m preparing to get a new house soon. You can stay there for the time being, or you can just stay at my ancestral home¡±.


    Clark answered, after contemplating for a moment. He already knew that he would have to make this decision when he initially found out about what befell his friend¡¯s family.


    Using this opportunity to buy a new house was not bad though. He was no longer the insignificant cadet of yesterday, he was now Clark Pendragon, the 2nd rank high-grade soldier, the Magician. He was someone with a name now.


    After using this opportunity to boost his ego a bit, he finally smiled as he entered the familiar waters of the Spartan republic.


    ¡°I¡¯m back baby!!¡± He exclaimed inwardly, as he took a turn towards the familiar military border base.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 161: preparations for the rank promotion ceremony

    Clark¡¯s meeting with Captain Daniel was done in a jiffy. It only required a minute, as they didn¡¯t have much to discuss.


    The Captain first asked him about how he fared alone in the sea and his encounters. After going deep around the bush, he finally showed why he called for him, he just wanted to satisfy his curiosity about the recent sea disaster as he was sure that it was connected to the Spartan fleet somehow.


    In the end, he couldn¡¯t know much, as his clearance level and authority were not enough to know what happened in the sea expedition mission. This mission was graded as highly classified information.


    He did not press for it. He just sighed, feeling that it was a pity. As a high-grade soldier, he understood the rules clearly and he was not going to break them just to satisfy his curiosity.


    After learning about the little information that Clark could savage and tell him, he finally gave a gift to him as his former leader.


    He knew that Clark was leaving his military division 100%, there was no bargaining in it, so he wanted to just use this as a bridge to maintain a good relationship with him.


    As Clark¡¯s figure slowly disappeared from his view, he sighed in a melancholic manner. This was a soldier who he was already on the verge of giving a promotion. Why were his demands so much at that time, he felt frustrated at his stubborn self.


    And who thought that this soldier would suddenly leave and run to the Mocan republic, then the Mediterranean Sea. ¡°What an unstable maniac?¡± He cursed softly.


    Now, he no longer had the opportunity to give the promotion, nor retain him. The Spartan army will retain and steal all the credit.


    He was not blind. Just like the others, he could see the strength that this small soldier of yesterday now wielded.


    He was not even confident that he would win all 5 times if they fought in a duel 5 times. That was how outrageously high of an evaluation he gave Clark, and he was not exaggerating.


    Though his relationship with his subordinate soldiers was always cold. He hoped that with this gift, they would be a little closer. No one disliked making friends with influential people.


    ¡­


    As Clark left, he was completely speechless from the gift that his Captain gave him. Though he appreciated the kind gesture, giving a hundred thousand Spartan credits cheque to him at his current status was not really nice.


    If the Captain even used the money to buy a special gift for him, it would have been much better than giving him the money directly.


    At his current status, 100,000 Spartan credits were not worth much again. And his leader being a Captain, his status was even higher, so such an amount of money was even more worthless.


    The situation was just like you¡¯re a billionaire. You want to be friends with your subordinate who just gained a fortune, and you try it by giving him a gift worth 100 dollars when you¡¯re a billionaire.


    It did not feel nice at all even if it was sincerely from your heart, that was the current situation.


    ¡°No wonder he is still without a wife, such stinginess is definitely legendary¡±. Clark muttered with a chuckle, as he quickly arrived back at his apartment.


    He was happy, as in this short time though they were not conversing like friends yet, Emily and her sister were already communicating with his male friends freely.


    A rather weird expression came over his face when his implant notified him of the unnaturally excited state which Leo was in when conversing with Kate. His eyes twitched a bit, as he could not help but blush on behalf of his friend.


    ¡°What a waste¡±. He cursed under his breath.


    After arranging his things and doing some other miscellaneous tasks, he finally proceeded to take the sisters away to his ancestral home. They could not stay with him in his military apartment, it was against the law.


    After the girls went outside to wait for him in the car, this was when he finally asked his friends about a sensitive question. Where was Sonia?


    When he heard about what happened to her family, and that her status and that of her brother were unknown, he was completely shocked. He never expected such a big bomb to drop from nowhere, immediately after he returned.


    As the news of what happened to the Calibri family was not hidden, the whole world knew of the fall of the great business tycoon.


    Though he felt a wave of shock and depression overwhelm him, he still left the room as he could not just leave the girls waiting.


    On seeing him, Emily noticed his change of demeanor immediately and inquired about it.


    He just answered vaguely while still in a daze, before asking his car to take them to Vatican City on autopilot. He gave an excuse that he wanted to rest, before closing his eyes to lean on the chair he sat to internalize what he just learned.


    Though he never really talked much about her with his friends when he was in the sea, that was because his living was not guaranteed then yet. There was never a second where he did not think of Sonia.


    She was the only girl that completely stole his heart. She was the only girl that could make him smile even when he was bleeding. She was the only girl that he could see even while sleeping, though he knew he was not dreaming. Saying that she was his everything was not wrong.


    He felt devastated on hearing this news. Where was she currently? Was she in any danger? Was she suffering? Was she even still alive?


    The ominous questions plaguing his mind became too much, as he quickly demarcated the car into 2 sides to get private space for himself to think. This news completely wreaked his happy mood.


    On seeing this, Kate was surprised while Emily got worried, as Clark behaving like this meant something was terribly wrong.


    During their short stay with Leo and the others when Clark met with his Captain, they already exchanged contact details with them. Emily quickly contacted Leo through her implant to inquire about what happened.


    After learning about what happened, she finally understood. She felt sorry for him, while at the same time feeling sorry for herself as Clark¡¯s current behavior meant that the Sonia girl left no place in his heart to accommodate another girl.


    She quickly told her sister, so that she could mind how she talked to him later when they arrive at their destination.


    Kate was stunned on hearing the news. This man that was so harsh to her with words, could actually have such deep emotions for a girl. She could not understand him at all, what an eccentric man.


    After another 2 hours of plying the road, they finally arrived at Vatican City. This was when Clark finally came out of his isolation, his mood already returned to normal.


    The 2 girls looked at him cautiously, as the depressed expression already left his face, but they still kept quiet.


    On seeing this, Clark knew that they already learned what happened from Leo and the others. He secretly cursed Leo, as he suspected him as the most likely mastermind.


    He finally turned to face the 2 sisters to chat with them normally again. After thinking about it through, though he was depressed, he did not want his depression to affect his friends, so he decided that it was better to control himself.


    He first took them to his adoptive mom¡¯s restaurant, eat with delight, where he introduced them to her.


    As they would be staying in the same area, he found it nice to introduce them to each other. After this, he finally took them to his ancestral home. His home A. I already prepared food through the foodstuffs he ordered online on the way here, so they ate to their fill.


    This was when he finally asked the most important question.


    ¡°Emily, Kate¡­, what would you guys like to do during your stay here in the Spartan republic? I don¡¯t advise being idle, doing something is a better way to spend your time¡±.


    ¡°Emily, if you want, I can work it out and you¡¯ll be enlisted into the Spartan military. I¡¯m confident that with my current rank, it can be done in a maximum of 2 months¡±.


    ¡°Oh, about that. I already thought it through during the way here. Clark, I don¡¯t think I want to serve under a country¡¯s military again, I want to be independent now¡±. Emily finally replied after a short moment of thought.


    ¡°Thanks for the concern Clark, but I think I¡¯ll be like Arthur this time. I want to be a mercenary, I¡¯m tired of being a soldier¡±.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s good too¡±. Clark finally replied with a slight smile on his face, before turning to face her sister. ¡°Kate, what of you?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­, I think I¡¯ll like to work in that Python something military division where your friends were¡±. She finally said with a faint blush creeping up her face, after hesitating for a second.


    Seeing this, Clark nodded with a smile that was not a smile. He said it, just like him and Benny, Leo also grew up. But this piece of shit improved on his flirting skills, instead of something more important.


    With this thought flowing through his mind, he was able to let go of the depressed mood a bit as he started fleshing out the sisters'' plans with them.


    After doing all these, he finally stood up to go. He promised Kate that Captain Daniel would get to her in a month, a qualified doctor like her was not an everyday resource. She was valuable in her own right.


    He left under the waves of the 2 sisters. He still had a lot of things to do to enable his smooth integration into the Spartan army, which needed his time.


    And two days from now, which is on Thursday, would be his and Captain Oxford¡¯s rank promotion ceremony in the headquarters of the Spartan army, in Northern Sparta.


    The ceremony would be very big and grand, so he had a lot in his hands to take care of. He promised the sisters that his car would come to take them to the venue, before the day.


    He could only put the thought of Sonia¡¯s situation at the corner of his mind first, as the things pending that required his attention were much.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 162: eve of the ceremony grand entrance of the gang

    After getting back to the Python military division, Clark noticed a ping notification from his implant. He finally received the message that he was expecting. The Spartan army finally contacted him.


    ¡°Good day Clark Pendragon, I am the main A.I in charge of all operations of the Spartan army. Your status has been on hold for a long time in our database, but we updated it lately after your return¡±.


    ¡°According to our records, you are among the brave soldiers who participated in the Spartan¡¯s rage mission. All your comrades who survived have received their rewards, so yours is the only one pending¡±.


    ¡°The higher-ups decided that you will receive all the promised benefits and rewards on the same day of your rank promotion ceremony¡±.


    ¡°You will also receive all the right rewards for the mission and everything that you accomplished in the sea¡±.


    ¡°To make us not cramped up with responsibilities on the day of the rank promotion ceremony, you are expected to come to the headquarters of the Spartan army at a minimum of today¡±.


    ¡°Your accommodation and everything is settled, all you need to come with is just yourself. Have a nice journey here¡±.


    After reading this, Clark¡¯s face bloomed into a wide grin as he stood up to arrange his things. Leo and the others were with him, they helped him and he got set in just 30 minutes.


    This time, he donned a blue suit. After admiring himself to his satisfaction, he bid his friends farewell before going out to enter the exotic military helicopter that was waiting for him outside.


    After he entered, the helicopter took off by itself on autopilot, taking him directly to Northern Sparta.


    ¡­


    In just a little over an hour, he finally arrived at the center point, the most important, and most well-developed territory of the Spartan republic.


    The capital region of the Spartan republic did not disappoint in its luxury, as everywhere he looked seemed like something out of a children¡¯s fairytale. The atmosphere was full of optimism and the drive to move forward.


    Since he was born as a Spartan citizen, this was his second time coming to his country¡¯s capital region. The first time was when he was still a child, his parents brought him here during one of their vacations.


    That time, he was just seeing bright colors and people. This time was when he was able to fully take on the majesty of his country¡¯s capital.


    Though it was miles behind the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance where he was months ago in terms of luxury and development, it was still pleasing to the eye.


    The helicopter flew above the city, presenting him with a first-person view of the whole area. After another 10 minutes of this, he finally reached the headquarters of the hegemon leading Spartan military, the Spartan army.


    From up there where he was, the headquarters looked just like a city. If he was not wrong, the headquarters¡¯ territory alone was as big as the whole Vatican City, which was completely outrageous.


    Because the area was too large, he could not admire the complete splendor of it. But from the little that he saw, everywhere good, it was lit.


    The helicopter carried him forward for another 2 minutes before he was dropped in one of the lesser luxurious parts of the military headquarters.


    The main A. I of the military headquarters worked with his implant¡¯s A. I connectedly, as the direction he needed to go was projected directly into his brain, through his implant.


    He greeted the soldiers he found in the way with a smile of happiness. Being in the Spartan army was the dream of every Spartan soldier, and he was no exception despite the love he had for his home region.


    The soldiers that he greeted responded politely, while some others responded coldly as they didn¡¯t know him. They took him as a nobody or a newbie soldier who was just admitted into the army, so their reception to him was fairly cold.


    He didn¡¯t mind though, he never lived by the opinion of others. After 5 minutes of walking, he finally located the registration stand for new soldiers.


    He was surprised at getting there, as he saw a familiar face. Captain Oxford was also there, as they worked on processing his entry into the Spartan army. Just like him, the Captain was originally not a soldier of the Spartan army.


    After seeing him, the Captain was surprised as he came out to meet him immediately. This sped up his registration, as the influence of a 4th rank high-grade soldier was not small, even if it was here in the Spartan army.


    Seeing this new soldier talk so freely with a 4th rank high-grade soldier, all the soldiers around had various expressions on their faces. Some surprise and admiration, others envy and jealousy.


    After completing their registration, the Captain offered that Clark should just come and stay with him in his special apartment. With just one word, Clark was upgraded from his more modest apartment to an apartment befitting a General to be.


    ¡­


    They spent most of their time together, while frequently going back to flesh out more details about their registration on summons as the 2 days of wait quickly passed.


    The d-day was finally here, the rank promotion ceremony.


    Today, the originally boisterous headquarters of the Spartan army became more boisterous as guests around the republic started coming for this important ceremony.


    The security around the headquarters tightened and became more organized. On important occasions like this, the republic was always careful as their rival, the Mocan republic and the pests hovering around them, the Persian tiger¡¯s organization was lurking around the shadows.


    Soldiers of different statuses and ranks came to this important ceremony to better decorate it with their prestige and presence.


    The news media was always ready like hawks ready to prey on their chicks, as they moved with speed to meet and get an interview with all these influential people.


    They already prepared and set up their equipment days ago, showing their dedication to their job.


    Today, the attention of every Spartan citizen was temporarily focused here, as such important ceremonies are always broadcasted on the public projection bases throughout the country.


    With this, every Spartan citizen can see, know, and respect the new soldiers that are rising through the ranks.


    After everything was set up, the leader of the Spartan army finally went to meet these new soldiers to give them a short speech in a large hall where they were all gathered.


    All the soldiers were excited, no matter what rank they were as they laid their eyes before the 2nd strongest individual in the whole Spartan republic, Commander Rashford.


    The Commander¡¯s speech was small, as he was sure that all the soldiers here already read through the rules and regulations of the army before coming.


    He just encouraged them, emphasized the importance of following the rule more, before personally congratulating the protagonist of today¡¯s ceremony, Captain Oxford.


    As a soldier being promoted to the General rank, he was the most important celebrant of today¡¯s ceremony.


    The latter¡¯s expression was flushed from excitement and disbelief, as he shook the hand of his long-time idol. In the Spartan republic, more than half of the soldiers took their President as their idol, while the rest took Commander Rashford as their idol.


    All other idols that they took were just side chick idols, these 2 people were the main protagonists that were holding the Spartan republic upright.


    Clark was also very excited, as he laid his eyes on this Spartan legend. He imprinted this moment deep in his heart, this was an unforgettable moment to him.


    After all these, the Commander finally left for his office. Despite him not there again, his presence still reigned as the excitement refused to die out of the faces of these soldiers.


    ¡­


    Back in the Python military division, Leo admired himself in the mirror with a smile planted on his face.


    He was in a red velvet suit, with nice decorative brandings of his current military rank. Though he was still just a first rank high-grade soldier, he already received some promotions through the last few years.


    He was no longer just a Sergeant; he was now a Sergeant first class. His gold-rimmed military rank indicator shone brightly, perfectly complimenting his red suit. After admiring to his satisfaction, he nodded before he turned to leave his room.


    On reaching the parlor, Benny was also ready in a red velvet suit. They bought identical suits to specially commemorate this special day in their friend¡¯s life.


    Not long after, Smart man also came from his apartment to meet them. He was in a white Gucci hand-stitched suit. He had a smug smile on his face, as he showcased the fine linings on his suit.


    The 2 soldiers ignored him, as they all finally started going outside. Today, they were taking the Spartan capital by storm, the people shall know that a group of soldiers entered the capital.


    Though Leo already bought his car after so long of serving under the Python military division, he did not take it. Why drive a car, when a beast was left for them to cruise to the ceremony in style.


    After getting into Clark¡¯s car, they set their direction as Vatican City, prompting the car to speed away on autopilot.


    ¡­


    After arriving at Clark¡¯s ancestral home, they parked and went inside the house to get the 2 sisters.


    All 3 soldiers were stunned by the breathtaking sight that greeted them, as soon as they entered the house.


    The 2 gorgeous sisters smiled on seeing their incredulous expressions, making a faint tint of rose color form on their already perfect faces, taking their gorgeousness to the next level.


    They both dressed up in the same pink, Gucci brand, long flowing gown. The long skin-tight dress brought out their maturity and curves more, making them look like 2 beautiful goddesses.


    ¡°Kate, you look gorgeous, you look completely made from heaven¡±. Leo spoke out at this moment, perfectly finding the time to flatter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, sweet talker¡±. Emily quickly butted in with a soft laugh, as they all discussed while going outside in a harmonious mood.


    For the past 2 days, they have all been in constant contact, so they were now familiar with each other. Especially Kate and Leo, their relationship was already going beyond the normal, showing the prowess of shameless sweet talking.


    The car took on a larger form to freely accommodate all of them. After they all entered, it sped away amid their cheerful laughter and discussions.


    Today, the whole North Sparta shall witness the grand entry of the buddies of Clark Pendragon in its whole splendor. They shall welcome the gang.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 163: major clark

    About an hour later, Leo and the others finally arrived at the Spartan republic¡¯s capital on their eye-catching ride.


    Though their luxurious fine-tuned car grabbed some attention, it was not much as this was a gathering of the rich and influential. There were countless other exotic cars here, so they didn¡¯t grab as much attention as they expected.


    After going through elaborate security checks to confirm their identities, they were finally allowed into the large hall where the rank promotion ceremony would be carried on.


    Optimism and excitement filled the air, as the young lucky soldiers who got the opportunity to follow their mentors to the ceremony also arrived.


    Their eyes glittered like sparkling gems, as they stared and admired their various idols at close range. Having the opportunity to visit the republic¡¯s capital at such a young age, was a privilege that they were not going to splurge.


    ¡­


    As a Spartan high-grade military gathering, no fanfare or entertainment performances were displayed to lighten up the atmosphere. The soldier who acted as the mc, Captain Jackson, took to the stage, ushering in the start of the ceremony.


    All the soldiers stood up with a solemn expression on their faces, as the anthem of the Spartan republic blasted out loudly from the hidden sound amplifiers.


    After taking this most important procedure, the ceremony was finally able to progress smoothly.


    Captain Jackson began by first reading out the long and valiant history of the Spartan republic. He listed out the Spartan legends who contributed their power to make this history more incredible, both the dead and the ones still alive to honor them.


    Though the long reading seemed boring, it was not to the Spartan soldiers. The knowledge of the heroics of their predecessors was a great catalyst, that never failed to ignite the ambition to be great in the new soldiers that were present.


    Their blood boiled, as a brief history of their President was readout. Though the Legendary Slaughterer did not attend the ceremony, his legend was deeply enrooted in the hearts of every Spartan soldier.


    After using this clever tactic to ignite the ambition of the soldiers, Captain Jackson expertly ended the session by paying respects to these heroes.


    Apart from Commander Rashford, the other distinguished soldier who attended the ceremony was the former North Sparta prodigy, Commander Arthur. As a 5th rank high-grade soldier also, his prestige was at the pinnacle in Spartan society.


    Though he could not match up to the 2 strongest Spartan soldiers yet, rumors have been circulating for the past few years that he was a great candidate for the next President position, if the Slaughterer ever resigned. This showed his power.


    After taking time to call out and honor the other distinguished guests in the ceremony, the rank promotion procedures officially commenced.


    Dozens of soldiers came out after being summoned. All their faces beamed with happy and satisfied smiles, as their fellow soldiers and other guests applauded them. 34 soldiers were the ones scheduled to receive a promotion today.


    The applause reached a crescendo as the most important protagonists of the day were called out.


    Clark and Captain Oxford stood up from their seats with wide smiles on their faces. The bright golden colors of the Spartan army uniform gleamed under the illumination of the countless lights, ushering them out to the stage.


    Captain Oxford at this moment felt like this was a dream, as lights shone on all 34 of them. He never dreamt of being a 4th rank high-grade soldier, after so many years of disappointments and remaining stuck at the 3rd realm.


    He could not help but turn to look appreciatingly at the smiling Clark, this soldier brought the turning point in his life.


    After the applause ended, what remained on the stage was the silhouettes of 34 proud soldiers. The golden uniform that they wore took their incredibleness to the next level, making them look like a group of alien soldiers from a more advanced civilization.


    As they lined up waiting, this was when the rank bestower of the day finally stood up. Commander Rashford in his golden uniform looked more imposing and authoritative than normal.


    He didn¡¯t walk, as hidden anti-gravity devices in his expensive uniform powered up. His figure rose into the air, before slowly floating to the podium where he would bestow upon these soldiers their new ranks.


    His hovering figure made him look like a deity that was descending to bestow blessings upon its followers.


    The modest-looking uniform that the Commander wore was fiercer than any armor that most soldiers have ever encountered. Clark¡¯s car seemed expensive, but this uniform was priced at an astronomical 20,000,000 Spartan credits.


    Though the countless soldiers watching did not know the price, that did not stop them from admiring its splendidness.


    After arriving at the stage, he finally faced the 34 soldiers before him. He was a man of few words, so he cut directly to the chase.


    ¡°Soldiers, I am proud of all of you for fulfilling the hidden requirements required for a promotion. It shows your diligence, determination, hard work, and loyalty¡±.


    ¡°Sergeant Faraday, by the power delegated to me as the Commander in chief of the Spartan army, I hereby bestow upon you the new rank of a Master Sergeant. From today, you are now Master Sergeant Faraday¡±.


    ¡°After this ceremony, go to the Spartan army inquiry hall to know, understand, and get the benefits of your new rank¡±.


    After going through the regular procedure, Commander Rashford finally brought out the new badge indicating the Master Sergeant rank.


    After bestowing the badge upon the soldier, applause erupted around the stadium as the soldiers watching welcomed the latest Master Sergeant of the Spartan republic.


    The Commander continued after finishing with the first soldier, as he gradually bestowed all the new badges to the promoted soldiers. After going through 32 soldiers, it was finally Clark¡¯s turn.


    Clark moved forward to meet the Commander with a solemn and respectful expression on his face, before giving a standard military salute to his superior.


    Commander Rashford¡¯s face softened a bit on seeing this, though the expected smile never followed. He patted Clark on the shoulders, earning a smile from the soldier before he finally turned to the voice amplifiers.


    ¡°Citizens, workers, and soldiers of the Spartan republic. I know that most of you already know this soldier, but for those not in the know, let me tell you a bit about his journey to his current level¡±.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon began his career by graduating as the best cadet of his military training base. In this same time frame, he broke a lot of our existing records, thereby skyrocketing his status to the level of the republic¡¯s most talented¡±.


    ¡°He is a role model to countless other cadets of the republic. Despite his modest background, he defied all odds and kept on breaking records and achieving unimaginable feats through his hard work and incredible talent¡±.


    ¡°You have been seeing the recent achievement promotions in the news by the media, none of the information is exaggerated¡±.


    ¡°As the news said, Clark is the hero of Vatican City, as well as the Spartan republic as a whole. His legendary story has recorded another legend, he is the only soldier after our President to win a battle tournament organized by any of the big 5¡±.


    ¡°His other achievements that cannot be publicized are as incredible, if not more incredible than the ones being publicized¡±.


    ¡°With the powers bestowed unto me as the Commander in chief of the Spartan army, Clark, I hereby bestow unto you the rank of a Major of the Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°From today, you shall be Major Clark of the Spartan republic.¡± Applause quickly followed like a raging tsunami, as the soldiers and civilian spectators clapped vigorously.


    ¡°Clark, as you¡¯re the first and only Major of Vatican City. The city shall be granted to you as the first territory under your control. I hope that the city prospers more under your care¡±.


    ¡°After this ceremony, go to the Spartan army inquiry hall to know, understand, and get the benefits of your new rank¡±.


    Though Clark was already matured enough to not easily let out his emotions, he was still shocked and surprised by his new rank and the bonus gift.


    The Major rank, just like the Lieutenant rank were ranks that were not easily attainable in the Spartan republic military hierarchy. Only special soldiers with incredible achievements had the honor of receiving these ranks.


    Because of this, he directly skipped about four military ranks ahead as the Major rank was only a grade below the Captain rank.


    And him being bestowed with his territory meant that he already started having influence. He was now the leader of his home city; his opinion was needed before any significant development or decision is made by the city officials.


    Just being happy was an understatement of his current emotions, he was over the moon. He felt like doing a happy dance immediately.


    After his rank was bestowed unto him, the Commander finally focused on the main protagonist of today¡¯s ceremony, Captain Oxford.


    The Captain¡¯s face twitched frequently, as his face could not contain his happy fluctuating emotions. The applause given to him was thunderous, as the republic was finally welcoming another General to bolster its ranks.


    This time, it was shone why he was the main protagonist. Commander Leonidas, the legendary slaughterer, the President of the Spartan republic came personally to bestow unto him his new rank.


    Seeing this familiar face, all the soldiers and civilians were fired up as applause, slogans, and chants erupted everywhere around the large hall.


    The President¡¯s legendary tale was so long that he already acquired countless slogans and nicknames throughout the years. Unlike the unsmiling Commander Rashford, he smiled slightly to acknowledge the excitement of his citizens.


    Clark, Captain Oxford, and all the promoted soldiers had excited expressions on their faces as this was the first time that they were meeting their President at such a close range. Despite it being just a projection, they were still honored.


    After bestowing Oxford with the General rank, the President¡¯s projection waved at everyone before dissipating.


    Commander Rashford finally came out again to congratulate the promoted soldiers, before posing with them for a group photo. After this, he also left the large hall.


    Captain Jackson finally took the voice amplifier again, as he ended the rank promotion ceremony after the national anthem was recited again. The ceremony was officially over.


    It was at this moment that Clark¡¯s gang came out. The excited group of boys and girls came out to congratulate their friend, celebrate, pose for a photo, before going crazy together.


    After doing a lot of random things together, the gang of friends finally went out. Today, they were partying all night.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 164: the spartan president leonidas

    In a quiet narrow corridor that was illuminated by bright blue lights, 2 soldiers on the unique golden uniform of the Spartan army walked forward while discussing casually.


    ¡°Arthur, I didn¡¯t expect you to come, welcome. I know you came for an entirely different reason though, but forget about that¡±. Commander Rashford¡¯s voice echoed across the small corridor.


    ¡°How do you see the 2 main protagonists of today¡¯s ceremony, General Oxford and Major Clark? I once heard that Clark was compared to you at some time, what do you think of him?¡±


    He turned his face a little to observe the expression on the face of his companion, after asking this. Commander Arthur¡¯s expression did not change though, it was firmly stabilized in its poker form.


    He finally answered after contemplating for a second. ¡°That Oxford, I have checked his records, his growth momentum is not fierce enough, he improves too slowly. I can bet that he already exhausted his potential¡±.


    ¡°But that Clark, I can¡¯t really tell. But I am sure that he has a bright future ahead of him, perhaps we would welcome another soldier to our ranks in the future. I can¡¯t wait to spar with him¡±.


    Commander Rashford sighed with resignation on hearing this. ¡°You love sparing too much, what a battle maniac. I told you to give me a professional verdict, not to find another sparing opponent¡±.


    If Clark or any other soldier of the Spartan republic saw this, they would be surprised. These 2 exalted Spartan high-grade soldiers were currently discussing and bickering like normal humans.


    ¡°Ehem¡­, before I forget, I came here because I want to spar with you again. I never forgot battle losses; did you think that I would forget so easily? Haha, dream on¡±.


    ¡°I lost to you the last time; this time would not be so easy. I¡¯m even confident that, perhaps, I¡¯ll beat you¡±. Commander Arthur muttered in a battle intent-filled, fierce tone.


    ¡°Haha, bring it on¡±. Commander Rashford¡¯s mellowed fighting spirit was aroused on hearing the younger soldier¡¯s brag, as he led him to the special 5th grade sparing room of the Spartan army base.


    ¡­


    In the special sparing room of the Spartan army base, the 2 Commanders stood, facing each other with serious expressions on their faces.


    Commander Rashford held 2 sharp sabers on each of his hands, as a grin slowly crept up his face. While his opponent, Commander Arthur wielded a broad sword as his weapon of choice.


    3¡­,2¡­,1¡­, As soon as the time struck one, their figures blurred, prompting them to rush at each other momentously.


    Clang!! As the first sound of their weapons clashing reverberated, this seemed like the signal for faster pace fighting as countless impact sounds followed shortly after.


    Despite the extremely durable exotic metal that the floor of the sparing room was made with, it still creaked a bit due to the force being exerted by the two Commanders.


    Bam! Bam! Bam! Shockwaves erupted out of their positions, stirring storm-like waves as they kept on going at each other while carefully looking out to get the opponent¡¯s weak point first.


    With a sound like that of something shattering, Arthur¡¯s great sword finally broke through the defense of the Spartan army Commander, throwing his heavy figure backward with speed.


    As this was not a battle to the death but just a spar, they didn¡¯t use any of their expensive gadgets, but their raw fighting capabilities were still astonishing.


    Veins erupted out like tentacles, covering the body of Arthur as he took complete advantage of this opening to speed forward.


    His figure moved swiftly like an ethereal phantom, leaving afterimages behind as he appeared before his airborne opponent in an instant.


    Whoosh!! The artificially modified air vibrated in protest while rippling outwards like a fierce water current as the Commander¡¯s broad sword swept forward horizontally like Thor¡¯s storm breaker.


    Commander Rashford reacted instantly, despite being surprised at the slight growth in strength of his opponent since the last time that they sparred.


    His sabers retaliated fiercely like Hella¡¯s storm like strikes of death, stirring a defensive domain of death immediately.


    As soldiers at the very pinnacle of individual strength in the whole Spartan republic, their battle arts, and self-created techniques were also at the pinnacle.


    Clang!! Clang!! Despite the fierce momentum and power behind the attack of Commander Arthur, the veteran Commander Rashford held on as he finally started executing his battle art.


    On seeing this, Arthur reciprocated by executing his battle art also. This brought the battle¡¯s level to the next dimension, as the first crack came into the strong metal covering of the sparring floor.


    They both complimented their battle arts with their self-created techniques, resulting in more destruction and damage to the surrounding.


    Ptui!! The broad sword of Commander Arthur finally connected, as it embedded deeply into the abdomen of his opponent. Commander Rashford did not let up, as his sabers also dug into the ribs of his opponent from both sides.


    They both coughed out blood from the injury but they didn¡¯t cower from this, as they continued their battle with the same passion and ferociousness.


    The saying was proven here again that all 5th rank high-grade soldiers were battle maniacs. If this was all it required to improve, these soldiers were ready to go through this every day.


    ¡­


    Boom!! With another swift strike from his opponent, Commander Arthur finally lost his broad sword. His opponent¡¯s sabers quickly followed by stabbing deeply into his chest, drawing more blood than the one coming out of his mouth.


    ¡°Give up, I won¡±. Commander Rashford muttered with a smile. Despite his swollen and bloody face that showed how difficult the battle was for him, he still won in the end.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Commander Arthur coughed out blood again, emptying his bowels before speaking out in a disappointed tone. He paid little attention to his fatal injuries.


    ¡°What does it take for me to beat you?¡± He asked, dejected.


    ¡°Haha, you were better than last time and performed far above my expectations. Your improvement speed still baffles me. Perhaps, in another decade, you¡¯ll beat me. I¡¯m really getting old¡±.


    Commander Rashford answered with a slight laugh, before looking up with a sigh that spoke deeply of his experiences throughout the years. The young were exceeding the old now.


    After reminiscing for a minute, he finally turned to face the resting Arthur. They already took healing and pain-relieving tonics, so their injuries were healing at a slow but visible pace.


    ¡°Let me give you a tip Arthur. Though your improvement speed surprised me, you are still no match for Leonidas¡±. He spoke out again with a nostalgic grin on his face.


    ¡°If you face him with this your current strength, you¡¯ll be floored in a minute. That man is a monster¡±.


    As he said this, he shuddered a bit as a memory of his arrogant challenge of the President flashed past his mind. It was an absolute trashing back then; he still didn¡¯t know the depths of that man. Unfathomable was his nickname, to him.


    ¡°Train for another hundred years, but I don¡¯t see you defeating Leonidas any day. But don¡¯t be disappointed, you can take him as a target to continue improving, I¡¯ll definitely watch out for the day he trashes you¡±.


    After saying this, he turned to walk back to his apartment. With smooth moves, he wore his gadgets back before flying away.


    Seeing this, Arthur laughed at himself depreciatingly. Though he had never fought with his President yet, from Commander Rashford, he could already imagine the outcome of their battle.


    Back then, when he just became a 5th rank high-grade soldier. The feeling of boundless strength brought him pride and great ambitions, and he decided to defeat Commander Rashford to get his position, before later aiming for Leonidas to get the presidency seat.


    His ambitions followed the Spartan principle, but reality came face slapping him viciously. With just one battle with the Spartan army leader, his pride was mellowed down immediately.


    He finally knew how boundless the world was, he felt like he was originally a frog in a well that didn¡¯t know how big the world was.


    Though Commander Rashford easily trashed him then, he did not let it affect him. The Commander encouraged him, before telling him his story of how he arrogantly challenged Leonidas some time ago also.


    After thinking all this through, he smiled before standing up to get his gadgets and reequip them. He still had a boundless future ahead of him, he had to continue training.


    ¡­


    In that same night that the Commanders sparred, Clark¡¯s gang were all in a hotel to celebrate.


    They booked a significant portion of the hotel for themselves to monopolize, to have an uninterrupted experience. Money flowed that night, they showered themselves with goodies and luxury.


    They drank, danced, and enjoyed themselves for the rest of the night. This was a rare day that they had for themselves, so they took full advantage of it by creating unforgettable memories.


    ¡­


    Somewhere else in the Spartan capital region, General Oxford went out with his friends and clique, he was also going to enjoy this day to the fullest.


    As the newest General of the Spartan army, even people that originally hated him were now ready to be his friend, so he was not short of people to party with. Instead, people were piling up after him.


    He burnt money like paper to organize a midnight beach party. His childhood friends, neighbors, village people, strangers, and enemies all came to attend the party.


    The aftermath of the rank promotion ceremony was felt across the whole Spartan capital, as midnight parties went on in various parts to celebrate the soldiers that were promoted.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 165: challenge to a duel

    After 2 days of relentless celebration and much fanfare, the aftermath of the rank promotion ceremony finally subsided.


    Clark was dressed in his new military uniform, as he prepared to report to the Spartan army base for the first time. His friends also got dressed in their various clothes, before proceeding to lead him out of the hotel that they booked.


    For the past few days, they spent all their time going for a tour around the Spartan capital.


    Today was the day that Clark was scheduled to resume duty and to get his rewards from the inquiry hall, so he did not tarry.


    He quickly entered his car with his friends, before speeding across the road to the Spartan army base headquarters.


    20 minutes later, they arrived at the periphery gate of the enormous city-like headquarters. After confirming their identity, they were allowed to continue speeding inside.


    They drove for another 10 minutes before the exotic car finally stopped at the large compound housing the inquiry hall. This was when the gang finally turned to face Clark, to say their farewell greetings.


    ¡°Clark, you¡¯re now a bigshot. I hope you don¡¯t blow your horns arrogantly and forget your friends. If you do that, you know that I¡¯m always ready to bend you into shape¡±. Leo quickly spoke out with a grin.


    The others all ignored the words of this tantrummy bastard before Benny also spoke out.


    ¡°Clark, like Leo said, you¡¯re now a bigshot. I wish you more repeated success records in your career. I promise that we will soon catch up, just wait¡±. Unlike Leo, Benny ended his words in a serious and solemn tone, earning an awkward cough from Clark.


    ¡°Clark, Good luck in your career. If you decide to visit us any day, please buy some nice goodies for me. Money is no longer your problem, so you have no excuses¡±. Kate quickly chirped in at this point in a cheerful tone.


    After so many days of staying and mingling together, her original perception of Clark already changed immensely.


    She was now able to understand that his being strict to her back then, was because he was concerned about their safety. She was a very open-minded girl, so she already forgot about it.


    What made her more cheerful, was that Clark already secured her position as a doctor in the Python military division.


    As a Major, he was already far above most soldiers. His prestige was all it took to get her the position in just 2 days. Having an influential friend was just so convenient, she already took him as her big bro.


    After she finished her turn, Emily quickly butted in before the shameless Smart man ended it with his sarcastic farewell words.


    Clark¡¯s face was all smiles, complimenting his golden military uniform, as his friends entered his car and drove away. He really cherished all these unforgettable memories; these were his buddies for life.


    After dropping them, his car would come back the next day. He already resolved to buy a new car for the 2 Bauer sisters, after he stabilized his position in the Spartan army.


    As soon as the car disappeared from his sight, he sighed before turning to walk inside the inquiry hall.


    ¡­


    Inside the hall of inquiry was very boisterous, as soldiers walked around the large hall to meet the officials to solve their problems and queries.


    Seeing this, Clark felt the feeling of humanity come back to him. Humans were social beings, seeing so many soldiers wearing the same uniform as he was wearing brought out a feeling of camaraderie that he could not pinpoint.


    As a Major, most of the soldiers who saw him greeted respectfully while complimenting it with military salutes. He nodded to acknowledge all these soldiers, as he quickly reached his destination in an instant.


    The woman in blue uniform flashed him a brilliant smile, after noticing his presence. ¡°Good morning, Major Clark. My name is Rose Augustus¡±. She greeted respectfully.


    She was not a soldier; she was just one of the many workers who worked in the large inquiry hall. Her job was to help any soldier that was clueless about what to do in the military base.


    They receive instructions directly from the headquarters A.I, making them the most secure information vendors.


    ¡°Good morning¡±. Clark returned the greeting, as he observed her while extending his hand for a handshake with her.


    ¡°I came to know more about my exact position in the army headquarters, and to get my rewards, as directed by the Commander¡±. He quickly continued, after observing her to his fill.


    She was a blonde woman, with light blue-rimmed eyes. Her smart hairstyle made her look cute, complimenting her gorgeous blue uniform.


    Her smooth round face, spoke of her slightly Asian identity, while her gorgeous outlook and curves spoke of her Western heritage. Clark easily guessed that she was probably half Eastern, half Westerner.


    She noticed the Major¡¯s keen but curious look but did not flinch as she maintained the smile on her face.


    Yesterday, she got a call from the headquarters¡¯ A. I that she just received a promotion. She was promoted to become the personal assistant of the new Major, which immediately lifted her into a euphoric mood.


    She did her best to dress, makeup, and look smart today. This was probably her best look since she was born.


    After receiving the consent of the Major, she quickly explained to him that she was his new personal assistant.


    On hearing this, Clark finally understood. He almost forgot that special attention starts from the Major rank. If he remembered correctly, he would also have an entourage of soldiers as his delegates.


    After quickly catching up to her point, he asked if she was ready to go. He got her consent immediately, so he told her to explain as they go to his military apartment.


    As soon as he turned to leave, he was surprised as he saw a group of soldiers suddenly coming to obstruct his way.


    He was confused, prompting him to turn, giving a questioning look at his new personal assistant.


    ¡°Umm¡­, sir, that¡¯s Corporal Davis and his entourage of soldiers. Please, be careful around him sir, his father is a General of the republic¡±. Rose quickly whispered into the ear of her new superior.


    Hearing this, Clark¡¯s eyebrows creased a bit as he calmed down to observe these soldiers before him, and the so-called Corporal Davis.


    The man had the default arrogant smirk of spoiled brats on his face, which reduced his interest in him by more than 80% immediately. He was someone that did not fancy discussing with children.


    Though he took the man as childish, he was still able to notice this fellow¡¯s large and bulky build. He had a light skin tone, with bulging muscles that were clearly packed up with power. The man finally spoke up.


    ¡°Hmmm, what do we have here? It¡¯s the self-proclaimed legend, Major Clark. Why am I meeting country bumpkins from a backwater region like the South?¡± Davis asked sarcastically, earning loud laughter from his delegate of soldiers.


    Throughout their laughter, Clark did not speak a word. He just maintained a default poker look on his face, seemingly uninterested in whatever they were saying.


    ¡°Oh, I remember now. Major, do you have the guts, I challenge you to a duel in the dueling ring¡­¡±


    ¡°I accept your challenge. See me in the ring in 30 minutes¡±. Clark did not allow the soldier to finish before he quickly answered with the same poker look on his face.


    After saying this, he grabbed the hands of his assistant before moving out. The soldiers scrambled away, hurriedly clearing a path for him.


    This was a Major. Even if they could laugh to support their leader¡¯s provocative words, they did not dare directly antagonize a Major for their leader.


    Though the Spartan army actively encouraged soldiers challenging their superiors to duels to increase competition, they never tolerated a soldier directly disrespecting a soldier of higher rank.


    Davis was surprised, as he did not expect his target to accept his challenge so easily. He stood in place awkwardly, as the attention of everyone rested on him and his group.


    ¡°Hmm, acting arrogant? You will not have the teeth to do that in a few minutes¡±. He snorted to regain his confidence and lost face, before telling his cadre of soldiers to go hype the duel to get more spectators.


    ¡­


    Clark did not see nor did he pay attention to his challenger again, as his personal assistant started explaining things to him.


    Back when he just joined the Python military division, something like this was about to transpire. The challenges were not able to happen again, as he quickly left for the mission into the Mocan republic.


    Using that as a template, he was not too surprised. It seems that in every military base of the Spartan republic, every new soldier must encounter this.


    Well, he was not afraid. He would just use Davis as an example, to cement his new rank and instill fear into other challengers.


    Most soldiers believed that he achieved his rank through dubious means, a battle was always the most efficient way to silence doubts. Every Spartan soldier respected the strong.


    Rose finally started speaking out, after making sure that her new boss was no longer in a daze. She was a lawyer and a professional psychologist, so she could read moods to an extent.


    She was surprised and impressed, on seeing that the abrupt challenge did not affect her boss.


    ¡°Boss, the army provided you with an apartment in the headquarters. The keys are with me, so you can access it immediately and meet your new delegates of soldiers there¡±.


    ¡°This is surprising, but the army also commissioned a weapon specialist to make an exotic armor and spear for you. The surprising factor is that the exotic material being used is the rare high-grade Arcanite metal¡±.


    Clark was not surprised on hearing this. He already knew that all the members of the sea expedition mission would get rewards, he just did not expect this.


    A smile came over his face, as he turned to his assistant to continue.


    ¡°The army also provided you with a lot of monetary rewards, equaling a total of 7,255,000 Spartan credits¡­¡± Rose¡¯s voice kept on getting lower and lower, before becoming a whisper as she read out this astronomical figure.


    Clark smiled amusedly on seeing her expression. He already expected as such, but his face still showed his happiness on confirming this.


    ¡°Good, how long does it take from here to my apartment?¡± He finally asked, after reining in his emotions.


    His question seemed to act as a speeding catalyst, as his assistant recovered from her breathless state, smiled, before pointing at the slowly growing outline of a large mansion ahead.


    He was shocked on seeing this. The looming form of the mansion spread faint shadows across the headquarters street, showcasing its enormous size.


    Clark had huge expectations for his mansion, but this? ¡°Are you sure? Is this my apartment?¡± He asked with undisguised shock on his tone, earning a smile from his assistant this time.


    ¡°Boss, the mansion¡¯s approximate cost is 4 million Spartan credits¡±. She muttered with a proud grin on her face like the property was hers.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 166: a majors mansion

    If not because that the mansion was smaller, it looked just like the U.S white house of the 21st century, though a more technologically packed one.


    The compound stretched for about 2 kilometers of land, making it seem like those depicted in sci-fi movies. It was completely colored in white, presenting it in a more beautiful and otherworldly light.


    The mighty fence stretched widely like a bowstring, covering the kilometers large land like the great ancient walls of China.


    The main mansion building stretched to the skies like the great castles propelled by the magic beans, in the epic Puss in boots cartoon movie of old. Clark was completely floored and mesmerized.


    ¡°Am I the owner of this mansion?¡± He questioned his assistant again incredulously.


    Rose smiled, as with a command from her, the enormous energy-powered gate opened immediately.


    On entering, Clark felt like he just stepped into the beautiful environs of heaven. Bright shining crystal tiles covered the whole floor, sparkling like stacked diamonds.


    After admiring to his fill, his eyes finally fell on the large gathering of people who stood respectfully before him. The majority of them were in white uniforms, only a minority of them were in military uniforms.


    A man who revealed himself as the head butler of his mansion, Daniel Briggs, came out to introduce the others.


    After a short introduction, Clark finally knew who these people were.


    The ones on white uniforms were the workers, that would work in his mansion and take care of it. Their combination covered any need that was required to keep the mansion in optimum condition.


    The Spartan army was the one paying their salaries, so his pocket would not be strained by these. He felt completely giddy from joy.


    After this introduction, the leader of his soldier followers finally came out to introduce themselves. Just like with the Corporal who just challenged him, these were his delegates.


    They obeyed his orders alone, as far as the orders don¡¯t contradict the core principles of the Spartan republic.


    After learning of their roles, he finally welcomed them officially. He thanked them for taking the roles while they also thanked him in return, before giving a short speech as their new boss.


    This was when he finally stepped into the mansion. He was already prepared, so despite his giddy mood, he was able to control himself from embarrassment in front of his workers and followers.


    The inside of the mansion looked just like the luxurious Wakanda palace of the ancient Black Panther movie. Though this was more technologically decorated, it still had a lot of similarities with the palace from the movie.


    The large sitting room looked more like a meeting hall than a sitting room. His master seat was built like a throne and placed conspicuously at the very front of the parlor.


    After using a few minutes to settle down, he finally called his assistant to discuss how the mansion would be managed, and how he would report to work.


    As a Major now, most of the shackles of low-ranked soldiers were already broken from him. He was now more of a real leader than a subordinate soldier.


    According to Rose, he was assigned as the leader of a military regiment of the Spartan army. On knowing this, he quickly scheduled a time to meet them later in the day.


    This was when he finally entered his luxurious room to change. He had a duel to fight, and a challenger to teach a lesson.


    5 minutes later, he finally came out of his room in a military sparring vest. His entourage of soldiers quickly followed him, while carrying his equipment.


    He no longer needed to use his own money to buy equipment for some time, as the Spartan army gave him a completely free set of equipment as a welcome gift. Only if he needed specific gadgets, would he get them himself.


    In less than a minute, their silhouettes quickly disappeared from the mansion. Only 2 minutes were left, for the stipulated time of the duel.


    ¡­


    In the public dueling ring designated for 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, the area was already extremely boisterous and lively.


    Soldiers surrounded the large ring, forming a large horde like chickens in poultry. They discussed in small groups and cliques, as the hype surrounding the upcoming duel grew more with every passing minute.


    In this horde of soldiers, a particular spot was isolated from the rest. Corporal Davis sat with his clique of soldiers. His trademark smirk was on his face, as his followers heaped praise on him that the battle was as good as over.


    As a soldier that was trained here in North Sparta with such huge background, he had an instinctual feeling of superiority over soldiers from the other parts of the Spartan republic.


    And as it was true that the training methods employed here in the capital for soldiers were better than the other parts of Sparta, it boosted his confidence.


    He did not believe that this lucky country bumpkin could defeat him.


    Seconds before the 30-minute mark struck, Clark finally arrived at the dueling arena with his entourage of soldiers, drawing all the attention.


    He did not give a damn about the attention directed at him, as he confidently walked directly into the dueling ring. He finally turned to face his opponent, with the same poker expression still on his face.


    Seeing this, a grin slowly crept up Davis¡¯s face. ¡°I thought you were too afraid to come. At least, you have some guts¡±


    After saying this, he took hold of his light sword at the corner, before matching confidently into the ring.


    Seeing this, excitement filled the air, as the smell of gunpowder saturated the air, forming a battle intent mist.


    As Clark didn¡¯t answer the Corporal, he also kept quiet as they both prepped up to start the battle. The tense atmosphere got tenser, as the time finally struck the 30-minute mark.


    ¡°Boss, your weapon¡±. It was at this moment that one of Clark¡¯s soldiers cautiously reminded him.


    ¡°No need, I can handle him with my hands¡±. He answered with a good-natured smile, before advancing steadily to meet his opponent after the signal to start was given.


    Seeing that his opponent refused to wield a weapon against him, Davis¡¯s face scrunched up into a frown. ¡°Is he underestimating me?¡± He thought, as rage slowly came into his mind.


    Whoosh!! He quickly rushed forward while bearing his swift sword down at his opponent. His speed was very swift, as he reached his opponent¡¯s side in an instant.


    Clark¡¯s eyes finally focused on seeing this, as his gloved hands grabbed outwards at his opponent¡¯s light sword.


    He succeeded in stopping the sword¡¯s momentum and retrieved it from his opponent smoothly, shocking the countless spectators at the side.


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Before Davis could comprehend what just happened, a large fist already covered his handsome face, giving him a swollen cheek immediately.


    This was the end for him, he became a punching bag next. He could not understand what was happening, he could only grit his teeth in pain as blows kept on hitting the vital parts of his body rapidly.


    The spectators were astonished, the fierce battle that they anticipated unexpectedly turned into a one-sided trashing.


    In less than 2 minutes, the arrogantly handsome face of Corporal Davis was already riddled with injuries and swells everywhere.


    He lay pathetically on the arena floor like a clown that was beaten up by his client. Till now, he still could not understand what happened. His dazed eyes were still filled with confusion and disbelief.


    The battle ended far more swiftly than anyone expected or predicted. Seeing this, all the soldiers shot him pitiful looks.


    ¡°Man, thank you for testing the ground for us, we really appreciate it. We owe you one¡±.


    ¡°Shit stirrers like you are always appreciated¡±. This was the only thought on the mind of the soldiers who had the motive of challenging this new Major before.


    They shuddered when they thought of themselves being in the place of the current Davis.


    ¡°Is there any other challenger?¡± Clark¡¯s voice finally boomed loudly around the arena, attracting the attention of everyone.


    The place suddenly quietened down like a graveyard; no soul made a sound. On seeing this, Clark nodded, his goal was finally achieved. But he was not stopping here though, he wanted to instill fear and awe in the hearts of everyone here today.


    After doctors came to carry the unfortunate soldier away, he finally turned to activate the dueling ring¡¯s training tests of his rank. He intended to challenge and break the existing records.


    He knew that breaking the existing records of his rank in the army would increase his prestige, and most importantly, it would grant him a sizeable number of military contribution points.


    Seeing that he was getting ready to challenge the training records for 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, the spectators were attracted to stay back.


    After the dueling ring re-arranged itself to bring out the durable training equipment for the challenges, he calmed his mind before charging forward rapidly.


    Bang!! With loud impact sounds, his fists hammered at the projected opponents, starting the battle immediately.


    His fists flashed past repeatedly like lightning, carrying the force of a mountain to bear heavily on the opponents and training equipment. The durable arena floor creaked and started developing cracks, as the shockwave and resultant force from his battle disrupted everything.


    ¡­


    After an hour-long battle in which he was already bloodied all over, Clark finally went through one battle around all 10 training tests.


    Despite the blood flowing down his battered face, only awe was on the faces of the countless spectating soldiers. Just being shocked was an understatement, they were bamboozled shocked.


    Just in one trial, Clark broke 3 of the 10 records that were set by Spartan prodigies throughout the past decades. And he did not even use his weapon, making this more astonishing.


    If respect had a physical manifestation, it would be hovering above the atmosphere at this moment.


    After doing this, he finally turned to go back to his mansion with his followers. He already accomplished his goal, there was no need in staying here again.


    As he walked, his followers looked at his hulking back with different mixed emotions. To them, his back was now their refuge of strength, it was now their Mt. Kilimanjaro to rely on.


    ¡°Major Clark is a monster¡±. This became the talk of the day, as the soldiers who spectated the battles spread the news like a raging fire.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites. Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers, while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters.]

 Chapter 167: the armys weapon specialist monkey hands

    After Clark broke the training records for 2nd rank high-grade soldiers and displayed his strength in public, all the challengers who wanted to use him to take a fast climb to fame cowered back.


    He succeeded in using Corporal Davis as his stepping stone to cement his position in the army.


    Though the result of the duel drew a lot of attention, it did not affect the important things as the Spartan army continued operation like usual.


    To the big shots in the army, he was still just a sprouting sapling. They would pay more attention to him when he finally grew to the required level where he would be free as an eagle.


    He did not care about the opinion of others though, as he got the result that he wanted. He scared the hungry challengers away and got a sizable sum of 500,000 military contribution points from the records that he broke.


    These military contribution points equal 600,000 Spartan credits when converted. With these, what else did he want? He was satisfied.


    It was already a week since he fought the duel. During this time, he was able to settle all the miscellaneous tasks bugging him that were related to his promotion and integration into the army.


    All the paperwork, backups, and follow-up data were finally finalized and stored.


    Today, he finally decided to go visit his military regiment again after the first visit which was a week ago. As the leader of the military regiment, he had to check up on them to know how they fared.


    As he was already used to this during his stay in the Python military division, he did not find it difficult. Though a military regiment was far larger than a division squad, the same rules applied to leading them.


    ¡­


    5 minutes later, he finally arrived at the big apartment made for the Night owl military regiment. The soldiers were all waiting outside, as they already knew that he was coming.


    On seeing his familiar exotic car, they stood straighter at attention. He quickly came out of the car, before going to meet the soldiers.


    Today, he was dressed in a black suit complimented by a turquoise blue tie. He finally decided to start keeping his hair after coming back, so they already grew a bit after the few weeks since his return.


    They fluttered like tree leaves under the influence of the sea breeze, making him look like the legendary footballer, Ronaldinho.


    The soldiers quickly saluted, before greeting him, following the lead of their second in command. Clark smiled on seeing this, he greeted back before finally speaking out.


    ¡°Hey guys, how¡¯s your day? Madara, you look smart on your uniform today¡±. Questions and compliments flew out of his mouth simultaneously like a machine gun, bringing slight smiles to the faces of the soldiers.


    After asking them about their day, he singled his second in command out to compliment him.


    Unlike most leaders of military regiments, he was far more casual with his soldiers. His second in command and most of the soldiers in the military regiment were far older than he was, so he tried to accommodate them all.


    Unlike his days when he was a squad leader, as a leader of a military regiment, he was not obligated to follow his soldiers to their checkpoint.


    There were five 2nd rank high-grade soldiers in the military regiment, so his presence was not really required to solve their problems. His second in command, Madara, was even a senior 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    Unlike in most military divisions, the military regiments of the Spartan army all have their unique uniforms, though the color is always golden to indicate their allegiance and connection to the Spartan army.


    The uniform of the Night owl military regiment was bright gold-colored, with a large drawing of a night owl at the front.


    Their shoes were all black, with golden soles to complement the uniform. Seeing so many soldiers on such uniforms standing together, made it seem like a gathering of angelic soldiers from heaven.


    Clark did not spend too much time with the soldiers, as they still had to go to their checkpoint that morning and he also had other things to do.


    He just inquired if there was any problem that they could not solve, if they needed anything from him or the army and if there was any new mission that was assigned to them by the army.


    After doing this, he also spent a little time discussing with the other four 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, while also complimenting them for their hard work.


    He also spoke a little with the outstanding soldiers among the 1st rank high-grade soldiers, to encourage them and show that he cared about their battle achievements.


    After doing all these, he finally ended his visit and allowed them to go. He released a breath of cold air, as he went through his actions for the last few minutes again.


    He nodded after confirming that he did a good job. Being a leader of a military regiment made him freer to do other things, but it also required effort on his part as it was not easy to lead so many soldiers.


    He smiled as he quickly gave a command through his implant. His car drove to where he stood, prompting him to enter without hesitation. He was finally going to get his new spear and exotic armor today.


    ¡­


    It took him less than 3 minutes before he arrived at the large workshop of the army¡¯s head weapons specialist.


    The large workshop towered above the sky while spreading widely like an inflated balloon. He did not stand to admire the sight, as he quickly traced his footsteps into the machinery-filled building.


    The mechanics working diligently stopped their work after noticing his arrival, as they greeted him respectfully.


    The boys had admiration and worship in their eyes, while the girls had inexplainable emotions in their eyes. Clark simply revealed his newly learned trademark smile at them to acknowledge them, before going in.


    Inside the workshop looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, as mechanical tools and machines were used to transfer and work on different projects of the army.


    He was not distracted by the sight, as he quickly located the personal workspace of Monkey hands. That was the nickname of the old weapons specialist.


    Less than 5 people knew his real name in the military base, as his identity was confidential secret. Despite this, every soldier in the army knew him as his ability was the real deal.


    ¡°Yo, Monkey hands, how¡¯s my stuff?¡± Clark quickly threw out a greeting at the focused mechanic, pulling him out of his passionate state.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­, I said it. Who else would disrupt me like that but Major Clark? I already told you that they are ready, so why asking again?¡± The old man sighed in resignation, before answering meekly.


    ¡°Thanks, I know you always treat me right. I¡¯m expecting some badass equipment there¡±. Clark replied with a wide smile, as he arrived at the old man¡¯s side and patted him softly on the back.


    His hand was not able to establish contact, as a small energy shield repelled it away. He did not mind though, he only chuckled on seeing this.


    ¡°Humph¡­, I already told you that I won¡¯t allow you to pat me again. Do you think I wouldn¡¯t implement measures against it? I¡¯m a mechanic, remember¡±. The old man snorted, before firing at the young Major.


    ¡°I know¡­, I know, you¡¯re a mechanic. How many times would you repeat it?¡± Clark laughed a little while raising his hands to show his submission.


    ¡°Aha, before I forget. How¡¯s the mask I gave you? Were you able to crack its secrets?¡± He suddenly asked after recalling, as his hands scooped his newly made armor and spear up, keeping them fluidly in his military bag.


    ¡°Oh, that stuff. I was not able to break its security measures completely, but I found that it¡¯s a mask¡±. Monkey hands replied, after thinking for a second.


    On hearing this, Clark was speechless. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that it¡¯s a mask? I want to know what it is used for¡±.


    ¡°That, I don¡¯t have the required tools and mechanical scanning devices to probe deeper. I heard that you want to go to the Landmark kingdom, you can find people who will crack the security measures for you there¡±.


    ¡°When you reach there, you can just call my name. They¡¯ll probably give you a discount for cracking it, you know I¡¯m fairly well known outside the republic¡±. The old man added with a smug smile.


    ¡°Oh, ok, thank you¡±. Clark didn¡¯t want to bust the old man¡¯s bubble, not that he could though, as he also knew how influential Monkey hands was.


    He thanked him again, picked up the mask, before going back outside.


    On arriving outside, 5 cars were packed close to his car, with about a dozen soldiers standing close to them. His 15 followers greeted him as soon as they saw his figure.


    He greeted them back before entering his car, prompting them to also enter theirs. He called for them some minutes ago as he was going to his home city from here, Vatican City.


    Today was the day that he promised to take Emily out, for her to register as a mercenary. He also wanted to become one, so he had more of a reason to go.


    He took his followers along because his planned inauguration ceremony as the leader of Vatican City was scheduled to be in a month.


    His followers had to be there to regulate and organize things on his behalf, as the ceremony was going to be a big one.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 168: the embassy

    Dozens of minutes after Clark took off with his entourage of soldiers, he finally arrived at the border territory of Vatican City.


    On arriving, he reduced the speed at which he traveled on the highway before navigating directly to the city hall, where the current diplomatic leaders of the city were waiting.


    After informing them some minutes ago that he was coming, they all quickly converged from wherever they were to the city hall.


    After another 2 minutes of driving without sidelining, he finally arrived at the large city hall.


    All the influential leaders of the city stood outside the hall like a group of students welcoming their principal with respectful expressions on their faces, as they welcomed their new superior.


    Clark did not go inside the hall to discuss with them. He just exchanged greetings with the leaders, thanked them for finding time to come out and welcome him, before apologizing as he had to go.


    After leaving his soldiers to stay with them to act and make decisions on his behalf, he finally bid them farewell before driving away alone.


    ¡­


    A few minutes after, he arrived at his ancestral home. The house was still the same way he knew it years ago, it experienced little wear or degradation throughout the years.


    On entering inside the house, he met only Emily at home as Kate already reported to the Python military division base.


    The little girl no longer lived here with her sister, she now lived in an apartment that is specially made for doctors in the military base.


    After undergoing a lot of tests, the military division quickly confirmed her qualifications, so she already settled there completely. Her career was already back and kicking off.


    Emily was dressed in a red tactical combat vest, with a pair of red skin-tight combat jeans to compliment it. Her black combat bag and boots increased her adventure-like look further.


    She tied her originally long black flowing hair into a bun, making her face look more dignified and militaristic.


    With this new outfit, she looked wildly tenacious like the famous Lara Croft during her adventures in the wild. The tight outfit did a good job in outlining a clear outlook of her nicely contoured curves.


    Clark quickly greeted with a smile on seeing her, as he tried hard to keep his eyes from going to inappropriate places. He didn¡¯t waste time though, as they both quickly left the house.


    On entering the car, he ordered it to take them on autopilot to the nearest airport. To get to their destination in the most efficient way possible, they needed to board a plane.


    The big 5 acts similarly to most of the advanced countries of the 21st century. They have authoritative embassies built in all the important countries of the world, to make their leadership easier.


    The nearest embassy of the Mercenary Alliance was located in the Landmark Kingdom. It was also the closest high-grade country to the Spartan republic, in terms of border and boundaries.


    5 minutes after they started driving, they finally arrived at the Vatican central airport. With Clark¡¯s identity, they experienced no delay as a plane was left for him to monopolize for his journey after he paid.


    In less than 10 minutes, the paperwork for departure and everything was finalized as the plane quickly took off without delay, going directly to the Landmark kingdom.


    Using this opportunity that they had together alone, Emily actively engaged in conversations with Clark for them to spend the time. According to the pilot, the journey would take 2 hours, which was more than enough time for them to discuss and free themselves.


    After making small jokes for few minutes, they both finally eased themselves to each other, as they discussed random matters and gossip, mostly led by Emily.


    ¡­


    Hours later, after contacting the authorities, asking for permission, and to get authorization, the Spartan airline plane finally docked in the Landmark airport.


    The plane was booked down for days by Clark, so the pilot would also have to stay and wait for them here in the Landmark kingdom until they are done with their activities.


    Despite the eye-catching wears that they both wore; Clark and Emily drew only a little attention as they quickly navigated their way out of the airport.


    They already hired a car online, that was waiting for them in the garage. After meeting the company driver who parked the car, Clark left his signature for him after his identity was confirmed, before he took the car away.


    He drove straight to the direction shown by the car¡¯s GPS network, that led to the embassy of the Mercenary Alliance.


    After another 20 minutes drive, the enormous silhouette of the Mercenary Alliance¡¯s embassy finally started coming into sight.


    The building looked simple yet imposing. Its enormous size towered up to the skies while taking a shape like that of the headquarters of the Avengers squad from the ancient Avengers movie.


    It was a skyscraper building, with walls made from reinforced exotic glass. The glass wall was mildly reflective, so it does not affect the eyes of people coming from outside.


    In the middle of the enormous building stood its identity board. A large signboard indicating the name of the Mercenary Alliance, and their signature image of a gladiator shield and sword greeted every newcomer who was seeing it for the first time.


    After arriving at the foot of the building and parking at the garage, Clark finally came down with Emily in tow.


    They took a few minutes to admire the splendor of one of the big 5¡¯s embassy, just like the way some newcomers like them were also standing to admire in awe.


    After admiring their fill and imprinting this memory at their receptive brain, they finally proceeded to enter the huge building.


    They underwent a simple identity check at the door of the embassy by a group of armed officials before they were finally allowed in.


    Inside the embassy looked like a palace where divine light was shining and smiling on. Bright blue and white lights illuminated the large hall where they emerged, making it look like a 1st rate country¡¯s main airport waiting hall.


    The place was extremely boisterous, as both soldiers¡¯ eyes had a rare feast by looking curiously at their fellow humans of different shapes, sizes, and forms from all over the world.


    People from different tribes and nations were here. Both the black, the white, the red, and the yellow were all gathered in the Mercenary Alliance¡¯s embassy. Even the blueish yellow was present.


    As one of the central figures of humanity and the most visited organization among the big 5, the Mercenary Alliance was a magnet for people who looked to make good use of their strength and knowledge to make money.


    Clark led Emily, as they quickly blended into the growing line of people who were moving to the various side chambers to do whatever they wanted.


    Most activities of the embassy were governed and administered by A. I¡¯s, as humans were simply not capable enough to attend alone to such hordes of pestering people.


    After about an hour of waiting by the side, their turn finally came as Clark quickly led Emily into the now free chamber.


    Inside the chamber was completely white. It faintly looked like the room where Clark¡¯s gladiator team once entered back when they just went for their tournament, to access the outer headquarters of the Sea Farers alliance.


    Only a single holographic film hovered in mid-air, showing that they didn¡¯t come into the wrong room.


    ¡°Hum¡­, welcome to the inquiry chamber. My name is Mercenary 9, I am the 9th A. I that is responsible for basic activities in the embassy. It''s nice to meet you. Please, can I know the reason for your visit?¡±


    The strangely smooth voice of the A. I echoed out, reverberating sweetly round the thin walls of the room.


    Seeing this, Clark and Emily were not surprised, as this was a daily occurrence for them back when they still stayed in the outer headquarters of the Sea Farers alliance as gladiators.


    Clark took the lead, as he quickly laid bare the main reason for their arrival.


    After understanding their need, the A. I quickly got them started on the right procedures to take to implement and finalize their registration into the Mercenary Alliance¡¯s circle.


    They both quickly got busy, as, under the guidance of the A.I, they finished the virtual work before leaving the room to go and meet the embassy officials to finalize their registration.


    This is where the problem came, as they joined the large horde-like queue waiting for their turn.


    Not everyone in the embassy came to register as a mercenary, most were already mercenaries. They just came to get a new mission, or maybe engage in a business transaction, the possibility was endless.


    After hours of patiently waiting, when it was already past 4:00 pm, their turn finally came to be attended to.


    They didn¡¯t waste any more time, as the professional workers in the embassy finalized their registration in less than 10 minutes. They finally received their identity badge, indicating them as mercenaries under the Mercenary Alliance.


    Emily finally heaved a sigh of relief after getting her hands on the badge. She was happy, as this was her goal all along.


    After getting her badge, she didn¡¯t leave immediately. She instead applied for a mission. As a new level 1 mercenary, only a small fraction of the available missions were available to her.


    The Mercenary Alliance group their mercenaries into levels. This was to better keep track of their abilities, to know the kind of mission that they were capable of undertaking.


    You can only upgrade your level, after proving your capability by fulfilling groups of missions. Efficiency and how clean missions are done also affect the leveling rate.


    In the end, Emily settled for 5 of the missions that were slated. Clark did not take any of the missions, as he was not sure if he had the time for those currently.


    He was not anxious though, as after becoming a member, he could access the Mercenary Alliance¡¯s online portal anywhere to accept missions virtually.


    After all these, they both finally turned to leave the embassy. They already booked a hotel, as they initially predicted that they would most likely not finish their registration today. Everything was done faster than they predicted.


    On entering their hired car, Clark took the steering wheel as he drove in the direction of the hotel. It was already late; he would visit the weapons specialist town the next day.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 169: the weapons specialists town

    In a brightly lit and well-furnished sitting room, Emily sat on one of the chairs, discussing leisurely with her friend. Today, she got dressed again in her red and black adventure-like outfit.


    Not long after, they ended their discussion before going out together. This time, Clark got dressed in a combat vest also, with a pair of black designers unaffiliated military trousers to complement it.


    After entering the car, they quickly drove out in the direction of the weapons specialist¡¯s town.


    In this part of the Landmark kingdom, the weapons specialist¡¯s town is a town that was established only for those selling and dealing in machinery-related jobs and occupations. It was a haven for machines.


    It was where most of the people specializing in anything related to machines and technology are found.


    This was where Monkey hands recommended Clark to go, to get his mask scanned to know its exact value.


    As the town was not far from the location where they booked their hotel, they got there in less than 15 minutes.


    ¡­


    The special weapons specialist¡¯s town looked unique like a completely new realm to both soldiers. This was the strange feeling that they felt on entering it.


    A large signboard announcing their arrival to the town greeted their sights as their car slowly drove in. They were asked to park the car at a designated place, which they did as cars were not allowed into the town rampantly.


    The main road leading across the town was roughly made and designed with mechanical structures in a way to deter normal cars from scaling through it. Only individuals could freely walk through it.


    From the little that they could see, it seemed like all the houses were built identically. The town was a tower of refuge for all machine maniacs.


    Machinery greeted their sights on every side. Specialists worked on machines, exotic weapons, gadgets, and armors, making the place seem extremely boisterous.


    It was not without customers though, as people like them flocked into the shops to get their desired products or repair their gadgets.


    After admiring this unique environment to their fill, they finally located one of the biggest shops in the town. They knew this from asking around, and confirmed it from seeing its enormous size, compared to the other shops.


    On entering the shop, a strange sense of relief suddenly moved through them. Unlike the other shops, this one was less crowded due to its enormous size and population control measures.


    Inside it was just like a large shopping mall, but a significantly more technologically developed one.


    Exhibitions of different machines and even some that were exclusively made by the shop¡¯s mechanics were displayed on grand and luxurious elevated stands.


    Unlike the other shops, only the cashiers and selling personnel were in the large shopping hall. The mechanics who were responsible for the dirty works had their personal workshops inside the building to work in.


    Clark led Emily, as they joined the line of customers who needed technical services.


    5 minutes later, they finally met the female worker who was responsible for showing customers to the various workshops, according to their background and the nature of the work they wanted to get done.


    After Clark explained his purpose of coming to her, she did not waste time. She printed a customer¡¯s slip for him, before directing him to a workshop where most of the customers were going.


    Seeing this, he immediately knew that the workshop he was being directed to was probably anchored by a not too competent head mechanic.


    He sighed, before deciding to try his luck. Despite his position as a soldier, he could not do much, this was not his country. Only mechanics were respected in this town.


    ¡°Umm¡­, please, I¡¯m an acquaintance of Monkey hands¡±. He finally muttered to her, as he saw that her expression was already getting irritated from impatience.


    Hearing this, it seemed like a fuse was switched off in the girl¡¯s head, as she suddenly froze, looking at him incredulously.


    ¡°You know the mechanic, Monkey hands? Where is he now?¡± She asked in a surprised tone, before quickly correcting herself as she saw the curious looks being directed at her from the other customers.


    Seeing this, Clark was shocked by the swift mood swing. He got confidence from this though, before showing the Monkey hands work card to her.


    This completely silenced her. She apologized before directing him to a workshop where no other customer has been directed to before, earning slightly disgruntled murmurs from the other customers.


    Clark smiled on seeing this, as he turned to lead Emily away. He could not help but wonder what the real identity of the mysterious Monkey hands really was.


    Click!! After knocking a bit but not getting any reply, he finally opened the door to the workshop slowly, causing it to make a slight creak sound.


    His eyes twitched a bit on hearing the creaking sound made by the door. ¡°Really?? A door leading to a mechanic¡¯s workshop in this era is making creaking sounds. Did I make a mistake on coming here?¡±


    He could not help but question doubtfully while muttering slight curse words, as the interior of the workshop finally opened to him. Emily kept silent throughout his internal cursing session.


    It seemed that their coming poked a hornet¡¯s nest, as the 6 mechanics working in the large workshop suddenly paused on hearing the door¡¯s creak noise.


    The old man, who seemed like the leader developed a gloomy face immediately, making it seem like thunders would strike in respect to his tyrannical frowning expression.


    ¡°Who the hell is disturbing me when I¡¯m working? Are you nuts?¡± His loud but tweaky voice like that of a rat¡¯s echoed across the workshop.


    After asking in an angry tone, he finally turned to face these intruders.


    Despite his weird tone of voice, Clark and Emily did not pay attention to him nor his question as they stared blankly into space, at the object that this man was leading the 5 obvious apprentice mechanics on assembling.


    ¡°This man can make cars? And not ordinary cars, exotic cars¡±. Clark was completely shocked, his gaze remained fixed on the hovering form of the car before him.


    Already leading projects that involved actively making cars, meant that this person before him was an extremely talented mechanic who knew his job, or he was already an old nut-job that sustained his life through life-sustaining medications.


    The old man was also shocked on seeing that the intruders were not other mechanics or apprentices like he thought. He quickly thought up countermeasures to counter the curse that he just threw out.


    Despite him being the most skilled mechanic in the whole shop, he would still face punishment if he insulted customers willfully.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s another good-natured customer; welcome friends. Which big background are you from? I know that ordinary folks cannot come into my workshop, who¡¯s the bigshot?¡±


    He quickly countered his curse by shamelessly praising the people he just cursed, while hyping their background to please them.


    This was a tactic that he was extremely familiar with. Forget that you just cursed them, praise the spoilt brats to raise their ego, and they never fail to go over the moon.


    Hearing this, the 5 mechanic apprentices sighed like they expected this. ¡°Shameless, utterly shameless¡±.


    Clark¡¯s focus was finally drawn back by this, as despite his effort, his eyes could not help but twitch fiercely.


    Despite the obvious reaction from the 2 customers, the old man was unfazed as he kept the constant praising and complimenting smile on his face.


    Seeing this, Clark quickly adapted to calm himself, before replying cautiously.


    ¡°Umm, I know Monkey hands¡±. He used this trump card again, as he could not think of anything else he had that could possibly capture this shameless old man¡¯s attention.


    In the end, he was right. The name Monkey hands played the trick again, making him wonder about his real identity again.


    ¡°What¡­? You said Monkey hands? Where is he? F**k, that bastard stole my nuclear reactor before disappearing¡±. The old man quickly erupted on hearing the name.


    After finishing with his tantrum, he finally calmed down to look more clearly at these 2 customers.


    ¡°Umm, he is currently in the Spartan republic. Are you familiar with him? Do you know his background?¡± Clark finally found relief to answer the question that he found simple while asking his own in turn.


    ¡°Oh, I see¡±.


    ¡°He fled to the Spartan republic because he knew I can¡¯t come there to find him. Good one, bastard¡±. The old man cursed again with an irritated look now on his face.


    ¡°Did you have any problems with the Spartan republic?¡± Clark sharply asked again, as his expression secretly became serious.


    ¡°No, forget that, I just stole an energy converter from one of their lead mechanics.¡± The old man muttered, prompting a nostalgic victorious grin to emerge on his wrinkled face.


    ¡°Sir, you stole an energy converter? But you have dozens here in the workshop¡±. One of the apprentice mechanics finally asked cautiously.


    ¡°Haha, you kids are still too young. You don¡¯t know the happy feeling of stealing something from your colleague, then successfully making him angry and irritated. I loved the feeling back then man¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Clark was once again left speechless.


    ¡°Ok, kid, forget about that Monkey bastard. What brought you here?¡± The old man finally asked again after leaving his grinning mood, prompting his professional attitude to come back again.


    Clark could not understand the man¡¯s thought process at all. He acknowledged him though, as he quickly brought the mask and explained his query.


    ¡°Oh, just that?¡± The old man asked while taking the mask from him, before activating 2 machines immediately.


    In less than 5 minutes, he finished his work immediately before standing up with a surprised expression on his face. With his superior machines, cracking the protection security code of the mask was just child¡¯s play to him.


    ¡°Kid, you got some nice goodies here. Where did you get this?¡± He asked in a surprised and suspicious tone, as his eyes scrutinized this young man and woman again.


    After he was told what the mask was, Clark was equally shocked speechless. He really struck gold this time.


    The mysterious mask was a face-shapeshifting and disguise mask. What shocked him, was that this small gadget was made according to the standards of the big 5.


    According to the old man, he was able to scan, detect, and crack the security code only because it was just a small mask.


    When worn on, the mask could disguise the face of the owner into any one of its 100 configured installed faces. It could also scan other''s faces, imitate, and disguise the user like the person scanned with an 80% similarity.


    Clark was genuinely surprised and happy; this was godly equipment to mercenaries and people who intended to take the assassin route.


    Though he did not have an immediate use for it now, it would surely come in handy later on in his life.


    He thanked the old man repeatedly for his work, before asking him for the prize he had to pay for the service. The old man just shrugged it off, shamelessly giving a nonsensical excuse that it was because he was still angry at Monkey hands.


    Though Clark was left speechless again, he was happy as he didn¡¯t have to spend his money. He thanked the old man, before going out of the workshop.


    After going outside the large shop, they quickly located their car before driving out of the machine town.


    They finally fulfilled all their reasons for coming to the Landmark kingdom, but they were not going back now. Clark wanted to escort Emily to take on her first mission as a mercenary.


    Through it, he could learn how the business worked, and determine its risk factor. He could also save her if the risk turned out to be too much with his strength.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 170: correcting naughty boys the crushing move

    After getting out of the territory of the weapons specialist¡¯s town, Clark took a sharp turn, driving to the outskirts of the town. As the town was close to the Landmark border, they were essentially going to the outskirts of the country.


    During their discussions back in the day, they settled on taking the simplest and most practical mission. As its location was also the closest to the Landmark kingdom, they readily settled on it.


    As it was a level 1 mission, it was not too difficult. For the current them, the mission was simply beans. But they still had to be cautious, as not everything was as they eye saw, complications could arise at any point.


    The target of the mission was a pirate soldier. Scarface was the name he was known as. He was only a 1st rank high-grade soldier, so they did not feel any pressure on taking it.


    The only thing that could develop to become a problem, was that the man developed a small pirate organization that already had above 50 soldiers in its ranks.


    A month ago, the greedy pirate took his organization to go on a raid attack. They slaughtered more than 70 civilians in a small town, that was in the nearby Hashtag Dynasty.


    In the end, they succeeded in getting what they wanted, an exotic sword that was in the custody of a retired soldier, who was also the leader of the town.


    After the incident happened, the town got furious at the ruthless slaughter. After contemplating the best decision, they finally agreed to pay large sums of money to the Mercenary Alliance to get their services.


    As the mission was given for over a month already, mercenaries were already pursuing Scarface to get the bounty.


    Despite this guy being just a pirate, he proved to be elusive and extremely intelligent as none of the mercenaries have succeeded in getting his bounty yet after so long.


    As Clark drove forward steadily, Emily was focused on her mini virtual projector. She was currently in the Mercenary Alliance¡¯s online portal.


    The mercenaries who were after the target recently gathered in a nearby deep forest, as signs of Scarface were reported to be seen by the local vigilantes. They intended to try and nab this in as their first mission success.


    After getting to the edge of the highly modified forest, which now looked like those in adventure movies, they finally parked their car.


    Taking such a weak car deep into the woods in pursuit of a pirate was not advisable, they intended to cross the rest parts of the journey on foot.


    After coming down, they donned their identical military bags before going into the densely packed forest. They were prepared for this, that was what motivated their adventure-like dress code.


    ¡­


    After an hour¡¯s journey in the forest, where they encountered and killed an exobeast, they finally came before the first resting camp in the forest.


    In a large forest like this one that was at the outskirts of the Landmark kingdom, most people and mercenaries tend to come here to get easier and quicker ways to make money.


    Resting camps like this one were littered all over the forest, where transactions can be done between mercenaries, and where they can rest to recuperate from exhaustion.


    With the perks offered by these camps and bases, some people can decide to spend all their life in the wilderness as life there is freer. There is no war; though there is fear of pirates, it is far milder than the fear of being exterminated by war.


    Most of the people and mercenaries who reside here make a living by hunting the exobeasts in the large forest, and also doing mercenary missions like the one they were after.


    Though there are a lot of ingredients that can be used to make nutrient packs, exobeasts are still one of the best ingredients. The energy in their body serves as a good nutrient, which is very nice for the human body¡¯s development.


    Clark and Emily quickly came before the large resting camp. It was built like a thatched cottage, but with technologically enhanced forest wood. This camp housed 8 large resting buildings.


    They did not waste much time on the camp though. They just went there to experience the atmosphere between mercenaries, get more information about the forest, and fill their protesting stomachs.


    After doing their business, they asked for further direction before continuing their journey to their intended destination.


    About 30 minutes later, after moving across lonely in the forest, they finally met the resting camp that they were after.


    Unlike the last one, this one was made using bricks, like buildings from the 21st century. It was much larger than the one they passed previously, housing 15 large resting buildings.


    The camp buildings were positioned according to the level of visitors. The one labeled with a 1 and was at the very front, was the best building where most of the mercenaries who came for the mission gathered.


    After paying to the camp keepers, Clark entered the building with Emily in tow.


    On entering the silent cavernous building, with the only sound coming from the beers being downed by the mercenaries, they drew all the attention immediately.


    They did not mind though, as they already reset to their poker expressions. After going through so much in his short journey of life, resetting to a poker face was something as easy as releasing gas to Clark.


    Most of the mercenaries looked at them with narrowed eyes, hiding hostility. Every one of them was a competitor, as only one person would get the reward in the end.


    The best that the Mercenary Alliance allowed, was sharing the reward between 2 mercenaries who co-operated to finish the mission.


    Unlike most of the bunch, the other mercenaries did not give a damn, they all had nonchalant expressions on their faces. These were either the elites or the elite posers.


    Bum!! Clark quickly sat down after Emily on the dirty chair that was at the side, causing it to make bum and creak sounds.


    After they sat down, the original silence and tranquility returned to the large sitting room.


    After another 10 minutes of this, one of the mercenaries who seemed like one of the more well-known finally spoke out.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. By my guess, everyone is here. If you are all ready, we can go at any moment¡±. He spoke coldly while maintaining his nonchalant expression like he was speaking to his subjects.


    After speaking, he sat back on his chair. This was when some of the mercenaries finally started standing up to point out others that were not qualified to take part in the mission.


    They were already more than 20 in the cavern, which was more than predicted. Having more mercenaries, meant more competitors, so most of them tried means to intimidate others away.


    In less than 2 minutes, the weaker and more easily intimidated ones withdrew from the group, leaving them at 12 mercenaries.


    ¡°A small girl like you is not qualified to compete for a mission with us, scram!¡± It was at this moment that one of the burlier men stood up, pointing his finger accusingly at Emily to emphasize his point.


    After he finished, his hand remained hanging in mid-air as no one spoke out in reply to him. Clark kept quiet, Emily kept quiet, everyone kept quiet, making the atmosphere suddenly turn chilly and awkward.


    Seeing this, the man suddenly felt embarrassed, but he was not resigned to succumb to a female mercenary he felt was weaker than him.


    ¡°Who do you think you are to ignore me?¡± Feigning anger, he suddenly closed the distance between them while extending his finger to poke Emily¡¯s forehead with his hand intimidatingly.


    Seeing this, Clark secretly shook his head. ¡°The sages are right; you must meet fools anywhere you go in the world¡±.


    As the man¡¯s finger got closer and closer to her head, her slightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open as her figure erupted from her chair like an abyssal lord uprising.


    Catching the man¡¯s finger, she twisted it to unimaginable angles, prompting a scream from him immediately and startling the hell out of the other mercenaries.


    As her left hand did this mischief, her right leg in her iconic black and red boots lifted speedily, brushing the wind aside in its wrathful rise. Eyes widened on seeing the abominable trajectory of the kick.


    ¡°Not in between the legs¡­¡±


    Crack!! The chill in the air suddenly decreased again by a few degrees, following the sound of squashing eggs. All the male mercenaries shuddered, before tightening their legs in tandem.


    Ahh...!! The man wanted to scream as his legs wobbled weakly, but he could not, as Emily cut his cloth with her daggers before stuffing them into his opened mouth. This made him jerk unsteadily, as he choked from the unexpected move.


    With smoother moves than the rest, she just made; her hands dipped into her tactical combat vest¡¯s pockets to retrieve her other dagger.


    Whoosh!! The air vibrated following the speed at which her hand swung about, as 3 bloody lines were drawn on the mercenary¡¯s cheeks on both sides. He just got 6 bloody tattooed scars for free.


    After doing this, she finally sheathed her daggers back before seating back on her chair gracefully, stylishly, and with class.


    Seeing this, despite his poker face, Clark¡¯s lips could not help but twitch fiercely. ¡°Showoff¡­, why not try that on someone like Arthur?¡±


    Thud!! The already unconscious mercenary finally fell back to the floor, as another mercenary who seemed to be his acquaintance rushed forward to help him.


    After getting silent approval from Emily, he thanked her repeatedly before carrying his incapacitated and castrated friend away.


    As he did this, he still shuddered again, he could just imagine what his friend felt on feeling that precious stuff crushed by a woman.


    After this scene passed, absolute silence descended into the sitting room, making it even more grave-like than it originally was. All the mercenaries were shocked, as they tried to take in what they just experienced.


    ¡°What the f**k?¡± This was their only thought at the moment.


    ¡°Umm, I think no one has any objections again. Let¡¯s go complete the mission¡±. The mercenary who stood up at the beginning finally summoned the courage to stand up, before saying in a far meeker tone this time.


    He didn¡¯t wait for any confirmation, before picking his bag and going outside. His fragile heart was almost fracturing already.


    He was a 1st rank high-grade soldier, but he could not still see the depts of this woman¡¯s strength. He could not even follow her swift moves; they were too fast and incomprehensible to him.


    ¡°Is she a 2nd rank high-grade soldier already, or even a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. F**k, then what is she doing here? I have to be more careful in the future¡±.


    Following his lead, all the mercenaries stood up to leave the sitting room with far more humble expressions on their faces. Most of them here were normal soldiers, such strength was godly strength to them.


    After everybody left, Clark and Emily finally stood up before going outside also.


    ¡°Nice job there, you taught them some humbleness. But next time, I think you should have more respect for that place you crushed¡±. Clark poked Emily, as he softly muttered to her without blushing.


    She still kept her poker face despite this, but she grinned inwardly on finally receiving Clark¡¯s praise for the first time. Despite it being against weaklings, she still felt proud of it.


    She completely forgot the last part of his sentence.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 171: the pendragon mercenary group

    After packing up their stuff and equipment, the group of mercenaries finally embarked on their journey to the deeper parts of the forest.


    None of them came with cars or any other traveling companion, so they all trudged deeper into the forest by foot. The journey was completely silent, as Clark and Emily trailed behind them with the poker expressions still on their faces.


    The mercenary who originally seemed like the strongest finally brought out a device to check the direction that they were going at, after confirming that the frightening female mercenary was not still pissed from what happened earlier.


    After checking the special mercenary tracking device, he quickly found what he wanted. He opened his mouth to speak but was swift to stop himself, he secretly scolded himself for being careless before he turned to look at Emily.


    His look was self-explanatory, it was the permission-asking look. Please, can I speak?


    After getting a stiff nod from her, he heaved a sigh of relief before speaking out.


    ¡°Umm¡­, according to my device, we are very close to the hideout of our target. We will come into contact with them, after crossing the next kilometer¡±.


    ¡°And a large mountain rock is nearby, it seems that their hideout is probably in a cave inside the rock. Scarface is as cunning as always, this would prove troublesome to us¡­, not if the new Ms. Joins though¡±.


    Emily kept her poker expression, despite the blatant manner in which this man tried to flatter her.


    Seeing this, the man gave up on flattering her before he continued reading the information out about their target¡¯s situation.


    5 minutes later, they finally came before the entrance of a cave that was carved inside the extremely large rock. After a quick analysis, they easily deduced that this was their target¡¯s hideout as they noticed faint activities of a large number of people.


    From the way everywhere was calm and silent, they knew that Scarface was prepared for them like usual. He was even probably anticipating their arrival.


    Thinking of this, they could not help but develop a headache as this pirate was a maestro when it comes to setting traps and ambushing enemies to disorganize them.


    This was the same strategy that was used against them for the past few months, which led to their consecutive embarrassing retreats. They blushed a bit as this thought flashed through their heads.


    Though a cave was an even more favorable place to set traps, they were more confident this time due to the mysterious female soldier that was following them.


    Seeing their hesitation to enter the cave, Emily quickly got impatient. She was not ready to waste unnecessary time because of a 1st rank high-grade soldier target.


    After informing Clark, she ignored all the other mercenaries before storming in alone.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± The mercenaries were shocked on seeing her decisive entry. They did not linger again as they all rushed in after her, but she was already gone.


    After entering the cave, Emily forgot all distractions as she got herself prepped up for battle. Though it was months since she last battled, she still diligently trained every day. She still got it.


    She grabbed her dual light swords tighter while paying apt attention to her surroundings. Just like the other mercenaries feared, she was also a little wary of whatever trap was waiting for her.


    Whoosh!! As soon as her feet touched the next spot in the rough cave floor, an opening quickly revealed itself from the rocky wall in the left. With the sound of wind blowing, 5 daggers were shot swiftly at her.


    Even before the daggers were shot out, her instincts already detected something wrong, so she reacted a step faster.


    Clang!! Her light swords slashed and stabbed swiftly, leaving a blur and forming afterimages as they accurately impeded the forward trajectory of the first 3 daggers.


    She finally twisted her body backward a bit, leaving the remaining 2 daggers to fly harmlessly across. After dodging this, she did not stop, her feet carried her even faster as she bolted deeper into the cave.


    The dagger trap seemed like the opened fuse as dozens of other traps were triggered, following her swift advance.


    The ground suddenly opening to reveal metal spikes, a sudden eruption of fire from under the ground, a touch to trigger machine gun fire trap, all kinds of trap revealed themselves before her, but she dodged them all.


    She looked just like Hela, the goddess of death in the ancient movie, Thor Ragnarok, as her body moved swiftly like a phantom ghost to dodge the ones dodgeable, while her swift hands finished the rest with her light swords.


    The mercenaries who were trailing behind her for the past 2 minutes were already shocked speechless. Her speed and efficiency were even faster than a high-grade mechanical soldier¡¯s, they were completely left in the dust.


    Seeing this, they became more awed by the unfathomable strength of this goddess mercenary. ¡°What godly strength is this?¡±


    After 5 minutes of dodging unrelentingly and rending all the traps useless, Emily finally arrived at the main battlefield, which was set up by Scarface.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! On her arrival, sparks, fire, and gunshots greeted her as the pirates unleashed hell through their cheaply purchased guns. Machine gun fire reverberated, shedding their shells and ammunition on her like falling rain.


    The expected sound of bullets impacting flesh after overwhelming the armor did not sound, surprising the ignorant pirates. Instead, what they heard was the music-like clanking impact sound of bullets being repelled by an energy-powered armor.


    Before they could react, the tamed beast was released.


    Emily sprinted forward like a cheetah who saw new prey, leaving afterimages behind as she arrived inside the formation of pirate soldiers immediately.


    She utilized her abnormal speed to its very limits, as the pirates could not even see her shadow before she invaded their well-organized ranks. They thought they had their opponents like usual, not knowing that they were screwed this time.


    Whoosh!! With one swift move followed by a bright light reflection from her swords, the first pirate casualty quickly emerged in the battle, startling and scaring the hell out of them.


    The pirate casualty was surprised, as his normal view suddenly turned upwards to face the ceiling. Its view did not remain in one place, as it saw the whole room before finally seeing the floor.


    ¡°What is wrong with me? Am I drunk? Why am I seeing things?¡±


    Thud!! The unfortunate fellow did not even realize anything as his head dropped down. On seeing the blood covering his eyes, he finally came to the realization, but it was meaningless as his consciousness faded away the next second.


    The first dead pirate was the catalyst that spelled the doom of this pirate organization, as adrenaline took over Emily on seeing herself spill blood again after months of monotonous training.


    She now craved blood, she now needed a place to vent and release her overflowing excited energy. The only tools available for venting were the pirates, so it was settled.


    I¡­, choose¡­, you¡­


    Boom!! She erupted explosively the next second, as her first massacre since she became a soldier started. Her hair flew behind her, making her look like a superhero; her dual swords were the cream on top of the cherry.


    Blood blossomed, forming a rain of gore and body parts, as the pirate¡¯s expression soon turned from surprised to shocked, before finally turning horrified.


    Scarface was shocked stiff and horrified. He wanted to run, but he had nowhere to escape to. He dug his own grave by choosing a cave that only had one way in, but no second way out.


    Keeping him alive would grant her more mercenary completion points, but that was no longer in her dictionary. Kill, kill, and kill again was what was reverberating in her head right now.


    ¡­


    5 minutes later when the other mercenaries finally arrived, all they saw was blood and body parts littered all around, making the cave look like a butcher¡¯s den. Not even Scarface was spared.


    Shock, fear, dread, admiration, and awe completely filled their hearts, as they finally raised their heads to look at the lonely figure of the one who wrath this destruction.


    Her dark-toned hair flowed wavily behind her, making her look like the protagonist of a movie who survived alone after fighting in a large battle involving thousands of soldiers.


    As the completely mesmerized soldiers admired her, this was when Clark finally walked in lazily.


    ¡°Hmmm, what a mess you made¡±. He complained immediately after seeing the bloody cave, which now seemed like an underground layer of hell.


    Hearing his reprimand, Emily was finally drawn out of her frenzied battle state. Seeing the destruction that she wrath on the pirates, she was also surprised and shocked.


    She coughed a bit to interrupt the mercenaries who kept staring at her like she was a deity, before taking a picture of the pirates as evidence for the completion of her first mercenary mission.


    ¡°Umm, we¡¯re done here. What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go¡±. She finally spoke out, while secretly stealing glances at the silent frowning Clark.


    ¡­


    7 minutes later, they finally came out of the narrow cave. Clark no longer felt the need to stay behind as it was already clear that these first series of mercenary missions were too easy for Emily.


    As he was about to go, to allow her to continue completing her missions alone, one of the female mercenaries in the group suddenly came forward to meet her, prompting him to pause.


    The mercenary fidgeted, umming and ahhing like a girl who just met her idol. After doing this to her fill, she finally found the courage to speak out.


    ¡°Ma¡­, Ma¡¯am, please, I want to come under you. Please don¡¯t misunderstand, I am now your staunchest follower, please accept me as your subordinate mercenary¡±.


    As she said this, she bowed down a bit to show respect the mercenary way.


    Seeing this, Emily was stunned. She was suddenly lost for words. ¡°What happened? A supporter¡­?


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, if you intend to create a mercenary group. I¡¯m interested in joining you and being your follower also¡±. The familiar male mercenary suddenly butted in, presenting his own opinion.


    Emily was even more surprised on seeing this. What did she do that suddenly attracted these guys that originally wanted to kick her out?


    Though she was surprised, she was not a fool. Creating a mercenary group of her own would grant her far more advantages than being a solo mercenary like Arthur. She was not as talented as him to go solo.


    After going through a thorough mental session to think about its pros and cons, and after receiving more support from 2 other mercenaries, she finally decided to create her own mercenary group.


    To her, the advantages were too much for her to forfeit the opportunity. With her own mercenary group, she¡¯ll be able to have complete control of her life, which was something she badly wanted after the vendetta with her country.


    If she managed it well, she¡¯ll have a guaranteed free path to success as a mercenary. The imaginations kept rolling into her mind, which did the work in finalizing her decision.


    ¡°Now, what name should I give it?¡± She asked while turning to face the still silent Clark. All the mercenaries kept quiet on hearing her question, as the naming right was exclusively the leader¡¯s job.


    Not receiving any reply from Clark, she sighed, poked his shoulders frustratedly, before coming up with a random name.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it¡­, the Pendragon Mercenary group¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, guys I''m sorry for not publishing at the original time that I already established. Don''t be offended, the usual means for me to write regularly has recently been obstructed. I''ve been looking for means to work around it since the past 2 days, please bear with me a bit. Thanks.]

 Chapter 172: return of the king

    Clark was confused and perplexed by Emily¡¯s decision to name her mercenary group after his surname. The reason that she gave for making the decision, was even weirder to him.


    ¡°What is going on in her head?¡± He sighed again, recalling the reason why she named it after him.


    According to her, she named it Pendragon because she did not want to run and manage it alone. She wanted him to be the leader. The reason for her wanting him to be the leader, she did not mention.


    ¡°Girls are really¡­?¡± He shook his head to dispel his random thoughts, before turning back to face her and the mercenaries.


    Though shouting that you¡¯ve created a mercenary organization was simple, officially starting it after registration was troublesomely tedious.


    He was happy that he suddenly became the leader of a mercenary group from nowhere, but he accepted it calmly only because he did not have to take care of it. She was still the default leader, who will take care of anything.


    And the mercenary group was still only at its creation stage, the work to make it well known and high leveled alone was nerve cracking. He did not envy her, he pitied her.


    After the first few mercenaries openly showed their eagerness to join the new mercenary group, the group now officially had its first 5 members.


    Emily asked the other mercenaries to see if anyone was interested in being a member. Though they all recognized and dreaded her transcendent strength, they were not ready to suddenly jump into a new mercenary group.


    Who knew if it would collapse in a week? New mercenary groups not lasting a week was not rare news, among the mercenary circle.


    They would rather go on with their slow but steady grind of being solo for advancement and money than to jump ships into unstable elements like a new mercenary group.


    Due to this thought process, most of the remaining mercenaries declined her offer politely. Only one of the females among them later joined, after taking time to think through it.


    Though they declined her offer, they were still apprehensive of her strength. So they tried probing her, to see the probability of her allowing them to go safely with their lives.


    Emily easily saw through their thoughts, but she didn¡¯t mind, she maintained the same cool expression on her face.


    After knowing the ones who were not on her side, she nodded before congratulating the few that joined her new mercenary group, despite it just being in its creation stage.


    Though the cool expression remained on her face, she was actually already over the moon. This was originally just a random mission for her, she never expected to create a new mercenary group so suddenly, and even get 4 new members already.


    A smile came into her originally poker face for the first time, dazzling the mercenaries, as she directed it at the first female mercenary who pledged her allegiance to her.


    ¡°Jenny, congratulations on being my first follower. From today, you¡¯re my second in command in the new mercenary group. My partner here, Clark, will be the commander, while I will be the vice commander¡±.


    After saying this with a smile, she finally turned to face the other new mercenaries that just decided to come under her.


    ¡°Jack, Tom, Dave, Becky, you all shall be the first upper echelons of the mercenary group. Congratulations¡±.


    Of the recruits, only Jack and Jenny were 1st rank high-grade mercenaries. The rest were still normal mercenaries, with no inkling of a breakthrough closeby in the new future.


    Hearing her words, the mercenaries were slightly puzzled on her decision to make her partner the commander of the mercenary group, but they shrugged it off as this mysterious man had never shown his strength before them.


    What if he was even stronger? He was just like a peaceful dangerous hermit to them. Well, they didn¡¯t care. If he was stronger than them, then they¡¯ll gladly accept him as their commander.


    The first upper echelons and the basic hierarchy of the Pendragon mercenary group were already being formed by its founder, just on the first day of its creation.


    Emily did not impose any strange orders on the mercenaries who declined her offer despite her strength superiority. Instead, she allowed them to go freely, which earned deep sighs of relief from the lucky mercenaries.


    After thanking her, they packed their bags and equipment before going. They were sure to never forget this woman¡¯s face, who completely changed their perception of what it felt like to be a mercenary.


    Seeing the other mercenaries go, she finally turned to lead her mercenaries away.


    10 minutes later, they left the thick forest. After exchanging small conversations to know each other¡¯s schedule, she finally parted from Clark to go back to the embassy of the Mercenary Alliance.


    She left the hired car for him to take, as she now had a company of 4 others to transport.


    They would probably not see each other soon, as she planned to travel around with her new mercenary group after its registration, to complete missions to increase her level and that of the group.


    Clark quickly bade her farewell, imprinted the faces of these mercenaries who joined her in his head and implant, before turning around to go.


    Not long later, the hired car decelerated as he arrived at the luxurious Landmark airport. Despite already seeing it before, the sight of the airport still made him steal more than one glance at its surrounding to satisfy his craving.


    Shortly after, he quickly boarded the Spartan line airplane again, before getting set to return to the Spartan republic.


    It was already a few days since talks of his inauguration party started, his presence was now needed to progress further and finalize the already well laid out plans.


    ¡­


    In the large Vatican City central airport, the original order was not being displayed today. A large gathering of soldiers and civilians alike stood orderly, like a battalion waiting for their commander¡¯s arrival.


    The airport was extremely boisterous, as all corners were cramped up by the overwhelming number of people gathered together.


    Some of the civilians held up banners of different types, some reading; ¡°the first hero of Vatican is born¡±, others reading; ¡°Clark Pendragon, our pride, the Vatican pride¡±.


    Brilliant smiles filled with accomplishment and joy were on their faces, some even had expressions of relief as they waited patiently for the arrival of their leader to be.


    Children stood beside their parents with anticipatory grins on their cheeky faces, making their chubby sweat-filled cheeks glow like diamonds as they wildly waved the banners that were given to them by their parents.


    Currently, Clark¡¯s status in Vatican City was already at the exalted level, as him being the leader of the city would bring a lot of good. Most especially, it would bring a lot of opportunities for further development and growth.


    A City having a soldier leader to guard its territory meant that it finally produced something worth considering by the Spartan government.


    By having a leader, they would have more political power when vying for the yearly budget allocations to all territories of the republic. It would also bring more investors, as the rich in this era had a tendency of running after the strong and powerful.


    It did not take long before the main protagonist that warranted this extremely luxurious welcome finally came out of the airplane. Clark was already informed of this arrangement beforehand, so he was prepared.


    As soon as his foot touched the deck of the plane, ripples of emotions surged in all the Vatican citizens and soldiers. They looked at him with varying expressions of admiration, like he was a deity who was on the verge of descending.


    In his new sky-blue suit, his well-proportioned body was directly enhanced to new heights of gorgeousness. He did not look like someone who just came out from the forest, from a mercenary mission.


    His new gold wristwatch glinted brightly under the glow of the afternoon Spartan sun. His coming down was like the return of a king, he seemed like the prince in the ancient movie, coming to America.


    After he finally came down from the airplane, he smiled a bit before waving at the large number of people who stood before him with excited expressions on all their faces.


    As his growth was just too rapid for his good, he was still extremely unfamiliar with dealing with such huge crowds that came specially just to welcome him.


    His performance was directly from the ones he observed in movies, and the knowledge seemed to have helped, as loud cheers immediately followed on seeing him waving at them.


    The Vatican soldiers who stood at the front made their stance more rigid before they all saluted in sync with solemn and respectful expressions on their faces.


    As all these happened, the diplomatic leaders of the city finally came forward to welcome him specially.


    ¡°Major Clark, welcome back to Vatican City, your ancestral city of birth. It is a great honor for our city to birth an exceptional soldier like you¡­¡±


    Clark paid little attention to the blabbering words of flatter which the diplomats bombarded him with, most of his attention was still on the civilians at the back who continued cheering him unrelentingly.


    He felt like grinning on seeing this. He was no longer the nobody of yesterday, this reassurance always made him feel fulfilled.


    His ultimate dream was to change and overthrow the tyrannical rule of the big 5 organizations, but his reform had to start from his home first, or all his dream would just be fantasy.


    Like the wise ones said, little drops of water make a mighty ocean. To overthrow the rule of the big 5, he had to lay the foundation by starting with his country.


    And he was not even at the country level yet, he was still only at the city level.


    He still had a long way to go, but the satisfaction from today was exactly the right motivation he needed to continue doing his best to break his limits and get more power, wealth, and authority.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 173: exercising leadership authority

    Later in the day, after the grand welcome, Clark was finally led to one of the public mansions of the city. That was where he would stay, for the short period before the inauguration commenced.


    Though this was where he would stay, he would probably stay there sparingly as most of the procedures required to progress on the inauguration plans needed his physical presence.


    As it was such an important ceremony, only a few of its procedures would be carried out virtually due to security.


    After taking time to rest a bit, he finally got prepared to go to his first meeting with the city¡¯s diplomatic leaders. This time, he got dressed in a plainer black suit to look more official and set for work.


    As he drove his exotic car out of the well-protected mansion, he could not help but think of the terms that were remotely sent to his implant not long ago.


    Though Vatican City was originally just a city without any leader, it was still one of the best cities in Southern Sparta. The terms that were presented to him, to welcome him as their leader still surprised him.


    In the terms that were decided on, it was included that he would get his own mansion, worth 1,000,000 Spartan credits. That he would also get free workers, that would help him take care and maintain the mansion, just like in the Spartan army headquarters.


    It was also included that his monthly salary, which would be effective from the day he became the city leader was an astronomical 500,000 Spartan credits. Till now, this astronomical sum still left him speechless.


    Though the money seemed big to him, to other normal city leaders, all their salaries were probably higher than his own. For a city at Vatican¡¯s level, the annual income was frightening, that is why it¡¯s called a city.


    And originally, if a leader is appointed to lead the city, they are the ones who now seat on top of this huge money. They don¡¯t feel any remorse, as their contribution to the city, in the long run, can completely offset what they took.


    This was what made the easy manner he agreed more shocking and surprising. Even the diplomatic leaders expected him to complain, but he accepted it immediately.


    His reasons were that first, he was not taking the role of a leader to his home city to milk it dry of its money and resources. He took the role, to further his ambitious goals of establishing his reforms to change the world.


    Secondly, the recent surge of money in his account was kind of overwhelming to him.


    From a decent soldier who lived in thousands, to the soldier he now was who lived in millions of Spartan credits. The rapid surge in his status was still taking him hard to internalize completely. He sometimes felt that he already started living his dream.


    Thirdly, he loved his city. A wide smile could not help but bloom across his face when he thought of the expression that would be in his non-biological mom¡¯s face on seeing him being crowned the leader of the city.


    In just a few years, which was originally an extremely short time of growth for other soldiers, he managed to accomplish this much.


    His success gave him confidence and validated the methods he took to training himself. The best training was always live training, and he was in no way tired yet of seeking more live threatening missions.


    Now that he was a mercenary, and was the commander of a mercenary organization, he would have freer rein and opportunities to go to his dangerous adventures.


    Not long later, his exotic car finally arrived at the mansion of the Vatican head diplomatic leader. This was where he would actually spend most of his time, as most of the plans would be fleshed out here. His soldier followers were also here.


    All 5 diplomatic leaders were already waiting for him outside, as soon as his car drove into the large compound.


    After coming down, they greeted him respectfully while his soldiers saluted him from the side. A 21-year-old man standing before so many veterans in the diplomatic field looked odd, but he was the real deal.


    He nodded to acknowledge them, before going straight in the direction that they showed him.


    A large hall was already in the mansion, where all their meetings for the remaining parts of the month would be carried out. He quickly located and sat at the master seat, before finally facing his new delegates.


    All 5 diplomatic leaders occupied various positions in the city. The head who hosted him, Mr. Patrick, was the commissioner of technological development in the city.


    The others were respectively the commissioners of implant regulation and control, health, agriculture, and information.


    As soon as the meeting started, he took rein of its trajectory as he laid bare all his plans for the city, the things he tolerated and the things he did not tolerate at all.


    He especially touched on embezzlement of funds, as his soldiers gave him some not too good reports about the activities of some of them in the financial aspect.


    He made it clear into their thick brains, that despite how young he was and how old they were, he had no tolerance for corruption in his reign as the leader of the city.


    It''s either corruption or him, there was no scenario where they could coexist. His easily accepting their terms did not make him a fool or someone easily manipulated, he had seen a lot in his short life to be called an experienced veteran.


    As he was appointed as the leader of the territory, he would ensure the city¡¯s continuous upward trajectory rise. Any sign of decline was intolerable to him.


    After making his plans, likes, and dislikes known, the leaders finally had a recent picture of his temperament. They already read information from the city¡¯s database about him, but that was outdated information already. This was the new, real him.


    Seeing that they all understood his plans and stand, he heaved a sigh of relief before nodding at them to start their talks. Despite his strong stance, he did not want to start a beef with the city¡¯s diplomatic leaders as soon as he came into office.


    They nodded to indicate that they understood, before the head commissioner, Mr. Patrick stood up to better control the remote virtual projector to show him their sketched plans for the ceremony.


    According to their budgets, the ceremony was going to be very large. It was going to be celebrated outside his new mansion, which was to be built by them.


    After being shown the sketch template of the mansion, though he was not too impressed again after all the luxury that he had seen, he still felt happy as it was a gift not straining his pocket.


    After discussing some other random facts and requirements for the ceremony, they finally ended this session of the meeting.


    This was when he finally called for the other lesser leaders of the city, like the commissioner of police, and all other commissioners.


    As the new leader of the city, he had to know his subordinates now to select the ones he liked to help him regulate and be in charge of things under his rule. This was an important procedure that he did not want to miss by any means.


    Though as a soldier he was not too versed at such diplomatic matters, his implant enabled him to have a preliminary understanding of how it¡¯s done.


    A minute later, all the commissioners and lesser leaders that were called for entered the large hall. They arrived this fast because they were all originally waiting in the mansion, in the case they were called, like now.


    Clark greeted them with a smile, made them feel at ease before he finally commenced his meeting with them.


    Unlike that of the main 5 commissioners, he took only 30 minutes with them before he concluded his first meeting with them. At least, now he finally knew the faces and the temperament of his subordinates to be.


    After finishing all these, he bade them all farewell before leaving back to his temporary mansion. His new mansion was scheduled to be completed in about 15 days.


    Though he felt sore all over from the long meeting session, on getting home he did not while his time away lazily, he made use of the training room that was built in the mansion especially for his use.


    Despite the astronomical heights he already reached, to soldiers like Commander Rashford, he was still a baby. He was careful not to get arrogant easily, he still trained diligently every day.


    After so long, though his attributes shown by his implant were not improving like before, they were still showing a steady but slow gradual increase.


    His mastery over his weapons was now also far better than months ago when he was still in the Mediterranean Sea.


    ¡°To get to the ambitious heights that I¡¯m aiming for, I have to maintain my strict training schedule¡±.


    This was an important lesson that he learned during his days as a gladiator. Train and stress yourself now, so that you will not regret being lazy on the day of battle.


    With this motivating thought, he quickly changed into training clothes that better outlined his prominent muscles and well-proportioned chest, before going for training.


    1¡­, 2¡­, 3¡­ He counted to himself as he performed his drills, while cool music blasted out of the hidden sound amplifiers, calming his soul and his fast-beating heart.


    ¡­


    The next day, the Vatican news media finally broadcasted the happenings of yesterday, and the grand king-like welcome of their new leader to be by the Vatican citizens and leaders.


    ¡°Good morning my fellow Spartans, my name is Gabriel Fairland. This is news coming to you from your regular broadcasting station, VOV [View of Vatican]¡±.


    ¡°Yesterday, in the Vatican central airport, a large assembly of citizens, soldiers, policemen, and leaders alike all gathered together to welcome their new leader to be who came back from a business trip¡±.


    As the slightly dark skin toned young reporter read the news while faintly brushing his non-existent beards with his left hand, a video projection of the scene yesterday was on display.


    ¡°As you can see, the gathering was very harmonious and peaceful. From this, it can be easily discerned that Major Clark Pendragon is a leader who is loved by the people¡±.


    ¡°The love is not one-sided, it''s reciprocal as depicted by the scene where he waved back with a wide smile at his citizens. The reaction from them proved it all, it is priceless¡±.


    ¡°According to many Vatican citizens, Major Clark is the God-sent leader who will usher them into higher realms of development trajectory and rapid growth¡±.


    ¡°I personally agree with most of the people, as I also believe in our new leader. But we still have to be patient, our speculations shall be proven quickly in a few years¡±.


    ¡°The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to commence on the 2nd of the next month, April. I wish the Major good luck and a happy inauguration. I believe you don¡¯t want to miss this exciting event, so see you again next month as we stream the ceremony together¡±.


    ¡°This is VOV, we remain dedicated to providing you with verified information. Once again, I¡¯m Gabriel Fairland, please don¡¯t go anywhere¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 174: inauguration as the leader of vatican

    For the next days after he had a meeting with all the leaders and commissioners of Vatican City, Clark trained for most of the time, while at times calling again for other meetings to know the current development.


    During these meetings, he already forged small bonds with some of the leaders and diplomats.


    He was able to get close and know more about them, and he already knew the people he would remove from their positions as soon as his inauguration was successfully done.


    After 16 days since the terms were laid, his mansion was finally built. He launched its opening with a small party between the leaders, to forge closer relationships with them.


    Throughout the month, his normal routine was practically just to train, train, and engage in meetings with the leaders.


    Despite the slow manner in which the days passed to him, it was finally here, April 2nd, the day of his inauguration.


    Optimism, excitement, and hope could be felt tangibly in the air, as the faint golden glow of the sun broke through its veil to illuminate the Monday morning, making it brighter and livelier.


    The cheerful chirps of augmented birds filled the morning atmosphere, making every Vatican citizen know that the day was bright and ready to welcome them.


    Today was the most anticipated day of the whole city. Every single person woke up with a smile, as they could feel the current page of their city¡¯s fortune rolling over. They were entering a new age of leadership.


    For this inauguration ceremony, they all planned during the past month to dress uniformly in a single color. They wanted to make the ceremony as colorful as possible.


    ¡­


    Back in Clark¡¯s new mansion, more optimism filled the air than outside as the workers in the mansion worked with happy smiles on their faces.


    As soon as he woke up and got out of his master room, what greeted him was a gathering of all his workers. They all greeted him respectfully, before congratulating him for this special day.


    His face bloomed into a smile again, on seeing this. For the past few days, he was already getting used to their company. Despite them being his subordinates, he cared for them as fellow humans.


    After waving at them to show his appreciation for their gesture, he finally went to his luxurious bathroom.


    Inside the bathroom was what could be referred to as heaven. The floor was coated on gold, while the bathtub was made using expensive exotic materials. Its pure white color complimented the gold plating on the floor beautifully.


    The ceiling was made using tree extracts that were treated, hardened, and processed in a special factory for 5 years to enhance it to the maximum quality.


    Inside had a virtual projector to watch movies and anything watchable, it had a device to enable better virtual simulation through his implant.


    Temperature control devices and tons of other hidden devices were also packed on it, making it a fortress of a bathroom. The small but perfect word to describe it was perfect.


    After quickly having his bath, his body dried up quickly after he activated the water draining and manipulation device. He finally stood up, he felt refreshed like a newborn as he walked with confident steps to his room.


    As soon as he entered his room, 2 female make-up artists came into his room to dress and nice him up for his special day.


    After they finished their work, his current self was miles apart from the normal Clark that he remembered. Seeing himself in the mirror, he now looked like a well-chiseled luxury vase.


    Today, they dressed him up in a luxurious white suit, paired with a red tie. His already long hair was perfectly curled up to form a nice-looking perm, making him look like the celebrities of the 21st century.


    His short beard was carefully shaved to make him look dignified and authoritative. His eyelashes were not left out, as they were carefully trimmed to make his front look more stylish.


    His new gold wristwatch perfectly lined his left wrist, bringing his luxurious outlook to another realm entirely.


    His white sparkly lace-up shoes were what finalized the beautiful combination. With other minor details that were given attention to, any model from the last century would easily be ashamed when placed together with him.


    After admiring the new him that was worked up by the 2 make-up artists, he thumped them up inwardly before turning to go out. It was almost time for the ceremony to start.


    Today was a perfect day of happiness for him. The only thing that diminished its perfectness a bit was that none of his friends were here. It was only normal, as they were not like him.


    Emily was now a full-time mercenary. Leo and the others also could not come, as they were not like him, they had active jobs to get engaged on in their military divisions. Going on such leaves regularly, would not bode well for their careers.


    Despite them not being here physically, they still sent their congratulations and gifts to him, which was enough to make him smile wider.


    As soon as he arrived at his large sitting room, he saw the 5 diplomatic leaders of the city who were already there waiting for him. They were all dressed in black suits.


    After they stood up to welcome, greet, and congratulate him, they whiled their time away with talks about the ceremony.


    5 minutes later, as the ceremony was in full swing outside, he was finally called out by the ceremony mc to come to take the stage.


    He acknowledged the call by standing up immediately, before stepping out with confident footsteps that showed his conviction. As he moved, the 5 leaders trailed behind him with varying degrees of smiles on their faces.


    As soon as the large mansion door opened to reveal his majestic self, cheers and shouts erupted from the large gathering of people, as they waved cheerfully with happy smiles to welcome him.


    His smile widened when he saw the overwhelming number of people who came. It was no exaggeration if he said that all of Vatican appeared here today. The crowd spread widely like an ocean, as he could not see its end from any side that his gaze went.


    Every citizen who attended was dressed uniformly in an iconic purple color, to commemorate this historical day in the history of their city.


    After the bombastic manner in which he was received, the atmosphere suddenly became quiet and solemn, as the Spartan national anthem softly played from the hidden sound amplifiers.


    This was an important procedure that can never be forfeited, in any Spartan ceremony. The anthem was the cord binding all Spartans together.


    After he came to the stage, he smiled again before giving a small speech to his citizens. Though it was not official yet, he already saw everyone here as the people he needed to take care of.


    After his speech, the mc came out again to give lots of other talks about his historical and legendary journey. The history of Vatican City was also finally readout.


    15 minutes later, after all the miscellaneous procedures, the delegate sent from the Spartan army was finally introduced to the stage to take over and start the official territory handing over.


    Captain Bonck, in his iconic golden Spartan army uniform, walked confidently into the stage after his time came. Despite the huge number of people cheering and clapping for him, he maintained a poker face.


    On reaching the stage, he gave a short-written speech that was from Commander Rashford. After this, he gave his own motivational words to the Major, before he started the official handing over.


    As Clark climbed the stage again to stand beside him, he finally held out the territory ownership certificate to him but did not release it yet.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon, congratulations on being the first owner of this territory in the boundless territorial land of Southern Sparta¡±.


    ¡°I hope that the successfully getting of your first territory will not make you complacent and forget the most important motive of being a soldier, strength. Continue putting in the required effort to train and improve your power as a soldier¡±.


    ¡°I also hope that as this territory becomes yours, news of faster growth and development would be the next yearly report. The Spartan army puts a lot of trust in you, don¡¯t betray the trust¡±.


    ¡°Today, I stand here on behalf of our President, the legendary slaughterer, the one who led us to our current heights, the great Leonidas¡±.


    ¡°On his behalf, I hereby present to you the official territory ownership certificate. From today, under the powers bestowed on me, I hereby declare you as the owner of Vatican City¡±.


    Boom!! Cheers suddenly erupted like a tsunami from the citizens spectating, this was what they were waiting for here. All other things were redundant, this was the main word they wanted.


    The other words of the Captain flew above them like fleeting clouds, as they were already over the moon from the last word that he spoke.


    2 minutes later, the Captain finally bestowed his personal blessing, came down from the stage before going back to where he came from.


    Due to the anticipation that the ceremony received, most people felt that it should be longer, but it was already over. What remained was the celebration party, which took full swing immediately.


    The Vatican citizens celebrated excitedly, as music calmly came out of the sound amplifiers to entertain them.


    Clark did not join in this, as he met with all the leaders of the city again in his mansion. He dismissed them after they engaged in a 6-minute discussion session, to know their current situation.


    After this was when happiness finally came over him, as he went to his sitting-room to go meet his waiting mom.


    Today, the old woman also left her restaurant to come to witness his inauguration. On seeing him, she smiled happily before standing up to hug him.


    She swiftly bombarded him with words of praise and congratulatory words after they separated from the hug before they started discussing random matters.


    Clark wanted to spend the whole day with her, but he knew that he could not, which she also understood. 15 minutes later, she gave him her blessings before standing up to leave.


    As soon as she left, other influential people of the city and outside the city kept on pouring into his mansion to congratulate him, and to show their interest in wanting to partner with him to invest in the city.


    He welcomed them all, as his assistants already predicted that he would meet them today.


    After spending more than an hour speaking nicely with them, he dismissed them. His job was just to gain their commitment, his assistants would flesh out the tiny details with them.


    As he was about to stand up to his room to do something else, he was surprised as his butler in this mansion informed him that some other groups of people wished to see him.


    He was even more surprised when his butler told him the identity of these people.


    ¡°What the hell? My relatives?¡± Question marks filled his head.


    ?[Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 175: settling down

    On hearing the surprising news that his relatives came to visit him, he was at first surprised, before quickly coming to a realization. He did not know if he should laugh or cry.


    He should have expected it. He was no longer the insignificant Clark that he was 4 years ago; he now had an exalted status.


    His originally cold relatives suddenly coming to meet him now no longer seemed surprising, if their motive was to come to lick his boots and make their relationships better with him.


    ¡°The words of the wise are always right¡±. He sighed ruefully.


    Pursue greatness, and greatness will come voluntarily to you. This was the exact template of what was happening. He had never seen his relatives physically before, but now they were coming to him voluntarily.


    Well, dwelling on such insignificant matters was not his style. He calmly sat down on his master chair, before telling his butler to let them in.


    A minute after he gave the order, dozens of people with some little children in tow cautiously stepped into his luxurious living room. They walked in, while curiously looking around in awe like a bunch of refugees.


    Seeing how cautiously they moved and the way they behaved, Clark¡¯s lips twitched a bit but he still kept a calm face.


    After going around the small bend after the door, they finally set their eyes on their relative. No¡­, it was now their leader. On setting their eyes on his luxurious outfit, they froze immediately.


    Seeing this, Clark¡¯s efforts were rendered baseless as his face twitched more fiercely. ¡°What the hell? Are you guys acting, or are you all just country bumpkins?¡±


    He questioned inwardly, completely forgetting that he was once like them.


    Under the leadership of the one who seemed to be the oldest, their small group quickly calmed down before coming forward to meet him with respectful expressions on their faces.


    After coming before him, they all stood rigidly with lowered heads. Clark kept quiet, and as they were intimidated to initiate the conversation, they also kept quiet.


    As the silence dragged on, making the unharmonious atmosphere stranger, most of the adults directly started fidgeting nervously.


    The children among them who already felt the tense atmosphere already started widening their small cute mouths to cry, before the silence was finally broken by the same eldest middle-aged man.


    ¡°Err¡­, good morning Cla¡­, territory leader¡±. He wanted to call him by his name to make it seem like they were close, but he quickly changed his mind at the last second.


    Seeing this, Clark shook his head, stood straighter before finally initiating a proper conversation with them.


    Though it was already long since he last saw their pictures through his implant when he was small, he still remembered some of the faces here. Especially the middle-aged man. According to his father, the man was his uncle.


    ¡°No need to be so nervous, this is your home. Welcome, Uncle Kante¡±. He spoke out with a smile, before coming down to welcome his uncle personally.


    Though their relationship was not too harmonious because of the era they were born in that did not favor such, family was still number one in all relationships, and he respected that.


    Seeing that he recognized him, the middle-aged man heaved a sigh of relief, before finally revealing a smile that dispelled the tense and awkward atmosphere.


    ¡°Hi, Kate, Tom, and Chancy. How have you all been¡±. After greeting his uncle properly, he finally waved and greeted his nephews, the ones he remembered.


    His friendly attitude did a good job in calming their moods, as they finally sat at the luxurious chairs after adjusting their original perceptive of their successful cousin.


    His uncle, Kante, was the one who engaged in most of the conversation. Most of the others kept quiet, while secretly stealing glances at him which his implant diligently detected and notified him about.


    His uncle first expressed their apology, for not coming to help, support, and mourn with him after his parent¡¯s death. Before finally presenting the problem on the disunity in the family.


    Despite the family just being one of 25 people, most of them only encountered themselves today because one of their cousins became the leader of their city.


    After some discussions, Clark agreed with his uncle that they needed to make the family more cohesive and united. He was not petty, even if he felt dissatisfied with them then, that was then.


    If he could mellow down on his revenge obsession against the Mocan republic, this was completely travail.


    Now, he already lived past the death of his parents. Perhaps, if his family was united then and they came to comfort him, he would not have found the right motivation to get to his current heights.


    After engaging in other random discussions about the family and his life, Clark finally stood up to usher them out of the building.


    He teased and played with the little Pendragon descendants a bit, prompting wide smiles to brighten up their cute faces before they ran back to meet their waiting mothers.


    Despite all the talks about unity that his uncle talked about, he knew that they came here only because of his current success.


    He didn¡¯t point it out though, he instead allocated a budget of 500,000 Spartan credits for them to build a new family home. If he wanted reforms, he had to make his family united also to ensure that it happened.


    He also gave his workers new orders, that all his relatives were allowed to come into his mansion freely in the future.


    After doing this, he sighed before turning to go inside amid the loud sound of music still coming from outside. The celebration was still in full swing, today was an unforgettable happy day for the whole city.


    Perhaps, it would be recorded in the chronicles of the city. Thinking of this, made him feel right and fulfilled again.


    He used his left hand to caress his permed hair, as he thought of his current circumstances while trudging slowly to the direction of his room. As he was about to step in, his butler coughed before interrupting him again.


    ¡°Sir, another man just came to visit you¡±. The butler said meekly. He knew that his master wanted to rest but this was his job.


    ¡°Who?¡± Clark sighed again, before replying helplessly.


    ¡°He said he¡¯s your relative¡±.


    ¡°What the f**k?¡± Hearing this, he cursed subconsciously as his expression quickly darkened. ¡°Tell him to come in¡±. He muttered with gritted teeth.


    ¡°Where was this one when the others came? And I thought Uncle Kante said we currently have only 25 members in the family¡±. He suppressed his doubt, before going to sit down again.


    As soon as he sat down, a young man in a funky outfit with dreadlocks and tattooed arms suddenly swaggered into the sitting room with large and confident footsteps.


    Seeing this, his face could not help but twitch again. But this time, he kept a poker face. He waited for the young man to talk, and he did not disappoint.


    ¡°Yo, how¡¯s your day going leader? Terrific, right? I¡¯m your cousin, pardon me please, I forgot to come in with the others. I predicted that you¡¯ll be giving money, so I came for mine¡±.


    The man spoke fluently with no regard for the fact that he was currently facing a bigshot. His tone was like he came to demand his dept. This succeeded in making Clark¡¯s face darker.


    ¡°Get lost¡±.


    Even before the man could comprehend what just happened, soldiers came from the corner swiftly and yanked him away. He wanted to talk and protest, but extra-large palms quickly covered his mouth, silencing him.


    Seeing this, Clark felt exhausted all of a sudden. This is one of the bad perks that came with him hosting such a party as the leader.


    He knew that there are some civilians outside, who already resigned to live their lives aimlessly. They just came to the celebration because of the crowd, and to enjoy themselves. This man was clearly one of them.


    What actually gave him more headache, was that this man had the guts to come and impersonate his relative.


    ¡°Does he think I¡¯m so easy to fool?¡±


    He quickly ignored what just happened, before going into his room. As he left, he did not forget to inform his butler that he was indispensable for the rest of the day. No more visitors.


    On getting to his room, he stood rigidly as he admired his personal space again. With the special walls of the room, all the noise of the blazing music was isolated from him, which gave him a much-needed sense of respite.


    The room¡¯s luxury never failed to impress him. Today, he was now the leader of a city and a proud owner of 2 mansions. His dream life was slowly coming to fruition.


    Though he badly wanted to rest on the modified king-sized bed, to receive a much-needed massage to his back, he was not about to let luxury dictate his routine. He owned the luxury; the luxury did not own him.


    Despite feeling that it was a pity, he still resolutely tore all his make-up fa?ade off, replaced his formal outfit with his training outfit, before going to his training space to train.


    After doing a quick warm-up session, he increased the intensity of his physical fitness training to stretch and contract his muscles.


    As he did this, prompting sweat to slowly drop down his face, he was finally able to enter the right mood to think about what he intended to do for the next phase of his life.


    After settling down to stabilize his reign as the leader of Vatican City, he intended for the city to be run mainly by his chosen delegates. The only job he intended to do was supervision.


    For the next few months, he wanted to focus on his main career route again, he wanted to increase his strength as a soldier.


    He already started making elaborate plans on what army missions and mercenary missions to take for the next few months. He wanted to narrow the gap between his next breakthrough as quickly as possible.


    And, with his plans, he was sure that he could rapidly increase the level of Emily¡¯s mercenary group so that they could access more rewarding and dangerous missions. He needed all the help that he could get, to break the 3rd rank boundary.


    With all these, he already had a complete blueprint of how he would live his life for the next few months.


    ¡°Ha¡±. He suddenly made a shout to better channel his energy, as his spear stabbed into 5 simulated mechanical soldiers simultaneously.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 176: 6 months later

    At the edge of one of the countries bordering the Spartan republic, the spy men dynasty, a large battle was currently going on in the nearby forest between the borders of the 2 countries.


    Gunshots rang repeatedly, forming a loud cacophony of ear-splitting sounds, as soldiers died every minute like chickens in a slaughter hall.


    The forest floor was already dyed all over with blood, but this did not deter the soldiers as they continued attacking each other like they had a thousand-year-old vendetta.


    This was one of the few mercenary missions of average scale, that the Pendragon mercenary organization took and got involved in.


    In the terms of the Mercenary Alliance, small-scale missions are those involving only one mercenary organization. High-scale missions involve between 5 and above amount of mercenary organizations, to ensure their successful completion.


    While the ones that they were currently engaged in, average scale missions, were the ones that involved only 2 to 4 mercenary groups to ensure its successful completion.


    They recently took on a mission with the Purple glory mercenary group, to wipe out the stronghold of a pirate organization that was causing havoc in the nearby countries for the past 2 months.


    As it was a fairly large armed pirate organization, they could not take on it alone. That is why they had to ally with another mercenary group and take it together as an average-scale mercenary mission.


    It was already 6 months since Clark¡¯s inauguration ceremony, and he already stabilized everything that needed stabilization to enable his smooth integration into the role.


    During the past months, he was never idle, he remained diligent to discipline himself. He already engaged in dozens of missions, for both the mercenary group and the Spartan army.


    After all his hard work, perseverance, and determination, he and Emily were now both level 5 mercenaries.


    They only needed 5 more levels to enter the ranks of the highest leveled mercenaries, but the requirement to level up further was too outrageous, so they were now stagnant.


    Even a veteran mercenary like Arthur was still stuck at the initial stages of the 7th level, so their hopes of leveling up soon were close to nil.


    The Pendragon mercenary group was now also a level 3 mercenary group. During the past months, it already expanded countless times like a balloon, following its rapid growth. It now had a total of 55 mercenaries.


    Though it seemed much, they were still just a small-sized mercenary group, but their strength evaluation was outrageous.


    With the addition of freaks like Clark and Emily, their evaluation was in the same groups as average-sized mercenary groups at the lower side, with hundreds of mercenaries.


    The mercenary group already embarked on 65 missions, where they failed to complete 15 perfectly but succeeded in finishing the other 50 missions. Their current ongoing mission was their 66th mission, and 5th average scaled mission.


    Due to their record-breaking mission completion rate, they already developed an infamous reputation despite the short time of their rise, so they were fairly well known. That was the only reason why they were able to attract allies like the Purple glory mercenary group.


    They now had fifteen 1st rank high-grade mercenaries, with the rest all being normal mercenaries. Clark and Emily were both still the only 2nd rank high-grade mercenaries.


    ¡°Emily, prevent the pirates from using suicide means to take the lives of our mercenaries. Jack, coordinate your guys and give them more ranged pressure to push them to reveal more openings in their defense¡±.


    Clark¡¯s mouth never seized nor closed once since the battle began after they discovered the pirate¡¯s hideout, as he led both his mercenary group and those of his comrade.


    With the disguise mask that he got from his mission in the Mediterranean Sea, no one nor his allies knew his real face. His current appearance was that of a blonde youth, with wild features and outlook.


    Only the first 5 mercenaries who joined them at the beginning knew his real appearance and identity, among the mercenaries of the Pendragon mercenary group.


    After quickly spamming new orders at his mercenaries to better coordinate the way they battled, he finally turned to face his comrade, the commander of the Purple glory mercenary group.


    ¡°Larry, it¡¯s now or never. Their defense is now thin, let¡¯s storm in now to finish their leader. If we can accomplish that, their resistance would be lesser than this¡±.


    Hearing this, the commander of the Purple glory mercenary nodded as he also understood the rationale. This was the famed strategy of the Pendragon mercenary group, and he was no stranger to it.


    After coming to a tacit understanding, they both held their weapons tighter before storming directly into the enormous army of pirates. The pirates were more than a thousand, but they were still being crushed by the quality difference of both sides.


    Clark quickly twisted his spear after arriving at the clashing point with the pirate formation, swiping it to the side horizontally as the 3 pirates standing before him were severed into 2 immediately.


    His armor ruggedly withstood all the low-grade bullets of the pirates impacting it, as he started wreaking havoc like a raging exobeast, piercing deeper into their already disorganized ranks.


    This was his main fighting method against pirates now, and it was the famed method of the Pendragon mercenary group also. Emily coordinates and protects the other mercenaries, while he storms in to assassinate the enemy leader.


    As pirates¡¯ equipment was always of a lower quality than those of normal soldiers, he already got addicted to the feeling of his spear cutting through them without much hindrance. It always felt to him like he was smashing potatoes.


    Due to this new savage style of his against pirates, his notoriety already grew to unimaginable heights in just 6 months among the deep underground networks. They gave him the nickname of the bloody vigilante.


    Larry tightly kept close to him, as he helped him from the side with his 2 sharp sabers, disabling any method that the pirates tried to counterattack.


    Seeing the dreaded bloody vigilante coming after him with another 2nd rank high-grade soldier in tow, the pirate leader was already wetting his pants.


    Even though he was also a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, he had no confidence in facing any of his 2 opponents. He wanted to escape, but the mercenaries blocked all escape paths.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­, stop him, kill him, kill him¡±. After tearing his brain out but still not finding any solution, he could only resort to desperately shooting and giving orders to his subordinates.


    After finally getting into the heart of the pirate¡¯s formation, Clark smirked as he quickly stored his spear before bringing his new dual 2-form gun out.


    He suddenly bent his knees inwards, making his upper body slant backward to form the signature shooting stance of the ancient matrix movie soldiers, before rotating his guns left and right as bullet shells dropped at his feet like pitty pattering rain.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The bullets flew out orderly, forming sounds like those of a music band¡¯s best tracks as all the pirates nearby were directly turned to meat paste from the power of the bullets.


    ¡°All shall dance to my tune¡±. He muttered his new catchphrase with a grin, as his bullets pierced his opponent¡¯s low-grade armor easily, drawing blood and killing enemies.


    He did not even have to use his battle arts, as a large opening was directly cleared, leading to the position of the pirate leader.


    He took complete advantage of this opening. His figure flashed forward, as he stormed in the pirate leader¡¯s direction while still shooting ruthlessly at the disorganized pirates.


    They were completely intimidated by his display of strength, as memories of his exploits and growing legend started emerging back to cover their thoughts.


    As the dreadful thoughts grew, bringing more discomfort and unease to them, with swift and well-practiced moves, the first pirate left his comrades to escape.


    This move seemed to light a fuse in all their hearts, as they ran disorderly, leaving their leader to the mercy of the mercenaries.


    This was the reality of pirates. They were not as disciplined nor as loyal as soldiers. To them, when the going gets tough, the weak get going and leave their comrades behind.


    This defection brought more chaos which the mercenaries were extremely familiar with, so they took complete advantage of it.


    They increased their attack frequency, as more and more pirates died to them every second.


    With smooth, calm, and efficient moves, Clark finally arrived at the pirate leader¡¯s position. He did not waste any time, he started the decisive battle to end the mission immediately.


    Ptui!! One minute later, his blood-stained spear was slowly drawn out of the pirate leader¡¯s bloodied head. After doing the deed, he did not look at his dead opponent¡¯s corpse, he turned to walk away immediately in a nonchalant manner.


    That was a strong mercenary rule that he now followed. A cool protagonist never looks back at what he destroyed, it''s already conquered, and he was a cool mercenary.


    Larry¡¯s eyes twitched at this sight, but he could not help but sigh secretly. He was speechless at this familiar sight and speed again, his comrade¡¯s killing efficiency was just too outrageous. He had no basis for criticism.


    Though this was already his mercenary group¡¯s 3rd joint mission with the Pendragons, he was still awed by the tyrannical power of their commander.


    The death of their leader took all confidence and any hope of emerging victorious from the pirates, as they all left their weapons and escaped in every direction.


    This is when the normal soldiers of the mercenary groups shined, as they all chased after the escaping pirates to get easy kills.


    As the normal soldiers did this, Clark led the others to thoroughly loot the pirate base of all resources. This was a ritual that he never forfeits, after every battle with pirates. They sometimes store up some nice goodies in their vaults.


    After the looting and chase, the aftermath of the battle finally cooled down. He ignored the admiring gazes being directed at him by the mercenaries on both sides, before congratulating Larry.


    Both mercenary groups quickly parted after this, as the Mercenary Alliance would confirm their mission completion and send them the rewards in 30 minutes.


    Seeing Clark pack and arrange his equipment to keep in his bag, Emily was puzzled but she still went to meet him to give her report. The other mercenaries distanced themselves to give them private space on seeing this.


    ¡°Clark, we are doing great. This is our 3rd consecutive mission with no casualty on our part, and I¡¯m sure it already increased our quality evaluation indirectly¡±. As she read this, a bright happy smile came over her face.


    ¡°With this new record, our next recruitment will be a lot more successful than the ones of the past¡±.


    ¡°I suggest that we should rest for 2 days before going for the next mission. It¡¯s a small-scale mission, and the location is not too far from here¡±. As she talked, Clark suddenly interrupted her with a helpless smile.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I will be able to take part in the next mission. General Vincent just pinged me a message, that he has a mission for me back in the republic¡±.


    ¡°Oh, the General Maks Vincent who presented you with your exotic car?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate then. Don¡¯t worry, we can still complete missions without your presence¡±.


    ¡°Ok, thanks. See you later¡±. Clark waved at her again, picked up his bag before turning to leave the ranks of the mercenaries.


    Seeing this, the Pendragon mercenaries were not surprised as their commander was known for suddenly leaving after most of their missions were completed.


    As Clark trudged steadily out of the forest, he could not help but think of the General¡¯s call. It was completely unexpected; this was their first communication since years ago when he just graduated.


    ¡°I hope everything is fine back home¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 177: the thief terrorizing the south

    ¡°Ok, boys. Let¡¯s move, we have a bus to catch¡±. Emily clapped to rally her mercenaries, as they quickly stood up, getting ready to leave.


    After Clark left, she quickly took over as the new temporary Commander of the mercenary group by default. This was a rule that they already set after Clark started leaving after some missions.


    She guided the mercenaries to carefully pack and arrange their loot before they all went out of the forest.


    Their destination was the Spy men dynasty. As their next mission was in the dynasty, they intended to directly go there to not waste money unnecessarily for other travels.


    This brought the problem of them not having a private transport vessel again. When they finally get enough remuneration from their missions, Emily already placed getting a private exotic jet as their priority target to purchase.


    As they just underwent a huge battle, they all needed rest, and she was sensitive and perceptive enough to plan for it. When they arrive at the dynasty, she planned their first stoppage location to be a nice hotel to rest their sore muscles.


    Even after resting up and completely recovering their old vigor, they would not embark on their new mission immediately, they had to sell the loot that they got from the battle.


    Even if they had no loot to sell, they would still not start their new mission immediately.


    In the mercenary line, it was an important rule to always provide time to get adequate rest after such large missions as their recent one. Even if it was not for their physical health, their mental health needed it.


    After 6 months of being in the mercenary business and already making a name for themselves, they now had channels and networks where they could easily sell their loot in exchange for money, equipment, or resources.


    All the mercenaries trailed after their temporary Commander, as the intimidating silhouette formed by their uniform movements gradually disappeared into the depths of the forest.


    ¡­


    A few dozen minutes after Clark boarded his hired airplane, he finally landed at the Vatican central airport.


    Though he was called by General Maks, it was not an urgent order to go immediately. Before he went, he wanted to settle down at his mansion to calm his nerves from the recent battle, to present himself at its possible best.


    Seeing his abrupt arrival, the workers who served and maintained his Vatican mansion were surprised, as he originally told them that he would be back in another 2 months¡¯ time.


    They quickly adjusted though, as they were already used to him frequently breaking most of his promises and compromising his decisions.


    ¡°Good afternoon sir¡±. They all stood up and greeted with respectful expressions on their faces.


    Clark responded with a smile, before quickly disappearing into the depths of the mansion. He wanted to have a cold and refreshing bath badly.


    A few minutes later, he finally emerged out of his luxurious bathroom as faint water drops dripped out of his finely chiseled body.


    He left the faint water drops to dry on his skin, thereby refreshing and giving him stimulating feelings. It was a very wonderful experience no matter how many times he practiced it, it always felt like he was submerged in heavenly ice water.


    He read about this refreshing bathing method after reading a documentary of one of the Spartan medical professors, so he always followed it and it worked well for him.


    On entering his room, though he felt the urge to just plop down and rest on his king-sized bed, he forced himself to get dressed. Even if General Vincent did not give him an exact time, him going at a later time was disrespect to a higher-ranked soldier.


    In less than a few minutes, he quickly got set before going outside with large strides. This time, he was dressed in black thick velvet trousers, a black overcoat, shiny black boots, and a black designer wristwatch.


    The other details of his body were mostly all black, including his currently permed hair, which made him look like the legendary spies in black.


    Hum!! On getting to his garage, his originally dormant car made a loud mechanical sound as its rugged engine powered up like a beast waking up from slumber.


    He nodded while humming a tone on hearing the car¡¯s engine sounds, as he smoothly entered the driver¡¯s seat. Today, he was driving manually.


    Zoom!! The car¡¯s headlights lit up before it reversed to come out of its confined space. After this, it finally sped up the underground garage to the direction of the mansion gate.


    Sensing the car¡¯s movement energy signatures from afar, the A. I controlled gate opened on its own volition as the car quickly sped past it the next second.


    Clark¡¯s journey would be approximately an hour¡¯s journey, as here to Mexican City was fairly long.


    Mexican City is the capital city of the Southern Spartan region, as well as General Vincent¡¯s territory and seat of operation. As the 3rd and strongest General of Southern Sparta, the best territories were reserved for him.


    It was also the most developed city in the south, significantly more developed than the current Vatican City.


    Though Clark already visited there before, that was when he was still just a kid. This was his first time visiting it for real as an adult. Soliloquizing, he could not help but think that he was severely lacking in terms of areas he¡¯s visited, compared to others his age.


    ¡°Am I an introvert?¡± He could not help but question himself in a puzzled tone.


    ¡°F*ck! No way. I have so many friends already¡±. He quickly countered his thoughts with this, before focusing on what was at hand.


    His car quickly changed into its next gear, as he finally entered the freeways of the highway. He smiled on seeing this, before relaxing himself and stepping on the gas harder, prompting the car to jerk forward like an enraged sports bull.


    ¡­


    50 minutes after he entered the highway, he finally crossed down into the main road leading to Mexican City. This was only possible because of his exotic car, as normal cars needed at least 2 hours to cross this same distance.


    After entering the boisterous and most prosperous city here in the south, he did not linger, as he knew where he was going. He expertly navigated between the large row of vehicles, driving closer to the largest conspicuous mansion in the city.


    On reaching General Vincent¡¯s mansion, despite his current luxurious lifestyle, he was still awed.


    The mansion towered up like the Egyptian watchtowers of old while spreading wildly to the sides like dozens of estates were packed into it. This was the perfect description of power and money in the display.


    Despite the awe-inspiring sight, he did not stop to admire it as the enormous gates of the mansion instantly opened on sensing his car¡¯s energy signatures.


    The General sent for him, so all the workers in the mansion were expecting his arrival.


    As soon as he parked his car in the equally luxurious car garage, he came out to meet an extremely large gathering of soldiers and workers alike, who the General sent to welcome him.


    ¡°Major Clark, welcome to our General¡¯s mansion. He is waiting for you inside¡±. The soldier who seemed to be the leader of these delegates quickly said to him in a respectful tone.


    He nodded with a poker face to indicate that he understood, before following the path that was shown to him straight to the main mansion building.


    2 minutes later, he finally saw the first General that he encountered in his short life again. Compared to 4 years ago, the General hardly exhibited any change in appearance, nor were there any signs of old age.


    Seeing this, he could not help but sigh. ¡°Life prolonging medications are really cheating. I wonder what those powerful men of the 21st century would have felt if they knew that such wonders would come after their deaths¡±.


    Despite his randomly flying thoughts, he was still able to remember where he was and he exhibited the basic respect etiquette of a soldier meeting a superior.


    ¡°Good afternoon, General¡±. He greeted respectfully while adding a slight bow to compliment it.


    ¡°Haha, Clark, welcome to my humble abode¡±. The General quickly responded with a loud laugh, before beckoning for him to seat at the sparkling white cushioning chair at the corner.


    ¡°Clark, it¡¯s been a long time since I last saw you. If I remember correctly, that¡¯s 4 years ago¡±. As he said this, he sat up straighter to observe him more thoroughly, as if looking for something.


    ¡°And as I predicted, you¡¯re now already a big shot¡±.


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment sir¡±. Clark quickly replied humbly, which prompted another smile on the General¡¯s face.


    After exchanging this short greeting, the atmosphere of superior and subordinate between them cleared a bit, as they started discussing random matters which did the job of whiling away their time.


    10 minutes later, the General finally revealed why he called for him, and the mission he had for him.


    ¡°Clark, I would love to listen to all your stories about your fairytale-like adventures in the dangerous Mediterranean Sea, but I simply don¡¯t have that time, and I know that you also don¡¯t¡±.


    ¡°The reason why I called you is that there is a thief currently here in the south¡±.


    Hearing this, Clark was completely flabbergasted. ¡°A thief? That¡¯s why you called for me all the way from my mission¡±.


    As if sensing his thoughts, the General chuckled before replying. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I would never call you so abruptly from whatever you were doing because of an insignificant thief¡±.


    ¡°This guy is an elite thief. Probably a spoiled brat from a high-grade country who came here for a wild adventure¡±.


    ¡°I would not have cared for him originally. But this brat recently stole my best car, a limited-edition model car that I recently bought. This effrontery completely rubbed me the wrong way¡±.


    ¡°Like you¡¯re fully aware of, I can easily capture this guy alone if I want, but that would be embarrassing. From his actions, I don¡¯t think he is a 3rd rank high-grade soldier already, so I decided on you as the best candidate to nab him in for me¡±.


    5 minutes later, the General quickly filled him in on all he needed to know about his target and the money he was ready to fork out for him if he succeeded in capturing the target.


    After getting every information that he needed, he ate the refreshment that was presented by the General¡¯s cook, greeted him again before standing up to go.


    ¡°Well, the pay is nice. I guess I just added another priority into my blueprint missions for this month¡±. He soliloquized, as he quickly left the General¡¯s enormous mansion the next moment.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, I want to inform you all that my health has been a little impaired for the past few days, so I couldn''t write. Only my stockpile has been carrying me on, and its almost finished. I hope I can resume writing before it finishes. I wrote this notification just to get your patience. Thanks.]

 Chapter 178: news from the frontier

    In the extremely luxurious and militaristic styled presidential villa of the Spartan republic, the rarely seen President Leonidas of the republic sat on his personal outdoors gold chair to sunbathe.


    As he was topless with only a nice pair of beach shorts with his name branded on it using gold, his buff muscles, and enormous hulk-like chest was in full display.


    His strong leg muscles and well-developed veins stood out conspicuously from his outstretched legs that rested lazily on his pool water. This was his leisure sunbathing time, after his daily routine training.


    Even as the strongest individual of the Spartan republic, he still needed to train as he was not the strongest in the world yet. The world was just too big and enormous, housing and hiding frightening talents.


    There were some secrets that he and some few knew in the whole Spartan republic, which prompted him to train more. He was never complacent; his training hours were gold to him.


    Despite him being completely exposed like that, if viewed by any satellite or any other viewing device, his face would be transmitted to the other side as blurry. His real facial features cannot be easily captured by foreign satellites.


    Not many people knew his face in the republic, only the worthy get the privilege of seeing him. Only his exploits and legend are circulated around the republic.


    As he rested, the door at the corner of the passage leading to the pool suddenly opened, as his pot-bellied butler came to meet him.


    His eyes narrowed on seeing this, as unlike the usual smiling expression that was always on his butler¡¯s face, his expression was now gloomy and reflected immense anxiety and worry.


    ¡°What happened?¡± As soon as the butler got close, he asked immediately as it was evident that there was trouble.


    ¡°There¡¯s troubling news from the frontier¡±. The butler answered with the gloomy expression still on his face.


    ¡°Which frontier? Space or the special earth locations?¡±


    ¡°The special earth locations. Specifically, Mountain Everest. Rashford contacted me just now¡±.


    ¡°Tell me¡±. Leonidas sat up straighter, on hearing that his right-hand man was the one who called. From this, he already knew that this was not the regular trouble calls.


    ¡°He is still on the line. He said he wants to speak to you directly¡±.


    ¡°Ok, give me¡±. After taking the virtually reinforced defense military connection device, he quickly placed it on his ears and waited.


    Buzz!!


    ¡°Hello, is this Mr. President?¡± A deep voice quickly echoed over the line from the other end.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. Rashford speak, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Ok, it¡¯s like this¡±.


    ¡°When I woke up this morning, I received a ping of an extremely high-grade rescue mission. I¡¯m currently at the peripheral regions of the mutated Mountain Everest, I came here to save our spies and researchers that are stationed here all year round¡±.


    ¡°During one of their search expeditions, they discovered a very important ruin that was thought to be lost during the great battle¡±. He paused a little after saying this, to let his President comprehend what he just said.


    ¡°Which ruin?¡± Leonidas asked in a deeper tone.


    ¡°The breaking human limits long lost research lab of Araga¡±.


    Hearing this, Leonidas was shocked and moved for the first time in years, as his eyes immediately narrowed again, prompting him to go deep in thought.


    This research lab was a name that he was extremely familiar with. Every soldier from his generation knew of it.


    Though no one but Araga knew the real details of this research lab, it was still infamously known across the world as one of the main reasons why they became the strongest power currently in the world.


    Leonidas was not sure, but according to rumors that circulated back then during the great battle, the research results helped the Aragan warriors to become the first who broke through the bottleneck elite-grade soldier limit.


    Though the research lab was lost after being found and attacked by multiple countries and organizations in a joint assault, Araga was still reaping the results of the few knowledge that they could retain.


    As all these quickly flashed past his eyes like a movie, Leonidas calmed down again before speaking back into the communication device.


    ¡°Did our main spies and researchers who made the discovery survive?¡± He asked with a slight expectation on his tone.


    ¡°No, they all died before I was able to arrive there. I saved only their subordinates that were not initially prioritized in the retaliation assault by the lab¡¯s defense mechanism¡±.


    ¡°Ok. How many powers discovered the information also?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but according to the imprecise speculation of the researchers that I saved, about a dozen countries are already in the know. The number of organizations who discovered it is not known¡±.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s lower than I expected. Ok, fill me in on the details that you managed to secure and retain¡±.


    ¡°It seems that the world is going to get chaotic again, or maybe just some parts¡±. He soliloquized, as Commander Rashford quickly started telling him the details that he learned from the researchers.


    ¡­


    Hours after Clark left General Vincent¡¯s mansion, he finally arrived back at his mansion. He went to some places on his way back to get some much-needed fresh air, which made his journey of minutes turn to hours.


    On getting back, not knowing the veil of darkness and chaos that was slowly rolling in again from the news gotten from the frontier, he went directly to his room to rest.


    He picked his mask from the safe where he kept it before jumping into his king-sized bed, making a plop drop sound. He admired the finely designed mask, as his imaginative mind slowly started coming into play.


    Today, before he slept to rest, he wanted to update his blueprint of missions again to include the ideas and new missions that just came.


    After doing missions for some months, he finally learned the attribute of planning ahead for all his situations. This saved a lot of his time, as one session of brainstorming could help him draw a schedule of how his next 6 months would look like.


    Ding!! After a short mental order, his implant responded with a notification sound as his blueprint was quickly projected into his enormous military-grade television.


    [BLUEPRINT- CLARK PENDRAGON¡¯S.]


    1. Find a way to break through to the next rank- Pending.


    2. Complete 50 mercenary missions- Completed.


    3. Complete 50 Spartan army missions- Pending [38/50]


    4. Invest money and resources to look for trails left by Sonia- Pending.


    5. Revolutionize and develop Vatican City- Pending [18/100]


    ¡­


    Of his blueprint plans for the last 6 months, he only succeeded in completing one of them, but he was satisfied.


    When he made the blueprint, he knew that he could not meet up and complete them all, but he made it because he wanted to continually challenge himself to repeatedly break his limits.


    Though he was not able to complete them all in the end, the results of his perseverance, determination and hard work were evident.


    After completing so many missions, he was now a proud millionaire with tens of millions of Spartan credits in his virtual bank account.


    And through his influence, for the past few months since his inauguration, Vatican City was already experiencing quantum leaps of expansion in terms of development, economic and technological progress.


    This was why he was given a rating of 18 for his revolutionize and develop Vatican City blueprint mission.


    Among the missions, the one that was giving him a slight headache was the find a way to break through to the next rank mission.


    Despite the hindrance from the bottleneck that he was currently experiencing, he was still optimistic as he still progressed at a steady but slow pace for the past 6 months.


    The only problem was the crucial breakthrough which seemed to be elusive from him. He could not still see it getting nearer, despite the efforts that he put in every day.


    This was a slight setback, but he was not depressed as this slow grind gave him the opportunity to thoroughly round up his skills and make himself more versatile.


    After so many months of relentless practice, he was now a maestro for a soldier of his rank, when it came to handling the spear and his gun. Though he was slightly behind in the use of swords and other weapons, he was still extremely good with them.


    ¡°Uther, show me my attribute list¡±. He quickly gave a command to his implant, after brainstorming for a moment.


    After doing a lot of missions, which his implant helped a lot in his high success rate, he decided to give it an official name. As his surname was Pendragon, he just decided to call it Uther, which he adopted from the ancient Merlin movie.


    [Ding!! Initiating Master¡¯s request immediately.]


    Name: Clark Pendragon


    Country of allegiance: Spartan republic


    Soldier rank: 2nd rank high-grade soldier


    Military rank: Major


    Weapon mastery: Spear- 92%, Sword- 78%, Gun- 96%, Daggers- 69%


    [Any weapon mastery with proficiency below 50% cannot be displayed directly on master¡¯s status. You can ask specifically about any weapon, and its mastery will be displayed separately.]


    [Ding!! Master¡¯s Attributes] Attack power: 99% Attack speed: 94%


    Endurance: 91% Decision making: 97% Stamina: 100/100


    Health: 100%


    [Master¡¯s abilities]


    Battle arts: The bullet encyclopedia & The frenzied maneuver


    Self-created technique: Dragon breaks the ranks


    Minor technique: Maelstrom counter-attack


    [Evaluation: Master is a unique soldier that has broken through the limiting threshold of his rank. Your strength is at the absolute pinnacle, when placed with all the soldiers of your rank.]


    ¡­


    Seeing the results of his hard work for the past few months, his face could not help but develop into a smirk again.


    ¡°Hard work pays man, anyone who says otherwise is a frog trapped in a well¡±.


    Of all the missions that he made in his blueprint, at least most of them had some progress. The only one that depressed him because of its lack of progress, was the one that entailed him searching for Sonia¡¯s trail.


    For the past 6 months, despite the money that he constantly pumped into the endeavor, he did not find any heads or tail of the situation yet. It was like she suddenly disappeared from the earth.


    ¡°Did the teleport device that her father presented for her and her brother take them to outside earth?¡± He could not help but mutter frustratedly.


    He already brought up and thought of the idea of going to meet her parents, to ask and know about their search results. But in the end, he could not find the courage to suddenly go and meet such an influential person.


    Despite his recent decline, when compared with the great Calibri, he was just an ignorant, insignificant frog who thought the well was the end of the world.


    ¡°How can I go and just tell such an influential man that his missing daughter is supposed to be my girlfriend? F*ck, that¡¯s shameless¡±.


    After cursing himself repeatedly for not being there for his girl, he finally tried to put it to the back of his mind for the time being, which was an endeavor that he found difficult.


    Cursing again softly under his breath, he quickly gave a new mission for his implant to record and document.


    Despite his depression at his girlfriend¡¯s unknown situation, he still had a significant place on his mind that occupied his breakthrough problem.


    After repeatedly thinking about it, he decided that going to an exobeast training base was the solution to it. Going back to the originator and training with exobeasts would probably do the magic.


    [Ding!! New mission added to blueprint missions.]


    6. Find an exobeast training base to train, using the beasts as a catalyst to try inducing a breakthrough.


    After hearing the confirmation notification of his implant, he could finally close his eyes, as he let sleep take over and transport him to wonderland.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 179: trails of the elusive thief

    The sun shone down on its full splendor, illuminating the large mansion with its shine while making its walls and surrounding environment sparkle with a light golden sheen.


    After Clark got the mission from General Vincent, he immediately put his now enormous influence into play by issuing a region-wide search for the thief. With the silent help of the General, his decree quickly came into effect across South Sparta.


    Despite the enormous mobilization of the regions¡¯ intelligence agencies, this thief still proved to be extremely elusive, proving the General¡¯s words that he was probably a spoiled brat from a high-grade country.


    To show contempt for the search methods being utilized against him, he struck again thrice during the last week.


    What really pissed off Clark was that this brat targeted him specifically, as 2 of those theft attacks were aimed at Vatican City.


    The first one was the next day immediately after he issued the decree, where the thief came out to raid the City¡¯s public military armory.


    Though he was not completely unhinged and did not wreak havoc rampantly nor kill anyone, his movements were completely filled with mockery for the rulership of the city.


    He even complimented it to increase his mysterious identity by leaving a gold-plated R mark, to represent his identity whenever he struck. Seeing all these, Clark finally knew why the General was determined to capture this brat.


    The 2nd attack was on the nearby Gandalf City, and the last one which just happened 2 days ago was in Vatican City again.


    This time, the brat raided the city¡¯s central bank, stealing more than half of the money left as ground reserves. This was what crossed the limit, as the whole city was now on high alert for any signs of him.


    ¡°Prick, enjoy your freedom now. If I ever capture you, you¡¯re dead¡±. Clark cursed frustratedly, as he finally felt what it was like to be crushed by the difference in gadgets and equipment quality.


    After taking time to device torture measures in his head that he would use against the thief when he caught him, he finally turned to his bathroom to bathe.


    Today was a Sunday, so he intended to go to church again after so long. As he wanted to use it as an opportunity for publicity to enhance his stature, all his workers would be following him there.


    20 minutes later, his make-up artists finally completed their works. This time, he was dressed in a native attire exclusive to Vatican City.


    The large attire was made by special tailors and designers, who used the fabric to make him a large garment that looked like those used by patriarchs in medieval web novels.


    After complimenting it with the other local spicy add-ons, he now looked more mature than his age.


    Though he felt awkward on the large garment, he endured the feeling as his assistant told him that this dress code would make him gain more favor in the people¡¯s sight.


    He slightly felt repulsed at such manipulative and calculative measures, but he trusted Rose, so he followed her advice.


    Due to him staying here more often than he stayed at his other mansion, Rose relocated here to continue her job of being his assistant. Unlike him, she was dressed in a cute tuxedo suit.


    After all the preparations were done, they finally left for the nearest big church in a bombastic manner.


    Seeing the large entourage of vehicles that left their leader¡¯s mansion, the curiosity of the Vatican¡¯s living nearby was sparked as they all followed to know his location.


    On hearing the news, the Spartan professional reporters quickly mobilized like sharks that just smelled fresh blood.


    Due to his movements, the church that he went to ended up making the headlines for the day. People from all over Vatican City came, after hearing the news to see their leader in the church for the first time.


    3 hours later, after the church session ended, he came out and had a little time with the people before he went back with his large entourage to his mansion.


    On getting back, he did not waste time with his workers as he immediately went inside to remove his uncomfortable garment. He had a lot of plans for today, so he was not staying at home.


    After giving all his workers a day out, he ignited his car¡¯s engine before driving out with Rose in tow. After so long together, they were already extremely close. She followed him everywhere he went, except his mission journeys.


    ¡­


    30 minutes after he left in his car, he finally arrived at his destination. He went to a restaurant at the periphery borders of Benger City.


    Coming down, a smile quickly brightened up his face on seeing his friends. Leo, Benny, Smart man, Emily, and Kate smiled at him, as he moved forward to meet them with his assistant in tow.


    For the past 6 months, due to all their hectic schedules, they hardly saw each other, so they made today to be a special day to converge together and catch up on each other¡¯s situation.


    ¡°Haha, the Vatican patriarch is finally here. Welcome bro¡±. Leo stood up with his mouth already running like flowing water, as he hugged his best friend.


    Despite their current different statuses, both friends were still as close as back in their cadet training days.


    After Leo did his shameless passionate hug to his fill, the other boys and girls could finally come to greet Clark.


    Though Emily was the one with the most hectic schedule, she did not want to miss this gathering for anything, so she left the mercenary organization to be temporarily controlled by Jack, her second in command.


    Clark and his assistant finally sat down, before wolfing down the luxurious food that was ordered for the both of them by his friends.


    They rested for a few minutes after this, as they started discussing their eventful daily occurrences.


    Though they all currently had different statuses, it was undeniable that they all already made a name for themselves. Even if it was not as bombastic as Clark¡¯s, they were higher than normal citizens now.


    ¡°Ok, we¡¯ve rested enough. We already choose the sentry beach, so no last-minute changes. Let¡¯s go, I don¡¯t think anyone has any other random events to discuss, right?¡±


    Clark stopped the constant blabbering between them about their experiences, as he finally brought up the main topic of why they gathered.


    They wanted to spend some time together and build up their bonds as friends more. What other way was better for doing that, than going to a popular beach and go crazy together.


    Though Leo glared at Clark for interrupting his unfunny jokes session, he still obediently stood up to follow.


    After so long, serving under the republic and doing their various works, they now all had their own exotic cars. Though they were not as expensive or outrageous as Clark¡¯s, they could do the basic job of a car.


    Zoom!! Zoom!! Zoom!! ¡°Let¡¯s see who gets there first¡±.


    The challenge was not even fully given out before the 6 cars jerked softly, got more streamlined to prevent friction after receiving an order from their drivers before flying away across the road with thunder-like engine mechanical sounds.


    Though there were road safety officials in the Spartan republic, as soldiers, they were allowed to go at any speed they wanted.


    The reason was that they had the required skill, and they needed such speedy handling for most missions, so the military even encourages it.


    10 minutes after their sharp burst of speed, Clark finally arrived at the sentry beach. His assistant already fainted from the high-speed movements of the car, but he kept a wide smile on his face as he won again.


    2 minutes later, Leo finally arrived with Emily following closely behind. It took another 5 minutes before the other 3 slowpokes arrived, earning laughter from them all.


    After bickering a bit about the outcome of the race, they finally stopped and went closer to the sea.


    They quickly removed their clothes, put on their protective glasses before diving into the sea together as a group.


    For the rest of the day, they either spent their time swimming leisurely, joining swimming competitions, getting refreshment to get their strength back, reciting stories to each other, or engaging in small-scale duels.


    After being the undisputed winner in all the duels since they arrived here, Clark finally met his limit when all his friends ganged up to fight another friendly duel with him.


    With Emily¡¯s help, they finally overwhelmed him. Leo and the other boys jumped triumphantly like kids, as they rejoiced in their victory.


    Only Emily did not join enthusiastically in the celebration, as she knew that Clark held back and went easy on them throughout the fight.


    Seeing this long-awaited victory against the beast, Clark, the ecstatic Kate quickly rushed forward before giving Leo a fast kiss on the cheeks on impulse. As she wanted to go further, she finally remembered where she was, making her movements pause.


    ¡°Umm¡­, yeah¡­, we already suspected it. But damn¡±. This mistake made the atmosphere funnily awkward between them, as the already red Kate quickly ran away from them. She had never felt this embarrassed before.


    Unlike her, Leo was not embarrassed at all. ¡°What are you guys surprised about? Man, we are already old enough to do this, it puzzles me how you guys are still single. Act like adults¡±.


    Hearing his completely shameless declaration, the others blushed on his behalf as they quickly resumed their games to defuse the awkwardness in the air.


    Seeing their harmonious gathering, others at the beach slowly started coming to them to engage the games together, as they already recognized Clark after staying together with him for so long.


    His current popularity worked wonders, as the part of the beach where they came to quickly attracted everyone to their positions. They spent the rest of the day like this.


    At around 6 in the evening, they finally packed up and got ready to go. Their choice to come here proved to be the best decision, as the day was well spent for them.


    As they changed into the other clothes that they brought with them, Clark¡¯s implant suddenly notified him of an incoming message.


    After bringing his encrypted communication device, his eyes narrowed on seeing the message that was displayed on the screen.


    ¡°Finally, they discovered trails left by this bastard¡±.


    ¡°You said what?¡± Leo who was nearby quickly asked his best friend, on hearing him mutter to himself.


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Just some random message¡±.


    After using other words to shoo his curious best friend, he continued arranging his clothes normally.


    Inwardly, he felt like cursing and shouting for joy at the same time, as trails of the thief who was currently terrorizing him and staining his reputation were finally found.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come for you; just wait till I escort my friends back¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 180: busting the thief

    On the way back as Clark escorted his friends to their various destinations, he finally decided to tell them one of the less sensitive plans in his stashed blueprint of missions.


    ¡°Guys, before we part again, I want to inform you all that I¡¯ll likely go to the exobeast training base of the Spartan army. I intend to go there, to see if I can find the right catalyst to induce my next breakthrough¡±.


    ¡°If any one of you intend to come with me, you can just indicate, I¡¯ll generously pay for your registration and work it out¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m a nice friend, right?¡± He winked at his friends, who grew dazed after hearing what he just heard.


    ¡°What the f*ck? We are still stuck at the 1st rank, and you in the 2nd rank are still not satisfied, you still want to hit the next bottleneck. Training maniac, you¡¯re a real freaking training bastard¡±.


    Though they felt like punching their friend to reset his constant training thought process, the offer that was given to them held them back. The power of money and influence was on display.


    Training in any exobeast reserve center was expensive, and especially that of the Spartan army was a privilege that cannot be easily gotten. To access it you needed influence, inside connection, and a buoyant pocket.


    Their friend offering to give up such a mind-blowing opportunity to them for free was simply generosity on his part.


    In the end, all 3 boys in the group agreed to go with him. They did not want to lose such an opportunity. Despite their current happiness, they still had the basic instinct of every soldier to improve.


    Especially Leo, he originally graduated together with Clark, but his friend was now miles ahead of him both in strength, influence, and status.


    It felt just like your classmate that you graduated with was now the President of your country, while you are still holed up in your village hideout as a menial laborer and thief.


    Though this never affected their friendship, his thought process still strayed in that direction at times, which always left him in a bad mood.


    Seeing this free opportunity of a lifetime that was offered by his best friend, he felt like a shark that just caught the sweet fragrance of fresh blood, arousing his hidden desire instincts.


    Emily decided not to tag along, as she clearly recognized that she still had miles to cross before she would reach the basic threshold boundary to break through to the next rank.


    While Kate and Rose, both being a doctor and personal assistant, anything doing with fighting exobeasts was none of their concern, so they kept quiet throughout the session.


    10 minutes later after they concluded and bide farewell, they finally parted ways to their various destinations, as Clark finally had the luxury of traveling alone again.


    Rose did not follow him back, as he had some orders for her to execute in his mansion on the Spartan army headquarters. He wanted her to settle some pending plans that he had for his workers there.


    Feeling the feeling of youth and vitality flowing through his veins because of the whole day he spent exclusively with his friends, he leisurely picked his encrypted military communication device before placing it on his ears to listen while humming a merry tone.


    Because of his overflowing joy, he no longer felt as irritated about the news that the thief''s trail was found.


    After asking the Vatican military officers and police detectives for directions and updates, they quickly informed him of the current status of their search.


    From the information that he got, what surprised him was that this thief that was completely armed with high-grade equipment was mysteriously discovered by the city¡¯s lesser grade detection and surveillance devices.


    The operation was kept secret and stalled as their target was still patiently waiting for the right time to act. They also wanted him to be present specifically, as they were not confident in capturing the thief by themselves.


    ¡°Is this a glitch on his part? Hmm, I guess he became arrogant after so much success. Or¡­, is he using this to lure me out? Does he want to see and fight me personally?¡±


    Though Clark did not know the main reason why this happened, he was still joyful regardless. This also quenched his anger that the thief decided to attack his city again for this round.


    Zoom!! He quickly added more pressure to the accelerator on confirming that he could meet up, prompting his car to jerk smoothly before speeding up faster.


    ¡­


    Wom!! Wom!! Wom!! Alarm sounds rang glaringly like wailing children, blasting from the sound amplifiers like intertwining psychic waves as the security personnel of the largest hotel in Vatican City quickly started mobilization in the hundreds.


    15 minutes ago, the dreaded thief that was assaulting the city and across the South region rampantly struck again to the shock of the hotel¡¯s billionaire owner.


    The poor old man could only cry back in his mansion due to shock and despair on hearing the news, as he knew that it was easier for a camel to pass through a needle than it was for this thief to be captured by the city military officials.


    The past 2 assaults by this thief who was already making a name for himself were perfect proof.


    After getting the news, the already alert Dragon guards of the Dragon military division of Vatican City mobilized in their full splendor, sending batch after batch of soldier squads to the hotel like they already predicted the assault.


    Despite already knowing earlier and preparing an encirclement, when the time came, this elusive thief disappeared from the range of their surveillance devices like the wind again.


    This frustrated the various military officers to no end, as they repeatedly barked out orders to their subordinates angrily to vent their frustration.


    Young soldiers that were looking to earn merit from their superiors ran around energetically, as they advanced to scour through every corner of the hotel. They were doing a thorough area sweep of the hotel.


    As all these commotions went on around the extremely famous hotel, the originator of this mischief sat on a sports power bike at a conspicuous corner at the front of the hotel, with a smirk indicating mockery and slight contempt on his face.


    Despite their target standing so close to them, none of the soldier¡¯s surveillance equipment could capture his energy signatures.


    ¡°I came for the real deal today; these puny subordinates are not enough to quench my thirst. I hope he comes, I can¡¯t wait¡±. His eyes flickered with slight anticipation hidden deep within.


    Whoosh!! He did not even finish his word before a car quickly bolted into the midst of the ranks of soldier vehicles, before pulling to an abrupt automatic stop like something influenced by magic.


    Seeing this, the young man¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement and satisfaction as he finally sat up straighter on his exotic bike. ¡°Hehe, you finally came¡±.


    As soon as who he wanted to see came the new batch of soldiers that streamed in shortly after made him curl his mouth upwards, as his originally calm face twitched slightly.


    ¡°What a grand line-up. It seems that you grade me really high, I¡¯m honored¡±.


    As soon as the exotic car came to a stop, Clark quickly came out of the car with a serious expression on his face like that of a soldier going to war. This time, he wanted no room for mistakes.


    ¡°Be quick, fill me in on the situation¡±.


    A minute later, he quickly knew what he needed to know as he began shooting orders out of his mouth like a machine gun. His battle experience was buoyantly sufficient to enable him to do this.


    ¡°Sergeant Dave, take squads 3 to 6 and create an intercept formation around the vicinity of the hotel. Keep your eyes sharp and open for any sudden movements or shifts in the air¡±.


    ¡°Sergeant Maria, take squads 1 to 2 and begin an immediate evacuation of all the people who originally booked the hotel, and everyone else who is residing in this region. I want no civilian close by¡±.


    ¡°Sergeant Daniel, I need you to take over command of squads 7 to 10. Lead the policemen also and cover every strategic escape angle of the hotel, I don¡¯t want to notice any holes that can be penetrated¡±.


    ¡°No random shots or melee engagement until you receive double authorization and confirmation from me, I want a clean mission. No one should try my generosity and patience today¡±.


    ¡°Corporal Cinnabar, lead all the remaining squads and follow me¡±. Saying this, he made his tone sound exaggeratedly deeper to emphasize his seriousness. He felt no shame in doing it, it was a military strategy.


    ¡°Yes Major¡±. The Corporal taking the helm as the leader of the Dragon military division acknowledged with a military salute immediately, as his subordinates quickly followed shortly after.


    In less than 15 seconds, all of Clark¡¯s orders were executed swiftly which brought him some much-needed relief. With this, he still had some hopes that the thief was around and could be busted.


    After doing all these, he finally beckoned to the leader of his soldier followers from the Spartan army. He also mobilized them all for this mission.


    As soon as the leader of the soldiers came to meet him, he did something that was not strategically wise for a soldier of his caliber and rank. He stretched out his hand conspicuously to give something to the soldier, who quickly accepted it.


    Seeing this, every soldier¡¯s attention was drawn, including the silent thief, as they predicted that this was probably a strategic battle device.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡±


    Hearing this question, Clark took a deep breath to prepare himself while making himself calmer and pay more attention to his surroundings. This was the trump card that he prepared for today.


    After so long of being played by the thief, he already predicted most, if not all his personality. He just hoped that his guess was right.


    ¡°Listen to me¡±. He held his soldier¡¯s shoulders exaggeratedly for emphasis while speaking in a loud tone that was audible to every soldier around.


    ¡°This is a large scale all-purpose emp device that I bought specially for this mission. Take and activate it now¡±.


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now¡±.


    Before the soldiers around could comprehend what was happening, the loyal follower of the great Major Clark wasted no time as he activated the emp device immediately, prompting a blue electric wave to erupt outwards.


    Everyone was slow to react, as it seemed like the light bulb illuminating all the soldier¡¯s lives was just switched off.


    Every single device around the range of the emp device stopped working immediately, implants deactivated and lost power, weapons lost their energy enhancement circuit, as the powerful emp device wrath its power.


    ¡°Fu*ck!!¡±


    Because this was an order from their Major, the soldiers could not complain, but before they could frown or curse inwardly at the discomfort, a stranger that no one expected beat them to it.


    As soon as the sound came out, Clark¡¯s focused penetrating gaze immediately did a 360 turn and stopped at the exact position that it originated from.


    ¡°Hehe, found you¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 181: giving the thief a nice beating

    Everyone was so focused on what their Major was handing over to his follower, that they all failed to think about the repercussions of when an all-purpose emp device was activated.


    What brought them more surprise and questions, was that how did their Major know that someone was hiding within their midst.


    Their expressions changed from surprised to shocked, then to disgraced and humiliated, when the small figure of this mischievous thief who gave them so much trouble was finally unrivaled due to his failing and fluctuating armor system.


    The youth in question was also surprised, as a horrified expression quickly overtook his face on seeing so many eyes suddenly turn to focus on him.


    ¡°The scenario was not supposed to be like this!!¡±


    Unlike what was expected of a now notoriously infamous thief, he was a handsome boy with blonde hair tied to form a manly bun like those of the ancient attacking footballer, Erling Haaland.


    Despite having youthful features, his slightly buff muscles, clearly outlined six-packs and nicely chiseled chest could not be ignored. With his nice physique added to the equation, most girls could easily run heads over heels for him, only the weirdos though.


    The emp device that was just activated was made according to the standards of a high-grade country, so most, if not all of his equipment and gadgets were affected, rendering him incapacitated.


    As the original police-busting thief situation gradually turned into a show cinema, Clark already burst forth at the first moment from his position with his usual breakneck speed.


    Like the others, all his equipment was also shut down by the emp device, but his high-grade armor was just like the thief¡¯s, it was fluctuating between normal and malfunctioning.


    As it was also high-grade equipment, it was trying to withstand the impact of the emp device¡¯s interference. Only his outrageous implant completely survived the aftermath.


    He arrived before his target immediately like the wind, as his already outstretched arm swung his spear out like Aquaman, the ocean master¡¯s trident of authority.


    Despite the speed that he moved at; this youth proved not to be just a spoiled brat from a high-grade country, but a highly skilled one as he reacted instantly.


    Surprisingly, this brat also wielded a spear for battle. But unlike Clark¡¯s, it was a significantly thinner spear that was optimized for swift battles. Brightly lit mechanical circuits were all over its slim metal body.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! The first exchange of blows quickly began, as loud metallic sounds paired with sparks from the collision of exotic metal flew out like fireworks in a night sky.


    No matter how talented this thief was, it was not beans to get to Clark¡¯s current level and proficiency. This was an apprentice arrogantly challenging the master''s situation.


    After only 15 seconds of swift exchange to test out each other¡¯s limits, Clark already deduced his opponent¡¯s level. This brat was fairly strong among the 2nd rank high-grade soldier realm.


    After getting the information that he needed, he upped his ferocity immediately as his opponent quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer power of the blows impacting him.


    As a prodigy back in his country, the thief was proud to be a 2nd rank high-grade soldier at such a young age, so seeing an equally talented soldier like Clark prompted him to test his strength out. That is why he made up this scenario.


    But the outcome now¡­, it was severely disappointing and confidence cracking. He felt like a kid that was receiving a spanking from his raging mum, what a disgrace.


    ¡°This guy is really a freak; I have to escape immediately¡±.


    Seeing their Major trashing the thief, all the soldiers standing around remained at their positions as they watched like cheerful children who came to a theater to watch their best actor live on stage.


    As the fight continued, Clark was already secretly shocked, as the resistance offered by this soldier impersonating as a thief was beyond his expectations.


    Why was such a talent wasting his time to impersonate a thief? He was completely speechless. If he was not wrong, if he was older than this boy, it would not be more than 2 years.


    ¡°What a misplacement of priority. This boy really needs a spanking to change his orientation¡±.


    Despite the shock that he felt, he did not relent as he beat the hell out of the naughty kid.


    5 minutes later, his opponent finally surrendered as he laid sprawled all over the floor with small lumps of clotted blood all over his face, earning admiration from the countless soldiers who watched the blood-boiling action spectacle.


    ¡°Yo, please it''s ok, I already surrendered. I admit that I bit off more than I can chew this time. I¡¯m sorry for targeting your city, you know I¡¯m just a kid, look at my smooth and chubby face. Please let a helpless child go home¡±.


    Despite his twitching lips, Clark kept a poker face and ignored the shameless declaration of this brat as he advanced to meet him while questioning him with a stern face.


    ¡°What gave you the courage to steal a Spartan General¡¯s car? Do you think Sparta is easy to bully?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. Is that why you¡¯re angry? It''s ok, I just found it weird why an old pal like that would have such luxurious stuff, so I took it to wrath justice for all the youths around the world¡±.


    ¡°And being a General, I guessed he would be too ashamed to personally go after a young soldier like me, and I was right¡±. The brat replied with a completely innocent look on his face.


    Hearing this, despite his poker expression, Clark¡¯s mouth twitched again more fiercely. He could only wonder how this bloke could still speak such nonsense with all his current broken teeth.


    He displaced this to the back of his mind, all this could be attended to later, now it was officially capturing this brat that was paramount.


    After reaching the youth¡¯s position, he brought out his handcuffs before stretching his hands out to take hold of his captive¡¯s raised hands. As he did this, he suddenly paused on receiving an instruction from his implant, but it was too late.


    [Ding!! Energy signatures matching those of a super high-grade country device detected. Master, take cover immediately.]


    Before Clark could perform any meaningful action, he suddenly felt a strong pressure force hit his exposed stomach, launching him back like a deflated balloon that had no direction to escape to.


    ¡°Eat that, bitch!!!¡±


    The youth suddenly yelled after this happened, before jumping up with smooth movements into his power bike as its strong engine quickly ignited like a hibernating dragon that was just awoken.


    Broom!! With his left middle finger lifted to show mockery and to indicate that he won, he quickly changed gears as his powerful bike rode out of the building like a beast on a rampage.


    The unprepared soldiers were completely caught off guard, as the captive they thought was already captured quickly escaped from their grasp in less than 20 seconds.


    ¡°A compressed pressure-filled air launcher, with standards of a super high-grade country¡±.


    ¡°Shit, I forgot that this thief was a spoiled brat. How could I think that he only had equipment at the standards of a high-grade country?¡±


    Despite admonishing himself, Clark was not slow by one step as his exotic car already detected what happened and moved a step faster. As soon as it arrived at his front, he dived inside immediately while not forgetting to take the emp device along.


    Zoom!! Like another hibernating dragon awakening, the car let out its own growl-like mechanical sound before bolting after the thief in tight pursuit.


    The dazed soldiers finally realized what happened, as they all entered their military cars and bikes before following in pursuit.


    ¡°This brat actually still had tricks up his sleeves, such a sneaky bastard¡±. With such curse words frequenting their mouths, they strained their car¡¯s capacities to keep up with the 2-speed demons.


    ¡°Phew!! I succeeded; I finally escaped his grasp. What a frightening 2nd rank high-grade soldier, where did this freak come from?¡±


    Despite already getting on his precious exotic bike, the young thief was still freaked out from the result of the battle that he just fought. He had never been trashed that way by a same ranked high-grade soldier.


    ¡°F*ck, you already trashed me, can¡¯t you leave me alone?¡± He cursed again while quickly accelerating faster, as he heard the distant sound of the intimidating exotic car going after him.


    Despite his current situation, he could not help but think of how good it would feel if he could steal that exotic car also. ¡°What a nice ride it would be¡±.


    Clark was shocked again for the second time, as his car was taking so long to catch up with this tiny power bike despite him blasting it at its maximum output.


    ¡°What a frightening bike! This brat is really freakishly rich. I have to listen to Monkey hand''s advise and upgrade my car soon, most of my opponents have kinds of stuff of the same grade these days¡±.


    He wanted to snipe this brat down with his 2-form gun badly, but he knew that was not a good decision.


    He already decided not to use his gun on arriving, and his decision was further finalized after confirming that the thief was a young brat like the General predicted.


    His intention was not to kill him, he intended to capture him.


    Screech!! His feet suddenly smashed hardly at his car¡¯s breaks, as the car came to a slow gradual stop while its thick enhanced tires left clear marks on the tiled road.


    Due to his distraction, he almost just used his car to hit and destroy a building at the roadside. And it seems this brat still had hopes of escaping, as he just entered a narrow underground passage that his car could not enter.


    Suppressing his irritation, he quickly gave an order through his implant that was carried out immediately by his soldiers.


    2 minutes later, one of the military exotic power bikes drove quickly to his location before coming to a stop. He jumped into it immediately before firing swiftly into the narrow underground passage.


    This was his first time handling an exotic bike, but he already felt the sensation during his cadet training days, so it was not too unwieldy to him.


    As their Major pursued the thief through the underground passage, all the soldiers obeyed his orders as they spread out in all directions around there to device another encirclement.


    The whole area around the underground passage was placed on lockdown, as soldiers roamed about like chickens scuttering about in their poultry.


    Today, they were capturing the thief by all means.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 182: clarks first setback as a soldier

    Broom!! Clark¡¯s gloved hands shook to the vibration of the enhanced military power bike, as it advanced crazily like a bull on steroids. His armor already covered his face, so the fierce wind pressure did not affect him.


    As he drove in deeper, outside light quickly got cut off away, as the darkness of the underground slowly took over. Only the faint electricity light illuminated the walls and the surrounding.


    Seeing that his pursuer was still determined to go after him, the thief said nothing and just squeezed more power output from his crazy bike.


    2 figures blew across the underground passage like the raging wind, leaving afterimages and scattered dust behind which quickly merged with the wind on appearing.


    With their current speed, the fast and furious squad led by Toretto in the ancient action movie looked just like children¡¯s stuff.


    Noticing that despite his speed, his opponent was still a little faster, Clark finally took the level of the pursuit to a different level.


    With swift and smooth moves that flowed like water, his left hands quickly detached from the bike before dipping into his armor¡¯s weapon hold to get hold of his exotic laser pistol.


    After so many months of accumulation, his current stash of weapons was basically endless. His money always had a place to burn like water, no matter how swiftly it came.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Red energy-powered laser beams quickly erupted out of the small pistol in its single output configuration, as they all hit the thief¡¯s tiny figure despite the speed and distance with pinpoint accuracy.


    ¡°F*ck!!¡± The thief cursed on seeing this, as he quickly started a curved zig-zag trajectory riding. He was not to be so easily done in, as he also brought out his exotic pistol to shoot blindly backward in retaliation.


    Despite his efforts, his shots were nowhere as effective as Clark¡¯s, he was a soldier who focused only on the melee path.


    Clark¡¯s face under his armor¡¯s covering was stern and serious, as he smoothly dodged all the misplaced shots while still retaliating like a pro. As he did this, he no longer hesitated to overload the bike¡¯s energy output to increase its speed further.


    Due to this small advantage that was formed from the overload, the 2 figures that flashed across the underground passage gradually started getting nearer and nearer.


    Clark¡¯s bike was already bringing out fire from its exhausts, indicating that it was already on the verge of coming apart, but he paid no heed to it. Instead, he kept his full focus on his goal.


    As they got closer and closer, the air between them got thicker and tenser as the clash that seemed inevitable slowly drew nearer.


    After a lot of calculation, he finally pressed down on the button that his eyes were secretly eyeing since he entered the underground passage. The button indicating nitro boost quickly turned from green to red, after being pressed down.


    This seemed to have unleashed a beast as the military power bike quickly pulsed to indicate a large eruption of energy, before flying forward with at least 5 times more speed like an energetic bulldog on heat.


    Boom!! The fire coming from its exhausts quickly peaked, as they flew out, spreading terror, which made the bike suddenly seem like the legendary ghost rider¡¯s ride.


    The sudden eruption of speed was so fast that the thief could not comprehend what happened before his opponent reached his point-blank range. He could only watch with wide eyes while trying to perform a quick swerve to the right.


    To the current Clark on steroids, this move was just a kid playing with fire.


    The 2 bikes quickly hit with a loud mechanical impact sound, as both riders acrobatically jumped out of them while unsheathing their weapons in tacit understanding while still mid-air.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! The fire quickly spread tyrannically following a large explosion, as both bikes became engulfed in this high-temperature elemental disaster. Despite this, their 2 riders were not focused on them.


    Whoosh!! Before the thief could bring his thin spear out completely, Clark¡¯s spear was already streaking forward like the mandate of death.


    Spear quickly collided with armor as sounds of breaking bones sounded, while the victim fell to the floor pathetically like a sheep without a shepherd.


    After the first successfully knockdown, Clark did not relent after already knowing the true nature of this thief as his spear repeatedly struck down with lightning-fast moves, rendering his opponent temporarily incapacitated.


    Shortly after, the thief recovered as he started giving his best to resist the fierce onslaught of his opponent¡¯s spear.


    His face despaired as he noticed the added seriousness and power behind his opponent¡¯s blows. But despite this, his brain was still very much calculating as he secretly led the battle over to a particular spot.


    He was being trashed, but he didn¡¯t mind, his armor could weather it all for now. All he wanted was to get to the position that he wanted.


    His perseverance was impressive and admirable, but it did not change the fact that he was suffering. In less than 10 seconds, Clark¡¯s unrelenting blows turned him from a thief into a pitiful thief. The intensity was just too much.


    The next second, he could no longer withstand the fierce attacks as he fell down like a toy that already expended the energies in its batteries to move and perform tricks to please kids.


    ¡°Hey!! Hey!!¡±.


    ¡°Please wait, I surrender, I surrender. Wait, I really surrender this time, my ribs are already broken. Bro, have mercy, do you want to kill me? I¡¯m just a kid¡±.


    Hearing the expected shameless words did not faze Clark, as he made sure to make his next moves as clinical as possible to get the effect that he wanted despite his opponent¡¯s armor still activated.


    Crack!! ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±


    Loud bellows filled with pain suddenly reverberated around the silent underground passage, as Clark¡¯s well-timed grabbling attacks smoothly did their intended purpose of breaking the thief¡¯s leg bones. He wanted no funny escapes again.


    After polishing his skills for so long without breaking through, he already learned some other martial techniques from the Spartan armory that could help him in special situations, like this one.


    Clang!! As soon as he finished his first deed, his hands did not stop for a moment as they quickly moved to his military backpack and retrieved a metallic case.


    Before the thief could comprehend what was happening, the metallic case quickly opened and revealed its inner content before lashing unto him like a diving viper.


    After one deep scan, the device quickly determined its target¡¯s size and other information before expanding to the sides to form a kind of protective metallic shield around him.


    After restraining and covering the target carefully, an opening finally revealed itself to show the captured target.


    This was a restraining device that Clark got originally from one of his Spartan army missions, he did not know that it would come in handy here.


    After doing all the mischief that he wanted to the one who started it, he finally stretched his back to stand straighter, slightly clapped his hands to remove unseen dust, before turning his stern eye to look his target directly in the eye.


    ¡°You like running, huh?¡±


    Despite the question directed at him, the thief had no leisure to answer as he squirmed weakly on the metallic tiled passage floor.


    His face was twisted in pain, as an expression of hate and anger finally covered his originally mischievous one. Never in his dreams did he think that this Major could go to such heights when he already guessed his identity that he came from a high-grade country.


    ¡°F*ck!!¡±


    He cursed inwardly, as he started regretting his stupid decision to play around with this trick. The pain from getting all your joints for movement broken was not beans.


    ¡°This was originally just playing, why taking it so seriously?¡± He felt like crying literally, but no tears came out as he didn¡¯t want to disgrace nor lower himself to this soldier.


    After trying hard to curb the biting pain and removing the fearsome expression from his face, he finally turned to face his pursuer.


    ¡°Is there a need for such harsh measures? I already surrendered¡±.


    Clark paid no heed to what he just said, as he went closer to the metallic restraining device so that his target could see his face more clearly. He wanted to intimidate this kid this time.


    ¡°I can see that you¡¯re the gutsy type¡­, but that¡¯s just child¡¯s play before me. You¡¯ve seen the strength that I exerted against you, that was me still going easy against you. You don¡¯t want to see the real me in battle¡±.


    ¡°Now, I want you to answer me sincerely. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Horny chocolate¡±.


    Clark¡¯s face twitched despite his efforts to calm it as black lines came all over his dark-toned face, making him look like a cactus fruit colored with black stripes.


    This brat was really impressive as a soldier, it was already clear that all the pain that was just inflicted hardly affected him. Clark took a deep breath to calm himself, before making his voice deeper to show how serious he was.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m playing here? You don¡¯t want to try me, kid, you don''t, but forget that. Now, give me a good answer or I¡¯ll start my career in torture using you. What are you doing here in the Spartan republic?¡±


    ¡°I like you¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing Clark¡¯s face that kept on twitching and constricting, the thief could hardly contain his amusement despite the pain he was currently feeling. He finally spoke out again with a chuckle.


    ¡°Bro, I actually commend your effort in trying to capture me. You¡¯re among the best braves, I like that. But that¡¯s not enough to capture me, try again later, bye-bye¡­¡±


    Seeing the growing grin on his opponent¡¯s face, Clark suddenly felt uneasy as he quickly deactivated the restraining device while storming closer to personally restrain this brat.


    His reactions were fast, but he was still a step too late.


    The road floor where the thief laid suddenly opened up, revealing a surprising large dark hole beneath it as he fell down freely with the same sly smile on his face.


    To him, you may have broken my bones and won the battle, but I won the war. He brought the battle to this location for a reason.


    Clark quickly caught the edges of the road to stabilize himself from falling into the pit along with this maniac, before finally standing up with a stunned expression on his face.


    ¡°The brat still escaped¡±.


    He was completely surprised. He thought that with the restraining device, everything was under control but he forgot about the floor. Not that he expected such preparations from the brat though.


    This was probably his first major setback and defeat from a same ranked soldier since he started his career, the feeling left a bad taste in his mouth. He was still in disbelief.


    ¡°Major¡­, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t target your city again. I¡¯m coming for you next time¡±. The thief¡¯s loud but slowly fading voice suddenly echoed out of the dark pit.


    Hearing this, Clark quickly snapped out of his daze as his expression darkened again.


    ¡°Do you think because of this, I¡¯m easy to deal with?¡± His instinct reactions to challenge from a peer lit up, as unknowingly to him, he already took this thief as a silent challenger.


    At this moment, his encrypted communication device suddenly lit up again, as a call from his soldiers came through.


    ¡°Abort the mission, the target escaped¡±. He was sure that the thief escaped this time, so he did not want to unnecessarily burden his soldiers despite how it would stain his reputation.


    After saying this, he requested another bike before cutting the call connection. After doing this, he finally started reflecting on the experiences from the pursuit that he just engaged in.


    ¡­


    In the locations where the soldiers and policemen of Vatican City were posted to intercept the thief, they were all surprised after the news from their officers came.


    ¡°What¡­, the Major failed to capture the thief???¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 183: reflection and decision

    After Clark got back home to his mansion, he responded mildly to the cheerful greetings of his workers as he went directly to his room and plopped down on his bed.


    It was already late, so he had nothing to do outside again. He laid on his bed while looking at his ceiling, as he tried without much success to organize his random thoughts.


    Despite him knowing that it was a fluke and wanting to get over it, he could not. His thoughts could not help but go back to what just happened.


    He knew that him taking a defeat so personally was childish, but he just could not get over it. It was a common military mission to bust a thief, but he was now feeling that it was a personal challenge.


    After finally sorting out his thoughts, he was surprised as after going through his experiences, he discovered that this was his first personal setback against a same ranked soldier.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt emotionally defeated for a reason. This defeat made him feel useless, he felt like he was not living up to his position as a Major and leader of a city.


    As the thoughts kept on hitting him like an unrelenting train, discomforting him, he finally came to a surprising realization.


    ¡°Have I become arrogant? Is this pride?¡±


    He wanted to refute it as soon as it came, but his inner mind knew that this was partly right. Or why else would he be fretting so much about such an inconsequential defeat?


    He already started noticing that he developed pride after he was promoted to the Major rank, but he initially shrugged it off. This encounter became the catalyst that brought his attention back to it.


    Unknowingly to him, he was already feeling like he was the head in everything and everyone he met. He already felt like he was the best, which was a dangerous feeling for any soldier to have.


    Apart from his missions that went wrong which led to him being stranded in the sea, he had not faced any individual that really served as a bitter competitor and rival to him. This was why he felt like he was the best among his peers.


    ¡°Damn, why did I not notice this? When did I change so much? How did it happen?¡±


    He felt confused, surprised, and a little guilty at the same time.


    After thinking about it further, he discovered that his friends were probably the ones who were impacted the most by his change, but they never complained nor did they tell him.


    He felt bad thinking of how Leo probably felt about seeing his best friend become like this. From best buddies and equals, unknowingly to him, he was already taking Leo as a lesser soldier.


    ¡°How did he feel? We originally both graduated as soldiers and best friends. God¡­, what came over me?¡±


    ¡°Is this what every successful man faces when they become successful and powerful?¡± He could not help but think about it from the perspective of others, because this was completely shocking to him.


    Despite his deep-dwelling on the topic, he could not still pinpoint when and how the feeling came over him. In the end, he guessed that it was a side effect of his rapid rise to power, but he decided to remedy it immediately.


    He felt that it was funny, as he never expected, not even in his dreams that a mere thief chase would bring him so many emotional mood swings and realization.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is a blessing or a curse¡±. He chuckled to relieve his emotions, picked himself up from his bed before going to his bathroom to wash up.


    After having a nice cold-water bath to refresh his body, he finally came out of his luxurious bathroom fully revitalized. The only setback was still his less than an idle mental state, but he already had plans for it.


    After eating the nice food combination that his cook made for him as dinner, he smiled satisfied before going back to his bed to sleep.


    During the short time that he went to take his bath, the scattered bed already re-arranged itself. As almost everything in the mansion was electronic and controlled by its A.I, most things were automatic.


    As soon as he plopped down on the king-sized bed, hidden instructions were given as the bed responded by giving him a static body massage to relieve his muscles and make him fall asleep faster.


    ¡­


    About 8 hours later, he finally woke up from his sleep to meet a new day. This time on waking up, he felt completely refreshed and energized both mentally and physically. The massage did a good job in relaxing his muscles.


    He slightly patted the bed to indicate a job well done, before standing up from the bed and going to the bathroom again to have a hot bath. He already had a template for all his actions today planned out.


    After washing himself clean with the freshwater, he came out before directly going to his dressing side compartment with large strides.


    2 minutes later, he came out dressed in a red and black casual t-shirt on a pair of jean trousers. He wore a black boot to complement it, taking his look to the next level.


    His long hair was still permed, so he did not have to take time to brush and nice it up. He just used his perming tool to smooth it more and remove any rough contours.


    He wanted to go to church, as he felt that the best remedy to his pride was there. What better place to humble himself, than to go to church without making it bombastic?


    After doing all these, he sat down on his luxurious single¡¯s chair in the room before bringing out his new enhanced smartphone. He spent huge money to get this recently, all the way from the regional headquarter of the Microsoft empire organization.


    As the master programmers and developers, all their gadgets were top-notch, and he wanted a top-notch phone this time. The abilities of the phone could not be exploited in a week, that is how outrageous it was.


    After setting his butt at a comfortable angle on the chair, he finally opened up the phone. He connected to the internet again, after so many years of isolating himself from it due to circumstances.


    It was as busy and noisy as usual, but he paid no heed to the trending news as he quickly installed the communication app that he wanted. He did not have time to while away on the internet.


    After doing this, he composed a message before sending it to Leo. A smile adorned his well-chiseled face when the phone indicated that the message was successfully sent.


    When he woke up, he already started thinking of how he would make up to his best friend. So he decided later that having a best friend¡¯s outing was the best plan, and he went for it.


    He knew that Leo was not free, but he was ready to use his influence to make this work.


    After doing a lot more brainstorming, he also finally decided on the best location for the outing. What better place to make up with a friend than the place he loved best, his hometown?


    He planned the location to be in Balmi City, and the schedule was the next day.


    He also included in the message that after they came back from the outing, he wanted them to get ready and go to the exobeast training base the next day. He no longer felt the need to spend time tracking the thief.


    Even if it was not a direct defeat, the defeat still succeeded in stirring up his strong desire to improve more. He didn¡¯t want this training session to tarry again, he was ready to drive hard at his bottleneck now.


    Who are warriors? Warriors are those soldiers that take every defeat as experience and a source of motivation to improve more. And Spartans are warriors, so was he. Being petty was not in their dictionary.


    After including in the message that his friend should not forget to inform Benny and Smart man, he finally motioned forward to remove the application from operating.


    After doing this, as he wanted to stand up and go out, the message flashing repeatedly at the top of the screen suddenly drew his attention. He clicked on it to enlarge it, as his curiosity overcame his determination to leave it.


    [Trending news: Major Clark¡¯s inability to capture a random thief- Was it favoritism that led to his promotion? Is the Major as competent as hyped by the media?]


    Clark¡¯s face darkened on seeing this, but his emotions were completely kept under his control. He already expected something like this, after what happened yesterday. This was one of the main reasons why he paid little attention to the internet and media.


    Though this was not a media of Vatican City, its influence still extended over here, so this was probably already viral everywhere.


    He knew the culprits though, so he didn¡¯t feel much about it. He just felt it was a pity, as his rivals finally found a point of breakthrough to sabotage his rule with.


    During his inauguration, the 5 leading commissioners of the city already told him of their rival, Sadan City.


    As the biggest city of this region and one that bordered Vatican City, it was inevitable that there was some friction between both cities. They competed for resources every year, and a lot of other things.


    The only advantage the Sadan City had over them was broken when Clark became the owner of the Vatican territory.


    This seemed to hit their rough spot, as since then, competition measures and tactics between both cities intensified. They tried to bring each other down by a notch, both politically and economically, but none succeeded.


    This hyping of his inability to capture the thief was probably also done by them, so Clark paid no heed to it.


    After so long, he already built a good and fairly unshakable reputation across the city. One occurrence was nowhere enough to change his position in the hearts of the people. The recent rapid development was proof of his love for the city.


    He did not read further, he kept his phone, picked up his bag, and went out. The only difference that he made was that this time he took his mask.


    He didn¡¯t want to draw unnecessary attention, most especially not now that such a scandal was being hyped to drag down his reputation.


    He just wanted to go to church, reflect more on his behavior and devise methods to control his ego. He wanted a temporary place of calm.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 184: terrorist attack

    For the first time since Clark got his mansion, he sneaked out of the large building without informing any of his workers. He was only able to do this because his keen personal assistant was not around.


    After successfully getting out of the mansion, he picked up his military bag that lay on the floor before trudging down the street road.


    ¡°Good morning¡±. The people who passed him greeted him with cheerful faces, despite not knowing him.


    He responded to their greeting with a smile also, before he continued walking down the road. Not long later, he finally came before the subway where a line of public transport vehicles was already lined up.


    After thinking for a moment, he decided to take the underground railroad public bus. He quickly paid to the driver, before boarding the bus with the other row of people who intended to take public transport.


    As soon as he sat down at the edge of the bus, he rested his head back and took in the fresh morning air greedily down his lungs. He finally felt like a human again, as he heard the nonstop chatter of the passengers.


    People exchanged greetings with broad smiles on their faces, while cute children followed their parents while also greeting elderlies with cuter smiles as they boarded the buses.


    Because of his mask, he was not recognized as he already configured it to another face. Through this, he was able to experience again how life was for him when he was still just a normal human and not a soldier.


    He was just like these people, the only difference now was that he had more luck, but this did not make him any different. He was still as much of a human as they were.


    This realization surprisingly brought him more calm than he expected, as his smile became more genuine and wide.


    He hummed with a playful shake of his head, following the music that blasted from the bus¡¯s sound amplifiers as it finally started moving forward after being filled with passengers.


    Chatter filled the bus as girlfriends discussed while chuckling with their boyfriends, children cheekily asked their parents'' silly questions that left them speechless, old fellows talked of their life experiences, while siblings discussed cheerfully.


    Seeing, and experiencing this scene was completely different. Experiencing this up close, Clark felt like everywhere was filled with life and vitality.


    His eyesight mysteriously became clearer, and his brain worked more actively. He felt like he just got rid of invisible shackles that were originally holding him down, he now felt free.


    10 minutes later, the bus finally stopped as he alighted from it with more precise steps. He came down from the bus a different being than the one he originally was.


    His smile grew wider as the large signboard of the church greeted his sight. He nodded inwardly to himself, before stepping forward into the church premises with more confident footsteps than usual.


    Entering the church, he was surprised as others were also there. Despite his surprise, none of it showed as he quickly located a seat in the middle of the church.


    After sitting down, he used his implant to access the internet to know why there was service today. He quickly got his answer, as it seemed that there was a church program today.


    After getting the information he wanted, he no longer paid attention to it as he started listening and following the procedures of the church service.


    Everything moved forward like a movie to him, as activity after activity was quickly completed in rapid succession. A smile adorned his face, as a group of children starred in a small drama session.


    Unknowingly to him, he already spent more than 2 hours there, but he didn¡¯t feel it. Instead, he felt a feeling of tranquility and peace engulf his being.


    As the church service was slowly drawing to a close after the sermon by the pastor, he already told himself that his decision to come here to self-reflect was the best.


    Shortly before the closing announcement, as the church official took the stage, he suddenly felt his danger sense tingle a bit. He felt it, but he overlooked it due to the peace in his heart.


    To him, as he was in a church, there was no danger here. Despite him deliberately ignoring it, the feeling kept growing stronger, until it finally left him irritated.


    His eyes reluctantly left the church official, before slowly looking around to search for anything out of place. Seeing nothing, he already wanted to curse himself but a change finally came.


    Crack!! Crack!! As the service went on, 2 black bags suddenly appeared from the windows at the very top of the church building.


    Seeing this, an ominous feeling rose deep in his heart which was quickly confirmed with the next notification of his implant.


    [Ding!! Master, act immediately. Highly energetic explosive materials detected inside the 2 black bags.]


    Whoosh!! Clark acted immediately after hearing this, as he grabbed his bag from the chair at the side with his left hand while his right hand quickly unzipped it and dipped inside.


    Surprise showed in all the church members'' faces, as they looked with puzzled expressions at the actions of this man.


    Clark paid no attention to them though, as his right hand finally emerged out of the bag with his 2-form gun in tow.


    ¡°Machine gun¡±.


    He whispered, as the gun obeyed immediately and morphed into its machine gun configuration. With smoother movements, his hands opened up the gun before emptying its current bullets.


    He replaced them with special new bullets, before finally wielding them and aiming at the 2 bags.


    Bam!! Bam!! 2 consecutive gunshots quickly sounded as 2 bullets left the gun muzzle the next second, flying at the target while carrying a conspicuous trail of wind pressure behind it.


    Poop!! Like the sound of champagne being opened, the bullets hit the 2 bags before unleashing their load without hesitation.


    The wind suddenly blasted out behind them, as it carried the 2 bags back through the same hole in the window that they were sent in.


    Hearing the sudden gunshots, the church already became chaotic as the church members panicked. Despite this, they could not help but look at the 2 black bags that slowly flew out of the church.


    ¡°Why did this man shoot at the bags?¡±


    BOOM!! BOOM!!


    Their questions were answered in an instant as the energetic bombs finally exploded loudly, causing frightening domino effects while spreading its destructive red-hot fire without restraints.


    The church roof was engulfed by the fire immediately, as debris and fire started falling down, painting the sky with the perfect depiction of gloom and destruction.


    The fire spread wildly through the air to nearby houses like it had sensing tentacles to detect destruction targets.


    As the humans finally reacted after understanding the situation and started screaming, Clark already activated his armor and went to action. He could only thank God that he brought his bag.


    He opened his bags wide, before throwing their contents into the air without hesitation. Guns, armors, shield generators, and various other gadgets floated in the air as gravity reacted slowly to their appearance.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! His machine gun, shot out pressure-filled bullets like raining popcorns, as they impacted all the energy shield generators while leaving the others unscathed with immaculate precision.


    Before the fire, debris, and collapsing ceiling could fall down to submerge the church members, his energy shield generators quickly activated after being transported to all corners of the church through his bullets.


    Bam!! Bam!! The church building collapsed, but the members remained safe as the mysterious stranger saved them all through his shield generators.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Before they could relax and rejoice over their survival, another set of bullet fire suddenly erupted from the sides as a group of armed roughly dressed soldiers stormed into the church while shooting wildly.


    Seeing these people, Clark¡¯s eyes narrowed as he finally understood what happened. Rage quickly took over him, as he stormed out in retaliation to meet these petty soldiers.


    He picked up his second 2-form gun, wielded them on both hands before spreading rampage within the midst of the terrorists.


    Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! He moved swiftly while rotating his hands, as his 2 guns spewed out fire and bullets like raging dragons, both in their machine gun configuration.


    The soldiers around him died in droves like chickens, as blood and gore quickly took over the floor of the originally clean and well-polished floor. None of the shabby armors that they wore could withstand his wrath.


    After wiping out this small squad, he did not stop as he rushed outside immediately to face the further destruction that was being wrath by the terrorists.


    Seeing the Vatican citizens running around in panic like headless sheep, while the Persian tigers¡¯ terrorists reaped their lives, anger blazed in his heart as his inner demon was fully unleashed.


    His implant understood him and quickly presented the battlefield in a 3d form to him, as he ran directly to where the terrorists were the densest.


    He started a bloodbath immediately, as his dual 2-form guns strained to keep up with the stress that was being subjected to their exotic frames. They vibrated like heavy-duty machines, spreading their bullets of death.


    As soon as Clark stormed into their midst, over 200 terrorists died immediately, thereby attracting all the attention of the others.


    They all turned their attention to face this troublesome soldier, as this was not included in their plans. Despite their focused fire, Clark shrugged it all off as he killed at least 5 terrorists every second.


    After identifying the executioner that was leading this group of terrorists, he quickly ordered one of his 2-form guns to take on its sniper configuration.


    Using a tightly packed group of terrorists as his propelling platform, he moved swiftly like a phantom, stepped on them before jumping up to get a better shot angle.


    Boom!! Before the terrorists could react, with an ear-splitting sound, a bullet was released immediately. They could not track its speed; the only evidence of its passage was the head of their executioner that already turned to blood and water.


    Clark¡¯s outrageous 2-form gun in its sniper configuration succeeded in sniping the executioner to death, despite his armor that was completely still intact.


    After the death of the leading executioner, 3 others that were originally hiding quickly came out with the intention to take him out. This did not faze him though; he just saw them as more troublesome prey.


    With smooth movements, his other 2-form gun quickly morphed into its sniper configuration also. He ran to meet them while aiming at their foreheads.


    Despite the concentrated fire from 2 ranged 1st ran high-grade soldiers wielding exotic guns, his armor withstood it all and stood strong like a thousand-year-old mountain.


    To the horror of the executioners, the last shot at their leader was not just a one-off thing. With 2 consecutive shots, the 2 ranged soldiers¡¯ brains were blasted off, leaving behind only an empty bloody neck.


    The only melee-oriented executioner watched this with complete horror now evident on his big wild face. Despite his intention to escape, he could not as another shot ended his pitiful life.


    After doing this, Clark finally turned to face the subordinate terrorists with a gaze similar to that of a shark looking at prey. The anger in his eyes was palpable.


    Seeing this, the terrorists shuddered as they finally knew that they met someone that was beyond them. Despite their numbers, they had no confidence as they all separated and ran to various destinations without hesitation.


    ¡°Want to escape? Not in my watch, not after you killed so many innocent Vatican citizens. Die¡­!!!¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 185: military mobilization

    Clark¡¯s anger at the death of so many innocent Vatican citizens pushed him to the limit, granting him boundless endurance as he pursued every single terrorist that came for the attack to the ends of the town, not letting any one of them escape.


    Blood and gore followed him everywhere he went, as the now leaderless and hapless terrorists could hardly put up any resistance to his massacre. His enraged self was unstoppable.


    Due to his actions, this modest town at the corner of Vatican City became a town laced with blood and dead bodies of terrorists.


    He never felt exhausted once as he hunted the terrorists, the overflowing anger fueled him and granted him mysterious endless stamina to go round the village without any signs of fatigue.


    Boom!! His 2-form gun in its sniper configuration emitted smoke from its muzzle, as through his implant he confirmed the kill of the last terrorist who came for the attack.


    It took him 32 minutes, and 20 seconds to hunt down and kill all the terrorists. After this, he finally paused to look at the aftermath of the terrorist¡¯s sudden attack.


    The attack was so sudden and unexpected that he had no time to think immediately, all his previous actions were done by instinct according to the situation. He felt like he just rode in a train that had no breaks.


    It took him a few seconds to calm his still rapidly beating heart, before concentrating to look at the current status of the town.


    From where he was, he could see the church which served as the first breakthrough point of the terrorists. That was where it all started. Looking from there outwards, his face could not help but dim a bit.


    His shield generators still covered and protected the members of the church, so none of them were injured or dead. Despite this, the church building was already razed to the ground from the explosion and its follow-up shockwave.


    Only the church was this fortunate, as all the nearby houses were also razed to the ground, but unlike the church, their inhabitants suffered severely from the consequence.


    The 2km area around the church already turned into an area of desolation, death, and mourning. He could hear the loud cries of the lucky survivors who lost their loved ones from his position.


    After his implant did a short frequency scanning, he already confirmed that over 200 individuals from the town died in this small-scale terrorist attack. He felt lost and clueless all of a sudden.


    ¡°How did his going out to reflect on his life suddenly turn into a terrorist attack that bled so many lives?¡±


    He felt overwhelmed. As his brain processed all these, his body carried him forward subconsciously without his consent.


    He moved forward, going back to the direction of the church while looking at the shocking aftermath of what just happened.


    As he passed, his brain grew more and more numb as he saw middle-aged men and women that were shot dead mercilessly. He could still see the panicking and unwilling expression on their faces.


    In another direction, he saw a woman who held a small blackened substance while wailing her heart out.


    Seeing this, he was confused at first, but his heart became crushed when he made out the frail figure of a small girl from the burnt and disfigured substance held by the devastated woman.


    ¡°What is this? How can humans be so merciless to their own kind?¡±


    He was completely shocked by the lengths that these terrorists went to in these short 40 minutes duration of their attack.


    All these were not the end of the gruesome sight, in other directions, he saw a young boy who protected a girl that seemed to be his girlfriend by hugging her to prevent the flying bullets from impacting her.


    His motive and effort were commendable, but life was not so easygoing. The bullets succeeded in penetrating him over to his girlfriend, they were both dead.


    Seeing all these and feeling the gloomy aura of death in the air, before Clark reached the location of the church, his heart already went through a storm of emotional swings and shifts.


    At first, he felt crushed with pity for the unfortunate dead, it later turned to regret of not being able to protect them, before finally turning to boundless hatred for the terrorists.


    Since when he was a kid, he always heard of the tyranny, ruthlessness, and viciousness of the Persian tigers'' organization, but this was the first time that he experienced it firsthand. And he was angered.


    After getting into the church, he paid no attention to the crying church members who were still huddled up in fear under his shield generators.


    His bleeding heart no longer felt anything, only the hunger for vengeance against the innocent dead filled it. He was ready to go to any lengths to deal a significant blow to the unbridled terrorists.


    He quickly approached where he dropped his bag, picked it up before pressing a red button at its corner which quickly turned green.


    After doing this, the bag responded immediately as it let out a strange blueish black magnetic field that pulled the nearby scattered equipment, weapons, and gadgets to it.


    All the gadgets quickly converged orderly before being arranged back into the bag. As they were arranged, Clark quickly took notice of his encrypted communication device that was flashing a white color.


    He quickly stretched out his hand to take it, as the flashing meant that he was receiving an ongoing call. After taking it, he unlocked it before quickly answering the call.


    The first thing that came to him was noise and commotion, which quickly settled the next second.


    ¡°Sorry for the noise Major, this is from the Vatican strategic intelligence military unit. We have a situation; a large-scale attack was suddenly initiated by the regional Persian tiger¡¯s organization base¡±.


    Hearing this, his brows creased further as he did not expect that this was not the end of the attack. This did not make him pause though, as he quickly replied.


    ¡°Understood, give me a location¡±.


    ¡°Oh, thank you for your help, sir. We are having trouble containing them as they planned well for the operation. We still have control of the situation on land, but the situation on the sea is in their control¡±.


    ¡°The nearest location is ¡­¡±


    After Clark got what he wanted, he no longer tarried as he sped up the arrangement of his gadgets. He swiftly changed into his military attire and multipurpose boots before storming out of the church.


    As he ran across the dilapidated street, he did not forget to inform the local police force of the town to dispatch immediately and try to curb the aftermath of the attack.


    He already ordered his car to come, but it would take a while for it to get here, and time was the commodity that he was severely lacking. He had to take matters into his hands this time.


    His brain was already on overdrive, as he thought up ways to intercept the terrorists and deal them a good blow. After filtering the less relevant ideas, he quickly devised a plan.


    He picked up his encrypted communication device again before putting a call through to his soldier followers. It didn¡¯t take long before their leader answered, with a respectful tone.


    ¡°Tom!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m listening¡±.


    ¡°Good, I want you to mobilize all the boys and come to the location I will send to you immediately. Take out all your exotic cars and come, leave nothing behind because you need them all¡±.


    ¡°Before coming, I want you to go to my room. I already granted you temporary access to it¡±.


    ¡°After entering inside, locate my armory that is at the corner of the room. The A.I would not bug you, I already granted you access¡±.


    ¡°When you open it, I need you to bring the 5 military bags that are kept at the very top of the armory row of shelves. Don¡¯t you dare tarry, I need you and the boys here immediately¡±.


    ¡°Yes sir¡±.


    ¡°After getting ready to move, call the Dragon military division. They will explain the current situation to you and also tell you my current location, be fast¡±.


    After saying this, he did not wait for his subordinate¡¯s yes sir answer again as he kept the encrypted device and added more speed to his movement. It did not take long before he came before the artificial water pathway that led to the sea.


    On getting to the large exotic made bridge, he made a sharp turn to the right before diving straight down into the large water body.


    Splash!! His body disappeared with the splash sound inside the water, stirring it up roughly. It took a minute before the raging water calmed, but he could not be found again.


    Deep under the water, he finally used his multipurpose boots again for the primary purpose that it was made.


    With a large sound, the boot powered like a rampaging overloaded speed boat as blue energy erupted from its soles, making the already dark blue sea look bluer.


    Boom!! With the sound of a sonic boom disaster, the boot jerked before propelling him forward with astonishing speed. He crossed the water pathway immediately like a meteor and arrived at the sea.


    After doing this, he did not slow down but instead, he moved even faster as he set his direction to where the terrorists were showing water superiority.


    A gleam representing his danger mode seemed to flash past his eyes for a moment as he flashed forward across the sea like the ancient legend from the movie; the ocean master, Aquaman.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 186: storming the pirates logistics ship

    At the border of Vatican City that was closest to the shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea, a large battalion of soldiers gathered together with various degrees of stern expression on their faces.


    They formed a perfect unit whose uniform¡¯s color revealed their identities as soldiers of the Dragon military division.


    Despite the current raging battle between the other Vatican soldiers and the terrorists, they stayed behind, as the military wanted to use them as the ace of the battle.


    The Persian tigers'' organization made such a big move this time, 4 towns of the City were directly attacked simultaneously.


    The death count of innocent civilians alone was already in the thousands after the last count, and it was still progressively counting.


    The terrorists swarmed across the 3 interconnected towns, spreading their soldiers across like the tentacles of an old hermit octopus. Their attack was well organized and extremely aggressive.


    Blood was already flowing like a river across the towns, as the terrorists showed no mercy to the harmless and vulnerable civilians. They ruthlessly killed everyone on sight.


    After fighting for so long, the Vatican higher-ups and high-grade soldiers already devised the proper plan to stop the terrorist attack.


    After a lot of calculations and live surveys, they concluded that the sea was the pivotal place that helmed the terrorist operation. The terrorists cleverly used the sea as their support and logistics area.


    They had 2 floating unarmed logistics ships on the sea, where terrorists continually swarmed out from to reinforce their brethren that were already wreaking havoc here.


    The Commander who led the terrorist operation could not be easily restrained and stopped, as he was a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. No Vatican soldier could match up to him in strength.


    Though the higher-ups wanted to start the decisive battle immediately, they held their frustration back and waited as they wanted their leader to arrive at the battlefield first.


    The terrorists were prepared for such a move from them. If they, did it without any significant help from an abnormal soldier like their leader, the loss would be too much for them to bear.


    Bullet shots continued ringing across the battlefield, as soldiers and terrorists unleashed hell at each other. The casualties on both sides were already stacking up to form astonishing figures, the battle was completely bloody.


    As desperation slowly grew among the Vatican soldiers, and the terrorists grew more unbridled, signs of a new arrival finally emerged on the battlefield.


    The signs first came like just a sea breeze blowing by, which the terrorists ignored. It did not take long before they finally started paying attention, as this wind did not relent, rather, it grew stronger and stronger.


    Wooo!!! Echoing sounds that gradually grew louder like those of stampeding beasts slowly followed, blending with the howling of the wind to form an unsettling cacophony of noise.


    The signs of something dangerous coming grew more clearer, as every soldier and terrorist on the battlefield started paying slight attention to what the hell was happening.


    The next second, the silhouette of the one making so much commotion appeared.


    They first thought it was a storm, as a large but narrow cluster of water bundled together before raging across the sea while coming directly to their direction.


    They could not still see what was causing this, but the large trail of raging water sparkling over the sea surface and coming to them unsettled them greatly.


    ¡°Is it an exobeast?¡±


    Seeing that the cluster of water was coming directly in the direction of their ships, the terrorists quickly got prepared and braced themselves to welcome whoever it was that came.


    Whoosh!! Before they could react further, the clustered water suddenly scattered while at the same time rising like a tide as a figure launched out of the water with it.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Shockwaves started billowing above the first ship, blowing wildly like the descent of a wind elemental incarnation as the figure dropped down with mind-blowing speed while aiming his spear at the surface of the ship.


    Boom!! Clark¡¯s spear dropped with a bang as the surface of the ship peeled away easily like it was just a tree bark facing cutlass.


    His self-created technique, dragon breaks the ranks, ravaged across the surface of the ship before quickly digging inside into its internals and wreaking havoc.


    His starting the battle with his self-created technique showed that he meant business. With one move, he directly breached the ship¡¯s armor and got inside.


    The terrorists were terrified. They never thought that the person who stirred the cluster of water waves was a human and that he could breach their ship¡¯s armor with just one move.


    Thud!! With smooth movements, he landed in the interior of the averagely designed ship. He paid no attention to these trivialities though, as he quickly stored his spear back in his bag.


    Bringing his hand back, 2 other weapons followed, his 2-form gun and his sword. He intended to dual fight today.


    The time it took for him to launch out of the water, breach the ship¡¯s armor, and land inside was less than 10 seconds, so the terrorists were still disorganized and could barely react to the situation. He took perfect advantage of it.


    Boom!! Tu! Tu! Tu! He suddenly erupted like an energetic bulldog, as his gun in its machine gun configuration shot out bullets rapidly like a chicken shooting out eggs while his right hand wreaked close-range havoc with his sword.


    The surprised terrorists were caught unawares, as they quickly started falling dead to the precise actions of this daring enemy assassin.


    They tried to retaliate, but Clark¡¯s boots gave him an outrageous edge over them as he moved around the large hall with immense speed like a pro-Olympic surfer.


    His well-planned moves rendered all their counters ineffective; the only outcome was death, death, and death to them. His tyrannical combination of melee and ranged shooting swept them all away like they were mere dirt.


    Any terrorist that tried to play clever, his 2-form gun was always more than ready to take him down. If they tried to storm forward and overwhelm him with numbers, his sword was ever ready to slice them like vegetables.


    In less than 2 minutes since the battle began, he already silenced every terrorist that was in the hall. He did not pause though, as the rest of the ship already discovered his presence and were already planning countermeasures.


    He stormed out of the room immediately to bring his destruction to another area of the ship. As he did this, he finally gave his soldiers that were outside command to initiate.


    ¡­


    Outside the 2 ships, as the battle raged on, another change came over the battlefield again. After receiving the order, the originally docile ace soldiers from the Dragon military division finally acted.


    They rushed out of their positions quickly, brushing every terrorist opposition aside with impunity as they set their gaze on the 2 terrorist ships that were causing all these problems to them.


    The operation to curb the terrorists¡¯ attacks and cripple them officially started, as they finally confirmed that their Major was present.


    Boom!! Boom!! They were very generous and lavish with how they used their resources, as expensive exotic explosives were released by them without hesitation, further destabilizing the ranks of the terrorists.


    Seeing the movements of their ace, all the Vatican soldiers also received a new order from their officers to change their priority target from the terrorist soldiers to the 2 terrorist ships.


    The counterattack was lightning fast, leaving no time for the terrorists to understand and prepare alternative contingency plans.


    Bam!! Bam!! Bam!! Ranged soldiers cocked and shot their guns across the battlefield at their opponents without restraint, while melee soldiers charged forward like they were injected with the super serum.


    Chaos reigned across the battlefield in the sea, as the death rate of both sides increased exponentially at a frightening rate.


    The Vatican soldiers hammered hard at the terrorists from the outside, as they were determined to help their Major as much as possible.


    As all these happened, the ace soldiers of the Dragon military division finally entered the first breached terrorist ship successfully through the hole that their Major made.


    ¡­


    Back in the ship, during the short time that all these happened outside, Clark already succeeded in wiping out 3 different groups of terrorist soldiers in the ship. His efficiency was completely out of the world.


    They could not keep up with his speed, so he wreaked havoc with impunity. He was fast, but the 4th group that he met finally proved to be a tough nut to crack.


    Five 1st rank high-grade soldiers led an overwhelming number of soldiers as they attacked him from every side and angle. Despite this intimidating opposition, he was not deterred.


    He kept his sword back in his bag, brought out his second 2-form gun before focusing only on performing his battle art, the bullet encyclopedia.


    Though the 5 high-grade soldiers led the terrorists well and he could not kill as efficiently as before, he was not anxious. He focused only on incapacitating them as much as possible, which they didn¡¯t care about as long as they remained alive.


    This continued for a minute, as his armor slowly started being wearied to its limits. Despite this, he kept a focused expression without panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time¡±. He purposely said this out loud to distract the 5 high-grade soldiers, and it seems they fell for the bait.


    ¡°You said what¡­?¡±


    BOOM!! The elite squad of ace soldiers led by a 2nd rank high-grade soldier of the Dragon military division finally arrived at this moment, as they styled their entrance with a nice bloody theme.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! The melee soldiers fell back while the ranged ones came forward. They took a deep breath before unleashing all their load at the surprised and already incapacitated terrorists.


    The ones who were floating due to being shot by Clark¡¯s anti-gravity bullets received a free pass to the other world. The others who were affected and incapacitated with other different statuses suffered the same thing, as the tyrannical wave of bullets wiped them out of the face of the earth.


    The energy convergence in the hall became too much as some of the facilities of the ship exploded immediately, tyrannically spreading fire across the hall like the covid-19 plague.


    The terrorists that were originally half-dead from the shots of the Vatican soldiers could only cry, as the fire ended their life journey.


    The 5 terrorist high-grade soldiers were so shocked by the sudden massacre that they paused for a moment. Despite how experienced and skilled they were in battle, seeing unreal things still shocks to the bone.


    They paid for this short lapse in concentration in blood.


    Clark threw his guns up, suspending them in the air as he swiftly brought out his spear again while rushing into their midst like a shark that just smelled fresh blood.


    Facing 1st rank high-grade soldiers that lost concentration, even if it was just for a moment, it was a piece of cake for him to dispatch of them.


    His spear stabbed forward like a phantom, tyrannically destroying the first one¡¯s armor and cutting deep into his flesh to sever his heart from his arteries and veins.


    With a slight shake of his hand, his victim got severed in 2.


    Bam!! After doing the deed, his spear quickly shifted to the side, bashing the next terrorist on the head with concussion-inducing force.


    The terrorist lost consciousness immediately, but he didn¡¯t stop there, he severed his head from his body ruthlessly. Their low-grade armors were just paper to him.


    Seeing this, the other high-grade soldier terrorists were shocked as they hastily adjusted their formation to defend against his attacks.


    This proved to be ineffective, as with another blue energy pulse from his boot, he arrived before them immediately. They could only watch with wide eyes. The rest was history.


    8 seconds later, he stood with his back facing his last beheaded opponent as blood spurted out like rain from the exposed neck.


    He paid no attention to this again. His eyes remained ice-cold as blood dripped down from his outstretched spear, pitty pattering, one drop at a time.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 187: clashing with the terrorist commander

    After dispatching the terrorist soldiers, Clark did not tarry as this was just one among many of the big halls in the large logistics ship. He led the soldiers from the Dragon military division, before storming deeper into the ship.


    As they moved forward, the ship started shaking and vibrating as the aftermath of the battle outside started impacting it, rocking it left and right with the help of the sea waves.


    Outside the ship was now even more chaotic as gunshots flew about, forming a loud cacophony of incomprehensible noise. Melee soldiers rushed at their opponents, after being transported closer through the military speed boats.


    In less than 5 minutes since the Vatican Major arrived, to the terrorist¡¯s dismay, the center point of the battlefield already shifted directly to the position of their logistics ships.


    Death and chaos reigned over their battlefield, as a terrorist and soldier died every second. Though the death rate of the terrorists was faster due to their lesser equipment, the soldiers were still suffering.


    Under the careful leadership of their officers, the Vatican soldiers finally found another breakthrough point and breached a hole into another part of the logistics ship to help their Major.


    After noticing that the logistics ships were now the target, the other pirate-owned ship already retreated. It had no fantasies of helping its sinking companion, it was adapting to the ever-changing situation.


    As Clark wreaked havoc from the inside while his soldiers helped by spreading mischief on the outside, the large logistics ship finally succumbed to the overwhelming damage.


    The pirates that were still alive and lucky enough escaped from their ship, jumping down hastily into the Sea like they were running from a plague as this logistics vessel was already a lost cause.


    The large ship shook, as small-scale explosions rocked its internals from the battle that was still going on inside it. Most of its vital operating systems were already botched, so it was already operating on reserves.


    The 2nd breach to its armor covering from below was what sealed its fate as water started flooding in with speed. Originally, there are systems designed to stop this, but the ship was already at its wit¡¯s end.


    Its enormous tail part was the first to slowly sink into the sea, which only made its situation more complicated. This sealed its fate, prompting the rest of its enormous frame to slowly follow.


    As it slowly sank, Clark already noticed it but refused to leave it and let the terrorists escape. He was ready to kill as many as possible, his rage at this attack was still tangibly sky high.


    It did not take too long before the pirate ship got submerged into the bottomless depths of the Mediterranean Sea. In such a short time since his arrival, the terrorists already lost such an expensive ship.


    This only made them more decisive, as the last logistics ship received the go-ahead from the terrorist Commander to leave the battlefield, and that was exactly what she did.


    Under the sea, water already entered every significant part of the ship but Clark still stayed behind. He led his elite soldiers, as they hunted every terrorist that remained on the ship down.


    Through his vision enhancer goggles, he could see the fleeing enemy ship. Though he felt it was a pity that one escaped, to him, this was already a win on his book.


    He just wanted to pursue the terrorists away from his territory, before planning for the next step of his retaliation agenda.


    After wiping every terrorist that was left behind in the slowly sinking ship, he finally led his soldiers to swim back up where the battle was still raging, though at a smaller rate now.


    Getting back to the sea surface, he ordered his soldiers to take on their own target, before he moved away swiftly with a blast through his outrageous multipurpose boots.


    His sea hunt was not over yet. His new targets were the high-grade soldiers that had the guts to come to terrorize his territory.


    His movements were as swift and formless as the wind, as he arrived before his first opponent in an instant. The terrorists saw how he easily dispatched their ship with little help, so no one wanted to fight him, but they had no choice.


    Bam!! Bam!! Before his opponent could enter a proper defensive stance, he already slammed his opponent¡¯s head with his spear¡¯s side to disorient him. The strategy worked again, and what followed next was easily predictable.


    His spear left afterimages behind, as they stabbed at various parts of his opponent¡¯s armor. Before the terrorist high-grade soldier could recover from the mind-numbing slam, his armor was already breached.


    What followed next was blood dyeing Clark¡¯s spear again, and the dead body of the terrorist falling down listlessly.


    He spent no second further than needed, as he ignored the kill and focused on the other high-grade soldiers. Two 2nd high-grade soldier terrorists teamed up to stop him when they saw how unbridled he was on the battlefield.


    To them, they were here to stop him, but to him, these were free targets presenting themselves to him on a silver platter, with seasoning and everything needed already in place.


    All it took from him was a little more time and effort, but just like the others, he made short work of the overconfident terrorists.


    Seeing such efficiency, the terrorist executioners finally became intimidated as they all started leaving the sea and going back to the land where their Commander was to seek refuge, which was exactly what Clark was waiting for.


    To him, all his exploits and kills in the sea battle amounted to nothing as far as Vatican citizens were still falling victim to the attack back on land. The terrorist Commander was his main target all along.


    Though his target was a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, he was no pushover.


    As he pursued the executioners back to land, he finally caught sight of his soldier followers who finally arrived at the battlefield with the stuff he ordered them to bring.


    His eyes brightened on noticing them waving at him to draw his attention. He already turned to go there on instinct, but he paused when he noticed the conspicuous form of a soldier bulldozing through obstacles to come to his position.


    It seems that the terrorist Commander finally saw the real threat that he brought to the battlefield, and took the initiative to come meet him.


    Seeing this, he sent a message to the leader of his soldier followers before turning back to go meet his target.


    Though everyone still fought his/her own battle, it was inevitable that this epic clash did not escape the sight of the soldiers from both sides. Countless eyes converged to the clash point to witness its outcome.


    Boom!! The terrorist Commander was suddenly launched upwards through a device that Clark was already extremely familiar with. Almost all the terrorist commanders he met always used this.


    He paid no attention to this trivial detail though, as his eyes followed the upward trajectory of the now flying Commander coated in dark blue armor.


    With an equally loud sound, his multipurpose boots suddenly shot out dark blue energy from its soles as he was launched upwards to meet his opponent like a rocket being launched to space.


    BOOM!! The impact sound was that of thunder, as the air visibly shook from the collision of the Vatican Major and the terrorist Commander. Energy rocked the air wildly, as their armors strained to contain the impact.


    Whoosh!! It did not take too long before the winner of the aerial battle emerged. Clark¡¯s figure streaked backward with twice as much speed as he launched upwards, hitting the floor with frightening force.


    ¡°Damn, this guy is a veteran¡±. He tried to suppress the blood that was flowing through his mouth while thinking to himself, as a more serious expression came over his face.


    For the past few months, he already arranged and spared with some Spartan Captains to get a good gauge of his strength against higher-ranked soldiers. And though he always lost, the outcome was definitely not this glaring.


    Among the Spartan Captains, he only had the luxury of meeting either the newly advanced ones or the weaker ones that already sapped their potential dry.


    This one clash revealed to him that this terrorist Commander was not among any of this group that he sparred with. This was a bonafide veteran 3rd rank high-grade soldier, with the fists to back it up.


    Despite the countless thoughts that rolled around his mind, he was not slow by a second to spring up from the pit that his fall created.


    Bam!! He slid sideways, narrowly dodging the falling blade slash that his opponent landed with. Unlike him, the terrorist Commander was a highly skilled swordmaster.


    ¡°I guess you are the so-called Major Clark that is disturbing the underworld recently, I¡¯ll show you your place today¡±.


    The Commander muttered indifferently after stabilizing his steps, before bolting forward to meet his opponent. He wanted to teach this arrogant soldier to respect seniors.


    Clark had no time to dodge, escape, nor care about his seniority bullshit but his hands were fast enough to parry. His face grew strained immediately on feeling the force behind the Commander¡¯s weapon.


    Staggering a bit, he quickly curled and rolled backward to negate the force, but his opponent was right behind his tail. Already expecting this, he quickly sprang back up with a roundhouse kick directed backward at his opponent.


    The Commander spread his legs while jumping to dodge the kick, as he readied his sword for a series of consecutive stabs.


    He had plans, but Clark had plans also. Seeing that his nefarious plan worked, his eyes lit up as his leg quickly turned from the roundhouse kick into a vertical upwards kick to the location that was exposed when his opponent spread his legs.


    ¡°???¡±


    Seeing the blasphemous trajectory of the kick, the Commander¡¯s expression darkened as black lines filled his face. Despite this, he still reacted fast by awkwardly moving to the side.


    After finally getting his footing again, the rage at being humiliated took over him as he retaliated with a more aggressive counterattack.


    Clark quickly braced himself for the impact, as his opponent¡¯s sword rained down speedily, leaving him no choice but to retreat, retreat, and retreat again. Only his high-grade armor was helping him keep his composure.


    He had to admit, this Commander was really beyond his current limits. He had no hopes of winning, his only saving grace was his better equipment and high-grade gadgets.


    Well, in the beginning, before he arrived at the battlefield, he already predicted and planned extensively for this.


    ¡°Who said this is a battle of skill, this is a battle of money. Today, I will show you the disadvantage of not proactively making money, but only waiting for your terrorist¡¯s organization monthly stipend¡±.


    Despite his opponent¡¯s attack that grew fiercer and more aggressive at what he said, he did not give a damn as he quickly jumped to the side.


    At the same time that he did this, one of his soldier followers quickly came from the corner and threw the 5 military bags in his direction. Everything fell into place perfectly, as they all landed at his new position.


    ¡°This is it bitch, open your eyes and take a look at what money can do¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 188: thrashing the terrorist commander

    Even if the terrorist Commander did not know what was in the 5 bags that gave his opponent so much confidence, he was experienced enough to know that he needed to stop it before satisfying his curiosity.


    Despite his decisive movement and reaction to curb whatever plans his opponent had, Clark was still faster than him by a second. And this was all it took for him to unleash his ace, which was, well¡­, money.


    Clang!! Clang!! The five bags opened up by themselves like something being remotely controlled as with loud mechanical sounds, different machines started falling out of the bag.


    A magnetic field hovered above the 5 bags, controlling all the machines and gadgets to be perfectly placed at strategic positions around Clark to enable him to utilize them more efficiently.


    As a millionaire Major and high-grade soldier, Clark did not spend his millions on luxury like normal millionaires, he spends his millions on this- war machines and gadgets.


    This was his collection of trump cards after stacking them up for the past months, and they were worth an outrageous amount of approximately 20,000,000 Spartan credits.


    He encountered some of them by pure luck and was only able to buy them, because of his status as a Major.


    Before the terrorist Commander could comprehend what exactly was happening, his battle A.I, Lily from his exotic car took over. The car already arrived, but he left it in the nearby town to save the civilians.


    2 of the bigger machines suddenly powered up with a loud sound, as one of them jerked before projecting a large energy field at the terrorist Commander. This was a gravity manipulation device.


    The Commander was shocked. As soon as the projected field touched his armor, he was horrified to feel that gravity application against him suddenly became 3 times heavier.


    To him, this meant slower reaction time and slower movement speed which was deadly in such a fast-paced battle. He was at a loss for words, but he still acted on instinct and struggled.


    As he struggled fiercely with the hopes of escaping the projected force field, other machines and devices finally powered up. This was just the beginning of his misery.


    A one-target restraining device powered up, as its restraining tentacle-like mechanical arms latched into his legs and held him in place. He got more horrified as more machines powered up like behemoths that were just awakening from slumber.


    As dozens of devices and machines powered up and activated, he became a live target to his opponent as he was basically incapacitated by the large number of debuffs placed on him.


    His reactions became slower and slower, as the number of machines that kept on activating scared the hell out of him. Just like his opponent said, he was seeing the horrifying power of money for the first time.


    After almost everything perfectly came into place as Clark wanted it, only 5 machines now remained to be powered up for activation, and they were the biggest ones.


    One of them suddenly powered up, activating as a strong magnetic field was suddenly projected across the area. The sand was stirred up, as the small metallic particles in the earth hovered up in respect of the laws of technology and science.


    The next second, another one of the machines powered up before releasing dozens of knives and swords that started hovering in the air under the influence of the magnetic field.


    It was not random hovering though, as the magnetic projection device swiftly gave a command and all the weapons in the air started attacking the opponent that was already pinpointed by its A.I.


    The later still with a horrified expression on his face, struggled for his life as his now clumsy hands strained to parry all these weapons strikes. His good-quality armor was his only lifesaver.


    What made him despair more was that he knew that this was not the end, as he could still see 3 inactivated machines at the corner.


    Though Clark could not see his opponent¡¯s face due to his armor covering it, he could still feel the fear that was now being emitted from the once tyrannical 3rd rank high-grade soldier.


    He smirked a bit on seeing this, before keeping his spear in his bag and spreading his arms wide.


    As soon as he did this, the wristwatch on his left wrist did a small range scan before flashing green. As this was done, the last 3 machines finally reacted as they powered up with a blue energy glow.


    The first machine expanded outwards and opened up, allowing its mechanical contents to fly to meet Clark. No collision happened, just a smooth integration as the metal parts quickly covered him up from head to toe.


    In his current outlook, he now seemed like a carbon copy of the Iron Man superhero in the ancient Marvel cinematic universe.


    After this was done, the second machine powered up before expanding itself into a giant metal mechanical platform. As soon as this was done, Clark was propelled up to sit on the free lone metal chair in the middle of the platform.


    His now metallic outfit was just for protection against the abomination that he was about to wrath.


    The last machine finally powered up, as it compressed itself together before finally turning into a giant 2-form gun. A small blue flame quickly lit up under it, as it was propelled upwards before settling down comfortably at the metallic platform¡¯s front.


    Clark¡¯s face stretched wide into a dangerous but slightly foolish grin, as he finally set his hands upon this abomination.


    ¡°Sweet!!¡±


    Seeing this giant machine before him, the terrorist Commander removed any stupid delusions from his mind to continue the attack. Only how to escape now dominated his mind, but he thought of this a little too late.


    ¡°Machine gun¡±. Clark slowly whispered, as the large 2-form gun immediately morphed into its machine gun configuration. Hell was finally unleashed on the hapless terrorist Commander.


    Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! Tu!! The extra-large high-caliber bullets raged out with loud sounds like rolling thunder, as they all landed with immaculate accuracy at the incapacitated terrorist Commander.


    It took only about 10 seconds before the Commander¡¯s armor¡¯s energy reserves were depleted, before blood flowed out from his now frail figure like drizzling rain.


    Seeing this, shock, dread, and horror swept around the battlefield like a plague, as every terrorist felt his heart shake on seeing their Commander get so easily killed like he was just an animal.


    ¡°Get down, now¡±.


    The Vatican soldiers did not even need their Major¡¯s second reminder, as they all fell down and took cover after seeing the outrageous abomination that he pulled out.


    The machine-gun fire that just subsided erupted again the next moment, this time, the bullets were not concentrated in one place but were spread out tyrannically at the still shocked terrorists.


    The outcome, well, it could only be described as bloody. Blood spilled everywhere, dying the road with its gory dark red color. Every terrorist that failed to react fast enough died without suspense.


    As this massacre happened, a figure that was beside the giant machine suddenly stirred stood up before bolting into a corner and disappearing from the battlefield immediately.


    The terrorist Commander just escaped, which surprised Clark as he thought that this guy was already dead.


    In the end, a 3rd rank high-grade soldier was not clumsy enough to be without any extra protection. Though he didn¡¯t have any fancy machines as Clark had, he had the basic necessities to keep himself alive.


    These basic necessities were what just saved his life. After Clark turned away, the Commander did not even have to contemplate on it first before he went on the run immediately for dear life.


    Though he escaped, the other terrorists were not as fortunate as only a few outliers among them survived and escaped. The others all died from the sudden attack.


    After the sound of machine-gun firing stopped, the Vatican soldiers finally stood up to witness the death and destruction that their Major wrath.


    They stood in a daze due to shock, as the overflowing blood made them feel spooked despite being soldiers. So many terrorists died to just one wave of this outrageous machine.


    ¡°What abomination from hell is this?¡±


    Though Clark really wanted to let them admire his machine that he luckily got from a high-grade auction, he knew that this was not the time as Vatican civilians were still suffering.


    This was the main border battle they just fought; other terrorists were still in the 3 interconnected towns.


    Under his orders, they mobilized again in large numbers, entered the still-functioning military vehicles, and started moving to the 3 towns.


    He also followed, as his giant machine slid across the road with the same speed as that of a car, the only difference was its enormous size.


    Though he was glad at the outcome of the battle, his heart could not help but ache on thinking of how much money he just burned. His use of so many strategic machines was not without cost.


    All the machines that he used, their energy recovery process alone, and repairs would cost him at least 3,000,000 Spartan credits, not including the giant mechanical platform.


    The giant mechanical platform was at a realm of its own, its maintenance would cost him a whopping 5,000,000 Spartan credits. Well, he didn¡¯t regret using them despite this, he bought them to utilize them.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth it¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 189: wiping out the source of the menace from the roots

    A few minutes later, the reinforcement of the Vatican soldiers finally arrived at the 3 interconnected towns, shocking the ignorant terrorists that were still focused on wreaking havoc.


    ¡°How did their reinforcement come so quickly? Where is our Commander?¡±


    Though they were surprised and confused, they still organized themselves under the leadership of the few executioners who took the helm, with the motive of repelling the reinforcement back.


    This was what spelled their doom, as the Vatican soldiers dove into the battlefield in a recklessly organized manner. They were aggressive but organized, which spelled disaster for the still confident terrorists.


    The terrorists did not care about all these reverse psychology problems though, they just shrugged it off, getting themselves ready to fight a fiercer battle. This was their ideology, but the Vatican soldiers thought differently.


    When Clark finally arrived at one of the towns, the fates of the terrorists here were finally sealed and locked with a padlock.


    With his giant metal mechanical platform present, no melee Vatican soldier engaged the terrorists. Only the ranged soldiers shot at them from afar, with the only aim of restraining their movements.


    The Vatican soldiers that were originally fighting with them already received new orders from their higher-ups, so instead of continuing their battle with them, they diverted their attention to bringing the nearby civilians to safety.


    The terrorists were confused by the strange reaction of their opponents, but they clearly didn¡¯t give a damn as they used this as an opportunity to attack them more aggressively.


    After the right scenario that Clark wanted finally clicked and was confirmed with the overpowered scanning abilities of his giant metal platform, he officially started the battle.


    No complicated movements or skills were needed on his part, just pull the trigger.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Despite the protective metal suit that he was currently wrapped with, he could still feel the numbing vibration as the high-caliber bullets left the enormous 2-form gun¡¯s muzzle while the now empty shells fell down, making clinking sounds.


    The bullets spread tyrannically like wildly raging fire in harmattan, as the terrorists who were now the dried-up grass suffered from the aftermath. They were all swept away and burnt to ashes like dried tree leaves.


    A bullet equated for death, as the now horrified terrorists died at an eye prickling frequency.


    Finally recognizing the power of this giant mechanical platform, they no longer hesitated and started escaping in different directions.


    As their number was countless times more many than the ones, he made short work of at the sea border, Clark could not mob and kill them with just one wave shooting.


    This was when the Vatican soldiers finally came into play again, as they erupted from their positions and hunted down their fleeing enemies.


    Clark felt like he was at the seat of power, he felt like he had the power to destroy the whole world with just a pull of his giant 2-form gun¡¯s trigger. He felt like the master and ruler of everything.


    Like a mad Buffalo, he pursued and ravaged into the midst of the escaping terrorists with impunity. He was unstoppable, as a large trail of blood was carved behind the giant form of his metal mechanical platform.


    The terrorists that managed to escape the range of the machine gun were not safe, the enormous frame of the metal mechanical platform crushed them under its tyrannical weight. There was no escape to any terrorist that faced it.


    The terrorists that once spread terror across the town suddenly became headless chickens, as they were plucked one at a time from their comfortable poultry. Blood flowed like a flood.


    After about 8 minutes of the continuous massacre, some of the terrorists finally succeeded in escaping into various corners near the town. Some ran into the forest, others to different places that they saw as places of refuge.


    Though Clark badly wanted to hunt them down to the last person individually, he knew what was his priority.


    After ending the battle here, he quickly shouted some motivating words to his soldiers before leading them to the nearest town that was under the attack of the terrorists.


    Through some unknown methods that he did not know about, the terrorists finally managed to send information to their comrades who were still ignorant, to warn them about the impending danger.


    After getting the news and confirming that even their Commander that was invisible to them also ran for dear life, they immediately knew that their mission was a lost cause. Not already escaping since was screwing up on their part.


    ¡°To your tents, oh Israel¡±.


    Like the famous quotation of the bible, the terrorists departed from the towns they were attacking with far faster speed than they invaded with. At the sight of real danger, adrenaline could do wonders.


    Some of them broke their limits directly due to panic and pressure, as they escaped like the wind, without any direction.


    Siblings no longer remembered siblings, friends no longer remembered friends, boyfriends no longer remembered girlfriends, as they all ran for dear life. Even the weakest soldier escaped at a speed that could make the legendary athlete, Usain Bolt blush in shame.


    Though most of the terrorists already escaped before he arrived, Clark was still able to meet the lazybones and slowpokes. And as expected, he showed them no mercy.


    Like a farmer with a sickle during harvest time, he harvested the lives of the terrorists with his giant metal mechanical platform that now served as his war sickle. Every person who bore the name of a terrorist was his prime target.


    It did not take long before every trace of terrorists was wiped out from the 3 towns, leaving only blood and body parts in the aftermath. The stench of blood and death was nauseating.


    The metal mechanical platform finally stopped after confirming the death of the last nearby terrorist, as the top part representing the head opened up to reveal Clark who still had a cold and ruthless expression on his face.


    Seeing the blood of the terrorists that dyed everywhere, turning the once beautiful town into a place that seemed to have suffered an apocalypse, his eyes showed no satisfaction at this achievement.


    He wanted more, he wanted the terrorists to bleed more, he wanted them to receive twice as much damage and pain that was inflicted on all the innocent children that died today.


    ¡°Soldiers, listen to my command. We are storming the Persian tigers base that wrath this destruction, they must pay for every spilled Vatican blood with more blood. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and blood for blood¡±.


    The soldiers were already all extremely excited and were in their war mode after so much slaughter, so no one contemplated his orders before they all obeyed. Even if some of the officers thought otherwise, they could not blatantly disobey their Major.


    Though it was hard to track and pinpoint the exact location of a Persian tiger''s base as large as this one, he was confident that the detection modules of his metal mechanical platform could perform the cheat.


    Turning around, he sped away immediately, taking the route that led to the nearby forest. From the panic movement of the terrorists in search of a way of escape, it was clear that their base was located in this forest.


    The only problem was the exact location as it was sure to be tightly hidden, but Clark believed that he could solve that.


    With that conviction, every hesitation was gone as he bulldozed through the large forest trees before him to trudge deeper into the forest.


    With his outrageous implant¡¯s A. I working together with the A. I of the metal mechanical platform, nothing was hidden from them. The combination was an unstoppable abomination in itself.


    Though it took a bit of their time, about 20 minutes, it paid off as they finally discovered the large well-hidden base of the terrorists.


    As expected, the terrorists were so shocked on seeing them that they could hardly react.


    They were already having a meeting to discuss and count their losses. Not once did they expect, not even in their dreams that their hideout would be discovered.


    Clark led his soldiers as they barged into the base immediately like a swarm of locusts with ruthless expressions that were ready for destruction. The only difference was that, unlike locusts, they were destroying human beings instead.


    Boom!! Boom!! The now prepared Vatican soldiers revealed trump cards at such a frightening frequency, burning money like their Major as if they were just beans and chocolates.


    Of all the terrorists who stayed behind at the enormous base, only the Commander was fortunate enough to escape. Every other living thing, even the animals they kept for food died without exception.


    The anger of the Vatican soldiers was felt tangibly in the air, as the smell of blood grew higher and higher by the second.


    The only reason why the terrorist Commander was able to escape was that he never once dropped his guard after returning from the battle. Clark¡¯s metal mechanical platform spooked him so much, that he could hardly rest his nerves and still rapidly beating heart.


    The paranoia that originally annoyed him now became his saving grace, as he became the only survivor of base 54 of the Persian tigers'' organization.


    After the battle came to an end, the Vatican soldiers stood in a daze as they looked at the aftermath of their actions. They were still surprised by what they were able to achieve.


    Not once in the history of Vatican City was it recorded that they ever wiped a terrorist base of the Persian tigers, not to talk of a base as enormous and big as this. It was unsurprising that they felt proud.


    As they slowly calmed down, they finally directed their gaze to the one who orchestrated all these. Without their Major, they would have never vented their anger and gotten their rightful revenge.


    Before, they repeatedly bottled the anger in and endured when such situations happened, but they could finally taste the wonderful feeling of getting revenge.


    ¡°It is so sweet¡±.


    As the soldiers raided the terrorist base to loot the resources inside, Clark stood at an elevated platform in the base, looking outwards at the horizon with an unfathomable look on his face. He already deactivated his giant metal platform.


    A thoughtful expression was on his face. No one knew what he was thinking about, but the soldiers made sure to carve this picture in their heads. Perhaps, in the future, they could brag to others about having the privilege to see this live.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 190: the deep dark secrets of the spartan republic

    An hour after the soldiers who followed Clark to destroy the terrorist base came back from their aggressive pursuit, the aftermath of the destruction wrath by the terrorists gradually started being curbed.


    Medical practitioners around the city were mobilized, as help finally started being rendered to the injured.


    Every hospital that was close by became overwhelmed with patients, as they strained their resources to treat so many injured and traumatized people.


    The families who went through and survived the trauma of the attack were quickly isolated after quick treatments, to undergo elaborate psychological examination by the hospitals¡¯ psychiatrists and psychologists.


    As the medical officials did their jobs, cleaning bots also arrived to remove all the blood that dyed the roads. Vatican City suddenly felt like a city that was recovering from a pandemic, as recovery activities went on in full swing.


    The news media was banned from broadcasting the news for now. Though they were frustrated, they did not dare disobey as this was a direct order from their Major, Clark himself.


    As all these commotions from the recovery procedures went on, Clark finally went inside a room at one of the better equipped and developed hospitals. Like the others, he also sustained injuries from the attack, though they were far milder.


    The only thing that showed that he was injured was the small bandage that was attached to the corner of his forehead.


    This was the only glaring injury that he sustained from the attack, and it was when the terrorist Commander dominated him in their small duel before he got his trump cards.


    After entering the room, the door was quickly shut close as he trudged directly to the chair placed at the center of the room. Seeing him enter, 5 figures in the room stood up to greet him.


    After receiving treatment from the doctors who attended to him, he already changed into his Spartan army uniform. The golden colors of the uniform paired with his frightening gloomy face formed an unpleasant contrast.


    As soon as he sat down on the chair, he inclined his head to the side, supported it with his left hand before looking deep into the eyes of the 5 leading commissioners of the city.


    ¡°Tell me¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The one with the most authority among them quickly responded politely, as he could see that their leader was still pissed off from the attack.


    ¡°After a proxy statistic was made, our A. I processed the damage reports and estimated that the dead civilians are approximately 5000. 4200 deaths have already been confirmed, the status of the others is still unknown¡±.


    ¡°Our soldiers are working at full capacity to excavate and rescue anyone that was trapped from the destruction caused by the attack¡±.


    ¡°Of the 4200 dead, 1200 are adult males, 1843 are adult females, the remaining 1157 are children and teenagers¡±.


    After saying all these, the commissioner paused a bit on seeing his leader¡¯s expression, allowing him to digest the information before he could continue.


    Hearing all these statistics, though Clark already expected it, he still felt crushed and sad. His straight shoulders and muscle-filled figure backdropped a bit, as he leaned back on his chair while closing his eyes to regulate his emotions.


    He faintly felt like this attack was because of neglect on his part. Though he always knew that the threat of the Persian tigers was there, he never really took it seriously.


    Till now, he still took overthrowing the big 5 as his only goal, while neglecting the immediate problem of the Persian tigers¡¯ organization that was supposed to be his priority.


    This was when he knew that his scale of preference in terms of priorities was heavily skewed and flawed. He should have placed the terrorists as his top priority for now, and the big 5 as his secondary priority.


    A lot of things went through his mind in these short few seconds, as the silence stretched infinitely making the room suddenly seem like a graveyard.


    After thinking through a lot of things and finally recollecting his thoughts and emotions a bit, he sighed before opening his eyes and staring at the silent commissioners again.


    ¡°Continue¡±.


    Seeing that he did not flip out immediately as feared, the leader of the commissioners heaved a sigh of relief inwardly before he continued.


    ¡°Ok, sir¡±.


    ¡°According to our economic processing A. Is, it is estimated that the damage caused to the 4 towns that were attacked has stacked up to over 12,000,000 Spartan credits¡±.


    ¡°Though our budget for terrorist attacks is enough to solve the financial problem, it will still strain us economically¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, use the loot that we got from the terrorist base to cover it up. I believe that it is enough to cover the costs¡±. Clark quickly interjected, canceling that problem with a wave of his hand.


    Hearing what he said, the commissioners were shocked as they all looked at him incredulously.


    ¡°You are not taking the loot?¡±


    Hearing this and seeing their expressions, Clark¡¯s face darkened a bit as he easily grasped their thought processes.


    ¡°What do you all take me for? Do you think that I¡¯ll be thinking of profiting when my citizens suffered so much in just a day?¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir, we misunderstood you¡±.


    A weird but badly hidden smile outlined the commissioner¡¯s faces, as they quickly started filling him on all the information that he needed to know.


    Though they have never served under a leader before, they saw in other territories enough to know that they got a very nice leader. They never knew that the feeling of having a caring and reliable leader was so cushy cushy and nice.


    It took another 15 minutes before they finally explained everything about the current condition of the 4 attacked cities to Clark.


    After getting answers to almost everything that he needed, Clark nodded before suddenly sitting straighter on his chair. He wanted to find an answer to a puzzling question that he was thinking of since when he just destroyed the terrorist base.


    ¡°Commissioners¡­, I need nothing but the truth from you all. Tell me, how were the terrorists able to invade the city and attack without any single intelligence unit detecting it¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me this time, I want the truth. I¡¯m not completely ignorant, I know that my city has better equipment and detection abilities than the terrorists¡±.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way they can invade so easily with their abilities. This is not the main mobile base of the Persian tigers; this is a goddamn side base. Tell me how this happened¡±.


    Nearing the end of his query, his voice slightly grew louder due to his agitated feelings before turning into a growl.


    Hearing such an unexpected question from their Major, the commissioners were caught off guard and were stumped. They had to receive another prompting from Clark again before they reacted.


    ¡°Umm, sir, this is a very controversial topic¡±.


    ¡°I said don¡¯t bullshit me!!¡± Clark raged as he stood up from his chair, startling the 5 commissioners who immediately cowered back¡±.


    ¡°Oh¡­, ok, sir¡±.


    After taking a moment to calm his nerves, the leader of the commissioners finally spoke out again. They have never seen Clark rage at them, the first time was always the most shocking.


    He activated his jamming device to prevent snooping eyes, as he spoke out with a solemn expression on his face.


    ¡°Sir, as I said, this is a very controversial topic. If you have been keeping note of the happenings in the city, and even the whole republic, I believe that you would have already noticed the strange happenings¡±.


    He took a moment to organize his wordings, adjusted his suit that was now a little covered with sweat before continuing with a slight cough.


    ¡°There are some deep dark secrets of the republic that are safer if kept hidden where they belong. Though we are in the era of exotics and technology, it''s not only soldiers that own all the powers of the republic¡±.


    ¡°There are some people that I don¡¯t know their names that have most of the powers to the governing of the republic in their hands, every decision-making power is not at the palms of our President alone¡±.


    ¡°Though I don¡¯t have much information due to my lowly status compared to them, it is clear that they are not exactly the most peaceful type. If they want chaos to advance their endeavors, then the chaos will fill the country¡±.


    ¡°They have delegates and followers in every city of the republic, so their influence is equal to the President¡¯s, if not stronger. They decide what we are and what we see every day¡±.


    ¡°Sir, please, don¡¯t force me further. Even with all these jamming devices activated, I cannot guarantee that we are not being monitored¡±.


    ¡°I believe that with the little that I already said, you can connect the dots and answer the question that you asked yourself¡±.


    Hearing this mind-blowing information that just dropped from nowhere like a nuclear bomb, Clark could not help but just watch his commissioners in a daze. His brain quickly went to work and started analyzing different things.


    ¡°No wonder¡±.


    He felt like this information that he just heard was the piece of the puzzle that he was looking for all along. If this was true, then most of his confusions and speculations were all finally answered and clarified.


    After he became a 2nd rank high-grade soldier and returned home from the Mediterranean Sea, he started observing and discovering some problems that he originally overlooked.


    As he grew in influence and power, he also finally started seeing the real depths of how powerful his country actually was.


    With his current knowledge about military power, he was sure that if Sparta really wanted it, they could mobilize in large numbers and wipe out the whole Persian tigers¡¯ organization in less than a month.


    Though the terrorists were strong, compared to the might of the Spartan republic, they were just like bulldogs challenging a lion to a duel.


    After pairing this puzzle with the piece of knowledge that he just got from his commissioners, he finally answered his question.


    ¡°So, these mysterious people are the people who are secretly protecting and funding the terrorists from the dark. How strong are they that they can do something so terrible against a whole country?¡±


    ¡°Can Leonidas not wipe them out? Do they have more power over the country than him?¡±


    Though he got the knowledge that some strong people in the dark were the ones probably orchestrating the tyranny of the terrorists, he was not afraid, his curiosity to know these hidden behemoths only grew.


    He wanted to know what gave them the guts to use their fellow human beings like chess pieces to further their motives.


    Seeing that the incredulous and thinking expression on his face subsided a bit, the leader of the commissioners finally spoke out again in a significantly more timid tone this time.


    ¡°Sir, the time for your press conference is now. The Vatican citizens need reassurance from you to calm their hearts that they are finally safe¡±.


    Clark finally snapped out of his thoughtful daze, as he nodded to show that he understood before standing up. In this short moment that he internalized this new information, he already came to some crucial decisions.


    Bzzz!! As he took a step forward to go outside the room, he was stopped by the sound of his military encrypted communication device ringing.


    Taking it out, he sighed on seeing the person who called. He could already imagine how flustered Rose would be, hearing that he went with his soldiers to hunt down the terrorists to their base.


    ¡°Please, give me a moment. I will be there shortly¡±.


    The 5 commissioners acknowledged immediately, as they all left the hall with monotonous and awkward footsteps.


    As Clark was about to answer the call, he was surprised as the communication device indicated that another person was calling at the same time. Seeing the person¡¯s identity, he was even more surprised.


    ¡°Leo called?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 191: press conference poking a hornets nest

    Seeing that the second call was from his best friend, Clark was at first surprised as Leo was supposed to still be in his military checkpoint at this time of the day.


    Despite his surprise, he did not waste any time contemplating before dumping his personal assistant¡¯s call and answering the incoming call of his best friend.


    ¡°Hello, Clark¡­¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here¡±.


    Though Clark really wanted to strike a joke at his friend the way he normally did, he could not bring himself to do it after everything that happened today. He just kept quiet after replying, waiting for his best friend to initiate the conversation.


    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t know if this is the perfect moment to call. If you are busy, you can just indicate, I¡¯ll call later¡±.


    ¡°It''s ok, Leo. Tell me why you called, every other thing can wait¡±.


    ¡°Ok. I¡¯m sorry bro, I just saw the news about what happened to your home city, that¡¯s why I called. I didn¡¯t know that the Persian tiger¡¯s organization can be so unbridled in such a big city¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come to meet you later in the day. If you need any help, you can just indicate, I¡¯m always here for you. I just hope that you don¡¯t let this setback hold you down¡±.


    Hearing his best friend¡¯s words, Clark went silent for a moment as he tried to control his emotions.


    Though he always felt that he needed no one¡¯s comfort since his parent¡¯s died, Leo¡¯s words just gave him a wake-up call to the fact that he was lying to himself.


    Since his parents died, he had never really been in a situation that needed someone¡¯s comfort. Leo¡¯s words of comfort seemed filled with mysterious powers, as most of his anguish at the attack faded away like the wind.


    A good friend who helps and comforts you in a time of need is pricelessly precious. Today was when he verified this saying, his whole being felt privileged and grateful to hear these surprising words from his best friend.


    ¡°Clark¡­, are you still there?¡± Leo finally asked again, after not gaining any reaction from his friend for about a minute.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here¡­¡± After saying this, he paused again to reorganize his thoughts before adding.


    ¡°Leo¡­, thank you, I really appreciate it¡±.


    ¡°Oh, welcome. For what actually¡±.


    Clark chuckled on hearing this. ¡°Bro, for everything. For being my best friend, for being there when I need you the most. Thank you¡±.


    ¡°Umm, wel¡­come¡±.


    ¡°Please, keep your promise and come later in the day, I want us to spend some time together¡±.


    Noticing that his friend already recovered his usual cheerful mood a bit, Leo finally sighed in relief.


    ¡°Ok, Clark. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll surely come¡±.


    ¡°And, will you still be available for us to go to the Spartan army exobeast training base? You originally said that we¡¯ll go in 2 days¡±.


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go. Just come to meet me first. I have to go now, I have a press conference to attend, see you later bro¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, see you later¡±.


    After hanging up the call, a cheerful smile outlined Clark¡¯s face for the first time since the day started before walking to the entrance of the room with wide strides.


    As he walked, his encrypted communication device buzzed again, indicating another incoming call. This was when he remembered that he snubbed Rose earlier.


    He chuckled on imagining how flustered she probably was currently, before answering the incoming call.


    ¡°Hi, Rose¡±.


    ¡°Ah, boss, you finally picked up. I heard about the terrorist attack, you shouldn¡¯t be directly placing yourself in such dangerous situations again, you¡¯re now a big shot. Are you hurt? Is anything wrong? Are you in the hospital?


    ¡°Rose, I¡¯m fine. Just a little bruise here and there, nothing serious¡±.


    ¡°Phew¡­, boss you scared the crap out of me. Please, I¡¯m your personal assistant, try to ask for my opinions and advise at times before embarking on your risky missions¡±.


    Clark chuckled again on hearing this, before placating her and maneuvering his way to quickly end the call.


    After finally ending the call with his nagging assistant, he finally started walking to the door in peace. Recalling her extreme reaction, his thoughts could not help but become naughty.


    ¡°Does she have a crush on me already?¡±


    Finding it funny that he even had such a controversial thought, he quickly discarded it to the back of his mind before opening the door.


    Coming out, he was surprised to see the 5 commissioners still waiting diligently outside the room even with all the time he spent taking his calls.


    He felt a little guilty about seeing them like this, but he didn¡¯t apologize openly, he just patted the nearest one to show that he was no longer angry before going outside the hospital with them in tow.


    Getting outside the hospital, he was a little surprised as a mob of people already gathered outside its fence, spreading widely across the street.


    Though the city was still recovering from the attack, the civilians that came out unscathed still wanted to hear reassuring words from their leader directly before they could finally go back home with peace of mind.


    Clark did not waste time, as he directly went to the makeshift podium that was hastily organized by the hospital for the press conference.


    After climbing the podium, with a solemn expression on his face, he finally turned to face the civilians that were looking at him with looks of expectations.


    ¡°My fellow Vatican citizens¡­, I¡¯m sorry that you all had to witness such a black day in the history of my reign as your leader¡±.


    ¡°I feel devastated when I think of all the innocents that died today to the unbridled attack of the terrorists, I don¡¯t know how best to express how sorry I am to them¡±.


    ¡°Though I feel a lot of regret at all the deaths, I feel even more anger for the terrorists who dared to spread their destruction tentacles to my territory¡±.


    ¡°Like most of you already noticed, yes, I led our soldiers after stabilizing the situation here and pursued the terrorists all the way back to their base camp that was hidden deep in the forest¡±.


    ¡°After a fierce battle that involved a lot of deaths, with the help of my soldiers, I finally wiped out the sub-base of the Persian tiger¡¯s organization¡±.


    ¡°Despite all the sorrow and gloom today, this is one of the only reasons that made me cheer up today. With the selfless sacrifice of thousands of our soldiers, we were able to kill every terrorist, excluding only their Commander¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is for all the families whose relatives died today. I want you not to lose faith in the city because of this, think of all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to wrath revenge for them, and get optimistic from it¡±.


    ¡°I need you all to know that no matter what problem and setback are thrown at us, I, your leader, Major Clark, I am always ready to remain at the helm and fight on your behalf¡±.


    ¡°Before I leave, I want to use this opportunity to address the terrorists¡±.


    ¡°Persian tigers or pussies, whatever you call yourselves, I want you all to get it into your thickheads that I will be coming after you. Don¡¯t ever try probing my territory again, your fate would be worse than this base that dared¡±.


    ¡°And to those powerful figures who think you can control the fate of my city with just a word, I also want to address you that you don¡¯t have that right yet¡±.


    ¡°No matter how powerful you are, this is a warning to you all, I am not afraid of you, don¡¯t ever try it in my territory again. I believe that the President will also watch this, so don¡¯t try anything nefarious against me¡±.


    ¡°President Leonidas is the leader of my country, not whoever you call yourselves. Draw boundaries now or you will regret it, I will not cower before you like other leaders¡±.


    As Clark said all these, the 5 commissioners who stood behind him were already shocked beyond measures as their eyes widened to the limits.


    ¡°God!! We doomed our Major. We shouldn¡¯t have told him¡±.


    Though Clark felt a lot of apprehension and dread when he thought of making this decision, he still decided to address these powerful figures that were manipulating from the dark.


    There was no way that he would let them f*CK him over, and also f*CK his city over while he would remain silent because of fear.


    That was the reason why he took the soldier career, to get strong enough and protect things close to him and his interests. If he did not even have the guts to face these powerful figures, then his dream of overthrowing the rule of the big 5 would just be a farce.


    Though he knew that his decision would probably lead to a lot of bad consequences, he still made it. No matter how powerful these people were, he believed that President Leonidas was still the one ruling Sparta.


    There was no way that the President would let these figures freely assassinate a soldier with potential like him. That was his belief, he let every other thing to fate.


    As soon as he left the podium, the news of his press conference swept across the whole city like a plague through the internet, the various social media platforms, and the popular news media.


    News of their Major tyrannically destroying such a large Persian tigers¡¯ base dominated everywhere. His last words, though most people did not understand it, they still dwelled a lot on it.


    As all these happened, he finally got on his way back to his mansion. He wanted to get set to receive his friend.


    ¡­


    As expected, the same hour that Clark made the press conference, the news got to the higher-ups of the Spartan republic.


    In an extremely luxurious room that exuded a very scholarly vibe, an old man with huge and well-trimmed white beards sat on a golden kingly chair while watching the recorded press conference.


    An interesting smile lit his face, as his deep all-knowing eyes scrutinized this young soldier that dared to declare an indirect confrontation against them.


    ¡°Hmmm, what an interesting fella¡±. He muttered while maintaining the strange smile on his face that could send creeps down anyone who stood near him.


    ¡°Another fool finally emerged who is challenging territories that are far above him, I always said that all soldiers are idiots. The headstrong Leonidas being the most extreme of them all¡±.


    ¡°Soldiers ruling this country was the biggest mistake that we made since its inception. Well, we didn¡¯t have a choice during that period of war. The great battle of supremacy is really a bastard¡±.


    ¡°Well, as this guy is looking for death, I would gladly grant it to him. The only problem is¡­, he was clever enough to add Leonidas¡¯s name to draw his attention as a layer of protection¡±.


    ¡°Hmmm, even if I can¡¯t kill you openly, I can still do it discretely¡±.


    He suddenly turned his head to the middle-aged man that stood silently beside him, since he started watching the brat¡¯s press conference.


    ¡°I heard that Rashford initiated a dangerous mission that is related to the frontier, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. The soldiers for the mission are already decided¡±.


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s no problem. Go and include this boy¡¯s name among the soldiers, I want to see if he can survive the frontier. He won¡¯t have the strength to spout such nonsense then¡±.


    ¡°Sir, but the Pres¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I know that Leonidas would object. Just help me call the others to solicit their help. With all of us involved, Leonidas¡¯s choices are limited¡±.


    ¡°Ok sir, I¡¯ll implement it immediately¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 192: a new mission

    After Clark finished the press conference, on getting back inside the hospital, the 5 commissioners gathered their willpower and confronted him. They felt that their Major was going towards a dead end if they did not intervene.


    Despite all their talks and how excessively they emphasized how dangerous his decision was, he still stood his ground and refuted all their persuasive points.


    In the end, they could only give up with dismay still apparent on their faces. Clark spent no further time with them, as he quickly left the hospital the next moment.


    Though it was always good to get a record of your losses after every battle, he didn¡¯t want to do it now as the day¡¯s happenings still bugged him. The commissioners¡¯ words even disturbed him more.


    Despite his reluctance to do it, he knew that his losses today probably crossed the 10,000,000 credits range. He could not help but sigh on thinking of how money is hard to get, but can easily drain after one fierce use.


    Going to the garage of the hospital, he finally reconvened with his exotic car again. He smiled as he advanced closer to touch its smooth and undamaged surface, before slipping inside it.


    Zoom!! Its powerful engines quickly powered up after being ignited, before reversing and driving out of the hospital compound.


    Getting outside, he took a bit of time as through the regional soldier¡¯s help, he finally navigated through the large mob of Vatican civilians.


    It took him about only 10 minutes before he finally arrived back at his mansion. His mansion¡¯s A. I-controlled gate opened up after detecting his arrival, as he quickly drove in to meet a surprising sight.


    He was visibly surprised on driving in, as he saw an organized assembly formed by his workers to welcome him.


    Suppressing his surprise as this was a first, he finally stopped his car at the front of the mansion, gave it an order to park itself at the underground garage before finally coming out.


    On coming out, one of the more luxuriously dressed workers among his assembly of workers came out to meet him. Seeing her at a closer range and recognizing her, he chuckled as he finally understood.


    ¡°Rose, you really like stirring trouble when there is none. Why gather all the workers just to welcome me? Am I coming back from a holiday?¡±


    Like she didn¡¯t hear what he just said, his personal assistant came closer before dropping herself a bit and greeting the lady¡¯s way. ¡°Welcome back, boss¡±.


    ¡°Welcome back, boss!!¡± The workers quickly echoed after her the next second.


    Seeing this, Clark¡¯s mouth twitched as he could not help but cringe a bit. ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    Though his thoughts said a different thing, he didn¡¯t express it as he had to acknowledge their effort at caring a bit. After controlling himself, he finally answered them with an awkward laugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, thanks for your care. Ok, I¡¯ve seen it, go, go and continue your works¡±.


    ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve already finished every pending task for the day¡±.


    ¡°Oh, ok, then go play. Play games, do anything, you are humans. Don¡¯t kill yourself with work, work, and work every time¡±.


    ¡°Hmm, ok sir¡±.


    After the large assembly of workers left, Clark finally heaved a sigh of relief before turning to glare at his mischievous personal assistant. Though he was caught off guard, he had to admit that this did a good job in brightening his mood.


    ¡°What? What did I do?¡±


    Ignoring her poor attempt at feigning ignorance, he poked her shoulders with his broad hands, earning a blush on her face before finally telling her to set the mansion for his friend¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°Oh, Staff Sergeant Leo is coming. I¡¯ll prepare everything¡±.


    With that, she quickly left, disappearing inside the mansion. Clark chuckled before also going straight to his room to rest his aching back and muscles.


    ¡­


    2 hours later, when it was already evening, Leo finally arrived in his car at his best friend¡¯s mansion.


    His welcome was even grander than the one Clark received back in the day, as the workers welcomed him with so much grandeur like he was a king. He could only curse his shameless friend, as he went inside the mansion.


    He was dressed in a casual pair of black jean trousers with a red polo shirt. With his well-chiseled face and nice physique, he looked just like a model.


    As he walked inside the large mansion, he could not help but secretly admire his surroundings. He sighed after taking in everything, his best friend was really already in a realm of his own compared to him.


    Clark already knew it the moment his friend arrived, so he came out to meet him the next second.


    This time, he was no longer moody. After exchanging jabs and their usual jokes at each other, they both quickly entered the mansion.


    Clark treated his friend to a nice meal, a nice talk session in the process about life, before finally taking him to tour around his large mansion.


    It was already years since he last felt it, but spending so much alone time with his best friend succeeded in bringing back the vibe that made him feel like they were twin brothers.


    Leo acted very modestly and cute, as he meekly asked his best friend questions on what he didn¡¯t know about in the mansion.


    They cracked jokes about each other¡¯s love life, career life, and daily life, making them erupt into occasional bursts of loud unrestrained laughter. They relived their cadet training days in just an hour.


    When they got to the large technologically decorated and well-designed underground garage, Leo was wowed on seeing how luxurious and equipped it was. It was a luxurious haven of a garage.


    Leaving there, they walked around the other noteworthy areas of the mansion. They visited the chef building, where they took a small taste of the juicy specialties of the mansion¡¯s chef.


    Clark suggested that they visit the dueling room to duel next, but Leo quickly shot down the suggestion. He was not a masochist. He instead suggested that they do a small-scale car race at the tracks connected around the mansion.


    The outcome of the race was easily evident, as Clark¡¯s machine easily dwarfed his best friend¡¯s. They both felt like kids, as they did any naughty thing that came to their brain.


    After all these, getting to the mansion¡¯s large swimming pool, they both stripped, leaving only their underwear¡¯s and dived in immediately.


    They used this to chill, rest, and cool down, but their kid mentality at the moment kicked up again. The cooling down soon turned into a swimming contest, whose results were controversial to both of them.


    After tiring themselves, they finally gave up on their child-like competitions. They just cooled down there, watching the sun slowly set as the darkness of the evening heralding the night slowly came.


    As the day darkened, the lights of the mansion quickly switched on, illuminating everywhere with their powerful glows.


    This was when they finally came out of the swimming pool, their bodies already soaked in the water enough. Instead of going back inside the mansion, at Leo¡¯s suggestion, they went to the nearby artificially grown forest inside the mansion compound instead.


    After putting their clothes back on and going deeper inside the forest, they found a random spot before casually sitting on the earthy floor.


    Using a coin toss method, Leo was selected to go climb and pluck fruits from the nearby trees. After 2 minutes of doing this, he returned with a sizeable number of mangoes, oranges, and other varieties of fruits.


    Sitting back down, they both munched happily on the fruits in silence. Only the creaking sounds of crickets, croaking sounds of frogs, and other random animal sounds dominated the night.


    ¡°Clark¡±.


    ¡°Yes, bro¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re really a big shot now. Look at your big mansion, look at your workers, look at your followers, look at your personal assistant, a beauty, you¡¯re blessed bro. I¡¯m sincerely happy for you¡±.


    ¡°Back then, 3 years ago, we came here with Benny in tow as soldiers who just graduated, now you¡¯re the leader of the whole Vatican City territory¡±.


    ¡°Then, you were just the day-to-day Penrabbit talkative bastard. Now, you¡¯re the great Major Clark, with many legends in the republic¡±.


    ¡°You even have many nicknames, the magician, the stranded dragon. Damn, man you¡¯re a beast¡±.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s funny bro. You¡¯re also now a Staff Sergeant, I never once thought that then drunken hands would end up being able to lead so many soldiers to battle. You command respect now bro¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯ve started again, call me that nickname again and I¡¯ll skin you alive. Don¡¯t dare call that in front of my wife¡±.


    ¡°Woah, you¡¯re already calling her your wife. Kate is still just your girlfriend bro, what a shameless bastard you are¡±.


    ¡°Haha, that status would soon change¡±.


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re already thinking of marriage at this age, 21???¡±


    ¡°How old do you want me to be first, I¡¯m not like some extreme soldiers of the republic who get old before marrying, I¡¯m a cool guy, you know. The date of the joining together is still under consideration¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re so decisive man, I envy you. Is that how her charm has completely bewitched you already? I thought we agreed to be single forever¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Not me and you¡±.


    ¡°Hahaha, I got you¡±.


    As they both discussed and laughed in a nostalgic mood, the fruits slowly reduced at a steady rate. They didn¡¯t even have to look for their hand to locate what they wanted.


    ¡°Bro, let¡¯s play chess. It¡¯s been long since we did, do you remember back then in our cadet training days. I always won; you were always the sorry loser¡±. Clark suddenly brought a new topic.


    ¡°What a beautiful night sky¡±.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t divert the topic, let¡¯s play chess¡±.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    As they both bickered, the bright headlights of a car suddenly started illuminating their surroundings as the car slowly drove nearer, stopping their random blabbering.


    After getting to their positions and parking at the side, the car¡¯s door opened, revealing Kate who was dressed in a casual tight short skirt and top.


    Seeing the questioning look on her boss¡¯s face, she smiled before waving his encrypted communication device at him.


    ¡°Uggh, not now. Please go, I¡¯ll answer the call later¡±. Clark quickly interjected before she came closer, on seeing the communication device.


    ¡°Sorry for disturbing your cheeky get-together with your best friend, but this is a call directly from the Spartan army headquarters¡±.


    Clark¡¯s casual expression suddenly became serious on hearing this, as he wondered why a call would come from the Spartan army to him at such a late time of the night.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    Suppressing his doubt, he stood up and took the communicator device before going to the corner. The call took 15 minutes away from his time before he finally turned back to his friend.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Seeing his expression, Leo asked curiously.


    ¡°A new mission¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 193: volume 3 the frontier

    After Clark finished explaining the information, he got from the call that transpired between him and the communication official of the Spartan army, both Leo and Rose were shocked as they kept quiet in contemplation.


    Clark was also surprised, as he did not expect an official of the Spartan army to act so rudely to him despite his current status.


    According to the male voice from the other end of the call, he was nominated and selected for an extremely important mission, and that he should immediately report to the Spartan army headquarters the next day.


    When he queried why his opinion was not asked before being selected for a mission, the man from the other end refused to answer. The man rudely told him to inquire when he reported to the army ground, before cutting the call connection the next second.


    Though he felt a little irritated and angered, he suppressed his emotions before thinking of what he was just told.


    Normally, on every occasion, no matter the significance of the mission, the opinion of a soldier is always asked before being included to participate in any mission.


    The decision of participating in a mission is still the soldiers to make, not the army, that is a strong rule of the republic that is hardly broken.


    Even when he was still just a Sergeant, his opinion was still asked before he joined the Spartan¡¯s rage mission, despite its immense importance.


    This sudden news was so abrupt that he felt something suspicious behind it. And it was exactly the same day that he ended his press conference, where he challenged the supposed hidden manipulators ruling the republic.


    ¡°Clark, do you think it''s because of what you said in your press conference today?¡± Leo finally asked after contemplating further on the situation.


    As a soldier who had more serving experience under the republic than his friend, he was more conversant with the rules governing missions. He also knew of the republic¡¯s manipulators that hid and controlled from the dark.


    In his 4 years of service, never had he heard of nor seen any soldier that was included in a squad participating in a mission without his/her consent. This was an obvious travesty of the law.


    Listening to the words of the 2 soldiers, Rose was already feeling tense and worried as her imaginations went wild, painting a random picture of the situation her boss was currently in.


    As she was not a soldier, she could barely understand most of the terms that they used in their discussions. Despite this, she was perceptive enough to know that her boss was in trouble.


    ¡°Who did boss offend?¡± She felt genuinely scared. She didn¡¯t even know why she was this scared, she was just scared. Her emotions were already in a jumbled-up mess.


    In all these conundrums, what made Clark more shocked was the fact that this mission¡¯s location was the dreaded frontier. As someone with an implant, he knew of such commonly famous information.


    The frontier, though it sounded a little mysterious, it actually referred to the most dangerous locations on the present-day earth. The term was categorized into 2 by the people who made it, being the Space and the special earth locations.


    Space referred to the normal vacuum space, being the outside universe, the milky way galaxy, and the 9 known planets.


    After so many years of rapid development, humanity¡¯s achievements and discoveries in space were already significantly ahead of what seemed impossible in the 21st century.


    Currently, every country with high-grade military strength and above had a special military station in each of the 7 explored planets. The large gaseous Jupiter and the extremely cold Pluto were the only hard nuts that have not been cracked.


    Well, although information about the Space exploration progress was numerous, Clark didn¡¯t have the leisure of recalling such random information as the location of this new mission was indicated to be in the special earth locations.


    Just like the dangerous uncharted territories of space, the special earth locations were the 2nd most dangerous regions of the present-day earth. Like the name suggested, these were locations that were directly here, on the planet.


    Due to the appearance and discovery of exotics, as technical skill and development skyrocketed, so did the danger and extremities of nature also skyrocketed.


    Though researchers have not come to a definite verdict for the cause yet, after the discovery of exotics, it became glaringly evident that natural disasters became more powerful and impactful.


    An earthquake of a frequency that was supposed to originally level a 2km area, can now level a 10km area in this age of exotics and technology. This was just a small description of the spike in the power of nature.


    Of the special earth locations, the most well-known and dreaded were the big Mountain Everest and the large Sahara Desert. There were countless other death zone locations, but these 2 were the most dangerous.


    Though Clark always loved the prospect of going for a new challenge, this did not mean that he became an idiotic battle maniac who mindlessly looked for danger.


    With his current strength, he was not confident at all of surviving in extreme regions such as the now dreaded Mountain Everest or the Sahara Desert. What made him more angered and pissed off was the fact that no one even asked for his opinion about it.


    Inside him, he felt a little excitement at the prospect of going, but because this was forced on him, his rebellious spirit was already aroused. He inwardly vowed to not go on this mission.


    ¡°Even if I originally wanted to go, because you forced me, I¡¯ll stubbornly remain in my current position. What can you do about it?¡±


    Due to his military obligations and restrictions, he could not explain everything to his friend despite him being a soldier also. Though he explained only a filtered little from what he just learned, his friend was still able to understand his current plight.


    ¡°Clark, what will you do? You¡¯re not ready for this, I highly advise against it¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Leo, this time, I won¡¯t be going. No one can force me; I have my rights as a Spartan soldier¡±.


    After taking some more time to organize his thoughts, he suggested to his friend that they should go back to his mansion. Leo had no objections as they both entered the car, letting Rose drive them out of the forest.


    As the car drove back, no one spoke out, everywhere was silent as Clark made use of this opportunity to think further on what he should do.


    Originally, he had confidence that no one could violate his rights as a soldier. But thinking of the fact that the hidden influential typhoons were probably the ones who arranged this, he could not help but doubt himself.


    Their efficiency and decisiveness scared the hell out of him. He wanted to calm his nerves and remain strong, but the restlessness slowly growing in him could not be suppressed.


    He suddenly grabbed his military encrypted communication device, hesitated for a moment before dialing General Maks number.


    General Maks Vincent and General Oxford were the 2 influential soldiers that he was familiar and close with, so he thought of them immediately when he sought help.


    Riii¡­!! Riii¡­!! The call rang for dozens of minutes, but the General did not pick up, bringing his already agitated self, more restlessness. He thought that he was already an adult, but this sudden setback brought him back to the painful truth that he was still susceptible to fear.


    As soon as he got back to his mansion, his assistant offered to take Leo to the room prepared for him, but he insisted that Leo should stay in his room, which his friend easily agreed on.


    As friends who spent most of their years as cadets and soldiers staying in one room, they were already used to each other¡¯s company. The 3 years of separation did little in breaking this bond.


    Leo understood that his friend was currently fragile emotionally, so he just sighed on getting to the luxurious room before carelessly dropping into the even more luxurious king-sized bed.


    He just wanted to sleep away from all his problems. After spending so much time with his friend, their bond already re-ignited, so the luxury all around did not deter him again. This was his house; his best friend¡¯s property was his.


    Thinking of how the problems that his friend faced daily increased steadily with his status, he could not help but like the fact that he was still a 1st rank high-grade soldier.


    Getting to a higher rank and having more status was definitely impressive but added with all the problems that followed, he felt that it suddenly seemed much less attractive.


    He paid no more attention to his friend that was still pacing around the room, before slowly falling into the cushy embrace of sleep.


    Clark noticed as soon as his best friend fell asleep, but he hardly cared as his thoughts still resolved on the call that he received. After trying General Mark¡¯s number again without any success, he finally called General Oxford.


    Just like with the other General, General Oxford¡¯s was even worse as the connection got cut off immediately, saying that the General¡¯s number was busy.


    ¡°How can they both be busy at the same time. This is not a coincidence¡±.


    As his situation became more and more apparent that it was a consequence of his actions back in the day, instead of worrying further, he forced himself and gradually started calming down.


    He spoke out for his city even though he knew that there would probably be retaliation. He made this decision himself, despite the consequence coming faster than he predicted, he was not a scaredy Clark, he was a daring Clark.


    He quickly erased any negative thoughts from his head, changed from his clothes into new clean night pajamas, before plopping down on the bed to sleep beside his friend.


    As he said, this was the reason why he trained to be a soldier. He would not allow himself to cower, no matter how many fiery darts his opponents hurl at him.


    ¡°Tomorrow, everything will become clear. Let me really see how much power these bastards hold over the republic¡±.


    With this thought, he slowly started feeling the exhaustion of his activities throughout the evening with his friend seep in. just like someone under the influence of drugs, his eyelids blinked a few times before finally closing.


    ¡°F*ck you, bastards. F*ck you, bastards¡±. Curse words at his oppressors subconsciously came out of his mouth, as he joined his friend in the dreamy land of sleep.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Hey guys, I want to use this medium to appreciate all my readers, I''m really happy and proud to meet you all. To me, it''s like a dream come true, I finally entered volume 3 of my first ever book. Congratulations to you and me, I hope you all enjoyed the ride so far. I promise that it will only get better and better. A flying kiss from me to you all, thanks again.]

 Chapter 194: is this farewell

    Early in the morning the next day, Clark woke up with the early birds. Though he had a good night''s sleep, he could not stop the phobia of what he was about to face from affecting him.


    When he got up, due to the little disturbance that he caused, his friend also quickly woke up.


    They both exchanged buddy greetings, went to the brushing machine to go brush their teeth before going to the bathroom together. It took them less than 5 minutes before they emerged clean and fresh like live vegetables.


    They took a few more minutes to get dressed, then eat and settle every other morning necessity before finally getting ready to go. From the time that they woke up till now, they only spent about 30 minutes, which was average for boys.


    They didn¡¯t care about this trivial matter though, as Leo finally turned to face his friend with a conflicted expression on his face.


    ¡°Today is the day you originally proposed for us to go to the Spartan army exobeast training base together. Bro, I wish you luck in whatever will happen, but I don¡¯t want you to leave like 3 years ago. It was traumatic to me¡±.


    Clark sighed on hearing this from his friend, he was slightly even expecting it. He had never felt this uncertain about any situation in years, he also hoped for the best.


    Though saying it was a traumatic experience to him was exaggerating, he still felt bad about being separated from his friend years ago.


    ¡°Leo, don¡¯t worry. I think my prestige means something even to the higher-ups of the republic, I¡¯ll try my best to avoid the mission¡±.


    ¡°Knock!!¡± ¡°Knock!!¡± As they both exchanged these ominous farewell words, the door to the room suddenly spread out soundwaves of being knocked by someone.


    ¡°Rose, is it you? You can come in, I¡¯m ready¡±. Clark quickly replied, while grabbing outwards to take his rank badge. With this, he was finally dressed in his full Spartan army military attire.


    ¡°Good morning boss¡±.


    ¡°Good morning, Staff Sergeant Leo¡±.


    As predicted, the newcomer was Rose, and she came in bombastically. She quickly greeted the 2 best friends, before going to her boss¡¯s side to help him arrange his dress.


    Grabbing Clark¡¯s collar, she quickly went to work, successfully grabbing her boss¡¯s attention in the process.


    Clark¡¯s focus could not help but turn to her because of her invasive maneuvers. All he could think of on seeing her at such a close range was just¡­, stunning.


    Like a finely made vase, her round white face was carefully and meticulously graced with a rich but not too obvious touch of make-up. Her hair that was tied into a mature lady¡¯s bun, did a good job in making her look cuter than normal.


    After doing a good survey of her face and environs, Clark¡¯s eyes continued the visual feast and went downwards.


    As expected, this was even more stunning. She was dressed in a tight red velvet gown, that was decorated with a mild number of diamonds that sparkled under the room¡¯s light illumination.


    As his eyes aimed at traveling even lower, Rose finally deduced that her boss had enough, she quickly ended her arrangement session with a soft pat on his boss¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I know you don¡¯t want to be late¡±.


    With that, she quickly turned around, flashed the stunned Leo a smile before moving back towards the door.


    Though Clark was jostled out of his reverie through her pat, he could not still help but freeze again for a moment as he admired her slightly swaying hips, which seemed to be dancing to a certain dance beat.


    ¡°Ahem¡­, Clark, let¡¯s go¡±. Leo finally interrupted, he had enough of this nonsense. Can you imagine? And his friend said he had no girl at the moment, what a fraudster.


    ¡°Oh, sorry for that bro. I usually get carried away at times¡±.


    ¡°Sorry for yourself, pack your big buttocks and go out, you have no time¡±.


    Clark laughed awkwardly at this, went closer, and bumped his friend¡¯s chest with slight force before going out. As he went out, he also thought of what just transpired.


    This was not the first time that Rose tried such stunts with him. Though he didn¡¯t know why, these days, he felt that his immunity towards beautiful ladies was becoming less cohesive and strong.


    ¡°Is it because I am already an adult? Or is it because I opened up to Sonia years ago?¡±


    Thinking of Sonia, his mood dampened a bit. He quickly shook his head to remove all random thoughts before going out to his garage with his friend and his assistant in tow.


    Getting to the garage, they no longer wasted time. Leo entered his car while he entered his before Rose smoothly slid into his front passenger¡¯s seat expertly.


    Zoom!! They quickly rode out of the mansion with speed, driving up the highway directly. 15 minutes later, when they left the highway, the 2 friends finally said their farewell to each other before going their different ways.


    As Clark drove in the general direction of the nearby regional airport, he could not help but think of his situation again.


    Is this probably the last day that he would see his friend in years? Can he not really stop himself from going on this mission? Will his now peaceful life suddenly turn turbulent again?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even caught the thief yet, f*ck. I hope that bastard understands, and do not stir trouble when I¡¯m gone¡±.


    With such thoughts, it became evident that he was no longer confident in his chances of wriggling out of this mission duty.


    It did not take long before they got to the airport. The exotic car quickly drove inside the airplane through the opening at the back, before it finally took off minutes later.


    ¡­


    A few dozen minutes later, Clark finally came down to the North Sparta central airport. Surprisingly, on getting down, he found that a battalion of soldiers from the Spartan army came to the airport to escort him down.


    Despite being puzzled, he did not make a fuss and obediently followed them down. Rose was even quieter, as she had no right of speaking in such an environment, her only job now was to give her boss advice on what to do and speak.


    With the large entourage of military vehicles, every other driver on the road was deterred, so they didn¡¯t encounter any hold-ups. They got to the army headquarters in less than 8 minutes.


    Like robots that could not speak but were only working on the orders programmed in them, the soldiers quickly escorted him to a specific location deep inside the rambling buildings of the headquarters.


    After being escorted to the enormous sky-scraping building, Clark asked no questions as their motive was evident. He directly walked into the building with large strides, like he was the king here.


    Unfortunately for the now anxious Rose, she was not allowed in, so her coming here with the motive of giving her boss advice became moot.


    Getting into the large building, Clark was pretty surprised as not a single soul was seen working on the lowest floor.


    With his implant¡¯s help, he quickly deduced that this large building was working under the control of only A.Is. This meant that this building was an oil well in itself.


    ¡°Damn, what a wast¡­, no, a shelter of meaningful money¡±. Though he was awed by the luxurious spending, he didn¡¯t let it show.


    He was pretty sure that this building alone was capable of buying his entire career as a soldier, but he didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Want to use money to intimidate me, you¡¯re dreaming¡±.


    With this thought, he quickly located the nearest elevator and started scaling the building.


    As he scaled higher, an unknown A. I suddenly contacted him through his implant, showing him the direction that he was expected to go to.


    Despite the overwhelming luxury all around that, he could see through the transparent glass walls of the elevator, he tried hard with determination to ignore all these.


    It took him a whole 5 minutes before he finally got to the zenith of the large building. On getting out of the elevator, he didn¡¯t have to search as the large door standing before him was enough as an indicator.


    He quickly went closer, knocked thrice according to the Spartan army tradition, before pushing it open and going inside.


    Inside the building, surprisingly, everywhere was not luxury-filled like he expected. He even thought that he lost his way and entered another building, because inside here suddenly reverted to the cold hard scenery of a local military camp.


    Though everywhere was evenly lit, the lights were so unexceptional that he could not help but cringe a bit.


    Though they were not really ideal, he could still see clearly through the lights. This was a large militaristic styled hall, housing hundreds of soldiers in it. Only soldiers filled his sight, with a large podium before them.


    Seeing them seated orderly like children sitting for an examination, he quickly decided to join them and not draw unnecessary attention to himself.


    He was a little shocked, he didn¡¯t expect this mission to be one of such magnitude involving hundreds of soldiers.


    Though this was his thought, before he could execute it, a large voice suddenly boomed across the large hall, evidently from the large podium that stood before the soldiers.


    ¡°Major Clark Pendragon, you¡¯re finally here¡±.


    Hearing this, Clark froze a bit as his face changed. Every eye in the hall was suddenly drawn to the back, close to the large door where he stood.


    Noticing this, he no longer fidgeted as his back suddenly straightened, his default poker expression overtook his face before he matched forward confidently, towards the direction of the large podium.


    As he moved forward, the loud voice continued like he did not notice his movements.


    ¡°Major, you¡¯re the one that we have been waiting for since. Your arrival finally makes us complete, you¡¯re highly welcome¡±.


    ¡°Please, climb up here¡±. The man behind the voice invited politely when he finally arrived at the front of the hall.


    Arriving there, this was when Clark finally had the luxury of seeing who exactly was talking to him since.


    The middle-aged man was evidently a soldier serving under the Spartan army also, indicative from the golden military uniform that he wore. And he was a Captain, the golden badge attached to his uniform indicated so.


    He had the air of a sly veteran around him, with a cunning smile constantly on his face. He was the perfect replica of the saying, a snake under the green grass. That was Clark¡¯s first impression of this guy.


    Looking to the side, he saw dozens of soldiers behind the middle-aged Captain, all with badges indicating that they were 2nd rank high-grade soldiers.


    As his eyes roamed about, they suddenly froze, widening in surprise as he saw the silhouette of a very familiar figure.


    ¡°General Oxford, why is he here?¡±


    Seeing the raging and seething expression on the Captain¡¯s face, he could faintly understand what was happening. He finally understood why the General could not answer his call yesterday.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 195: facing the world with a calm face

    Seeing the always calm General Oxford with an unsightly expression on his face, Clark sighed as he could already see the progress bar of his chances of rejecting the mission dwindling rapidly.


    General Oxford finally forced himself to calm down a little, when he noticed Clark¡¯s stare. He sighed, turned to glare at the middle-aged Captain who shrugged innocently in reply, before speaking out.


    ¡°Captain, you better remember this day. Today, you succeeded in getting yourself an enemy¡±.


    ¡°With all due respect, General, I already explained to you. The circumstances behind this mission are beyond mine or your jurisdiction, the higher-ups are the only ones calling the shots this time¡±.


    General Oxford suppressed his irritation on hearing this, ignored the Captain before turning to face Clark.


    ¡°Clark¡­, follow me. I don¡¯t think you have a problem with that, right, Captain Cinnabar?¡±


    ¡°No problem, General¡±.


    With that, the problem was solved as Clark walked quietly after General Oxford. The General did not waste time, leading him directly to a side compartment of the large hall.


    Bam!! The compartment¡¯s door was quickly shut, barring any mischievous ear that intended to listen to what they were saying.


    ¡°Good morning, General Oxford¡±. Clark finally had time to greet his superior properly, while complementing it with a salute.


    ¡°Clark, stop those trivialities, we are already past that level. I¡¯m sorry for yesterday, I saw your missed calls, but I couldn¡¯t call back because I was very busy throughout¡±.


    ¡°I discovered this plot against you yesterday, and I immediately went into action. That General Maks Vincent from your region also helped me, and we both confronted the army, but the result was not favorable¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it came about, but opposition came and suppressed all our queries from nowhere¡±.


    ¡°Clark, you shouldn¡¯t have confronted them directly in your press conference. Countless brave soldiers did before you, and they are now history. These hidden individuals, your current self cannot comprehend their power¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I tried my best, but it could not be changed, it''s already decided. You¡¯re going for the mission, and nothing can stop it. Not even the President, his hands are tied¡±.


    ¡°Though I know that this is injustice on your part, you have to bear it. That¡¯s the circumstances that every rising soldier faces, there are always obstacles¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be too pessimistic though, because this is not a direct death sentence, at least you have a chance. Because of how persistently I pushed for you to be dropped out of the mission, I had the privilege to speak personally with Commander Rashford¡±.


    ¡°According to him, he was the one who issued this mission. He told me to inform you that though this was unexpected, see it as an opportunity rather than a death sentence¡±.


    ¡°The frontiers are the most dangerous places in the world, but so also are they filled with opportunities. None of the Spartan legends today didn¡¯t pass through problems like the one you¡¯re facing today¡±.


    ¡°They forged their legend through blood, sweat, and unfavorable circumstances. It was never a workover, it was never beans but thorns and thistles¡±.


    ¡°One of the advantages you have in this mission is that you¡¯re still a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, but you can already survive an ordinary 3rd rank high-grade soldier¡¯s assault¡±.


    ¡°This is a great advantage for you, as this mission is secret. Because the republic doesn¡¯t want to alert our rivals, only five 3rd rank high-grade soldiers are being released for the mission¡±.


    ¡°Any other, and our rivals would be alerted. The others are 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, 1st rank, and normal soldiers. You having such strength in your rank is a blessing, it means that you will have more survival chances in the mission¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die, Clark, survive, return stronger, and prove the bastards who set this up wrong. Show them that you¡¯re in control, you¡¯re in charge¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I want to say to you today, the rest is up to you. You¡¯ll know more about the mission when you converge with the others for the briefing. Prepare yourself, because you¡¯re leaving tomorrow¡±.


    ¡°Thank you General, for standing and fighting on my behalf¡±.


    Clark finally spoke out after thinking of all the information that was just dumped at him. Despite being mentally prepared, he still felt bad knowing that there was nothing that he could do to stop this.


    Like the flash, his life that was slowly just returning to normal was about to zoom back to chaos, trouble, and struggling. Adventure is good, but too much adventure is bad.


    Despite how ineffective it was, he was still extremely grateful for the help rendered by the 2 Generals. None of the both of them were his family.


    Sighing, he thanked the General again before turning to go back. General Oxford also turned to leave. He was not returning to the hall; he used another door to directly leave the building.


    As soon as Clark turned around, his disappointment turned to determination. His face grew hard, taking a stone-cold tone. As General Oxford said, he was determined to prove these bastards wrong.


    Right now, he could not wait for the mission details to be given to him. He could already feel his temperature rising, his blood was already boiling.


    In that hyperactive state, it did not take him up to a minute before he returned to the large hall, where the middle-aged Captain was still addressing the hundreds of soldiers.


    His return did not stir any trouble as he quickly located a seat and sat down. His ears pried open, as he listened like a hawk to the instructions that were being given out.


    Most of what was being said was not really relevant, it only emphasized that they should give their all in the mission, and they should remain loyal to the republic.


    ¡°Soldiers, that¡¯s all that I have for you today. You can now go; you have the rest of the day till evening to settle every pending problem that was bugging you before you were called¡±.


    ¡°Inform your close friends and relatives that you will be out of contact for an important confidential mission. Do the needful before evening and converge back here for the mission briefing. None of you is allowed to leave the headquarters¡±.


    With that, the gathering was dispersed as every soldier left to do his own thing. Clark also stood up to leave, while deep in thought on how to break the news to his friends.


    When he got to the elevator, this time, he was surprised to discover that there were dozens of elevators around the one he came it. They were all clustered together to form a dome-shaped mechanical artwork.


    With this setup, none of the soldiers had to wait for others to go before their turn. Every soldier had enough space in the elevators to enter, so they descended at the same time.


    On getting back to the base floor, Clark directly went out of the building without tarrying. Though he already accepted it, he still felt conflicted deep inside.


    He felt more guilty about Leo, thinking back on what his friend said back in the day. Feeling a little choked up despite exposing himself to the outside atmosphere, he entered his car and drove to his mansion absentmindedly.


    Getting there, he was not surprised to see Rose still pacing around like a female lion that lost her home. Feeling that the sight was a little comical but still not being able to bring himself to laugh, he just sighed.


    As soon as he parked his car, Rose raced to the garage to meet him like an athlete. Finally getting to the garage, she stopped to catch her breath, walked quickly to the car while adjusting her short skirt.


    ¡°You could not reject it?¡±


    After Clark came out of the car, she quickly deduced the answer that she was looking for through his mannerisms before asking in a weak and slightly sobbing tone.


    ¡°Yes, I could not. It was a lost cause since the beginning¡±. Clark replied in an even weaker tone, before inclining his head down and leaning back on his car. Till now, he still felt lost. He was not ready for this at all.


    When he raised his head and saw the tear signs slowly gathering in his assistant¡¯s eyes, he was shocked and startled out of his depression.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± He quickly jumped to the side, before understanding and going back to hold her in comfort.


    Sobbing, Rose spoke out. ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t want you to leave, I¡¯ll miss you. Your last mission that was important as this one, you were lost for 3 years, I can¡¯t live that long without you¡±.


    Though Clark felt that this sounded like a nagging girlfriend who did not want her man to engage in something, he did a good job in shelving this thought and taking time to comfort her.


    As someone close to her, he knew that this was what she genuinely felt, which only made him feel more lost. It took a few minutes, but he finally succeeded in calming her down, which brought him great relief.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡± She finally asked while using her luxurious white handkerchief to wipe her tears.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll just follow orders, try my best to survive and fulfill the mission, then leave every other thing to fate¡±.


    After taking time to answer a lot of her questions about how he hoped to survive in the frontier, he finally brought out his military encrypted communication device to call his friend.


    ¡°Hello, this is Clark¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, I know¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Finding the silence from both sides a little choking and tense, Leo finally broke the silence. ¡°Ahem, Clark, how was it? Did you manage to reject it?¡±


    ¡°Bro, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m leaving again. I could not reverse the decision; their authority and power are bigger than I expected¡±.


    Laughing depreciatingly at himself, he added. ¡°I guess I really bit more than I could chew this time. I don¡¯t even know if it was patriotism that pushed me again or if it was pride, I¡¯m such a fool¡±.


    ¡°Bro, don¡¯t blame yourself. Till tomorrow, I will still beat myself proudly and say that I admire your decision¡±.


    ¡°Remember this Clark, that¡¯s why I was attracted to you in the first place, your unrighteous but justice-driven heart, your decisiveness, your respect for friendship and kinship, that¡¯s why you¡¯re my best friend.


    ¡°Thank you¡­, best friend¡±.


    ¡°Welcome, bestie¡±.


    ¡°Hmph!! What do you think of me, a girl? Bestie my foot¡±. This word usage by his friend earned a laugh from Clark, livening the atmosphere between them more.


    ¡°Clark¡±.


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Benny applied to join the mission also, and he has been approved already¡±.


    ¡°What???¡±


    Clark was shocked, what the hell did he just hear? When did Benny hear of the mission that he already decided to join? And such a dangerous mission at that.


    ¡°What the hell Leo, why did you not stop him? Do you know how dangerous this mission is? Even myself, I¡¯m not confident¡±.


    ¡°Bro, it¡¯s his decision. I tried my best to persuade him, but he was adamant. He feels like the dangerous missions you embarked in are the things influencing your fast growth, and he craves it also¡±.


    Hearing this, Clark finally calmed down with a sigh. He was not ignorant. Despite being friends, he knew that his friends sometimes craved to be like him. Knowing Benny¡¯s reason, he no longer fretted over it, he just sighed.


    After exchanging a few more farewell words with his friend, their conversation finally came to an end.


    ¡°Ok, bro. I¡¯ll definitely live to see you in the future, wish me luck¡±.


    ¡°Ok, Goodluck bro. Remember, you¡¯re not permitted to die¡±.


    ¡°Haha, I know that¡­ Ok, bye¡±.


    ¡°Bye¡±.


    With that, the 2 best friends finally got separated again for another indefinite time. Only fate would decide when they would see themselves again.


    ¡°Ok, Rose. You heard everything, I¡¯m ready to go. My mansion, finance, and everything are in your control. I hope you keep them well on my behalf¡±.


    ¡°I will boss, it¡¯s a vow¡±.


    With that, Clark finally went closer to hug his diligent and cute personal assistant for the first time. Before she could blush, he already broke from the hug and turned back.


    He already did the needful, now it was time to face the world with a calm confident face.


    ¡°Frontier, here I come¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 196: military briefing and departure

    Clark still had a lot of time before the designated time of the mission briefing, but he didn¡¯t see any need to waste his time away in his mansion. To him, going there early was better than going late.


    As he already gave instructions to his workers, when he got back to the garage, a driver dressed in a tuxedo suit was already waiting for him there.


    The driver greeted him with a respectful expression on seeing him before opening the back door to let him in. He did not hesitate, after nodding to acknowledge the fellow¡¯s greeting, he quickly entered.


    After receiving orders from him, the driver quickly pressed on the accelerator, prompting the car to smoothly zoom out of the garage.


    Seeing some of his workers who saluted from afar on seeing his car going out again, Clark¡¯s expression softened into a smile.


    Though none of the workers knew that he was going on such a mission because of confidentiality, they still greeted him and welcomed him enthusiastically whenever he returned or was about to go out.


    His mouth remained slightly raised in a smile as the driver quickly took him to the main road of the Spartan army headquarters.


    Before, he was always the one driving, so he never really got the luxury of admiring the headquarters territory in detail. Now that a driver drove him, he could finally admire to his fill.


    His mansion was hardly the best and most luxurious looking one around, as other better ones quickly greeted his sights when he looked out.


    As soon as the car left the premises of his mansion, it felt like he was transmigrated into a brand-new world. Buildings rambling everywhere caused the environment to look like an empire city, making it feel like works of fiction.


    Though he already saw most of this luxury, he still admired it again.


    Works of architecture taking different shapes completely covered his sight. From buildings rolling up to the skies like the tower of babel, to others that took different weird architectural shapes.


    Noticing one of the buildings for the first time that took the shape of a monkey¡¯s butt, his eyes could not help but widen as he gawked stupendously at this scene.


    ¡°What??? Such buildings are even allowed? Who has such weird tendencies to pull out money to build such an abomination?¡±


    He shuddered a bit on thinking of how the personality of such a person would be. Saying you know all in this life was really exaggerating, uncountable weirdos are everywhere. His eyes felt blinded by the sight, what a pervert?


    As he ordered, his driver drove at an unusually slow pace, giving him all the time that he needed to quench his vision curiosity.


    Like this, it took over 40 minutes before he was finally dropped back at the large building where the mission briefing would take place.


    As the driver slowly drove back after dropping him, instead of entering the building, he turned back to look at this companion of his. His exotic car was already one of his oldest companions, only Leo came before it.


    Like the mechanic that unrivaled his mask said, the car needed an overall upgrade to meet his current standards. Though he wanted to do it immediately, the price was too steep even for the current him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make upgrading it a priority if I can survive this mission¡±.


    With that, he quickly turned back before going directly inside the enormous building.


    Though he spent a lot of time along the way, there was still about an hour before the time of the briefing would start.


    With the motive to utilize that time also, he decided to make the elevator ascend at a far slower speed than the default programmed in it. With this, he was finally able to take in all the beautiful sights of this oil well.


    Through the transparent outlook format of the elevator glasses, his eyes came under the feast of the beauty of this money building.


    This was the age of exotics and technology where science fiction is mostly already realized, but his brain could not help but still take this building as a work of science fiction.


    From the little that he was privileged to see, this was a technology haven, making him wonder what the actual use of the building was.


    Automaton was in full display, as different enormous and virtual working machines were controlled by the super A. Is programmed in them.


    Though this was far more luxurious, technologically developed, and equipped, he could not help but compare this scene with that of the cave where vibranium was stored and the technological development lab of Wakanda in the ancient blockbuster movie, Black Panther.


    With this comparison occupying his mind, he finally emerged at the top building of the mansion where the briefing was to commence.


    He quickly went inside the door, as he already settled everything that his curiosity craved. Getting in, he was surprised as hundreds of soldiers were already here before him.


    ¡°Hmmm, it seems some soldiers are even enthusiastic about this mission. Don¡¯t they know where the frontier is? Do they think this is beans?¡±


    Though these were his thoughts, he did not express them as he quickly went to the forefront of the large hall and located a seat there. As soon as he sat down, the originally slightly noisy hall calmed down.


    This silence calmed his nerves, letting him relax on the chair. Like this, the remaining minutes for the designated time quickly elapsed.


    This was when the remaining soldiers for the mission started trouping into the hall in droves. They moved fast to locate their seats, as they didn¡¯t want the Captain to come before them.


    Clark suddenly smiled as he saw a familiar figure among the coming soldiers. Seeing him also, Benny smiled before trudging closer to the seat beside him. Though they had a lot to say, they restrained themselves because of the multitude beside them.


    It did not take long before Captain Cinnabar came out from another door with his large entourage of soldiers in tow.


    Like the no-nonsense man, he was, he did not waste time and went directly to the point.


    ¡°Welcome back soldiers, I am glad to see that all of you were able to make it back to the mission briefing. I commend your diligence. There¡¯s no time to waste, so I¡¯ll tell you what you need immediately¡±.


    ¡°This mission is one of extremely great importance for the growth of the Spartan republic, and we expect you to give your best in successfully completing it¡±.


    ¡°As you can see, the soldiers selected for the mission are much. 1000 soldiers were selected for the mission. Among them are five 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, eight 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, and fifty-seven 1st rank high-grade soldiers, the others are normal soldiers¡±.


    ¡°For such a large force, it is inevitable that a leadership structure is needed to organize things better. So, after a meticulous procedure, 20 soldiers have been selected among you to be the leaders¡±.


    ¡°With this format, this means that you will all be separated into smaller squads of 50 soldiers each¡±.


    ¡°Before I proceed, I want to call out the names of the 20 soldiers who received the privilege of becoming one of the leaders. If you hear your name, soldier, please kindly stand up¡±.


    ¡°Capt. Peter Dab, Capt. Josh Ves, Capt. Daniel Naman, Capt. Nature Bane, Capt. Asisat Medley, Major Clark Pendragon, Corporal Dennis Fa¡­¡±


    Hearing their names, the called soldiers quickly stood up to indicate themselves. It did not take long before the 20 soldiers were announced and showcased to the others.


    ¡°Soldiers, these 20 are going to be the leaders of this mission. They will have to be assigned to squads before you will ascertain your leader. With this done, I believe that I already laid the foundations for the mission¡±.


    ¡°All 20 leaders, please follow my assistant here, Corporal Joe to the next hall. That is where your briefing would be held, your briefing is different than that of the others¡±.


    None of the 20 elected leaders tarried, as they took their military bags and followed Corporal Joe to the next hall.


    After they disappeared from sight, Captain Cinnabar finally clapped to draw back the attention of the other soldiers.


    ¡°Ok, soldiers, your mission briefing officially starts. Pry your ears open and take note of any point that I give, because ¡­¡±


    Like a movie rolling over to another scene, Clark with the other 19 leaders quickly left the first large hall and saw themselves entering a more luxuriously built but smaller hall.


    As they located positions to seat in the 20 chairs that were arranged before them, all of their eyes widened on seeing the person that stood at the chair prepared in the podium before them.


    ¡°Commander Rashford!!!¡±.


    The Commander kept a calm poker face on seeing them, while slightly nodding to acknowledge their excited greeting and salutes. After they all sat down, he also finally stood up.


    ¡°Welcome, soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Commander, it¡¯s an honor¡±. As expected, most of the soldiers, even the Captains did not hesitate to lick the boots of such a well-known and reputed bigshot.


    Waving his hand casually to acknowledge them again, the Commander finally started his briefing.


    ¡°Like you, all may already know, I am the one that issued this mission. I uncovered it about a month ago, after receiving some distress signals from our troops stationed at the frontier¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what I mean?¡±


    The soldiers hurriedly nodded like chickens pecking food, earning a smile from the Commander.


    ¡°You were already told, but I want to re-emphasize that the importance of this mission is something that soldiers like you cannot comprehend, till you get to my rank¡±.


    ¡°The main goal for this mission is not needed to be known by the other regular soldiers, that¡¯s why you were singled out here¡±.


    He suddenly waved his hand to the side, causing a large holographic projection to lit up, which succeeded in capturing the soldier¡¯s attention.


    Clark was focused, as he looked at the bean size substance that was placed on a white plate on the projection. With another wave of the Commander¡¯s arms, the projection was enlarged countless times.


    ¡°Soldiers, this is your goal for this mission, the bean quadrant enhancer. None of you know what it is, and I can¡¯t tell you, it''s better that your knowledge remains like that at your current stage¡±.


    ¡°All you need to know is that the republic needs this bean-shaped substance¡±.


    ¡°Soldiers!!¡± He suddenly boomed loudly, startling them.


    ¡°Yes, sir!!¡±.


    ¡°What is our motto?¡±


    ¡°No retreat, no surrender!!¡±


    ¡°Good, you need this conviction for this mission. Like you stated in your oats when you became soldiers, fulfill your promise now¡±.


    ¡°If dying honorably is what it takes to get this bean substance, I implore you to do it for the betterment of the republic. This is the time that Sparta needs you, don¡¯t disappoint¡±.


    ¡°The target of the mission is a long-lost research lab of one of the big 5, Araga. This target is one of their labs with the most revered reputation, from their history since the great battle of supremacy¡±.


    ¡°Like every lab, this one also has research data. In addition to the bean substance which is your primary goal, if possible, you should strive to get any of the research information of the lab¡±.


    ¡°The tinier details to facilitate the mission will be sent to your implants later, so I want you all to go with the mindset of giving your all¡±.


    ¡°That is all I have for you this evening, the rest you will know through your implant¡±.


    ¡°Before you all go, I want to tell you all that I am proud of you. No matter the result you come back with, keep at the back of your mind that the republic and its leaders are proud of you¡±.


    ¡°Go and make history¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Commander¡±.


    With that, they were all dismissed back to the main large hall where the other soldiers were clustered together. The briefing here was already over also.


    Captain Cinnabar did not waste their time as he started assigning them to the different squads. Soldier¡¯s names were called repeatedly, as they acknowledged by standing up.


    It did not take long before every other preparation was done. It was already late in the night, so the Spartans could now mobilize their soldiers.


    As the soldiers followed their squad leaders to go to their various departure points, Clark excused himself from his soldiers before going closer to meet Captain Cinnabar.


    ¡°Good evening Captain. Please, can you give me a little of your time? I have a word with you¡±.


    ¡°Yes, of course, Major¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 197: delegating duties

    Captain Cinnabar had a curious expression on his face, as he was led by Clark from his entourage of soldiers to a corner to tell him what he wanted to say.


    After getting to a distance that he favored, Clark finally stopped before turning to face the Captain.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry for your time¡±.


    ¡°No problem, tell me what you want¡±.


    ¡°Ok. I want you to change the squad that my friend was placed in, I want him to be in my squad¡±.


    Hearing the surprising proposal that the Major threw at him, Captain Cinnabar was surprised. At first, he thought that Clark wanted to complain again about his forceful inclusion into the mission.


    Though he was surprised, he was not slow to answer. ¡°Who is your friend here?¡±


    ¡°His name is Sergeant Benny; he is among the soldiers following Corporal Jack in the 16th squad¡±.


    ¡°Oh, ok. If that¡¯s all, then don¡¯t worry, it''s settled¡±.


    ¡°Ok, thank you Captain. That¡¯s all¡±.


    With that, Clark quickly succeeded in pulling strings and hijacking his friend into his squad. For such a dangerous mission, he was not ok leaving Benny in another soldier¡¯s squad.


    ¡­


    A few minutes after Clark spoke with the Captain, Benny was quickly swapped with another soldier and transferred to his squad.


    The 6th squad that was under his leadership was finally set to go, all they needed now was to get their complementary equipment and basic survival resources from their departure point.


    As their destination, Mountain Everest had too large an area, all the squads were assigned to enter from different angles and positions. This was to also prevent the whole mission soldiers from being annihilated, in the case of an ambush.


    Their departure point was also at another part of the large Spartan army headquarters.


    After being transported to the large underground building, the soldiers all came down and followed Clark inside the military fortified bunker.


    Getting inside, they were not surprised at the stunning sight as they were all used to it. All of them here were veteran soldiers, and they were all used to seeing luxuriously equipped armories.


    The guide that was left in the bunker to greet them quickly went to work, as he relayed the orders that were given to him to them. With that, they went to work.


    In just a few minutes, they all changed from their standard army uniforms into military-grade all-black mountain man clothes. Their attire from head to toe was now all black.


    The mountain clothes were extremely thick, with various technological adaptations and add-ons to help them better adapt to the extreme cold of the dreadful Mountain Everest.


    After this, they continued forward to take the basic military operation kit provided by the army.


    Inside, consisted of weapons, basic first aid kits, different medical enhanced injections for soldiers, military multi-environment vision goggles that can adapt to any situation of the night or day, and various other gadgets.


    The Spartan army proved its determination for the success of this mission through their generosity this time for the operation kit. It was fabulously equipped, and well fit for a soldier to survive in extreme conditions.


    After arranging everything and adding them to their stash of equipment, the soldiers were finally ready to depart. They finally turned to face their leader.


    With them all dressed in black in a dark night like this, despite the lighting in the bunker, Clark felt like he was looking at a bunch of elite spies that were ready to spread mischief.


    ¡°Ahem¡­, like you all already know, I am the leader of this squad¡±.


    ¡°I think everyone here has heard of me before, is there anyone that does not know who I am?¡±


    ¡°No sir¡±.


    ¡°Good. Before we proceed, I want you all to introduce yourselves to me. Like you all know, this mission is of extreme importance. And for us to succeed, we need to be cohesive¡±.


    ¡°Getting to know each other¡¯s names, statuses, and military ranks is the best way to go. Ok, you, start the introduction¡±. Clark randomly pointed at one of the soldiers.


    ¡°Yes sir¡±.


    ¡°My name is Sergeant Hillary; I serve under the Kraken military division in¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Staff Sergeant Diana; I serve under the Stingray military division in¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Sergeant Zach; I serve under the Python military division in¡­¡±


    In a flash, all the soldiers introduced themselves to Clark, giving him a preliminary understanding of his men. He nodded inwardly to himself, as the average abilities of the soldiers satisfied him.


    With his implant, all the information of 50 soldiers was stored in his brain, showing the convenience of technology again.


    Of the 50 soldiers in his squad, he was the only 2nd rank high-grade soldier. 15 were 1st rank high-grade soldiers, while the remaining 34 were all normal soldiers.


    Despite this low rate of high-grade soldiers in the squad, he was satisfied as 8 of the high-grade soldiers already learned how to execute battle arts. This alone acted as a significant strength boost to the squad¡¯s overall power level.


    ¡°Ok, good. With this, at least, I have a basic understanding of you all which can do a lot in ensuring our survival¡±.


    ¡°After going through all your background information, I decided on delegating 2 seconds in commands to act as my assistants in this squad¡±.


    ¡°They are Sergeant Benny and Staff Sergeant Diana. If anyone has any contrary opinions to this decision, speak out now or forever hold your peace¡±.


    Seeing that no one was foolish enough to antagonize him for such a trivial matter, he nodded inwardly to himself again before he continued his speech¡±.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s settled then¡±.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time again; we have to go now. But before we go, I want to choose the soldiers in the squad that will act as our support line¡±.


    ¡°The army provided us with food supplies to support our mission, but I have no intention of taking everything along. That will only hold us back and leave us to vulnerabilities¡±.


    ¡°I have decided to take only 2 large bag supplies, which is enough to take care of our squad for about a month, no matter how extreme a situation we find ourselves on getting there¡±.


    ¡°For the 2 bags, 2 soldiers are enough to carry them for the squad, so I only selected 2 of you for the job¡±.


    ¡°Charlatan, Bakary, you 2 are the ones I selected to act as our support line¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this does not mean that we are abandoning you, this only means that both of you are now the greatest and most important pivots of the squad¡±.


    ¡°Be rest assured that every soldier in the squad would take safeguarding your lives as the priority because we need the food and supplies in those bags to survive¡±.


    ¡°Though I already made the decision, I still want to give you 2 the option of choice. Do you accept this role?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­, yes sir¡±. Though it took a few seconds for them to answer, they still answered positively, though reluctantly. This was what finally brought a smile to Clark¡¯s face.


    With that, everything was settled as he only had to say some simple words of encouragement to lift the mood of his men before they departed.


    Getting outside the bunker again, dozens of black military cars were parked outside waiting for them. Seeing their sleek appearances that blended into the night sky, Clark could not help but associate this with spies again.


    ¡°Wait¡­, is this my secret agent dream back then as a cadet that is coming to pass?¡±


    The thought did not take up to 2 seconds before he threw it out of his mind. Compared to his dream where he was badass and all that, this mission, he had no stupid illusions that he was badass. This was the frontier.


    The soldiers did not waste time. As soon as Clark invited his 2 new seconds in commands and they entered the first car among the row of cars, the others also quickly entered.


    After the cars activated their stealth, anti-detection, and anti-tracking devices, they finally set out in the direction of the dreaded frontier, Mountain Everest.


    Their movements were completely silent in the night. Despite their speed, the car''s anti-noise engines did their work perfectly by not letting a single sound out. The ride was smooth and silent.


    As the large entourage of cars drove away, Clark¡¯s emotions entered another rollercoaster, prompting him to look out through the car¡¯s glasses. He was leaving the Spartan republic again to fulfill duty¡­, what a life!!


    Seeing the trees that slowly appeared, disappeared, and slowly faded away from his vision, he entered a melancholic mood.


    After dozens of minutes passed like this, he finally turned his head back to inside his car to see his 2 seconds in commands.


    Benny closed his eyes, while his gloved hands played with a set of rubic cubes. From his expression, Clark could easily decipher that his friend was not as calm as he claimed.


    Turning to the side, he saw a completely different expression on his other second in command. Staff Sergeant Diana was awake with her eyes open, but she just kept quiet while looking at the car¡¯s floor. He could see her eyelids twitching slightly.


    ¡°Is she nervous because of the mission? Or is it because of sitting in the same car as a higher-ranked soldier?¡± Clark was puzzled, but he didn¡¯t ask. He was not familiar with her yet.


    Though this was his first time meeting this warrior lady, he was impressed with her at first sight.


    When she introduced herself as the only Staff Sergeant in his squad, he immediately searched her background up on the internet through his implant.


    He was surprised by what he saw. Just like him, this lady soldier was also a warrior prodigy of her city. Though she was not in his realm yet, just like his younger self, she already broke various local records in her city.


    In her city, she was labeled as the rising star that would propel them to glory. Her status was already slightly transcendent there. This pulled him into more thought on why she joined the mission.


    ¡°Perhaps, she hit a bottleneck and is looking for a catalyst to breakthrough¡±.


    As all these thoughts passed through his head, he leaned his head back on his chair¡¯s headrest to rest. With that and the graveyard-like silence all around, he was slowly drawn into the dreamy realms of sleep.


    As soon as the first signs of his faint snoring sounded out, indicating that he already slept, Staff Sergeant Diana finally raised her head.


    She looked at Benny who was also already asleep beside her, before looking at her leader for this mission.


    Though this was her first time meeting Clark, she already heard of the legends of this Major. She was a year older than Clark, but he was her superior. This was a gap that she wanted to breach.


    She already researched his background, and she knew that he was someone who loved taking risks. As her secret idol, she already decided to follow the same route.


    She volunteered for this mission without informing anybody in her city, not even her family members. Determination burned in her eyes, as she also rested her head back to rest.


    ¡­


    Countless hours later, when it was already midnight, the large entourage of cars finally reached their destination. After parking the cars silently, the drivers woke the sleeping soldiers up.


    After they woke up and came out, the soldiers raised their heads to look at the looming figure before them.


    ¡°We finally arrived, Mountain Everest¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 198: the great himalayan ranges

    With their military enhanced night vision goggles, the soldiers of Squad 6 could see this mind-blowing sight as clear as day. Clark had a stunned expression on his face, as he took in this astonishing work of nature.


    Though he already saw it before when he browsed on the internet, seeing the real live developed version of the crest of the Great Himalayas of southern Asia, he was still stunned speechless.


    From his current location, he could see through the other high peaks that rambled about domineeringly like towers, to the highest one towering above all, the revered Mount Everest.


    ¡°The Goddess Mother of the World!!¡±


    He could not control himself on seeing nature¡¯s formidable majesty in display, as he blurted out the common Tibetan name that this behemoth made from nature was called by the locals.


    Countless peaks that were filled at various parts and the summit with ice, covered most of his sight, forming a large mountain massive with the Everest as the focal point of this tectonic action in the Great Himalayas.


    Dozens, if not hundreds of spiky giant ices stuck out at its barely visible peak, overlapping with the night sky to form a very intimidating sight in the darkness. They looked like technological weapons of war, instead of something formed by nature.


    Glaciers covered most of the slopes through which a path could be forged upwards, making it seem like an ancient godly ice giant.


    Up close like this, Clark could see the multiple layers of rocks that folded back on themselves to form the mountain. The biting cold of this region was already hitting him hard, despite his thick black clothes.


    The Everest was shaped like a three-sided pyramid, and he could see its enormous contours from his position. Though he wanted to take time to admire this amazing sight like a tourist, he knew his priorities.


    The Spartan army already provided him with a complete strategic blueprint on how to climb these peaks, so he was not clueless. He just had to improvise on the spot to any unexpected situations, that is why he was made the leader.


    Through the blueprints that were given to him, he had a lot of options, but he decided on taking the Khumbu icefalls path.


    Taking any of the other paths that were more established throughout the years was too risky, as they did not want to be discovered by the locals. This mission was too important to risk botching it just to avoid a little difficulty.


    This was not Spartan territory, not even the old Nepal and Chinese territory again, this was the territory of one of the rare countries with high-grade military strength, Mariana.


    Though their journey would have been far smoother if they asked the locals for help, Clark was not ready to do that because of the mission¡¯s confidentiality. As soldiers, they could scale this wonder of nature themselves.


    After taking time to observe the cold region all over again and again, he finally confirmed that this was the real mountain Everest. It was at this moment that he turned to meet the drivers.


    ¡°Gadot, I¡¯m grateful for your service throughout the night. Thank you¡±.


    ¡°No need Major, it¡¯s our pleasure to have the privilege of driving you here. Good luck on your endeavors Major, we are going now, it¡¯s not easy to escape a country like Mariana¡¯s detection measures for long¡±.


    ¡°Ok, your work here is already done. You can go¡±.


    Clark exhaled, making cold mist seep out from his mouth on seeing the cars go back into their stealth mode. He rubbed his hands together, trying to adapt to the extreme cold as he finally turned to his soldiers.


    ¡°Soldiers, we are finally here. Our main job now is to climb to an altitude that will make us disappear from the local¡¯s surveillance equipment before the day brightens¡±.


    Saying this, he inclined his head a bit to look at his wristwatch. ¡°It¡¯s already 2:10 am, I want us to fulfill our first goal in the next few hours¡±.


    ¡°Ok, boys, move¡­, move!! Bring out your equipment, it¡¯s time for climbing, shake away the cold¡±.


    With that, the soldiers went to work as they quickly opened their bags to bring out their equipment.


    As the others did this, 2 of the soldiers went back a little while bringing out some exotic gadgets. They quickly activated them, causing a strong jamming field to materialize.


    After this, they all heaved sighs of relief, as this would ensure that they remain hidden from surveillance longer.


    All the soldiers moved synergistically like a well-oiled machine, as the 2 seconds in commands of the squad gave them instructions which they followed to the book.


    In less than 5 minutes, they were finally ready to climb.


    ¡°I hope you all wore your exotic military boots¡±. Clark quickly asked again for confirmation.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    After getting the answer that he wanted, he took the lead and started moving forward in the direction of the Khumbu icefalls.


    Exotic boots were among the mission gadgets that the Spartan army provided to the soldiers for the mission. This could not be avoided, as it was essential equipment for their climbing.


    It took them another 7 minutes of walking before they finally came before the intimidatingly wide Khumbu glacier icefalls.


    On getting there, Clark did not tarry as he took the lead immediately. He held his climbing equipment tighter, covered his head with the hood that followed his black vest before jumping at the rock surface.


    Bam!! His multi-purpose boots quickly lighted with a blue glow, to show its activation as his legs came into contact with the rock.


    On hitting it, a magnetic field was let out in conjunction with a metal like a nail by the boot, enabling his leg to stick to the rock.


    With that done, he finally started waving his climbing sickle-like equipment to scale the large rock. Using one swing at a time with a step, his figure slowly ascended higher.


    The soldiers below him did not hesitate either, as they all quickly followed after his footsteps. Taking their comrades above them as focal points, they all scaled the rock in tandem understanding.


    Just like that, Clark¡¯s mission squad easily started scaling the Khumbu icefalls that were originally a headache-inducing region for the mountain men of the 21st century.


    In just a little over an hour of climbing, the 6th squad finally started disappearing from sight when looked at from the base of the mountain range.


    The first goal of their mission to enter without being detected was easily done successfully, through the meticulous instructions of their leader.


    They were lucky too, as anything could happen in the mountain that could have impeded their advancement despite how low ranged, they currently were. Impediments like an avalanche and a lot of others.


    ¡­


    As the soldiers slowly disappeared, the tranquility of the night gradually returned, making it seem like nothing happened.


    Somewhere else in the base of the mountain, in a hidden underground military bunker, a group of soldiers gathered, looking at the red dots that were on their projected screen with different expressions on their faces.


    ¡°What do you think they came for? This is the 7th unanimous military group that came to climb the mountain in the last 3 days, and they all came at night without bothering to seek the local¡¯s help¡±. The youth who sat before the bunker¡¯s main computer spoke out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±


    ¡°To me, it seems that there¡¯s a big fish to catch. We better mobilize our forces also; we cannot let any goodies in our region fall into foreigner¡¯s hands¡±.


    ¡°I agree with Joe, I concur¡±.


    ¡°I also concur¡±.


    ¡°I concur¡­¡±


    After they all said what they wanted and concurred within themselves, the blonde-haired youth who started the conversation, who also seemed to be the computer operator finally turned to their leader there.


    ¡°Captain, what¡¯s your say on this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­, Captain, you¡¯re sleeping on duty again¡±. The nerdy youth said with a raised but helpless voice this time, making the faces of the other soldiers become weird¡±.


    ¡°Hmm, you said what? Who told you that I was sleeping? It seems you can¡¯t see again, is that how you will monitor our borders? Nonsense!!¡±.


    As the Captain blurted this out, he raised his hands to remove the black veil that he used to cover his face in a unique pattern that made it cross his lips to his cheeks.


    ¡°Ok, fill me in again. I did not hear as I was busy thinking about the consequences and repercussions of the discovery. You know that I need to report to the higher-ups later¡±.


    Not buying into his straight face lie, the youth continued. ¡°You just wiped your drool, right? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know when you do it, I already figured you out¡±.


    The middle-aged Captain sighed on hearing this as he spoke out again, this time in a helpless tone.


    ¡°I knew I would regret it; I should have held my nerves and rejected your father. Nepotism is really bad, now see where it landed me, with such an unruly and stubborn brat as an assistant¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a bad leader, uncle.¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Never mind, tell me what happened¡±.


    Seeing the uncle and cousin bickering like this, the other soldiers around stood rigidly like statues and made sure to seal their mouths. Only their eyes and faces were twitching rapidly like android ring tones.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this. We just caught heat signatures of another secret force that¡­¡±


    After the youth explained everything to his uncle, the Captain fell silent as he internalized all the information that was just dumped into his still sleepy head. He was feeling sleepy again, but he forced himself to analyze it.


    ¡°Hmmm, these guys are really becoming more daring. Do they think that they are the owners of this territory? Do they think we are blind? I¡¯ll show them this time¡±.


    ¡°You, the short guy there. Yes¡­, you goddammit, go and get me my equipment and a standard climbing equipment¡±.


    ¡°Yes¡­, yes sir¡±. With that, the short soldier quickly scurried away.


    ¡°What are you doing uncle?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Use your head to think for once brat, I¡¯m going after them, of course. Do they take me as a farmer? I¡¯ll teach this group a lesson¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should inform the higher-ups first?¡± One of the soldiers at the corner cautiously butted in and asked¡±.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m a Captain. Are you underestimating me?¡±


    ¡°No sir¡­¡±. The soldier quickly shrank back.


    ¡°Uncle, stop showing off. No matter what you do and how strongly you behave, we already know you as a lazy Captain¡±. The blonde youth quickly butted in again.


    ¡°A lazy superior, that¡¯s what you ar¡­¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 199: himalayan black bear attack

    6:00 am; 3rd September 2175. At this exact time of the early days of September, the countries and organizations that got information about the Aragan lost research lab finally all mobilized their secret mission teams.


    After the great battle that was fought about 60 years ago, one of the relics of the war was about to unearth and bring chaos again.


    Unknowingly to the normal peaceful staying residents of the various countries, something that had the potential of starting another great war was about to be hunted and retrieved.


    The same day that Clark¡¯s team succeeded in climbing up the Great Himalayan peaks, 6 other country teams also climbed.


    Of these 5 countries, the Mariana Everest security team that was under the leadership of Captain Bean Jack discovered only 4. The last one was from a country with high-grade military strength, just like them, so they escaped detection.


    ¡­


    On a certain part of the mountain, as the first vestiges of morning slowly dug itself out of the dark veil of the night, squad 6 of the Spartan army squads under the leadership of Clark finally scaled to their first probable camp.


    After climbing for hours, Clark finally came before something like a cave which prompted him to stop his soldiers so that they could rest.


    Despite their physique as high-grade soldiers, there was no way that they could scale this enormous mountain in a day. At most, they would only be faster than mountaineers of the 21st century.


    And as they already crossed a considerable distance from the base of the peak, enabling them to be out of sight of direct ground surveillance, Clark easily justified his decision for his soldiers to rest here.


    From records throughout the years, he already knew that as morning rose, so also did the natural disasters of this region have the tendency of rising more frequently.


    He wanted his squad to be at the best before climbing again so that in the case of any natural hazard, they could respond quickly and take care of themselves properly.


    Bam!! With one last stab of his climbing equipment deep into the rock submerged with ice and one last tugging of himself to get momentum, he finally succeeded in jumping over to the open space among the straight slippery rock.


    After climbing over, he did not pause to rest as he quickly turned around to help the next soldier up. With careful pulls, it did not take long before all the soldiers finally climbed to the other side.


    Wooo¡­!! As soon as their feet touched the ground, the strong chilly wind of the mountain slowly started blowing, growing with frequency at a steady worrisome rate.


    Seeing this, Clark felt gratified that he found a temporary place of shelter to camp for now. This region was completely unpredictable, a second there can be sun, but the next chilly winds.


    ¡°Staff Sergeant Diana¡±. He quickly called out.


    ¡°Yes sir¡±.


    ¡°Please, take a team of 3 soldiers with you and go deep inside the cave. We will only camp at the periphery parts, but I still want you to scour it for any immediate danger. I don¡¯t want to be caught off guard by anything¡±.


    ¡°Ok, sir¡±.


    With that, the female second in command of the squad randomly picked a group of 3 soldiers, asked them to drop their backpacks, taking only their weapons before they set out.


    As the 4 soldiers slowly disappeared deep inside the cave, Clark led his other soldiers to set camp inside the cave at a periphery distance close to the entrance.


    The soldiers were very efficient, as they immediately set up what seemed to be a technological tent from the equipment that was kept inside their 2 large supply bags.


    This was a tent made using a few rare exotic materials, that could withstand most of all bad terrains and areas. Most soldiers use it when they go for deep expedition missions.


    Of the group, the 2 soldiers carrying the supply bags were the most exhausted, as they plopped down immediately on entering the cave.


    Though Clark felt a little sorry for them, he just complimented them and left it at that. In battle, they were both the weakest, so carrying these large bags was the least they could do for the squad.


    After setting the tent, a white transparent and barely visible shield quickly covered the soldiers, isolating them from the biting cold.


    Despite their thick clothes provided by the army and their physiques, they could already feel the cold of this region getting to their bones. If they continued like this, their movements would have definitely been impaired later.


    Under Clark¡¯s urging, the soldiers finally freed themselves up as they got prepared to eat their first breakfast in this mission.


    In such an extreme region, Clark had no plans of starving his soldiers to save food. He was sure that he would get alternatives when he finally got to the summit of the first peak or even near it.


    As they slowly relaxed and started chewing on the canned beverages, the soldiers suddenly grew alert as they started hearing thudding sounds coming from inside the cave.


    ¡°Major!! We need to leave immediately! The cave is already occupied!¡±


    Clark quickly shot up, on hearing this, dropping his food in the process. He could already see Diana rushing back with speed, with the other 3 soldiers following closely behind her.


    Seeing the hasty expressions on their faces, he knew that the situation was not good.


    ¡°Get up immediately, deactivate the tent and start packing¡±.


    Though he did not know what happened yet, he knew that reacting now was better than later. Prevention was always better than cure.


    With that, the soldiers were deprived of eating their breakfast peacefully as they rushed to pack up their supplies and equipment. As they did this, Clark finally had the leisure to ask after backing his backpack.


    ¡°The cave is occupied by what?¡±


    ¡°Himalayan Black Bear Exobeasts!!¡± The already panting Diana screamed out again. Noticing the doubt on her leader¡¯s face from afar, she quickly added.


    ¡°Sir, not a single one. We found their lair; they are mutated ones living in caves, I think it¡¯s a big family¡±.


    ¡°GO! GO! GO!¡±


    Hearing this, all Clark¡¯s hesitation, appetite, and faint desire for battle were gone as he quickly urged his soldiers to start rushing out of the cave.


    Thinking of the dreaded reputation of the exobeasts in this region, he felt more haste as he randomly kicked the soldiers who were acting like slowpokes on their butt to move faster.


    Like all other frontier special earth locations, it was already proven through tangible research and results that exobeasts had far higher chances of appearing among animals in these regions.


    The exact cause was not known, but it was still associated with the appearance of exotics. In this region, it was not surprising to see a family of hundreds of animals with half of them being exobeasts.


    As the soldiers rushed outside, they finally started hearing the sounds of something emerging behind them. It seems the original owners of this cave finally discovered the presence of intruders.


    Just like beating drums, the sound made by the hooves of the bears pounding the cave¡¯s hard floor echoed out loudly.


    From quick predictions through the sound being made, most of the soldiers quickly deduced that at least 60 of these fierce bears were coming after them, giving them goosebumps.


    ¡°Faster! Faster! Move your oversized asses, you slowpokes¡±.


    The first soldiers quickly got outside the cave, as they activated their exotic boots immediately and started climbing away.


    ¡°Roar¡­!!!¡±


    The first roar of the Himalayan black bears quickly echoed out like thunder, making debris fall down from the cave top.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight, just run, I will protect your retreat¡±. Clark quickly shouted at his visibly shaken soldiers, before dipping his hands into his backpack and bringing out his dual 2-form gun.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! He quickly pulled the trigger, as bullets sprayed out rapidly from his gun in its machine gun configuration, successfully downing a few of the massive bears at the front.


    Right now, his only thought was on thanking his luck for sending soldiers to check out the cave and for deciding to only stay at the periphery.


    ¡°Clark, you need help?¡±


    ¡°No, Benny. Follow the other soldiers quickly, I have my ways to get to you guys. Don¡¯t forget that these fellows can climb too, I don¡¯t know how far they are ready to go in taking us down¡±.


    ¡°Ok, got it¡±.


    With that, Benny quickly started rallying the soldiers as they rushed to climb faster. As all these happened, the fierce chilly blowing wind continued growing fiercer at a steady pace.


    Clark continued shooting rapidly, as the now angry black bears continued closing the distance at an outrageous speed.


    As soon as Diana sped past him, he quickly stood up to slowly retreat while still shooting. The 1st soldier who followed her sped past, quickly followed by the second, but it seems that the last one was in a bit of bad luck.


    One of the more massive bears suddenly dived and raised its claws to grab the soldier¡¯s backpack, scaring the hell out of the poor fellow.


    Clark quickly reacted, changing one of his gun¡¯s configuration to the sniper form as a blue beam rapidly expanded and erupted the next moment.


    ¡°Roar!!¡±


    The bear roared in pain, as a deep hole was drilled through its massive head. It fell roughly to the side, allowing the now desperate soldier to escape first-day mission death.


    Despite this, the soldier was not safe as the bears were already at the entrance of the cave.


    Clark cursed his luck, as he quickly kept one of his guns. Using the now spare hand to grab the unlucky soldier, he jumped out of the cave and fell down freely.


    A bigger bear than the one he just shot suddenly jumped after him, with maws widened the limits with the clear intent of biting and beheading.


    Clark¡¯s face darkened on seeing this, as he raised his gun and unleashed all his load at this daring fellow. He was not surprised at how thick the bear¡¯s skin resisted his bullets; he already recognized this fellow as an exobeast.


    Blood sprayed everywhere from the injuries inflicted on it, but the exobeast persevered on its goal with its maws still widely opened.


    Clark improvised on the spot as he twisted to the side, dodged the exobeast¡¯s direct bite trajectory before kicking at its abdomen.


    Despite being an exobeast with 1st rank high-grade soldier strength, it was pathetic before his strength as the kick¡¯s momentum and force pushed it out of its original trajectory to the side.


    He did not have the luxury of lingering to finish this fellow as he set his eyes back up, rapidly looking for a means to get back to his soldiers who were climbing swiftly.


    Though the soldier that he saved was still a little spooked from the encounter, it seemed his brain was still intact as he suddenly brought a piece of equipment from his bag to give his Major.


    Seeing the harpoon lifter, Clark¡¯s eyes brightened as he grabbed it, aimed before immediately shooting out the equipment¡¯s load. He could only pray that the harpoon hit its intended target, or any of his soldiers could react in time.


    The other massive bears that were rapidly climbing down after him looked confused, as the harpoon rope shot above them rapidly.


    This moment seemed to be reduced to slow motion, as the harpoon continued upwards, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to this sudden maneuver.


    Most of the soldiers just looked on. Sighs left mouths as everyone could see that the harpoon deviated a bit from its intended target, making Clark have a bitter expression on his face.


    ¡°It seems I still have to do it the hard way, what a hard life¡±. He felt frustrated.


    Before he could conclude, a hand suddenly emerged rapidly from the dozens of escaping soldiers and grabbed the rope firmly. With another quick maneuver, the hand withdrew as the harpoon was stabbed deeply inside a nearby rock.


    ¡°Diana!!¡±


    Clark was pleasantly surprised as the rope quickly tugged at him, before lifting him upwards and from the reach of the bears.


    ¡°Fu*ck!!¡±


    As he was pulled upwards, Clark was suddenly surprised as he looked back at the direction the bear he kicked landed on, thinking that he just heard a sound.


    ¡°But none of my soldiers is down there. Was that a human?¡±


    Though he was curious, he didn¡¯t have the luxury to check as their escape was not done yet. As he predicted, these bears were not satisfied with them escaping so easily. They were pursuing.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 200: an avalanche

    Roar!! Roar¡­!!!


    The bears pursued unrelentingly like hornets that just had their nest poked. Their angry mood could clearly be deduced from their roars, snarls, and climbing speed.


    As beasts that already adapted to the terrain of the mountain, their climb was approximately 3 times faster than that of the soldiers.


    The soldiers rushed like a bunch of refugees escaping from war. None of them looked back to see the disaster coming at them, that would only give them a heart attack and slow them down.


    Only the tip-tapping sounds of their climbing equipment as it rapidly stabbed and pulled out of the mountain rock could be heard, they no longer acted exhausted the way they were a moment ago.


    Seeing the vigor that his soldiers were exuding despite acting like dead dogs just moments ago, Clark was completely speechless.


    ¡°Danger can really stimulate potential¡±. He was happy at this though, as he did not want his squad to suffer casualties just a day into their mission.


    ¡°Hey, fend for yourself. If you like, let your big butt drag you back again, the bears will help you puncture it. Now, rush up¡±.


    He quickly scolded the soldier who still hid in his bosom like a scaredy-cat, before swinging his left hand with force to propel him upwards to meet the other soldiers.


    After doing this, he let only his multipurpose boots hold him to the mountain wall while keeping his climbing equipment in his bag, he also kept his last 2-form gun in his bag.


    He calmed his heart after this, as his hands emerged with his exotic spear in tow. He quickly took a deep breath shortly after, before jumping horizontally from the mountain wall with his spear raised.


    As the first batch of bears aimed to get him, his boots activated their magnetic field, quickly connecting to the metal embedded in the rock as he was dragged back to the mountain wall with his spear descending with speed.


    Boom!! A large hole was deeply punctured into the extremely hard rock, while the shockwave pushed the 3 bears at the front back.


    Before the other bears could recover and continue the pursuit, the rock above them suddenly loosened from its support inside the rock.


    Rocks paired with ice quickly dropped down, hitting the first wave of bears back down. The sound was extremely loud like bombs were being detonated, as the aftereffect of Clark¡¯s stab rambled outwards.


    More nearby rocks quickly lost their foundation, falling down and hitting any bear that dared to stand in the way. This place now seemed to be a construction rock blasting site.


    Hearing these sounds, the soldiers of Squad 6 grew tenser as they strained themselves to increase their speed.


    Despite this clever tactic by Clark, only a few of the continuously increasing number of bears were hit. The others were still advancing upwards to meet him, expertly climbing like the George of the Jungle.


    The aftereffect of the strike quickly started waning, as he finally pulled his spear from the hard rock joint where he embedded it.


    As soon as it left there, just like lightning, his hands were already swiping across as the spear swiftly divided a bear dive-attacking into 2 parts, sprawling blood across the white mountain.


    His hands continued moving without stop, as bear after bear was divided into 2 by his extremely fast strikes. Any exobeast that appeared, he just had to improvise a bit to send it back down.


    Despite the frequency at which he killed the Himalayan black bears, his face grew grim as dozens of others started leaving him to go after his still escaping soldiers.


    Though he saw this, he was helpless as he was already occupied. His escaping from this tight siege was not even guaranteed, he no longer had the luxury to babysit his soldiers.


    As his thoughts kept on gearing swiftly to find a solution, he suddenly noticed a soldier from his squad falling back to help him.


    ¡°What the f*ck? Emily, go back now, that¡¯s an order!!¡±


    ¡°No Major, you need help¡±.


    The girl surprisingly showed her stubborn side to her superior for the first time, shocking Clark who had only seen her meek side since he met her.


    This lapse in his concentration made one of the exobeast bears paw aggressively at his face, but his armor held strong and resisted the blow. This brought his senses back, as he quickly retaliated.


    Ptui!! With swift and force-filled stabs, this daring exobeast bear quickly turned into a badly mangled piece of slaughtered flesh.


    As he fought, he used a part of his senses to monitor his Staff Sergeant¡¯s movements. According to his observation, it seemed that Diana had a feasible plan due to how decisively she approached.


    The warrior lady already handed a harpoon lifter to Benny, for him to pull her up if the situation became desperate. The rope loosely dropped, as she followed it down straight to her leader¡¯s position.


    On arriving, she unsheathed her exotic saber with mind-blowing speed before quickly slicing the nearby bears apart, spreading their blood as the sacrifice for her descent.


    She quickly attached the thick rope to her exotic military climbing belt to free her hands, before stabbing her saber inside the mountain rock to stabilize her steps. She finally turned to her leader.


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡± Clark quickly asked expectantly.


    ¡°Sir, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Damn, Clark did not expect that this girl dropped down with so much grandeur without having a clear plan. He felt like crying for her, what a decisive subordinate.


    His brain quickly went into overdrive, as he looked to cook up any plan that came to his mind. The bear horde was now becoming too much to handle, the visible bears were already over a hundred.


    ¡°Ok, Diana, just help me attack the bears and protect me. I¡¯ll do something¡±.


    ¡°Ok, Major, got it¡±.


    With that, she went to work immediately. Pulling out her saber that was stabbed into the mountain, she started a bloody massacre.


    Her red hair waving due to the strong wind paired with the constant flying blood, currently made her look like a female envoy of death. The visual effect was so striking, but Clark did not let it affect him.


    He quickly climbed upwards a bit, before activating the force field of his spear. The chilly air visibly distorted and evaporated as the heat of the force field impacted the surrounding, making the spear look super sharp.


    His current plan was still his first move, but this time on a larger scale. Seeing the unrelenting pursuit of the bears, he deduced that only sending them all downwards was the best solution.


    Bam!! Bam!! He quickly went to work, turning himself into a rock blasting machine as his spear repeatedly struck at the extremely hard surface of the mountain.


    The effects of his plans immediately started showing, as the rapidly climbing bears started shaking and missing their steps.


    The main foundation of their current location and the bear¡¯s cave underneath was already on the verge of facing destruction, as the rock vibrated intimidatingly.


    Diana noticed the effects of her Major¡¯s plan the most, as the bear¡¯s attack in her direction visibly reduced. This brought a smile to her face, as she turned her head upwards to look at her leader.


    As soon as her head inclined upwards, she saw the horror of her life.


    ¡°No¡­!! No¡­!! Stop!! Major!!¡±


    Despite her shout, the frequency of the wind mysteriously grew fiercer at this point, preventing her leader who was just above her to barely hear what she was saying.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­¡±


    She did not have the luxury to complete her shout again, as the aftermath of the horror she saw quickly came into effect.


    Hearing the bombastically loud noise that was higher than the normal reverberating around him, Clark¡¯s face grew shocked as a light bulb finally seemed to lit up in his head.


    ¡°An Avalanche!!¡±


    He finally understood the rationale behind his 2nd in command¡¯s shout. Because of his hasty decision-making in the past few minutes, he forgot a piece of crucial information that the Khumbu glacier icefalls were prone to avalanches.


    He remembered in the end, but it seemed that it took too long as the domino effects of his actions quickly came into effect.


    Just as if there was an ongoing battle between 2 ravaging dragons, the mountain seemed to have woken from its slumber as the deep ice started moving like a rolling tsunami.


    The squad 6 soldiers who were still climbing were shocked on seeing this, as they increased the speed at which they climbed exponentially.


    Now, it was no longer just escaping from bears, it was now escaping an avalanche which was easily a hundred times more dangerous in this danger-infected region.


    As the enormous cluster of ice crashed down intimidatingly, the unlucky group of soldiers who lingered at the back of the rapidly climbing group was swept with it like they were just insignificant insects.


    4 soldiers were submerged immediately. Only their shouts of despair, and their still futilely struggling figures could barely be seen.


    Seeing this, Clark¡¯s eyes quickly narrowed into slits. Like someone on steroids or a super-soldier serum, adrenaline flowed through his body like flooding water as his brain calculated at the speed of a mainframe computer.


    In less than a second, his eyes alternated from the raging avalanche to the now frightened bears, to the shocked Diana, then to the harpoon lifter attached to her military belt.


    ¡°Yes, this is it¡±.


    He did not waste time as he leaped to the side while hugging her from behind, at the same time bringing out his most expensive weapon, a new sniper rifle that he bought.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!


    The muzzles of the large sniper rifle quickly erupted with sparks, spreading rampant blue energy as 3 enormous beams quickly came out before impacting the mountain wall with concussion-inducing force.


    Just like a football that was shot out by a Legendary striker like the great CR7, the shockwave from the 3 energy beams shot them backward swiftly from the range of the raging avalanche.


    Despite already escaping the range of the disaster, Clark turned his body in mid-air while stretching his right hand outwards to help any of his soldiers that was submerged in the ice.


    The air seemed to have grown still, as the first unlucky fellow dropped away without his hand getting nearby. The second and third quickly followed before the last soldier with hopeful eyes started falling.


    The soldier could see his outstretched hand, so he also extended out his hand to be saved.


    ¡°I got it¡±.


    Clark felt ecstatic, as his hand finally came into contact with the last soldier among the group of unlucky slowpokes.


    ¡°Benny¡­!!¡±


    Diana sharply called out after this, as Benny quickly set up the harpoon lifter in his position.


    The magic of technology was worked as the rope quickly tugged at the 3 of them, pulling them up forcefully from the range of the still ravaging avalanche.


    As they started flying up to safety, Clark¡¯s expression suddenly darkened on seeing what his hand pulled out of the rampaging ice. Instead of the soldier that he expected to pull out, this¡­?


    ¡°Just a hand?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry, there was a mistake here before, I just rectified it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 201: extreme cold finding shelter

    Thud!! Clark still hugged Diana from behind in a daze, as they were both finally pulled up and dropped at the next standing area above the initial point of the still rampaging avalanche.


    All the soldiers had expressions of fear on their faces, as they looked back uneasily at the disaster caused by their Major¡¯s desperate actions. 4 of their comrades just died before their eyes.


    Diana finally reacted after landing, as she quickly wriggled herself out of her Major¡¯s embrace. Though her facial expression was veiled by her still-activated armor, her clumsy steps showed that she felt uncomfortable.


    Though hugging such a beauty from behind was supposed to be a jolly thing for a man like him, Clark could not as he stared blankly at the slightly frozen hand in his grasp.


    ¡°He still died¡­¡±


    He already expected his soldiers to die on seeing them get submerged by the avalanche, but he thought that he saved one at least. Seeing the contrary situation that he came with; his brain was slow to react.


    In the end, nature overpowered and nullified his efforts.


    Though he succeeded in grabbing the soldier¡¯s hands, the force of the avalanche was too strong, which ripped the soldier¡¯s hands that were being tugged from the submerged body.


    Though the strong cold already froze part of the currently ownerless arm, droplets of blood could still be seen dripping down.


    ¡°Umm¡­, Clark, we have to move on¡±. Benny suddenly interjected to draw Clark from his daze.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Clark questioned absentmindedly.


    ¡°Clark, those soldiers are already gone, we don¡¯t have to die with them. That¡¯s the pledge we made when we became soldiers, we were prepared to die for the republic¡±.


    ¡°We need your maximum leadership now to forge ahead and survive, the weather is showing signs of deteriorating further, and the fierce winds have still not relented¡±.


    ¡°The cold is already nearing high-grade soldier¡¯s safety limits; we have to find a shelter now¡±.


    ¡°Yes¡­, we need shelter¡±. Clark slowly muttered, as his brain finally recovered from its low-performance state because of the shock he received.


    ¡°We need shelter¡­, we need shelter¡­¡± His brain quickly went into overdrive, as he muttered repeatedly. He immediately started looking for a solution to their conundrum.


    His A. I just reported to him that the cold wind speed was already exceeding safe speed limits, it already exceeded 35m/s and was still increasing.


    The cold was also already in the extreme region. If he did not find a solution immediately, there was a very high chance of his whole squad suffering from frostbite and being frozen to death.


    As the whole squad started fidgeting anxiously to find a solution, the wind suddenly grew fiercer from their right as a white nimble figure quickly closed the gap into their ranks.


    ¡°What is that? Not again!!¡±


    Though they could not see the figure clearly because of obstruction from the wind, they could make up from its features that it was another mountain animal.


    Before they could react and turn to face it properly, an enormous maw suddenly widened as one of the soldiers standing at the periphery of the group got his head separated from his body.


    ¡°A Mountain Wolf!!¡±


    Eyes widened, as the figure of this enormous beast finally became clearer. Seeing its nimble and muscle-filled figure, dread, filled the soldiers¡¯ hearts. From the bite force and speed, they already deduced that this wolf had 2nd rank strength.


    ¡°Awoo¡­.!!!¡±


    The wolf suddenly raised its head and howled to the sky, as its vocal cords spread the sound around the mountain peak. This was it celebrating its victorious kill, to show its dominance to these intruders.


    Speak of the devil. This was just like adding charcoal to fire to the soldiers of Squad 06 when they were already in such a precarious situation.


    As they tried to set up a formation against this wolf, they suddenly saw a figure rush out of their ranks with astonishing speed.


    After already suffering 4 deaths in his squad in just a day of coming, seeing another of his soldiers die to this filthy beast completely hit Clark the wrong way, as he erupted with force.


    Bam!! Bam!! His spear moved with immense speed, blowing the air away and slicing the falling snow to bits and pieces as it quickly connected to the surprised wolf¡¯s hide.


    Seeing this daring human, the wolf became angry and tried to retaliate, but Clark¡¯s momentum-filled strikes quickly cleared its arrogant beastly brain in less than 5 seconds, showing it that it was not the boss here.


    In this small time of contact, injuries already filled its white and beautiful hide, as blood died the snow under its legs in its dark red color.


    Seeing this, it was finally intimidated as it tried to run immediately, but Clark was having none of its nonsense.


    Just like a possessed human, he unleashed hell on the wolf without mercy, as it quickly started whimpering in fear moments later. Despite its now pitiful appearance, Clark showed no mercy as his spear ravaged its internals to the bones.


    All that was left of the once howling wolf was a bunch of roughly mangled flesh, badly displaced bones, and a disfigured head. The mountain wolf was dead.


    The soldiers were shocked, as they did not expect such barbarous fierceness from their Major all of a sudden. The visual impact of the sudden battle was just so striking, spooky, and intimidating at the same time.


    As Clark removed his spear from the mountain wolf, his brain suddenly started clearing up. It seemed that him venting his anger on this fellow brought more pros than cons.


    Despite how he just burned calories from his body, he could still feel his blood slowly getting colder from the deteriorating weather.


    As his soldiers remained quiet, while some of them quivered from the cold while just watching him, his brain finally clicked to what he wanted.


    ¡°Yes, I found a way¡±.


    ¡°What???¡± The soldiers all blurted out simultaneously.


    ¡°Just shut up, pick up your bags and follow me, I know a place around here. Just pray that the internet¡¯s information is correct, or we are all doomed¡±.


    Seeing him already rushing up the slightly sloped ice path, the soldiers quickly shelved their doubts, picked up their equipment before going after him.


    Most of them, their hearts were already feeling colder than their bodies were feeling. In just a few minutes, they just lost 5 comrades like they were in a horror movie.


    The psychological impact was negatively striking to them, despite them all being well-trained soldiers.


    As Clark rushed up the snow-filled sloped path, his implant worked in tandem with him as he hurriedly entered the internet to confirm his conjecture.


    Hours ago, when he just knew that their mission target was in Mountain Everest, he already did a small research about here to not be completely ignorant after getting to the Great Himalayan ranges.


    Through his research, he discovered some of the more notable legitimate owned shelters that were built in the region.


    If he was right, one of the smaller shelters was built close to their current location, just a little to the side of the Khumbu icefalls pathway. As he ran, his implant finally confirmed it.


    [Ding!! Master¡¯s conjecture confirmed. The mountaineer¡¯s survival shelter is located approximately 2km from Master¡¯s current location.]


    [The correct path to follow to get there the fastest, is to take ¡­]


    As his implant started blabbering on and directing him, Clark zoomed faster across the sloped path. He already wore his military Mountain glasses, so his vision was now clear despite the current raging wind.


    His soldiers followed behind rapidly, as none of them dared to slack and be a slowpoke that lingered at the back again. The examples of their dead comrades were still fresh on their minds.


    Even if it required running with their butt, they were ready to do it just to not be the last person in the group. They all scaled the slope rapidly with the one thought that their life depended on it.


    As they ran higher, the loud deafening noise being made by the avalanche finally started subsiding, displaying that the disaster caused by their escape finally ended.


    After Clark exerted more effort to jump across a block of ice poking out of the sloped pathway, he finally caught sight of the shelter from afar.


    Seeing this, his eyes brightened while his energy levels blazed fiercer, enabling him to increase his speed to close the distance faster.


    The extreme cold was already making him feel slightly muddle-headed and dizzy. If this was his condition as a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, he could hardly imagine what his subordinates were suffering.


    It took him another 5 minutes before he finally came before the large doors of the shelter.


    ¡°Phew, I finally arrived¡±. He felt relieved, it was like he just escaped an apocalypse.


    Instead of entering the large bunker-like shelter immediately, he stayed behind to render help to his soldiers to enable them to close the distance faster.


    With a little effort and perseverance, all the remaining 44 soldiers finally arrived at the shelter¡¯s door. All of them felt lucky, as no one experienced any sudden mishap and died on the way again.


    ¡­


    Back in the mountain region, where Clark¡¯s squad just escaped from and the avalanche was spreading its destruction, the now disorganized Black bears struggled to escape to safety.


    Dozens of them were submerged in the rampaging snow and ice, while dozens of others died to the randomly flying icicles that originally stuck to the mountain rocks.


    As all these happened, surprisingly, a soldier was among them as he also struggled to escape the aftermath of this disaster.


    ¡°F*ck! F*ck! F*ckkkkkkk!!¡±


    Curse words kept on erupting from this guy¡¯s mouth, as he used his light sword to scale the mountain wall downward.


    Though his hasty descent from the disaster seemed comical when paired with his nasty words, its efficiency could not be doubted as he evaded the aftermath of the avalanche far better than the Bears.


    This unfortunate guy was the Marianan Captain that was stationed at the secret base, that detected Clark¡¯s group. And yes, he was the one who cursed to Clark¡¯s hearing when he was escaping.


    As he boasted before his subordinates, he really went after Clark¡¯s squad to save his ego. He thought it was just some inferior group of soldiers, never did he expect to experience such a disaster on the way.


    He now regretted his foolish decision, but this did not stop his hasty descent. As a Captain, he had the skill to protect himself completely, though he was currently a little pathetic.


    After getting to a certain level below, his eyes quickly lit up as he caught sight of a narrow cave. He did not hesitate, as he went closer and dived inside immediately.


    Getting in, he hastily brought his bag out before dropping all the equipment inside. He activated machine after machine, as dozens of shields and stabilizing devices latched into the cave walls.


    As a Captain of a country with high-grade military strength, his stash of equipment was extremely luxurious.


    With this, the cave finally had the right support to protect him. He huddled himself up, before bracing himself for the impact.


    Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!


    The avalanche rambled past his location like the wind, as the foundations of the cave started shaking fiercely. He cursed again, while secretly praying for the cave to hold.


    Seeing such a secure place, the now desperate bears started advancing closer with the intent of joining him in the narrow space that he was managing.


    ¡°F*ck¡­!! F*ck off, f*ck off bitches, you all caused this with those blood-sucking soldiers. Let them just wait for me to catch up, we¡¯ll see¡±.


    As he cursed, his sword was not idle as he poked the bears that tried to wriggle their way in here back.


    Though he suffered and the impact was big, he survived, that was the most important thing. After narrowly surviving, he finally started cooking up plans on how he would torture those soldiers after catching up to them.


    ¡°Should I kill them directly, roast them, or allow them to freeze? Ahh, that¡¯s too old school, I¡¯ll just teach them a good lesson on catching up, I hate killing¡±.


    ¡°These naughty kids should just wait for me. Your daddy is enraged, and is coming for you. Be prepared to get spanked¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry, there was a mistake in this chapter, I just rectified it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 202: whats the next step

    After all his soldiers arrived at the front of the shelter, Clark finally turned to knock on the large reinforced exotic doors.


    He wore a metallic glove on his hand to knock with, to enable the sound to travel in despite the current blowing windstorm. As a door made to withstand and hold back the extreme cold, it was a great resistor of both cold and sound.


    It took about a minute of them standing in the cold before a reaction was finally stirred in the shelter.


    Instead of opening it directly, a small hole first appeared on the door, through which a large head and a pair of eyes sneaked out to look at the intruders.


    ¡°Hmmm, humans, still outside in this kind of weather. I thought it was those mischievous beasts, what the f*ck were you all doing since the signs of bad weather first started?¡±


    ¡°Please, just shut the f*ck ¡­, sorry, open the door for us, we need shelter¡±.


    Though Clark really wanted to curse at this annoying blabbering fool who still blabbered on even when he saw them shaking in cold, he held back his irritation and asked politely.


    ¡°You guys are some lucky bastards to have survived outside for so long, I¡¯ll reluctantly open for you guys¡±.


    Click!! As the sound of the door opening sounded to the relief of the soldiers, the skinny man suddenly paused again before turning to look at them with a dubious expression on his face.


    ¡°Haha, you guys thought you could trick me. Your pitiful looks really struck my heart, now, where the f*ck is your cash for entering¡±.


    Clark¡¯s face darkened on hearing this. ¡°Which madness reincarnation did we meet this time? What a stroke of bad luck¡±.


    ¡°We¡¯ll pay when we enter¡±.


    ¡°No, pay now. You think you can scam me, haha, you¡¯re all dreaming¡±.


    Seeing the now angered expression on Clark¡¯s face, Benny held him back before coming forward to speak with this annoying bastard.


    ¡°How much, sir?¡±


    ¡°Aha¡­, I like your tone. Just bring 3000 mountain credits for each of you to enter¡±.


    Hearing this completely outrageous reply, even Benny who just spoke with this guy for the first time could not help his face from twitching a bit. He forcefully calmed down, before replying.


    ¡°Sorry sir, but I thought it was a thousand mountain credits to a person¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re not ready, that¡¯s in good weather conditions. This is bad weather; you better pay up or die in the cold¡±.


    Though Clark really wanted to attack and raze this shelter to the ground now, he suppressed his irritation. Due to the cold, they no longer hesitated and paid the inflated price.


    Before coming, they already knew about the currency that was in use in Everest, so they prepared. The government provided them with a sizeable amount for their use for the mission.


    Click!! The door finally opened for them, as they hurriedly rushed in with the cold also seeping in with them.


    The shelter reacted just like a machine, as the misty cold that seeped in got sucked and recycled away through an opening that just emerged.


    Getting into the shelter, the first thought that crossed the soldiers'' heads was, ¡°why does this place look like an incubator? We didn¡¯t pay all those credits to be housed like babies¡±.


    Despite these thoughts, they didn¡¯t stand in one place like fools as Clark quickly led them to one of the open rows of seats at the side.


    Inside the shelter looked just like a military high-tech building, as various machines worked vigorously in tandem to keep and regulate the temperature and keep the extreme cold out.


    Because of the extreme weather, almost every mountaineer, tourist, and anyone else around this region of the mountain gathered here to get shelter.


    This made the shelter look cramped up and stuffy as everyone huddled up together at his own circle while hoping to themselves for the wind to stop soon. This made more heat to become retained in the shelter.


    As soon as Clark¡¯s squad sat in the space that they created for themselves, all the ruckus created from their arrival died down as quietness returned.


    The skinny attendant who scammed them of their money before leading them in came closer to speak with them, but the still irritated Clark quickly pursued him away.


    As the heat pumping into the shelter slowly extinguished the cold that already entered his body, Clark finally started thinking about his situation.


    In just a day, 10% of his soldiers died to different causes. This was so abrupt, though he already adjusted his mindset, he was still being bugged by this setback.


    At such a frightening death rate, he could not help but think that his squad¡¯s chances of fulfilling this mission were close to nil. As his thoughts revolved, he finally decided to convene with his two 2nd in command.


    ¡°Benny, Diana, please follow me¡±.


    Both soldiers did not question, they just followed him silently as he quickly arrived at the counter where the skinny fellow stood, leisurely picking his teeth with a toothpick.


    ¡°I need a special side compartment¡±.


    ¡°Oh, it''s you again. Do you have the money, you¡­?¡±


    Before the guy could continue spamming him with nonsense, Clark dropped a large pile of money for him with a poker expression now on his face.


    ¡°Now, this is more like it, take this key. Good luck¡±.


    Clark no longer paid attention to the fool, as he quickly led his 2 soldiers to a side compartment of the shelter.


    After entering the isolated room, Clark sat down in one of the chairs at the side while motioning for his 2 seconds in commands to also sit.


    After they seated, he did not beat around the bush as he directly broke the silence.


    ¡°You both say what just befell us. What are your thoughts? What do you think we should do next? I can¡¯t make all the decisions now, I¡¯m still a little overwhelmed¡±.


    The silence dragged for another 20 seconds before Benny sighed and spoke out first.


    ¡°Clark, I think that there¡¯s nothing we can do, really. We came for this mission with the mindset that there would be casualties, so seeing such deaths cannot be said to be completely unexpected¡±.


    ¡°Despite this setback, you know as well as I do that, we are not stopping the mission. So, why linger here? Let¡¯s continue forging ahead¡±.


    ¡°I second his suggestion, sir¡±. Diana finally spoke out.


    ¡°As he said, we are not stopping this mission, so why linger?¡±


    ¡°To me, the best next step is for you to give a kind of motivational talk to the soldiers for them to recover their nerves after the raging storm is over before we continue our journey¡±.


    ¡°This is a danger-infested region; we all knew that before coming. We just have to be more alert and meticulous next time¡±.


    ¡°If we can get to the biggest shelter that is closest to the mountain¡¯s summit, then we already did a good job¡±.


    ¡°We can take there as one of our main bases, where our next actions can be planned from. I think we should make getting there our only main priority, for now, we¡¯ll solve other problems when they come¡±.


    Clark sighed after this, as he exhaled a mouthful of misty air. Though this was his first time actively looking for advice from someone else, he felt that the decision was not bad.


    At his current level, the problems he faced were so exaggeratedly dangerous that most of the time, his thought process hardly keeps up with the rapidly changing situations.


    This was the first time he felt that doing everything alone was torture. Why should he carry everything in his head, when he had such competent subordinates?


    ¡°Perhaps, I should build a network of helpers in the future. I need it¡±.


    After listening to their suggestions, he thanked them before they started discussing the issue of how they would move to avoid more casualties.


    As the time ticked away, unknowingly to them, they already spent over 50 minutes just discussing. What brought them back to the present, was the sudden reduction of the sound of the raging storm outside.


    The storm was subsiding.


    Seeing this, they quickly concluded their discussion before going out of the cramped compartment.


    On getting outside, back to the main hall-like compartment of the shelter, Clark was stunned as he saw 3 burly men who seemed like thugs from their burly physique yelling at one of his soldiers.


    Despite all the raging of the 3 thugs, the soldier kept mute, looking elsewhere like these 3 guys were just air.


    When Clark got close to where his soldiers sat, on hearing what caused all this fussing about, he was stunned speechless again.


    ¡°Who do you think you are? Do you know who I am? How can you refuse to stand up for us to sit when we asked you to?¡± The one who seemed to be the leader of the 3 guys raged wildly.


    No one went forward to intervene though, as everyone else in the compartment just stared like they were watching a show.


    ¡°Hey, move away. What happened?¡±


    Clark quickly held the raging thug on the shoulder, before shoving him to the side while asking.


    ¡°You¡­, you pushed me? You pushed me? Watch!¡±


    The man suddenly rushed forward to attack this sudden intruder with his fists tightly clenched, but to Clark, he just looked like a clown.


    He raised his hand, grabbed the man¡¯s fist, thereby bringing him to an abrupt halt, before releasing him and giving a sharp slap to his unprotected face.


    ¡°Damn!!¡±


    Hearing the loud sound of impact, sounds of shocked cries and suppressed shouts erupted all over the compartment. These people were really watching a show.


    ¡°Now, tell me. What happened?¡±


    Hearing this question again, the originally raging man suddenly calmed down as he looked at Clark with slight anger, slight embarrassment, and slight regret on his face.


    Though Clark held back and the impact was not too strong, the man felt that the impact on his ego was more. He was a local tyrant here, being so easily thought a lesson made him feel ashamed.


    Despite this, he did not let this show as he tried to keep a calm face. Fear already gripped his heart on seeing this man¡¯s strength.


    After calming his mind, instead of replying to the question, he tried to probe this man¡¯s limits by throwing threats again.


    ¡°Do you know who you just slapped? Do you know my boss? My boss is the king of demolition!!¡±. His voice rose to a crescendo when he came to the end, he practically shouted the name to show his confidence.


    Pa!!


    Shocked cries resounded again, as another crisp slap crossed the face of this fellow.


    ¡°Cut me the crap, and answer. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so¡­, sorry master. Forgive me for not recognizing mount Everest in person, I am wrong, I am the one who tried to bully your guy. Please, have mercy¡±.


    The once tyrannical thug already started begging, as tears and snort quickly covered his face. He really knew the sacred art of escaping dangerous situations, with a calm face.


    Seeing this, Clark¡¯s face twitched rapidly.


    ¡°Shameless!! So, it was just another opportunist¡±.


    ¡°Guys, follow me, we are going¡±.


    He no longer paid attention to this guy, as he quickly called at his soldiers before going out of the shelter. At the current wind speed of the storm, he no longer had to worry.


    With that, the soldiers of Squad 06 left the shelter with far more grandeur than they entered with.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry, there was a mistake in this chapter, I just rectified it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 203: honoring the dead

    Back in the Spartan republic, Leo had a helpless expression on his face as he conversed with 2 beautiful ladies who were looking at him with livid expressions on their faces.


    One of the ladies, Kate, sat beside him while glaring at him angrily. The other, Emily was communicating with them through a virtual projection.


    ¡°So, you are telling us that Clark went for another possibly dangerous mission?¡± Emily asked, as she tried hard to control her emotions and not lash out at this man.


    ¡°Yes, its confidential. I can¡¯t tell you guys more, you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, no need for further explanations, I¡¯m fed up of your bullshit¡±.


    ¡°Tell me, why did you not persuade him to reject it? And you call yourself his f*cking best friend¡±.


    ¡°Like I told you already, the circumstances were beyond our control. We both did our best, I¡¯ll like to tell you more, but sorry¡­, it¡¯s confidential¡±.


    Leo spread his hands widely to emphasize and show how helpless he was, and that he was saying the truth.


    As her sister and boyfriend traded words, Kate finally couldn¡¯t hold her emotions back as she suddenly sprang up from her seat and turned to face Leo.


    ¡°Honey, I can¡¯t believe you¡±.


    ¡°Ahem¡­, cough¡­, Kate, I¡¯m still here¡±.


    Emily spoke out again from the projection, this time with black lines all over her face. What the hell was her sister thinking displaying her love so blatantly in her presence?


    ¡°Hey, sister, allow me to speak¡±. Kate was not taking that nonsense, as she quickly lashed back.


    ¡°Honey, why did you let it happen?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I already told you what Clark means to me; he is my benefactor. He saved me when I least expected it, I owe him a lot, I just can¡¯t bear the thought of him being in a dangerous situation¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kate, I really am. Clark also means a lot to me, he is my best friend, remember?¡±


    ¡°Stop that best friend tactic, I¡¯m not falling for it this time¡±. As she said this, she placed her hands on her hips while gritting her teeth to show her anger.


    Seeing this, Leo could not sit down again as he finally stood up. He knew that the sisters were not really angry at him, only the abruptness of the information made them to react like this.


    Well, for Emily, he didn¡¯t really give a damn. But for his fianc¨¦e, he sure as hell was concerned.


    Standing up, he quickly went closer before holding Kate on the hand. Though she tried to resist, his strong grip and his direct pleading look melted her angry heart.


    Instead of lashing out, she just shook her head before turning back to bury it on his chest. As soon as she did this, Leo complimented it and hugged her while his free hand gently stroked her long hair.


    ¡°Kate, you know I love you, right?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°I also love Clark the same way that I love you, he is my best friend since when I was a cadet. The only difference is that I love you more, I would not want anything bad to befall you both. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Umm, but why did you let him go?¡± She asked sobbingly.


    Leo sighed again on hearing this question for the thousandth time, he now knew that explaining was futile. He finally confirmed the saying that girls live by emotions, not by logic.


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t need logic, I¡¯ll gladly spam you with emotions¡±.


    With that, his head drew closer as he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. As he did this, he slowly hugged her tighter.


    Though these series of actions looked insignificant, their effect was mind-blowing. Just like magic, the once unstable Kate calmed down as she reciprocated and hugged her fianc¨¦e back.


    A soft bright smile outlined her face, as Leo kissed her again on the forehead. She giggled and softly bumped him on the chest. Just like that, she forgot what she was originally pestering him on.


    Seeing this blatant display of attention, Emily¡¯s face went through a life cycle of fluctuations. From twitching to blushing, to reminiscing, to finally reverting back to its default poker look.


    ¡°Leo, if that¡¯s all, then I¡¯m going. Just remember that if anything happens to Clark, I¡¯ll hold you responsible¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­, you said what?¡±


    The 2 lovers were alarmed, as they finally remembered that they were in the company of another person. Leo quickly turned and asked, but Emily was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°She left¡±.


    Though they both felt a little weird, they no longer fretted about it as they soon returned to focus on what they were doing.


    ¡­


    As soon as Emily cut the call connection, her face could no longer maintain its poker look as she started blushing fiercely.


    ¡°What the hell? How can you guys be so indecent?¡±


    She kicked the wall next to her, making the stuff on the nearby table to fall down, but she hardly showed concern. After the kick, she finally calmed down and thought through what just happened.


    Though it was supposed to be a normal thing as Leo was already engaged to Kate, she still felt a little weird inwardly on seeing them being so intimate.


    She knew that she was supposed to be happy for her kid sister, but thinking of her own stagnant relationship situation and comparing it with her sister¡¯s made her feel a little bad.


    Though Clark never clarified it, after so long, she already deduced that he took her as a friend only. His heart was already long stolen, and belonged solely to his Sonia.


    She slumped down on her seat at the corner as her mind went through all this information. She brushed her face with both her hands, smoothing her hair downwards in the process.


    ¡°Kate already has her man, there¡¯s no reason for me to tarry again. I guess I have to look out for mine as well¡±.


    She knew that rushing into a relationship because others were in one was not good, but she just could not help it. She felt a little insecure not being in a relationship when her kid sister was already in one, despite being a soldier.


    As all these thoughts went through her head, they finally clicked back to Clark¡¯s current situation.


    She was not really as angry as she looked when talking to Leo, she was just trying to vent her anger at the abruptness of the information.


    Like every other soldier, she knew that there was no shortcut to greatness. If you¡¯re afraid of taking risks, success would be afraid of you. She just wished him the best.


    ¡°Clark, I hope everything goes well for you. You¡¯re my role model, my secret crush, my everything. You¡¯re the reason why I keep improving, know that¡±.


    Knock!! Knock!!


    A sound of the door knocking broke her out of her thoughts, as she turned to face the direction of the door.


    ¡°Yes, come in¡±.


    ¡°Good evening commander, Jack is back¡±.


    ¡°Oh, ok, tell him to wait for me, I¡¯m coming¡±.


    With that, she quickly stood up and got ready to go. She almost forgot that she had a mercenary group to manage. Smiling, she walked out of the room to settle her mercenary group¡¯s affairs.


    ¡­


    A few kilometers away from the shelter were they just rested to hide from the windstorm, Clark stood at a small elevated platform, facing his soldiers.


    The soldiers all had different expressions on their faces, as they faced their Major. Some were curious, others apprehensive, while some few others had depressed looks on their faces.


    At the front of the group of soldiers, below the elevated platform where Clark was stood the 2 seconds in command, Diana and Benny. Clark finally started speaking out.


    ¡°Soldiers¡­, I have a lot in my mind to say to you all, but I will try my best to summarize them¡±.


    ¡°Before I start saying anything, I want us to honor our dead comrades who came with us to this mission. They died for a good cause, so its our obligation to give them the last honor that they deserve¡±.


    After saying this, he quickly made a sign which Diana understood, as she quickly came forward and anchored the singing of the Spartan national anthem.


    After singing the anthem, the soldiers saluted simultaneously before creating a small hill with the nearby snow.


    As soon as this was done, Clark brought out an exotic sword from his bag. The sword was placed on top of the small hill, which served as the makeshift substitute grave for the 5 dead soldiers.


    The sword served as a sign of respect to their identity as soldiers.


    The soldiers went into a solemn moment of silence after this for a minute, before they finally turned to face their Major again.


    Though what they just did might seem like a waste of time, Clark knew that it was important as he could perceive the slight increase in the optimism of the soldiers.


    Being seen as important was always a great motivation tool for soldiers, and Clark just utilized the same strategy.


    Honoring the dead solemnly, would make the others feel that they were not dying in vain. It would make them feel valued.


    Quickly clearing random thoughts from his head, Clark finally spoke out again.


    ¡°All our 5 dead comrades did not die in vain, they died to further the interests of the Spartan republic, which was what they signed up for in their oath taking day¡±.


    ¡°They sacrificed their lives for us to survive and continue the mission on their behalf¡±.


    ¡°Though we just honored them, that is superficial. The greatest honor that we can give to them is to forge ahead, and to successfully finish the mission on their behalf¡±.


    ¡°There is no honor greater than that. With such an honor, their death would not be in vain and their names would be remembered as soldiers that were part of our squad¡±.


    ¡°Soldiers!! Who wants to honor them with me?¡±


    ¡°I will!!¡±


    ¡°I will!!¡±


    Hearing the enthusiastic words from the soldiers, Clark nodded to himself before continuing.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s the Spartan spirit. Even if we face dragons and krakens, even if everything seems hopeless, still, no retreat, no surrender. We are Sparta!!¡±


    ¡°Saying it with mouth is good, but doing it is even better¡±.


    ¡°To fulfill our remaining duties to our dead comrades and complete our mission, we have to continue forging ahead. We cannot linger because of fear¡±.


    ¡°Getting to the first shelter is a sign of progress for us, that means we already reached somewhere. The next thing is for us to climb this mountain higher, get to a large shelter before probing for information about our mission target¡±.


    ¡°Soldiers, are you with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s go¡±.


    ¡°Sir, please wait¡±. One of the soldiers suddenly spoke out.


    ¡°Sir, when you took the seconds in command to the side compartment, I used a part of the money that we came with to buy the map of this region¡±.


    Clark was surprised as he did not expect such proactiveness from these soldiers, that meant that they were still optimistic about the mission. He was happy.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s a nice decision on your part¡±.


    After taking hold of the map, he quickly started skimming through it to know where they were and to get a general direction of where they should go next. 4 minutes later, he got what he wanted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go this way¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry, there was a mistake here, I just rectified it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 204: shelters layout across the everest

    A few hours later, Clark was on the mountain peak, still climbing with his soldiers. This time, they were luckier as they encountered no beast horde, exobeasts, or natural hazards.


    After honoring their dead comrades and building a snow grave as a legacy for them, Clark finally led his soldiers away.


    This time, he took the Northward direction as the map indicated that the next nearest mountaineers¡¯ shelter was located in that direction.


    Through the map, he was finally able to get a preliminary understanding of their current location.


    The great peaks of the Himalayan ranges already expanded countless times, during the last century. Currently, their size and territory were at least a quarter bigger than it was in the 21st century.


    Research results back in the 21st century showed that Everest and its environs have a steady growth and expansion rate. Though the growth rate is small, the proof is there that the Himalayan mountains grow every year.


    After countless exploration expeditions by soldiers during the period of the great battle of supremacy, a general map was made which was widely acknowledged by all countries as the norm.


    With the map, Clark deduced that the legally established and recognized shelters were of different sizes and grades, according to the height where they were planted on the mountain wall.


    The shelter was divided into 3 grades, according to their sizes and their location in the mountain.


    The first grade was the peripheral level, which was the level that they were still in currently. The shelter that they just rested in was in the ranks of the lowest graded shelters, which are based at the periphery of the mountain peak.


    The lowest graded shelters, are also normally the ones with the smallest sizes, least budget, and are the easiest to build. Most countries, including those with low-grade military strength, have their army strongholds here.


    The second grade was in the middle level, which was the level between the middle heights of the Himalayan peaks.


    As expected, the dangers, cold, and natural hazards in this region are more extreme than those of the level below it. This was the level that made Everest the dreaded Everest.


    Shelters that are built here are larger and require more resources and manpower to build. Here, countries with low-grade military strength are directly relegated from the race for exotics.


    Only countries with middle-grade strength and higher, are eligible to build shelters and man them up here.


    The third grade, which was the last and highest level, was the level at areas between the absolute zenith of the Himalayan peaks.


    Naturally, the danger of this zone was countless times more extreme than those of the middle level. This was the level that gave this place the status of a frontier region, this was the death zone of Everest.


    In this zone, only the stronger ones among the countries with high-grade military strength and super-high-grade countries could build shelters here.


    This was the operation ground of the bigshots.


    The Spartan team that discovered the ruins that brought this mission took refuge in one of the Spartan shelters located in the middle level, which meant that the location for this mission was also in the middle level.


    At this current age, the highest temperature of Everest can be as high as a thousand minus degrees centigrade. This horrifyingly cold temperature was only recorded at the mountain¡¯s highest peak though.


    Though it was possible to be made, the big 5 were too lazy to build a shelter at this extreme zenith of the cold Everest to protect explorers and adventurers. They were not babysitters.


    To them, if they needed to get there, they had the equipment and technology to get there safely, so why bother themselves by building shelters that would have practically no meaning to them?


    And also, though it was just a rumor, it was once circulated that one of the 5 primordial exobeasts, Cold Kong was staying at this zenith.


    This was his territory, so most soldiers tended to avoid this region even if they had the requirements to get there. Here in the frontier, only the brave souls could go far, there was no place for cowards.


    Cold Kong was the exobeast that was ranked 3rd among the 5 primordial exobeasts, only below Drakonous and the 2nd ranked Sabertoothed Targaryen.


    Though most countries had shelters built all over the Himalayan peaks, the shelters mostly used by wanderers are built by large organizations that took this mountain region as their business region.


    These organizations already built dozens of shelters, if not hundreds around the mountain. Every mercenary had a place to take refuge so far as he/she had the magic tool, money.


    In this era, apart from strength and power, money was everything. Take it or leave it, this was the truth.


    Without money, the big 5 would not be what they are today. Without money, Sparta would be just a sorry loser country that stole ancient names for their grandeur. Without money, Clark was a fish out of water.


    Water is life, but money is the driver of life.


    ¡­


    After Clark went through the map, he took one of the only 3 large shelters that were built in the middle region by business pursuing organizations as his target.


    Though there were Spartan shelters here, the Spartan army strictly warned all the leaders of the squads to never go near one.


    According to the predictions of the leaders of the army, only a few countries with high-grade military strength got the information of the discovered ruin, so they intended to keep it that way.


    Though the Spartan shelters were safely hidden from enemies, the Spartans were not conceited enough to believe that their lousy stealth measures were worth a fart before the big 5¡¯s surveillance.


    If by mistake, any of the big 5 got information about this rare meat that they got to vie for within themselves, then they were doomed.


    The big 5 would just clap for them first. Then, like a big brother who saw that his kid sister found a thousand dollars on the floor, they would politely take the money while patting the sister on the head fondly.


    In this case, they were the young and innocent sisters, while the big 5 were the overbearing big brother.


    No way would they want the big 5 to take this meat and horde it to themselves, so preventing them from knowing early was the best that they could do.


    Though one of the large public shelters was Clark¡¯s target, the journey to get there was not beans despite their advanced tech equipment. It was a journey of weeks, if not months.


    ¡°Soldiers, pick up the pace, we have to leave this region and find a good place to rest before the night comes¡±.


    Clark barked orders at his soldiers, as he led them forward tenaciously, trudging across the deep snow-filled pathway.


    They were currently moving up a slope, so the resistance to their progress was stronger as most of the soldiers were already feeling tired. No one complained though, as they all persevered and continued forward.


    A few hours later, they finally left the area where the shelter was located. They could finally see the rocky mountain wall again; they were still in the Khumbu icefalls pathway.


    The slopy region that they just crossed was one of the few flat surfaces in the mountain, where adventurers can rest and build temporary shelters.


    Seeing this familiar glacier-filled mountain wall again, the soldiers of Squad 6 all heaved a sigh of relief as they followed the lead of their Major and started climbing.


    Though it took them some time, they finally crossed their first flat surface.


    After the last experience with the Himalayan black bears, the soldiers were more cautious as they listened attentively to the directives of their leader and second in commands while watching alertly like hawks.


    They climbed with much less grandeur and noise this time. Despite this, their efficiency was faster than the rate they moved at in their first time climbing.


    Their 4 comrades who died because of being slow was still fresh in their minds, so they did not need the reminder of anybody to know that they had to strain their legs and move faster.


    Clanking sounds rang out repeatedly, forming an organized melodic rhythm as the soldiers gradually scaled the mountain wall with their sickle-like climbing equipment.


    2 hours later, they finally arrived at another cave in the wall before the day could get completely dark.


    Due to their experience of last time, they were now knowledgeable as 5 soldiers were appointed by Clark to go inside and carefully scour the cave for signs of any activity.


    The others did not rest despite this, as they were not ready to rest before the results of the search came out. In this frontier, it was not safe until it was confirmed safe.


    Diana led the 4 soldiers, as she silently trudged deeper into the wide cave. The cave was wider than the one they encountered previously, which gave them more options on how to respond in the case of any emergency.


    It took them a whole 30 minutes, but no impatience was shown by them as they finally scoured the cave to its very ends. Seeing this, she heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.


    ¡°Sir, it''s safe¡±. She quickly spoke into her comm.


    ¡°Thank God¡±. The soldiers responded even before Clark could react, as they all plopped down to the floor exhausted.


    Seeing this, Clark only smiled before permitting them to eat. The already famished soldiers reacted enthusiastically to this, as they quickly started the wrestle with food.


    ¡­


    Just like the remnants of a world war, or soldiers that were stranded on another planet, for the next few days, the soldiers of Squad 6 scaled the mountain like their life depended on it.


    It seemed to them that the hours of the days were flying, as just like in a flash, they already spent a week climbing the mountain.


    Their daily routine was to climb, look for a cave to rest, eat, continue climbing, look for a cave to spend the night, eat, sleep, wake up and repeat the cycle.


    Though none of them really said it, they were ambitious and were all yearning to complete this mission and make a name for themselves.


    Their leader, Major Clark, was an example of a soldier who got fame through undergoing dangerous missions, so why could they not do it? All of them were optimistic about their chances, as this pushed them to move faster than estimated.


    Though they have not reached the middle levels of the mountain peak yet, they already scaled a significant distance from their starting point.


    Today, when they were going through their routine, they were surprised to find a cave that was different from the others. Not only was it a cave, but it was also a tunnel that led to another part of the mountain.


    ¡°Benny, what¡¯s the situation there?¡± Clark quickly spoke into his comm. Benny was the leader of the vanguard group this time.


    ¡°Major, the tunnel is not as good as a discovery we thought it was¡±. Though Benny felt a little awkward calling his friend by his title, he had to do it as he was in front of many soldiers.


    ¡°Tell me¡±.


    ¡°The tunnel seems to have been abandoned, and it is now occupied by others. It serves as the home of another group of mountain beasts¡±.


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Mountain cats¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry, there was a mistake here, I just rectified it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 205: the tunnel

    When Clark heard that the tunnel was already occupied by mountain cats, he fell silent and went into deep contemplation.


    From the knowledge that he got from his learning years through his first implant, he knew the basic information about mountain cats.


    The cats that live in an extreme region such as the Himalayan peaks are of different types and breeds, but they all have one similarity, they had vigorous hearts and lungs that already adapted to the region.


    In short, compared to other regular cats, these were more tenacious and have more means of survival.


    At this current height of the mountain, all the normal soldiers in the squad could no longer breathe by themselves. Their lungs were not tenacious enough, so they were now on life support systems.


    As a home of mountain beasts, this reason alone would have deterred Clark from passing through this tunnel, but he was still hesitant as he thought through its pros and cons.


    Compared to the Himalayan black bear nest that they encountered, this one was smaller and more compact as it was just a tunnel.


    What really made him hesitant to abandon this short-cut road was that compared to Himalayan black bears, mountain cats were smaller, less fierce, and strong.


    After over a week of climbing non-stop, though most of the soldiers still showed enthusiasm, he could still notice the faint feeling of fatigue as they have not arrived at the middle layer of the mountain yet.


    For days, he was already thinking of a solution to this conundrum as he felt that their speed when climbing normally was too slow.


    Seeing a tunnel that was evidently dug out by humans and may possibly be a shortcut channel to the higher parts of the Everest, he was reluctant to leave.


    He knew that the tunnel was not natural, because his implant already analyzed and displayed the unique touch of humans all over it to him as soon as he arrived there.


    ¡°Should I take the more conservative route and continue climbing, or should I risk it and take this possibly faster route?¡± He was conflicted.


    Though this conundrum was hard to tackle, he no longer thought much about it after a moment. They all came fully conscious that this region was dangerous, taking such a small risk to speed things up was ok for him.


    In this mission, they were not the only ones that were on the search for the ultimate prize, countless others were also in the race.


    Just the Spartan army alone has 20 squads. The other countries who discovered information about the ruin, especially the countries with high-grade military strength were sure to mobilize more.


    This was a mission that required brain, speed, and most especially luck to succeed. First come, first serve. The one who found the ultimate prize first, takes it, no bargains.


    ¡°Major¡±. Diana called out softly to remind her leader, as they were all still on the edge in the case that the mountain cats discovered them.


    As these thoughts fleeted through Clark¡¯s mind, on hearing the reminder of his second in command, he finally came to a decision. He no longer hesitated, as he started pushing his plan through immediately.


    ¡°Benny, stay in your position and wait for us. Keep track of the beast¡¯s movements, and try your best not to get discovered¡±. He quickly spoke into their connected comm, before turning to his other soldiers.


    ¡°Soldiers, you heard me. This is my decision; we are forging forward through this tunnel. Does anyone have an objection to this decision? If you have, speak out now?¡±


    ¡°No, sir¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±.


    ¡°Diana, stay behind with all the normal soldiers and lead them to follow me cautiously. I don¡¯t want any casualties this time, move and retreat carefully in tandem¡±.


    ¡°Ok, sir¡±.


    ¡°I will lead all the high-grade soldiers forward to regroup with Benny to form a vanguard group, that will detect problems ahead and warn you guys at the back to avoid it¡±.


    ¡°Everyone, keep your eyes open and be alert. Check your equipment again to make sure they are working optimally, make sure your night vision goggles are working properly, and keep your comms connected to the network always¡±.


    ¡°You dare lose connection and leave the group, even if it¡¯s by mistake, you¡¯re dead. I will tell you the cold hard truth, no one will sacrifice himself to save you. If I can save you, I will, but if I can¡¯t, you die, so be sharp¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir!!¡±


    ¡°For those who are on life support systems, make sure they are safely kept inside your exotic armors to prevent any stories that touch. You don¡¯t want to escape from the beasts, then later suffocate to death¡±.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s all for now. Keep your ears peeled for any new information, this is an unknown region and we would definitely encounter unexpected situations¡±.


    ¡°Ok, soldiers, follow me¡±.


    With that, Clark finally turned around as the vanguard group followed him deeper into the tunnel.


    As they went deeper, the background light gradually grew dim before becoming completely dark, but this did not affect them as they already had their military night vision goggles on.


    It did not take long before they finally regrouped with Benny¡¯s small group of 5, as they finally laid their eyes before this mysterious-looking tunnel that was occupied by beasts.


    ¡°You 4, go back and regroup with the backtrack group. Only high-grade soldiers are needed in the vanguard group¡±. Clark whispered to the soldiers that were with Benny.


    ¡°Yes, Major¡±.


    As soon as the soldiers left, he finally calmed his heart before looking at the pits and large holes made by these mountain cats as houses.


    From their location, they could see where the first house of the cats was roughly constructed.


    Just like entering the region of a city, the soldiers were shocked on seeing the big holes of different sizes and shapes that were dug into the extremely hard mountain walls of the tunnel.


    The different holes rambled widely across their sight, looking like buildings, thereby making the inside of the tunnel more spread out and wide than the region they just emerged from.


    ¡°Is it cats that dug and built such caves inside this tunnel-like humans?¡± The soldiers were shocked. The stunning outlook of the cat nest was too mind-blowing to be the work of animals.


    ¡°And how the hell did their claws dig into those hard rocks?¡± They shuddered when thinking of this, and the possibility of those claws digging into their flesh was making them feel like ants were crawling through their bodies.


    The first cat finally came into sight, it was sleeping peacefully behind the first hole which served as their home.


    It was a big black-furred cat, with sharp claws that were faintly scratching the walls beside it despite it still asleep. Its long dagger-like teeth showed through its big maw, as it was widely opened due to its snoring.


    Like this was just an interlude, after the first cat, the other cats finally started coming into their sights.


    Cats of different colors and sizes were all over the tunnel. Most of them were asleep, which left the soldiers wondering, but the others were awake doing different random things.


    As the soldiers¡¯ eyes looked across like they were scanning devices, they finally locked on to the cat which slept majestically at the hole dug in the zenith of this tunnel top.


    The giant grey-furred cat seemed like a beast that was directly fished out of a movie of dragons and phoenixes, it¡¯s intimidating sleeping posture and grandeur could be felt by the soldiers despite the distance between them.


    ¡°Is this the legendary puss in boots?¡±


    As different and completely random thoughts of fear and dread started being cooked up in the soldier¡¯s hearts due to this sight, Clark finally spoke out again, this time in a grave tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s a big cat with 2nd rank high-grade strength, probably already at the pinnacle of the rank. This is a dangerous predator exobeast¡±.


    Hearing this from their always reliable Major, the soldiers felt light-headed all of a sudden. All of them had grim expressions on their faces, as the thought of retreating started rearing its ugly head.


    ¡°I know what you are all thinking of, but I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s necessary, I already analyzed our chances thoroughly with the help of my implant, and it was fairly good in our favor¡±.


    ¡°So fast?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so fast¡±.


    ¡°Now, listen to me. If all of you follow my instructions and directives to the paper, we have more than a 60% chance of emerging out of this tunnel completely unscathed¡±.


    The soldiers¡¯ ears suddenly stood straight like antennas on hearing this, as they all paid maximum attention to hear their Major¡¯s plan.


    ¡°Due to a reason that I still don¡¯t know currently, these cats are from a rare breed that mostly sleeps in the day, and is more active at night. This is the main basis advantage of our escape, that we should capitalize on¡±.


    ¡°To escape, all of you should re-configure your exotic boots from semi-silence step coverage to maximum silence step coverage¡±.


    The soldiers suddenly widened their eyes at this. ¡°Sir, that¡¯s too much, the energy consumption would be too much for our boots!!¡±


    ¡°F*ck, shut up and lower your voices. Do you want to botch our chances?¡± Clark bonked the nearest soldier on the head, as he looked around to see if any cat was startled by the faint noise.


    Seeing none, he heaved a sigh of relief before turning to glare at his soldiers.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t. Sorry sir, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Be quiet and listen to me, I already calculated everything through. All you have to do is to tone down the configuration of your boot¡¯s other uses that consume energy, you don¡¯t need it now¡±.


    ¡°And if we get out of the tunnel to the other side successfully, I intend for the whole squad to rest to recover our strength and for your devices which use energy to be recharged¡±.


    ¡°Oh¡­, ok, sir¡±. Though the soldiers were still a little apprehensive, they still compromised as Clark was the main decision-maker here, not them.


    Them even complaining at first was already disrespect to a superior, but Clark ignored those trivialities generously.


    ¡°Ok, listen, these are the details on how we should go directly. Our rear team, Diana, I hope you are all listening?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. Diana aptly replied.


    ¡°Ok, this is what you all have to do. For the normal soldiers, go¡­¡±


    A few minutes later, Clark finally finished explaining his plan to his soldiers. Though it took some time for them to comprehend everything, when they finally did, they found that the plan was feasible.


    This made them all heave a sigh of relief, as they did not really want to lose their lives meaninglessly just to move faster¡±.


    ¡°Ok, follow my moves to the book. Let¡¯s move¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry, there was a mistake here, I just rectified it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 206: is that a human

    Clark took the initiative by moving first, while the soldiers of the vanguard team followed him closely as they finally set foot into the territory of the cats.


    The cat den was completely silent as a faint breeze blew through its passage, making the atmosphere look creepier, only the sounds of scratching made by the cats that were awake could be heard.


    This was when the use of the soldier¡¯s boot¡¯s maximum silence step coverage configuration came to play, as every sound made from their movements was completely absolved and defused by the exotic boots.


    Despite the problem of noise already being taken care of, the overly cautious high-grade soldiers did not take anything for granted as they tip-toed like thieves about to raid a glossary shop behind Clark.


    Unbeknownst to the owners of this den, their backyard was currently being raided and molested without their consent.


    The few cats that were awake bundled together in groups, as they played and scratched at each other. Though they played, the soldiers were astounded by the fact that they were disciplined enough to not make any noise.


    They could only pray that none of them would suddenly drop down from their holes by mistake, thereby exposing them. Such a low probability occurrence would definitely spell their doom.


    The only noise in the background was the scratching noise being made by the cat¡¯s claws, their mouths were kept shut always as no meows were let out.


    Anytime a glaring sound was made by one of them, they would all incline their heads to look up at the hole where the gray-haired giant cat was sleeping. The vanguard team already confirmed that this gray cat was their leader.


    As the soldiers slowly went deeper inside the tunnel which now looked like a home built by hardworking ants, they finally started seeing the other cats that were originally hidden from their sight.


    ¡°F*ck¡­¡±


    Clark reacted fast as he quickly stuffed his right hand roughly inside one of the soldier¡¯s widely opened mouths, thereby muffling the loud curse that was just about to come out of it.


    His eyes showed his rare side of anger, making the soldier bow his head in apology. He pointed to his head, meaning to ask that was the soldier mad? He was a goddamn f*cking soldier.


    Though Clark was really angry at such an amateur mistake, he quickly stopped the admonishment as he was also a little guilty. When he first saw it, he was also startled by the sudden sight that appeared before them.


    At the left side of the tunnel, as they were moving forward, a hole that was originally hidden from their sight suddenly appeared before them.


    This was not enough to make a soldier curse. The large white cat head paired with its big opened maw, revealing dagger-sharp teeth inside was what made the soldier freak out.


    What made the soldier feel worse, was that he almost kissed the big cat¡¯s whiskers when he turned to look at the left alertly. He felt molested, now his innocence was gone.


    For a moment there, he thought that he was in a horror movie where his head was stuffed inside the mouth of a zombie dog.


    ¡°Halt!!¡±


    Clark softly whispered into their comm while using his hand to cross his mouth to form a signal for silence, as the soldiers suddenly stood still on his orders. He wanted to confirm that they were not discovered, before moving forward.


    His heart was already palpitating rapidly, as he took a deep but soft breath before inclining his head to the side.


    The big white cat was still sleeping, as its long whiskers shook occasionally to the cool breeze blowing inside the tunnel. From its sleeping posture, Clark deduced that this dude was enjoying the fresh breeze.


    ¡°What a prick¡±.


    He heaved a sigh of relief on seeing this, calmed his twitching lips before inclining his head to other locations.


    His sharp and alert eyes went to work, as he scrutinized every part of the tunnel. From the snoring cats to the playing cats, to the ones that slept in indecent positions, he scrutinized them all.


    His implant was analyzing at full power output, as every cat¡¯s status was quickly deduced.


    After confirming that they were safe, he finally heaved a sigh of relief inwardly but he still did not let his soldiers move. He whispered into his comm again.


    ¡°Diana, we already crossed the tunnel past a quarter of its overall length, you can now move with the soldiers, but take it slow and steady. Please, I don¡¯t want any mishaps¡±.


    ¡°Check the soldier¡¯s boots again to confirm that they are in the right configuration before moving. As long as you are all silent, I promise that you will all be safe¡±.


    ¡°Ok, Major. We¡¯ll be on our way soon¡±.


    ¡°Good, we will continue ahead. Try to keep up with our pace, but your safety comes first¡±.


    With that, Clark turned around, made a forward swipe with his hand at his vanguard troops to indicate that everything was fine and that they could go.


    The few high-grade soldiers heaved a sigh of relief again, before turning to move with their Major. The one who almost kissed the sleeping cat could only suppress his irritation and follow.


    Because of the darkness inside the tunnel, Diana could not see Clark nor anyone in the vanguard group again, but this did not make her panic as she calmly led the remaining soldiers inside.


    After taking the first crucial step and getting no contrary reaction, she finally started trudging deeper into the tunnel.


    They came for an important mission, but they were currently like an adventure group that came to a big mountain to seek excitement.


    Them tip-toeing and looking around alertly, made it seem like they were a bunch of protagonists going straight into danger with the firm belief in the power of their legendary plot armor.


    Just like that, due to Clark¡¯s meticulous plans and guidance, the soldiers were able to avoid any area that could complicate their situation, as they safely crossed half of the tunnel¡¯s boundary.


    As the vanguard group continued forward at the front, something that seemed different from the normal stale color of the tunnel walls started coming into their vision range.


    Just like a faint beacon of light in the darkness, the blurry orange light shone from the corner of another hidden hole that they could not see at their current position.


    Noticing this, the soldiers¡¯ hearts tightened as they reflexively felt for their weapons, they were already prepared for the worst-case scenario.


    At their current position, they were already knee-deep inside enemy territory. Their only choice was to continue forging ahead, retreating was no longer an option for them.


    Sensing his soldiers¡¯ anxiety, Clark motioned for them to stop before talking into the comm again. This time, in a far lower voice, it felt just like a fairy whispering.


    ¡°No movements, keep calm, regulate your breathing rhythm to the lowest frequency. Don¡¯t be anxious, we are soldiers, we can deal with any problem that appears, just be alert and prepared¡±.


    ¡°Wait here, I will go and check it out. I repeat, no sudden movements, your survival is now in your own hands¡±.


    After making sure that his soldiers were calmer, Clark took hold of his exotic daggers before turning to look at the light source again. He could not fight properly with his spear in such a narrow tunnel, daggers were his best weapon choice here.


    After regulating his breath and emotions also, his face turned to its default poker look before he finally took the first step forward.


    Step by step, he cautiously walked closer to the direction of the light while prepping himself up for battle if he ever needed to fight. His gloved hands were already filled with sweat, he was also a little anxious.


    After getting there, he gently placed his hands on the side of the hole¡¯s open surface. He took another deep breath, before finally poking his head over to the other side.


    ¡°What?? This? What is this?¡±


    His face quickly froze from the sight that greeted him. He became breathless for a second there, as he fiercely fought back the urge to scream out in shock.


    It took about a minute before he finally recovered his emotions, as his face went back to its poker look. His face became cold before he finally spoke into his comm.


    ¡°Everywhere is clear here, there is no danger¡±.


    ¡°Really? Major, you took over a minute to speak out¡±.


    ¡°Shut your trap and listen to me. All of you should listen to my commands, I will not tolerate any disobedience this time. This is a direct order from me, you know the consequence of disobeying that¡±.


    ¡°As you guys pass through here, I want none of you to turn your head to the left to look. I repeat, no looking. Keep your heads straight and your eyes sharply to the front, no sideways glancing¡±.


    ¡°Did you all get that?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¡±.


    ¡°Good, Diana?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. We all heard¡±.


    After getting confirmation from all his soldiers, there was no change to Clark¡¯s face as he motioned for the vanguard group to come closer to his position.


    The soldiers obeyed, as they moved forward with solemn expressions on their faces. Though they were curious, seeing the rare cold look on Clark¡¯s face reined in all their impulses.


    Clark stood still, watching the soldiers with hawk-like eyes as they obediently passed his location with their heads all raised high and facing forward.


    Seeing them like this, Clark felt that they looked like school kids performing a match pass parade, but he could not bring himself to be amused at this as the sight he just saw was still bugging him.


    It took about 5 minutes before the soldiers finally passed the location where the light was coming from.


    He heaved a sigh of relief as none of the soldiers disobeyed his orders. He inclined his head to the side to look again, shook his head to dispel the shock in his mind before continuing forward.


    The rest parts of their passage across the tunnel were smoother and more straightforward, as the number of holes housing cats finally started reducing in number.


    They finally passed the place with more concentration of cats, and the distance to the opening ahead for them to emerge from the tunnel was now less than a quarter of the original size.


    ¡°Stop, soldier, restrain yourself, don¡¯t look. Remember your Major¡¯s orders!!¡±


    All the soldiers in the vanguard group suddenly stiffened on hearing their second in command¡¯s voice on their comm, as they hastily turned their heads back to see what was happening.


    ¡°Diana, what¡¯s happening?¡± Clark asked with slight anger now on his tone, but he received no reply.


    ¡°Soldier, please, listen to me and keep your head focused at the front. Suppress the impulse¡±.


    The soldier that was being muttered to kept a deaf ear like someone that was possessed, as his face slowly started inclining to the side.


    At times, a strict warning and threat was not always the best tactic to command obedience. Due to Clark¡¯s serious tone, this soldier could not keep in his curiosity, it was biting at him fiercely.


    The orange light coming from beside him was so captivating that it seemed like light from heaven to him.


    All his comrades beside him were alarmed on noticing his actions, as they all motioned to stop him. Instead of being effective, this only made the already mesmerized soldier even more curious.


    He could no longer control it, the deed was finally done, he disobeyed a direct order from his Major and looked.


    As soon as he turned his head to the side, his eyes widened to the limits of horror and dread as he staggered and stumbled backward before blurting out in fear.


    ¡°Is¡­ is that a human???¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry, there was a mistake here, I just rectified it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 207: the alpha cat

    Just like a string that was finally pulled in the opposite direction by natural negative force, all the soldiers in the rear group turned to look at what made their comrade so spooked.


    Helpless, disappointed, and already angered, Diana could not help herself as she also turned to look. The deed was already done, so why not look also?


    What first came before her sight on turning her head was the greyish background of the hole dug out by the cats. As her head continued upwards, she finally saw something that made her face tighten.


    ¡°A skull??¡±


    After seeing the first skull that clearly belonged to a human, her expression quickly took a poker look as her head continued upwards unhinged to see everything.


    After the first human skull, dozens of other skulls, some that were deformed eerily in various places came before her sight. This was not the end, her brows creased further as she saw the dead decaying remains of humans.


    Incomplete parts of human bodies were layered together to form a gory heap of corpses. Most of the bodies were bitten through in various places evidently by the cats, while the rest were left intact to decay.


    Seeing this, the stench of so many corpses stacked together finally started filling her nostrils. Despite this, her face remained tightened as she finally looked at the source of the orange glow that was drawing all the soldiers¡¯ curiosity.


    Despite already preparing herself, she could not help but suck in a sharp breath of air on seeing the sight that presented itself before her.


    A giant glowing orange substance that looked like an egg was placed at an elevated platform in the middle of the hole. This was not what made her shocked, the human corpse that was inside was what really brought her discomfort.


    She finally knew what made that soldier ask such a question, she also found it a little hard to take this gory and disfigured figure as a human.


    A man on thick grey climbing uniforms like the one they were currently wearing, was trapped and sealed up inside the egg. He was already dead.


    All the soldiers felt like their souls were struck by a psychic phantom, as they staggered backward disorderly on seeing the death posture of the corpse trapped in the egg.


    The corpse had an expression of immense pain, reluctance, and dread on his face, paired with a horrified look whose cause they could not pinpoint at the moment.


    This gory sight was so spooky and horror-filled, that the soldiers of Squad 6 lost all their nerves in an instant. They shivered in fear, as their overthinking brains reasoned how this man was trapped to death in an egg.


    ¡°Cats don¡¯t lay eggs. What is this?¡±


    As their brains went on overdrive over irrelevant matters, they forgot the basic information that their Major repeatedly hammered on for the past few minutes.


    They already forgot that they were in a den of dangerous predator cats, their thoughts were now lost, and could barely reason properly. This sight was too spooky to ignore.


    The vanguard group led by Clark also stood still at their position, as horrified expressions already overtook their faces.


    Though they could not see the other soldiers because of the bent pathway of the tunnel, from their comrades¡¯ words, they could imagine what they were seeing for themselves.


    Crack¡­!! Crack!!


    As the suffocating tense atmosphere lingered, a sound of rocks moving was suddenly made.


    Despite this glaring sound that just reverberated, the soldiers were still trapped in a daze due to fear. Only Clark quickly regained his sanity on hearing this, as he grew alarmed immediately.


    ¡°SOLDIERS¡­!! Snap out of your daze and escape immediately, your life is in danger. Run!!¡±


    Hearing their Major¡¯s roar of alarm, the soldiers finally started recovering from their daze but the deed was already done, all the cats were awake and were now alert.


    In the darkness of the tunnel, hundreds of glowing eyes of different colors snapped open as they coldly looked at this group of intruders. They lit up the darkness like bright torches.


    ¡°New prey!!¡±


    Boom!! The cats did not even think after seeing these intruders before the first one sprang up and ran forward, closing the distance to the nearest soldier in an instant.


    Whoosh!! Even before it could open its enormous maw, a sharp sword already collided with its exposed neck, slicing through cleanly as blood spurted out from it in waves.


    ¡°Soldiers, run!!¡±


    Diana regained her alertness and stabilized herself the fastest, which enabled her to react before the first soldier could be killed from the squad.


    The soldiers widened their eyes in shock on seeing this, none of them dared to linger again as they all took off rapidly in the direction of the vanguard group.


    In the end, they could not pass through here quietly. They said curiosity killed the cat, now they were the ones taking this title tag to themselves.


    The vanguard group soldiers were about to run also, but Clark quickly stopped them, bonking the nearest one angrily on the head as he barked out another order of admonishment.


    ¡°Fools, do you want to escape and leave your weaker comrades to perish? Listen to me, form a defensive battle formation immediately, and stand strong with me¡±.


    His eyes turned upwards to meet the cats that were rapidly climbing down from their holes and nests. ¡°We are holding siege to stop the cats here; none of my soldiers is dying today¡±.


    Though the soldiers of the vanguard group were reluctant, they were intimidated by his power and the repercussions of disobeying him, so they stayed and formed the turtle shell battle formation immediately.


    With that, Clark drew out his dual daggers before rushing forward to meet his soldiers in the rear group. There was no way these disobedient bastards would survive alone.


    With his night vision goggles on, everywhere was clear like day to him as he calmly marked out and aimed at the cats that were nimbler and were already close to the escaping soldiers.


    His multi-purpose boots suddenly vibrated before shooting out blue energy, as he was launched forward with immense speed. He arrived before his soldiers immediately.


    Whoosh!!


    His hands blurred, leaving afterimages behind as he stabbed rapidly at the closest cat, killing it immediately and drenching it in its own blood.


    His killing the first cat seemed to have sparked the inter-race battle, as cats and humans clashed fiercely with mind-blowing force and momentum.


    The escaping soldiers unsheathed their weapons swiftly, as they started retaliating against the offense of the cats. Despite their disobedience, they were still soldiers that could fight.


    Diana stayed at the back of the group, as she acted as the guard and protector watching over their backs. Her muscly feminine form warped through the narrow tunnel, as she sent the closest cats directly to hell.


    Miaow!! Meow!! Gri¡­!!


    From dozens, the cats slowly started crossing the hundred range as they all swarmed at the soldiers from every side. Their meows reverberated loudly, forming a rough cacophony of intimidating noise as the soldiers escaped for their lives.


    The only thing that was keeping them alive currently was the durability of their exotic armors, this was their only lifesaver at the moment.


    Through Clark and Diana¡¯s unrelenting selfless help and support, they slowly started forging a way through the now large horde of cats to meet the soldiers of the vanguard group.


    In the zenith height of the tunnel holes, the grey alpha cat finally stood up due to all the commotion happening in its territory.


    It turned its enormous head to look at the new prey that was wreaking havoc in its home. Just like a satellite, it scanned everywhere in an instant before narrowing its cold predatory eyes on seeing Clark.


    It already developed enough intelligence to tell that this was a troublesome fellow. This did not deter it though, it used its tongues to lick its fur on seeing this, this was a worthy challenge to its august self.


    Just like a dangerous gladiator casually going to the arena to feast on the underdogs, it jumped down from its elevated hole home gracefully before tracing its steps downwards.


    ¡°Faster, move faster!!¡±.


    Clark could already see the impending danger that was coming, prompting him to urge his soldiers to move faster.


    Though he knew that this was not the time, he could not help but direct a little intention to look at the soldier who brought all these with obvious anger blazing deep in his eyes.


    Whoosh!! He suddenly twisted his spear to the side, easily sweeping the group of cats, including the 3 with 1st rank high-grade strength among them as he turned upwards to face the impending trouble.


    Seeing this, the alpha cat quickly increased its descent speed before diving down directly at its prey with its maws widely opened and claws outstretched.


    Boom!! Clark¡¯s spear struck upwards with tones of force, as it quickly collided with the outstretched claw of the big cat. His whole-body strength was exerted behind the blow, as his legs dug deeper into the tunnel¡¯s rocky floor.


    Despite all his preparations, he was horrified by the resultant force being directed to his wrists as his eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°An exobeast with 3rd rank high-grade strength?¡±


    Coming to this realization, he no longer competed with force as he let go immediately and tried rolling to the side to remove himself from the range of this predator¡¯s sharp teeth.


    Whoosh!! Feeling a sudden sharp change in wind speed behind him, he bent himself to a gravity-defying angle before placing his spear in a cross shape to block whatever was coming.


    Blood suddenly blossomed all over his face, surprising him more as his high-grade armor was bitten through at one attempt by this exobeast like it was paper and not exotic armor.


    ¡°What???¡± He was shocked.


    The dagger-like teeth of this cat exobeast dug effortlessly into his shoulders after breaching his armor, as the ruthless cat cut a significant portion of his flesh away immediately.


    He felt light-headed all of a sudden, as the pain struck him deep inside his very being.


    He finally came to a frightening realization from this, this was an enemy that his current self was in no way ready to face. His only choice was to run and escape, staying was leaving himself to die.


    Keeping his trump cards now was foolish, he was ready to use anything to forge his escape. He just realized the cold hard truth.


    He was not allowed to think further, as the still much active cat bit at him again at a mind-blowing speed after its first failed attempt to finish him in one go.


    Crack!! Bam!! He reacted fast and blocked with his spear again, but this did little in cushioning the force as his spear also gave up the ghost, abandoning him as it directly shattered to pieces.


    ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡±


    He coughed blood while staggering backward, as he used this opportunity to roll back further to get more space for himself to react. His face was already filled with horror as he re-evaluated this cat.


    ¡°What did I get myself into this time?¡±


    Seeing his now horrified expression, the giant grey cat paused for a moment as it revealed a human-like sneer on its cat face. Its whiskers twitched frequently, as it savored the smell of its opponent¡¯s blood.


    During their short exchange, it was only a little below a minute but the soldiers of the rear group already crossed a significant distance.


    Most of them already received injuries of various degrees, but they persevered and ran with survival only in their minds. They finally regrouped with the vanguard group.


    As the other soldiers ran away without hesitation, Diana suddenly stopped and looked back. She saw the outcome of Clark¡¯s first clash with the alpha cat, she was a little worried.


    ¡°Major, do you need help? Can you take it alone?¡± She could not stop herself, she spoke into the comm.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Diana, take the soldiers to safety, I can take care of myself¡±.


    Saying this, Clark dodged another cat¡¯s attack before loosening his bag from his back. He stared directly at the giant grey cat, he felt like a lone soldier that was trapped deep inside enemy territory.


    ¡°In the end, money is the way¡±. He sighed.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. I want to make a correction, sorry, it''s not Mark, but it''s Benny, one of Clark''s earliest friend that followed him for the mission. I''ll correct it in the few chapters that I misused it, sorry for any inconvenience. My time is a little cramped, I''m preparing for an exam, I hope you endure it if there is any redundancies in the past few chapters.]

 Chapter 208: razing the tunnel to the ground

    Benny was busy, as he worked hard in making sure that the turtle shell battle formation being utilized by the vanguard group was safely kept and intact.


    Cold sweat, filled every fiber of his being as his 2-form gun in its machine gun configuration kept on spewing out bullets rapidly. His battle art, the dead¡¯s echo, did wonders as most of the cats were restrained by his bullets.


    After the soldiers of the rear group converged with them, he allowed them to leave first before he finally ordered his comrades in the vanguard group to start retreating slowly.


    The 8 high-grade soldiers of squad 6 worked their asses off fighting, as they all stood their ground to make sure that none of their comrades died.


    This tunnel was clearly occupied by a bigger and stronger beast clan than the cave where the Himalayan black bears occupied. Compared to the latter, the percentage of exobeasts in the tunnel was horrifying.


    Diana and Benny strained themselves to hold the line, as dozens of exobeast cats with 2nd rank and 1st rank high-grade strength rushed forward to devour them.


    Only their timely reaction, early preparation, and high-quality exotic armors were saving their lives. Despite this, dozens of soldiers were already suffering injuries of various degrees.


    As soon as the first soldier escaped outside the tunnel to the other side, just like cats that were injected with hard drugs and were now high, the cats reacted like dogs that had their tails stepped on as they increased their offensive exponentially.


    The vanguard group already had 2 of their high-grade soldiers with terrible injuries, but the 2 seconds in commands did a perfect job in fulfilling their Major¡¯s wish of not suffering any casualties.


    The soldiers now knew how dozens of human skulls were stacked together to form a heap here, these cats were ruthless life reapers.


    The battle of the hunter and the hunted continued unabashedly, both sides clashed with their all, making small cracks appear on various parts of the narrow tunnel.


    ¡­


    In Clark¡¯s battleground, most of the cats already knew that he was too strong for them, so they all left him alone with their alpha, giving them the perfect arena to battle freely.


    Clark held his spear with both arms as he stood rigidly with his legs separated to form a defensive stance, while his eyes looked alertly at this deadly predator that was stalking him.


    ¡°This giant cat is about the same level as the terrorist Commander I fought against some time ago, if not even stronger¡±. His expression was solemn.


    The giant grey cat also slowed down after inflicting the first series of injuries on him, as it paced left and right with its glowing reddish-golden eyes never leaving his silhouette.


    ¡°Ha!! Take this, bastard!!¡±


    He suddenly screamed, startling all the nearby cats that were spectating their battle before charging forward at the cat with fearless grandeur and unshakable confidence.


    The big grey cat was not intimidated by this move, as it also picked up speed and closed the distance to this daring human, stirring dust and small rock particles to fly about in its wake.


    As the distance between both battling silhouettes grew closer, a black gadget that was barely visible suddenly slipped down from Clark¡¯s loosened bag.


    As soon as this dropped down from the bag, he gave an order mentally as his multi-purpose boot suddenly erupted with a greenish-blue energy film this time, lighting the tunnel up.


    Noticing this series of puzzling actions, the grey cat increased its speed and opened its enormous maw again for a deadly bite.


    Clark suddenly recovered a large gadget that was dropping from his bag, took a deep breath before pointing it at the cat¡¯s face with so much emotion like he was a hero saving the world from the ruthless Thanos.


    You would think that this gadget could break heavens and crumble the earth from his intimidating stance, but what came out exceeded every cat¡¯s imagination. Light?


    Bright white focus light suddenly lit up from the torch, illuminating and shining directly into the exposed eyes of the cat. This was no gadget; it was just a single focus optimized torch.


    The light was so bright that the giant cat had to close its predatory eyes in pain. Despite this, it still stretched out its 2 claws in anger for another attack.


    As all these happened in milliseconds, the barely visible gadget that Clark dropped at first suddenly touched the ground and immediately activated, releasing an electromagnetic wave in the thousands of Microfarads range.


    This was an exotic highly optimized capacitor with various abilities, that worked its magic using electromagnetic waves.


    The electromagnetic wave passed through the tunnel with the speed of light, as every cat felt a pulse pass through them before they all stiffened.


    Boom!! Clark¡¯s already overloaded multi-purpose boot also activated at this moment, as he was launched rapidly from his position to the rooftop of the tunnel with mind-blowing speed.


    Despite his immense speed, the giant grey cat¡¯s outstretched claws still connected, giving him another injury on his abdomen.


    Fighting without exotic armor was a phobia that he was reluctant to face, but today that he faced it for his first time, he found that it was not as dangerous as he thought to fight without armor.


    He just had to use his head and plan his moves carefully, just like now. A torch that seemed to be an insignificant substance became the ultimate weapon, that enabled him to temporarily lose the alpha cat¡¯s focus.


    As he flew upwards, his body flipped mid-air as his legs quickly hit the tunnel¡¯s rooftop. As soon as this happened, dozens of mechanical tentacles emerged from the multi-purpose boots before latching into the rock.


    Bzzz!! Bzzz!!


    An anti-gravity field and a gravity bending field were quickly formed, as all the feeling he felt from defying gravity disappeared.


    His leg was facing upwards and connected to the tunnel rooftop while his head faced down, but he could hardly feel anything. This was the magic of technology.


    As soon as he adapted, he went on the run on the rooftop immediately. He was not foolish to underestimate his opponent, the grey alpha cat was still much alive. A torch could not possibly kill it, or could it?


    Thudding sounds reverberated around the cage, as all the cat¡¯s watched with widened eyes and dropped jaws as this human gradually left them in the dust.


    Miaow¡­!!!


    The giant grey cat finally recovered from the effects of the direct glare of such a highly optimized torchlight, as it turned its big head to look at its slowly escaping prey.


    Mew! Mew! Meow!


    As Clark ran, he still paid attention to his archenemy in this tunnel. Hearing the strange meowing sounds being made by the grey cat and seeing its effects, his eyes widened again in horror.


    ¡°This cat could communicate with its subordinates, and they are actually listening and understanding? Are they all intelligent beasts?¡± He was shocked.


    Hearing their alpha¡¯s loud meowing sounds, the originally disorderly cats became clearheaded and started grouping together orderly to form formations like a battalion of soldiers.


    The few ones with high-grade strength among them took the helm, as their offensive became countless times more cohesive and organized.


    This change was so sudden that before the Spartan soldiers could react, the first high-grade soldier died tragically in this mission.


    The vanguard group¡¯s turtled shell formation was scattered for a moment, as the now organized cats cleverly took and separated one of the high-grade soldiers from his comrades.


    Before the others could react and try saving him, this precious soldier of the Spartan republic was mobbed to death. In the end, there was a casualty.


    The grey alpha cat finally picked up speed again after this, as it started climbing the tunnel wall with mind-blowing speed to catch up to its prey. Clark was still its primary target; the others were not spicy enough.


    Seeing this, Clark no longer hesitated and quickly started barking orders at his soldiers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me, most of the soldiers of the rear group are already out, turn and escape now. It¡¯s an order, don¡¯t hesitate¡±.


    The soldiers did not even need his reminder, as soon as the first soldier of the vanguard troop was killed, the others reacted like kids that were spanked on the butt by their angry mom as they all turned to run away immediately.


    Every man was now on his own, face your problem alone. You tarry, you die, that was the current situation.


    ¡°Benny, when you get to the exit of the tunnel. Wait there, start executing your battle art immediately and shoot all your rock softening bullets at the tunnel walls¡±.


    ¡°Ok, Major¡±.


    As his soldiers escaped for their dear life, Clark finally brought out his dual 2-form guns to fight for his life. The grey cat was still tightly following him, making him indignant.


    ¡°F*ck, I just met you, why so fierce? Did I cut off your balls?¡±


    The cat only increased its speed on hearing this. Despite its face not having the shape and form of a human, Clark could still deduce that this guy was angry from how its face was twisted into a strange frown.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! This made him increase his multi-purpose boot¡¯s energy output to move faster, as his gun muzzles erupted in flames and let out their load without restraint.


    This cat showed why it was the alpha of this large cat clan, as it nimbly dodged all the bullets with frightening precision.


    ¡°What a fraud¡±. Clark was speechless, he no longer had any chance after this fellow got angered.


    He gritted his teeth and made another painful decision, as he started bringing all the exotic shields that were in his bag and stacking them to form a blockade to hinder this fellow¡¯s advance.


    Though its speed was hindered a bit at first, this big cat quickly adapted.


    Its claws spread destruction with impunity, as the exotic shields kept on popping from the force exerted by it. It easily clawed through all these expensive gadgets, making them seem just like cheap balloons.


    Clark winced a little at the sight of so much money so easily being devoured, but he consoled himself by the fact that he finally got close to the tunnel¡¯s exit.


    ¡°Benny, leave now¡±.


    His friend did not hesitate, as he also finally left the tunnel with speed.


    Bam!! Bam!! He now turned his aim upwards, as he unleashed hell from his two 2-form guns at the tunnel wall, making more cracks spread across it. He already cooked up another crazy plan.


    He knew that if he escaped from the tunnel, that did not guarantee his safety as the cats could just follow them out. He planned to raze this tunnel to the ground.


    As soon as he got to the position where just one step was needed for him to go outside, he stopped, kept his guns before bringing a new spear out again.


    He activated its force field, making it glow in red color before hacking hard at the tunnel walls.


    ¡°F*ck!!¡±


    He calculated wrong; the tunnel already sustained far more damage than he expected. Just 3 hacks destroyed its foundation, as everything came falling down while the ground shook like an earthquake was imminent.


    In the end, he could not escape fast enough, he was also submerged inside the sea of rocks with the cats.


    At the last moment, he thought that he saw the giant grey cat enter a hole hidden at the side, but he could hardly see clearly.


    ¡°No! Major!!¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 209: evicting a soldier

    All the soldiers screamed simultaneously in shock, as they watched their Major get submerged inside the rock with the cats. They had expressions of disbelief on their faces.


    ¡°Clark, no, no¡­!!¡±


    Benny, being the soldier who rushed out of the tunnel last, it took more time for him to react, but when he did, he was devastated.


    Though most of them were all focused on escaping and saving their sorry asses in panic, the few stronger ones were able to delegate a little bit of attention to their leader¡¯s battle.


    They saw him when his armor was breached with a single bite, they also saw him when he stacked his exotic shields together in a desperate attempt at stalling the grey alpha cat.


    ¡°What if his exotic shields are finished? Can his body alone withstand the impact of such hard rocks?¡±


    Thinking of this, some of them finally turned to face the soldier who caused this with indignant expressions on their faces. Because of his actions, they lost a high-grade soldier and probably their Major also.


    Diana was stunned, as she stood rooted in one spot like a lonely tree amid a raging storm. A lot of things went through her mind at the same time.


    Thinking of when her Major hugged her from behind when they were escaping from the Himalayan black bears, she wanted to blush but her inner self could not allow it.


    For the past few weeks, though neither she nor Clark mentioned it they both knew that after that encounter, their subordinate-superior relationship became a little awkward.


    In her part, since then, she always found it hard to look him in the eye. She did not romantically like him, but his status despite his young age made him seem charming in a way she could not describe.


    ¡°You can¡¯t die, please, you¡¯re my secret role model. You¡¯re better than this¡±. She didn¡¯t know when, but she already started seeing him as someone to look up to.


    Without him, she felt like she was lost. She just could not imagine being a proper soldier without him again. This was ridiculous as they just met about a week ago, but it was the truth.


    Every soldier had different reactions to the possible repercussions of the disappearance of their Major, as silence reigned, only slight gulps could be heard in the background.


    Benny felt crushed. As one of Clark¡¯s earliest friends, though their relationship was not really fuzzy like others, they still had a close bond that tied them together.


    His brain became hyperactive, as he imagined different scenarios that his friend was probably in. Crushed by a large rock, eaten alive by the alpha cat, stabbed to death by a pointed rock surface, the possibilities were endless.


    ¡°This cannot happen. God, what will I tell Leo?¡±


    As his emotions kept on getting riled up by his imaginations, prompting a teardrop to start slipping down his cheek, a reaction was finally stirred in the tunnel exit that was now covered with rocks.


    Every soldier¡¯s ear stood like antennas on hearing this, as their heads all inclined to the position of the sound in tandem.


    Crack!! Bam!!


    After another cracking sound from the rocks covering the exit of the tunnel, a louder sound of collision followed as the rocks quickly separated from the force coming from inside.


    Shocked expressions took over the soldier¡¯s faces, as they were stunned in one place looking at the hand of their Major that just emerged from in between the rocks.


    Exerting more effort, Clark¡¯s spear forcefully cleaved upwards from below the rocks, destroying every rock that was originally hindering its advance as his bruised head finally appeared.


    This was when the soldiers finally recovered from their daze, as 5 of them with Benny in tow immediately ran forward to help their injured Major.


    ¡°Let me down to rest, I¡¯m tired¡±.


    The soldiers obeyed, as they meekly nodded their heads like lizards before they carefully dropped him on the floor.


    Seeing his bloody injured figure that was sprawled on the floor, they all sucked in a breath of cold air as they imagined themselves in his position.


    His long hair was compressed to his head due to the rock¡¯s weight, as it was now sticky and wet due to the blood all over his face. His right eye was swollen, while his left leg was broken and bent to an unnatural angle.


    Blood flowed steadily from his abdomen, as a deep injury evidently inflicted from a pointed rock stayed glaringly there.


    His face was pale, but his hand was still tightly holding his exotic spear. Though the breakdown of the tunnel affected him terribly, he was able to improvise and survive.


    As soon as he saw the rocks falling with speed, he immediately knew that he no longer had the time to escape, so he quickly took action.


    He activated one of the exotic shields that he kept as reserve, before squatting down and raising his spear to weather the falling momentum of the rocks. The outcome was this.


    He avoided death, but he paid for it with his blood, pain, and countless injuries. He felt exhausted all over, all his body was just telling him to lie down and sleep till forever.


    ¡°Quickly, bring the first aid kit, the Major needs immediate medical treatment¡±.


    Diana was the first person whose brain recovered and worked correctly, as her reminder finally brought the soldiers back to the reality that their Major was in a critically injured state.


    The 2 always protected supply soldiers finally came forward with the huge supply bags, as they dropped them down next to their Major.


    Diana knelt beside Clark, before going to work as she sorted through the large number of supplies for the medical tools that she was looking for. It did not take long before she found what she wanted.


    She first injected Clark with the bleed stoppage serum, then the injury clothing serum, before finally ending it by injecting him with the energy recovery serum.


    These were top-grade serums that were made by top Spartan medical centers. Paired with a 2nd rank high-grade soldier¡¯s physique, Clark would probably recover completely in an hour to 2 hours.


    She brought out bandages next, before covering the more glaring injuries on his body with it. She sprinkled blood clothing ointment on the shallower ones, making Clark groan in pain.


    After all these, she finally brought out a white towel. Clark opened his mouth, as she easily stuck in inside. He knew what she intended to do, though he felt reluctant, he knew it was better than just waiting to recover naturally.


    ¡°Umm¡­, do it¡±.


    ¡°Ok, sir. Brace yourself¡­¡±


    She did not even finish what she was saying before she grabbed her Major¡¯s fractured leg. She used her free hand to press his chest down, before turning the leg to the right angle with force.


    ¡°Ughh¡­!!¡±


    Clark wanted to punch her immediately, but he restrained himself with much effort. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists before pounding the floor hard to curb the pain.


    Despite being a high-grade soldier for so long, this was the first time that he suffered such severe injuries. Even during his time as a gladiator, he did not suffer something like this.


    Diana finally released him, as his leg was already in place and back to normal but the lingering pain was still biting him fiercely. He felt light-headed and dizzy.


    It took another 5 minutes before the pain finally became bearable, as his head quickly dropped back on the floor weakly. He felt sapped of all strength, as sweat dripped down and drenched his black climbing uniform.


    ¡°Sorry, sir¡±. After doing the deed, seeing him like this, Diana suddenly felt guilty as she apologized in a meek tone. Her voice was almost melting with the wind.


    No one answered her, as Clark rested on the floor like a log of deadwood. He was completely exhausted this time. It took another 10 minutes before he finally woke up.


    ¡°Thank you, no need for saying sorry. Me even behaving like that to pain is embarrassing, I¡¯m a 2nd rank high-grade soldier for f*ck¡¯s sake¡±.


    Diana jumped back startled, as her Major woke up with this spilling out of his mouth. She did not know why, but she blushed on hearing this before lowering her head.


    The serums really worked like magic like advertised, as most of the shallow injuries on his body were already closing up.


    Seeing this, the nearby soldiers finally heaved a sigh of relief before plopping down into the mountain floor. They were also exhausted from the battle.


    The terror from seeing the trapped corpse, and everything else that they witnessed in the tunnel was burdening their brain. Paired with the escape battle, they were sapped dry.


    Though he was still feeling a little weak, Clark was already feeling countless times better than he felt a few minutes ago. He finally forced himself to sit up with a slight grunt of pain.


    Remembering how Diana was working on him, and how he was groaning in pain like a fearful child that was receiving injections on the butt, he could not help but feel slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°What a disgrace¡±.


    Despite how embarrassed he was, this was the emotion that was at the lower trend in his thought processes. Remembering the battle, anger blazed in his heart as he suddenly sprang up, startling the soldiers.


    Ignoring the pain that struck at his consciousness due to the sudden maneuver, his eyes turned to scan through his soldiers as he quickly found who he was looking for.


    Seeing the now timid and innocent-looking soldier, his anger blazed fiercer when he thought of how a high-grade soldier died to this guy¡¯s disobedience.


    He stormed forward angrily, as his target finally raised his head to look at him pitifully. He did not take any nonsense despite this pity invoking sight, as he quickly grabbed the soldier on his collar and lifted him like a rag doll.


    He had a million words to say, but he did not know what to start with, so he just kept quiet and stared at this soldier with anger-filled penetrating eyes.


    ¡°I¡­, I¡¯m sorry Major. I deserve to die¡±.


    ¡°Yes, you deserve to die! What do you take me for? Is my easy-going attitude making you feel like I am too benevolent?¡±


    ¡°No¡­, no sir¡±.


    ¡°Just shut up!¡±


    The soldier obeyed, as he quickly shut up and looked down guiltily. He waited tensely for the verdict that his leader would give.


    ¡°You¡¯re out of this mission¡±. Clark suddenly spoke out, after closing his eyes to think a bit.


    Even before the soldier could speak, another voice quickly spoke on his behalf.


    ¡°What? Major Clark, that¡¯s too harsh a decision. We need him and everyone for the success of this mission, and he cannot leave this region himself. This is a danger-infested region¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up Diana!¡±


    Clark did not mince his words this time. The female soldier was stunned at first on hearing this, but she quickly recovered herself before wearing her poker face again.


    ¡°Sorry, sir¡±.


    She apologized without emotion in her tone. Clark finally turned to face the disobedient soldier again, after calming his fluctuating emotions.


    ¡°You will be the first example to show anyone else that decides to disobey my orders in this squad. My order is effective immediately, take your bag and everything that belongs to you¡±.


    ¡°Leave this mountain, you are no longer needed. You are big enough to make decisions yourself, so protect yourself and leave. I wish you a safe journey back, Goodluck¡±.


    Though the soldier wanted to beg, his leader¡¯s tone screamed finality, so he knew begging was futile. Lowering his head more, he acknowledged the order.


    ¡°Ok, sir. It¡¯s been nice serving under you¡±.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine¡±. Clark replied in a deep tone.


    ¡°Take this anti-gravity device, with it you can fly over this region directly. It¡¯s a parting gift from me that will grant you better survival chances¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, sir¡±. The soldier felt conflicted. Just a moment of following his will brought him into this, curiosity is a bastard.


    He saluted Clark, turned to salute his comrades, picked his bag before turning to leave. As he left, he quickly activated the anti-gravity device that was now attached to his uniform. He took off to the skies immediately.


    Sighs left the other soldier¡¯s lips, as they all watched their comrade leaving them. They did not feel pity for him though, his actions cost the squad too much.


    This punishment was even light, their Major deciding to kill him directly was not too extreme to them.


    Skrii¡­!!!


    Before the soldiers could think further, to their shock, a big bird suddenly crossed the air where their comrade just passed. The aftermath was blood and human body parts raining down.


    ¡°What bird is that?¡± They were shocked once again.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 210: the bald eagle and the new region

    Just in a flash, their comrade that was evicted a moment ago was dead. Shock alone could not describe the soldier¡¯s emotions, as they watched with terrified expressions.


    Seeing the blood remains and small pieces of flesh that were left of their comrade, they did not know what to think. Their hate for this region was increasing by the hour.


    Already learning their lesson from back in the tunnel, despite how shocked they were, none of them dared to fall into a daze as they all watched alertly for any threat.


    ¡°Activate the energy signatures masking device immediately, and converge closer to each other¡±. Clark slowly whispered into the comm, as his soldiers acknowledged the order immediately.


    Just like the others, he was also shocked by this unexpected outcome. He evicted the soldier because he was really angry and he wanted to use him as a lesson, but he never intended for him to die. That¡¯s why he gave him such a gadget.


    Though his intentions were pure, the execution completely differed entirely from the way that he expected it. Despite this, he did not let himself carried away as he thought of their current scenario.


    ¡°Where was this exactly? Which part of the mountain was this?¡± He had a lot of unanswered queries.


    [Ding!! Master, the wind speed in this area has suddenly received a huge spike. There is a high probability of the same unknown bird appearing again, it¡¯s probably coming back.]


    ¡°Be fast. Take this, connect this stealth device to the masking device. Work it faster, we don¡¯t have time¡±. Clark acted swiftly after listening to his implant.


    The slightly technical soldiers in the squad went to work, as they hastily set up the masking device while also connecting it to the stealth device that their Major just brought out.


    5 seconds later, they finally set it up as a transparent energy film suddenly covered them in a semi-circle. The stealth device also activated, as the energy film suddenly flickered before making them invisible to the outside world.


    After this, they finally relaxed their tense nerves as they cautiously glanced outside for any sudden movements.


    Whoosh!!


    The wind stirred fiercely, as a big bird of prey suddenly dived down from the air at an astonishing speed before perching at a tree that was close to the squad¡¯s position.


    ¡°A bald eagle?¡±


    Clark felt frustrated at seeing this, he had not recovered yet from his injuries, but he was already seeing more dangerous things. His implant suddenly flashed a display before him at this point to give more details.


    [Ding!! Master, this is an exobeast bald eagle. The bald eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It has 2 known subspecies, and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle.]


    [After a lot of analysis for the past few hours since you arrived at this region, my processing core has discovered a surprising conjecture.]


    [The bald eagle is a sea eagle. Its habitat is not the Himalayan ranges, and definitely not the Mariana territory either.]


    [Also, about the cats you just escaped from. It is baffling that such dangerous cats are living in the Himalayan ranges and it¡¯s not recorded anywhere. Due to all these, I came to a surprising conclusion.]


    ¡°What is it? Lily be fast, this predator does not look friendly at all. I don¡¯t have much trust in the effectiveness of our stealth camouflage systems¡±.


    [Master, my conjecture is that your squad either just came to an undiscovered part of the Himalayan peaks, a newly formed region of the peaks, or a dangerous region that the big 5 don¡¯t deem necessary to make known to the world.]


    [All the happenings and animals living in this region are strange, and this area is not included in the map that you bought. I advise that master takes time to explore the area to know more.]


    Hearing this detailed analysis from his implant¡¯s A.I, Clark went silent as he entered a contemplative mood. Like the implant, he was also seeing this region a little strange.


    ¡°Sir¡­, Major, it looked at us¡±.


    Hearing one of the soldier¡¯s quivering tone, Clark finally snapped out of his daze as he turned his head upwards to look again. His heart stopped for a moment, as his eyes clashed with the eagle¡¯s.


    Though he knew that the eagle could not see him, he still felt his heart palpitate at a faster rate from this sight alone.


    When his implant was showing him all that, the eagle was originally looking in another direction. Why did it suddenly look this way, and in their direction?


    ¡°Are we discovered?¡± He was alarmed immediately.


    After analyzing closely, he found from the eagle¡¯s perching posture and curiosity-filled expression that it was not sure if they were there. Maybe its senses were telling it that they were there, but its sight was saying otherwise.


    Seeing this, Clark immediately knew that staying in one place was not good at all.


    ¡°Soldiers, retreat backward a little. We are moving 5 meters from here; our current location is not safe¡±. He whispered again to his soldiers.


    ¡°Watch your steps, don¡¯t step on anything that will reveal your position. Don¡¯t go against the wind, let yourself flow with it and ride with it. No abrupt movements, take it slow and steady¡±.


    After so many experiences and deadly examples, the idea of disobeying or ignoring his orders again was already taboo to the soldiers.


    They followed his orders to the paper as they came. They all retreated in tandem, with no sound and change in the airflow being detected. Their bodies moved like a well-oiled machine.


    Whoosh!!


    As they moved, their eyes widened in shock as the bald eagle exobeast who seemed to have become impatient suddenly leaped from its perched position and dived down at their previous location.


    ¡°Stop, hold your breath, and slow your heartbeat rate¡±.


    Though they hardly moved from their previous location, the soldiers did not disobey their Major as they all stopped their movements and stood rigidly in place.


    The soldier who stood at the forefront felt his bladders tighten before loosening, as the wind-wave of the bald eagle¡¯s passage hit his face fiercely. He freely wet his pants without any care for those around him.


    After flying across the location but not coming into contact with any human, the now confused eagle flew back to its perch spot in the tall tree.


    It looked down to scrutinize the spot again for some time, but its patience was limited. With another loud eagle cry, it finally soared into the air before riding the wind away.


    Despite not seeing it again, the soldiers stood still like that for another 30 minutes to confirm before Clark finally said that they could relax their tense nerves.


    They all plopped down tiredly, but they still did not open the stealth-covered energy signature masking device. They let it be, as they derived more security from knowing that it was activated.


    As the soldiers slowly regained their nerves after resting for a few minutes, Clark finally stood up again before looking around himself to see where they were exactly.


    Since they escaped from the tunnel, they never had a second to check out their surroundings. From evicting the disobedient soldier, to him flying off, to the bald eagle eating him off, everything looked like an action movie.


    As he finally started taking in this new region that they found themselves in, his expression underwent huge changes.


    The first impression that he had on seeing this completely strange landscape, was that this did not seem to be a place in the great Himalayan peaks. This place was actually a cold region forest, inside these Mountainous great peaks.


    None of the sight before him showed that this was a mountain that needed to be climbed higher, to get to other locations. The landscape looked completely normal, like regular cold forest regions.


    He could hardly see any rock nearby, only snow and few sights of rocky regions filled his sight with a proportional number of trees rambling across the whole region. He felt like he was suddenly in an adventure movie.


    ¡°Is this the legendary transmigration in web novels? What else can explain suddenly appearing from a cold mountain to a cold forest region? This is not an illusion, right?¡± He was sincerely shocked.


    Thinking of all these, he could not help but attribute it to the trapped corpse that they saw in the orange glowing egg back in the tunnel.


    ¡°Who were those people that died there? Who was that trapped corpse? How was that grey alpha cat so intelligent that it could command its subordinates to attack cohesively?¡±


    The questions in his mind were too numerous, there was no way that he could go through everything in his limited time. This only made this region seem more mysterious and fantastical to him.


    ¡°Did I really transmigrate? Damn, that will be amazing and dreadful in itself. That¡¯s the stuff of myths and legends¡±.


    As he observed, his subordinates already recovered as they stood beside him, observing also. They all had varied expressions on their faces, from curious to shocked, to bamboozled, then to excited.


    From the historical knowledge that they got from their implants, the knowledge that was disseminated on the internet, and the map that the locals here gave them, there was no such region like this in the whole Everest region.


    ¡°The stealth device is running low on energy. We have to find shelter now before its energy is depleted¡±. Clark suddenly spoke out again, after receiving an alert from his implant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the forest. There, we would have more cover to hide and to think more carefully about our situation. We need rest, and our equipment also needs recharging¡±.


    None of the soldiers had any contrary opinion, as the decision of their Major was the best in unknown situations like this.


    Though the forest would be more infested with danger, it was still better than staying without any coverage here in the open. Here, predators can easily spot them.


    Instead of staying here and relying on luck, they would rather go to the forest and forge their safety themselves.


    After making sure that everyone was on the same wavelength as he was, Clark nodded in satisfaction before turning to lead his soldiers into the forest. By this point, most of his injuries were healed, reducing his discomfort.


    Like that, in this completely unknown region, the soldiers of Squad 6 finally followed their leader into the forest through stealth coverage.


    Perhaps, if they were lucky, the loot and discoveries of a new region were awaiting them. If it was the other way round, then the dangers of an unknown region were stalking them.


    It was only a matter of time before one of these 2 scenarios would come to pass, they could only pray for better luck.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 211: the hole in the tree

    It took a little bit more time than the soldiers anticipated before they finally reached the snowy woods. Despite this little setback, they were not concerned, their attention was completely on their surroundings.


    Unlike most conventional forests, this one was less compact and had less of a cover to hide from prying predator''s eyes.


    This was only natural as there was no way normal trees and grass could grow in a mountain like Everest, only mutated ones could survive the extreme regions of this place.


    Bushes and shrubs were a rare sight here, only sparkly white snow filled everywhere, paired with the giant trees that rambled across like evolved pokemons going to war.


    The only cover here was the trees, as some of them grew as wide as dozens of meters. Most of the trees were the tenacious cedar trees, but there were still other tenacious varieties.


    Their shoots were already gracing the mist-filled Himalayan skies, as their leaves slowly swayed to the rhythm of the breeze.


    Though this sight was beautiful, none of the soldiers dared to admire it. Who knew if another bald eagle or giant cat would emerge from inside and bite their heads off? This was unknown territory.


    The only thing that came as a relief to them since they arrived in the forest was that they have not encountered any beast yet. This meant that the bald eagle was probably just a fluke, and exobeasts were still at the normal minimum here.


    As they continued trudging forward silently in the forest, their expressions continually grew darker and grim as till now, no possible covering where they could take shelter was in sight.


    Despite this, they still held hopes and continued deeper. 10 minutes later, the stealth coverage device finally beeped, indicating that it had less than 10% energy in its batteries.


    ¡°Stop, going further is an uncertain variable now, let¡¯s go back and take shelter in the giant tree that we encountered some minutes ago¡±. Clark finally spoke out on seeing their situation. He was also out of ideas.


    Though the soldiers kept silent and no one refuted his suggestion, almost all of them had unwilling expressions on their faces.


    The giant tree that their Major was speaking of was actually a mutated cedar tree. Though its size was humongous and could take all of them in, they felt reluctant to stoop so low.


    ¡°We are not barbarians; we are elite soldiers of the Spartan army¡±.


    These were just their thoughts though. After all the embarrassing situations that they found themselves in since coming to this mountain, they no longer had the dignity to speak to their Major confidently.


    If Clark was not with them, perhaps, they would be all be dead men already. Their extreme reactions to the spooky sights in the cave alone left them ashamed.


    It took them only 2 minutes before they finally returned to the location of the enormous tree, it still stood rooted confidently on its spot.


    Though most of the soldiers already saw most trees including mutated ones, the sight of this wonder of nature still left them awed, despite already seeing it once when they passed.


    The enormous tree was both intimidating and attractive in itself. Most cedar trees grow as tall as 40-60 meters in this age, but this one had an outrageous length size of about 150 meters.


    On getting inside the forest, they already noticed that the mutated trees here were bigger than normal, but this one was still one in a million among the hundreds that they already saw.


    Though this was eye-catching, their focus was elsewhere, what really made their eyes bulge was the even more outrageous width size of this cedar tree.


    This was definitely not normal, as this tree¡¯s width grew as much as about 80 meters in size from their estimation. They already asked themselves this before when they passed, but they still asked it again.


    ¡°What abomination is this? Are we still on earth?¡±


    Its long dimorphic shoots which formed the framework of the branches pierced through the sky imperiously, like an emperor in eastern fantasy novels going against the heavens.


    This was simply just ridiculous at this point.


    All those were its intimidating side, as the soldiers¡¯ eyes finally went to the attractive side of the tree that could make girls scream like excited fanatics.


    Its brown skin tree bark that was attached to the enormous stem, though it looked rough like other wildlife trees, had a certain unique look to them that made it seem like it was a work of technology.


    Faint square-shaped and thick ridged cracks rambled across the stem and broad branches, making it seem like puzzles that were waiting for a master to solve.


    Its thin evergreen and needle-like leaves sparkled under the evening sky, their bright and vibrant colors were hardly affected by the extreme weather around.


    They were curled and arranged in open spiral phyllotaxis along the tree shoots and dense spiral clusters of 25-50 together in short shoots.


    Even its barrel-shaped seed cones were not spared from this lavish model tree-like beauty, their green maturing grey-brown color blended with the grey sky to form a nice combination.


    The soldiers were petrified. It took them minutes before they finally snapped from their dazed admiration, as they started wiping off the foolish smiles that were originally on their faces.


    Like the others, Clark was guilty too, he admired without any care of the world. After admiring the intimidating grandeur of the giant tree to the fill, he finally went to work as he opened his military bag again.


    He first brought out what looked like a mechanically controlled sawing machine. He brought out and activated a sound dampening device next, before going to work on carving a hole into the tree that a human could pass through.


    Yes, he planned on cutting a hole inside the tree where they could take shelter. Its diameter was wide enough, so why not?


    He already prepped himself to work for dozens of minutes if not hours, but he was surprised as just after a minute, the sharp saw breached the periphery bark-covered skin of the tree. A big dark hole appeared inside.


    Seeing the dark hole which looked like the passage to an abyssal depth, he was startled, making him apprehensive again. A tree as thick and big as this one, there was no way that it would have such a big hole inside naturally.


    He cautiously retreated, while motioning for his soldiers to prep themselves for battle as he already started feeling his back for his spear in the case of any dangerous encounter.


    After another minute of patiently watching and enduring the tense atmosphere that followed, seeing no danger come out as he expected, he was puzzled.


    This did not leave him out of options for long though, as he dipped his hands into his bag again.


    This time, he brought out a batch of military special ops bean-sized drones, before letting them through the hole to go inside the tree.


    As soon as the drones entered inside the hole, they hovered and spread out to different directions in the hole. After this, it took only 2 seconds before a holographic screen appeared before him mid-air.


    The holographic screen was extremely clear, as it showed exactly what the bean-sized drones were seeing and transmitting to him. Though inside the tree was still dark, the drones¡¯ night vision add-ons made everything clear.


    Clark waited for another 5 seconds before the image being transmitted finally stabilized, after clearing every interference. After this, he went to work as his finger poked various instructions into the holographic screen.


    Acknowledging the new instructions that were transmitted to them immediately, the drones continued their advance deeper inside the tree.


    As the drones stealthily continued their advance, Clark became more and more shocked as the depths of this hole were even deeper than he predicted. Different thoughts and questions were already revolving in his brain.


    ¡°Who or what exactly dug this? Is there an enemy predator inside here? Does this hole cover the entire diameter of the tree?¡±


    Though he was tempted to explore the whole area of the hole through the drones, he held his impulse back on seeing the blinking red timer of the stealth coverage device.


    He instructed the drones to stop their advance, as they already scouted a large enough area to act as a temporary shelter for his squad. He could be proactive now.


    ¡°Ok, you guys can go in now, but take it slow and steady. Benny, Diana, you 2 go in first, the others will follow you¡±.


    Though the soldiers were still apprehensive about everything attached to this tree, they held back their thoughts on seeing their 2 seconds in commands enter decisively.


    One by one, they quickly entered the hole as the stealth coverage device drew nearer to the end of its energy lifespan.


    After all the soldiers entered, Clark finally motioned to enter. As he did this, he turned back for a moment to survey the surroundings again. Seeing no sudden intruder, he heaved a sigh of relief before squeezing inside.


    As soon as his figure entered the hole, he brought his hands out to grab the tree bark that he cut from the tree with his saw and placed it at the opening now in the tree.


    He carefully covered the opening in the tree back, before complimenting it with a black metal gum patch to hold it in place.


    [Ding!! Master, the energy reserves of the stealth coverage device are at a dangerously low level of 2%. I suggest that master should deactivate it now to prevent any recharge problems later.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s done its job already¡±.


    As Clark thought to himself, he quickly stretched his hand to the stealth device to switch it off. After switching it off, he finally turned to face his soldiers who stood rigidly at various positions of the space in the hole.


    ¡°We will have to make do with this for now before I finally scout this region well to understand our circumstances¡±.


    ¡°And, no one is to switch on any light. As you all saw in the holographic screen, this is just the periphery region of this hole, its depth is unknown to us¡±.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what dangerous creatures created and are probably living in this hole, it¡¯s wiser to be prudent at this moment. I don¡¯t want us to expose ourselves just because of the convenience light brings¡±.


    ¡°Make do with your military night vision goggles for now. Any objections?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there anything we can say before, you¡¯re the boss? We don¡¯t want to get evicted and eaten by a bald eagle¡±. This was most of the soldiers¡¯ thoughts but no one dared speak it out, so the problem ended there.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 212: the relentless pursuer

    It was another bright morning in the great Himalayan peaks, as the rare but faint sight of sunlight finally started peeking through the veils of the mist around to illuminate the mountain.


    This was the time that tourists love the most, as this would provide better background contrast for them to take beautiful group and individual photos. Life was sweet here if you avoid the dangerous places.


    2 female tourists giggled as they made a video call with their high-quality cellphones, transmitting this rare beautiful sight to their blog followers.


    Other tourists did other things, as the middle-aged ones among them made video calls to their children to wow them with this stunning sight carefully crafted by nature.


    The tourists around here were plentiful. It was rare to see so many tourists clustered together, but a shelter was close by, which was what brought them all together here.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­, what is that? Is that a human?¡± One of the tourists suddenly asked, while looking ahead at the distance.


    ¡°It does look like a human, it¡¯s walking uprightly with 2 legs, that makes it a human, right?¡± Another tourist that was close by answered.


    ¡°But it also looks like an animal¡±. Another one quickly butted in, while squinting his eyes to look curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Himalayan black bear, ahh¡­, run¡­!!¡±


    One of the girls who just looked once and was spooked by the sight quickly shouted in fear, startling the others as she ran speedily like the flash to the direction of the shelter.


    The commotion that she caused made many of the tourists follow her footsteps, as they ran for their lives.


    There were some with nerves of steel though, as they all stood their ground, believing that that was just brainless panic. Even if they were wrong, they had other alternatives to escape danger.


    A tourist that could spend money on an expedition to climb the Everest definitely also had the money to splurge on getting soldier bodyguards.


    Though this would not grant them full proof protection from every danger, it could save them from most dangers of this region.


    Just as there was danger all over the Everest, so were there also safety zones marked out by the big 5 for terrorists to pass. It¡¯s not like they were going for a mission, so normal soldiers could protect them in these regions.


    Though they had the nerves to stay behind and wait, they were still rational enough to know that staying and hiding behind their soldier bodyguards was the best.


    As they waited and watched, the figure that was clothed in black slowly trudged closer to their location. He was evidently coming to the nearby shelter; this made the truth of him being a human more viable.


    Seeing the tourists that clustered together with guarded expressions on their faces, and were looking at him like he was a beast, the black-clothed man¡¯s face twitched fiercely.


    ¡°What is this world turning to? Children now can¡¯t even recognize their fellow beings again, what degradation this is¡±.


    He was dressed in all black, different parts of his mountain climbing uniform were filled with tear marks and dust. His face was barely visible, as he covered it with a black hood.


    To the tourists, if he was a human, he looked just like a barbarian slave. If they thought to the other extreme though, he looked like a mysterious spy.


    As he drew closer and walked into the midst of the tourists who stayed behind, their soldier bodyguards formed a blockade around him to prevent any sudden movements from him.


    This made him even more exasperated. ¡°Sigh, humans can never learn without being spanked first. I¡¯m not surprised¡±.


    ¡°Are you a human? What did you say?¡± Hearing his muttering, one of the soldiers asked while still keeping a stern face.


    ¡°Gah¡­..!!¡±


    He suddenly removed his veil, revealing his face before jumping up and screaming at the nearest soldier while making his hands look hideous to form a scary sight.


    ¡°Ahh¡­, it¡¯s a human. Which weirdo is this?¡±


    The remaining tourists that stayed behind, despite seeing his human face, were still scared by his injury-filled face as they took to their heels immediately.


    ¡°Hehe, take that f*ckers!!¡± He quickly shouted out with a loud laugh.


    Hearing this, the soldiers that were startled by his sudden movements and were already prepared for battle were stunned. They stood rigidly, as different emotions flashed past their faces.


    ¡°What a bastard¡±. One of them finally spoke out in conclusion.


    The black-clothed man only raised a middle finger in reply, as he walked with a swagger now in his steps to the direction of the shelter.


    The first few tourists that ran on seeing him first laughed from their various locations on seeing the once steel-hearted ones also running, their curiosity about this strange man only grew by this.


    As they didn¡¯t see his injured face, they had different thoughts. ¡°Is he a comedian coming to entertain his audience from the Everest here?¡±


    Getting to the door of the shelter, he did not enter immediately. He flashed a mischievous smile at these people first, before his legs finally motioned to enter.


    ¡°Hey, are you a comedian?¡± One of the tourists could not help but ask.


    ¡°F*ck, you¡¯re the comedian. I¡¯m a soldier, and not an ordinary one too, a Captain. Get that into your stingray brain¡±.


    With that, he entered the shelter before closing the door behind him with a loud bang sound accompanying it.


    ¡°Haha, he¡¯s definitely a comedian¡±. The tourists laughed at this before concluding to themselves.


    Entering the shelter, the man quickly scanned the whole shelter round. He found where he wanted swiftly, so he did not linger as he went closer to the bar in the shelter.


    If Clark¡¯s squad was here, they would recognize this place as this was the shelter where they hid to take shelter from the windstorm.


    ¡°Get me a standalone beer¡±. The man quickly spoke to the attendant that was there, while plopping down on the chair that was provided.


    ¡°Which quality, sir?¡±


    ¡°Get me your best, do I look like someone who settles for less?¡±


    ¡°No, sir¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±.


    After getting his beer, he leaned back casually on the chair before savoring the alcohol leisurely. As he did this, he finally removed the hood that was covering his face.


    Part of his face had slight injuries and was a little disfigured, but it was not too extreme, so the tourists around reacted mildly to it. Despite this, he still felt bummed at this mild reaction.


    ¡°If not for those stupid soldiers, my handsome face would have been kept. Now I have to get back home first to get plastic surgery, what an inconvenience. Just wait, when I retrace your steps, I will make sure to demolish you all¡±.


    Though it was already a week since it happened, he was still very angry at the outcome of the pursuit that he started. Yes, he was the Mariana Captain that went after Clark¡¯s group.


    Thinking of all the trouble that he passed through just to pass through the destruction wrath by the avalanche alone, he was indignant.


    He survived in the small hole that he found in the mountain wall, but not without injuries. An avalanche in Mountain Everest was not something that can be survived easily.


    He suffered a lot of pain and setbacks just to retrace his target¡¯s trail to this shelter, he was now determined to get them no matter the circumstances that opposed him.


    As he muttered to himself hatefully, the door of the shelter was suddenly banged open roughly as 3 men that looked like thugs barged inside without any care of the world.


    Seeing these 3 unruly men, he narrowed his eyes, but he did not react as he slowly sipped his beer.


    After the 3 thugs located a seat and sat down, they started having a loud conversation between themselves. They behaved like they were the owner of the shelter, and everyone else was their subordinate.


    Though the other tourists were irritated by this behavior, they all kept quiet and minded their business like they were already used to this.


    Seeing this, the Mariana Captain narrowed his eyes even more that they now looked just like those of a snake.


    ¡°Quiet!!¡±


    He suddenly called out, startling everyone present. The 3 thugs were also startled, as they turned to look at who made this sound.


    ¡°What? Are you talking to us?¡±


    ¡°Which other fools do you think I¡¯m talking to?¡±


    ¡°Who did you just call a fool?¡± As they questioned, they already stood up with frightening grandeur, intimidating the other tourists that were close by.


    ¡°Is that all you can do? That¡¯s kid¡¯s strategy, it¡¯s too old-school. Try to upgrade yourself, even back then in my days, this was already outdated¡±.


    Seeing that this man was not intimidated but was rather talking to them back, the 3 thugs were surprised, rendering them clueless for a second.


    This did not last though, as they took their childish antics to the next level. They started walking closer to the captain while puffing their shoulders to raise their grandeur.


    The thug who took the lead got close enough, that his face was already sticking to the captains. The tourists¡¯ face¡¯s twitched, as they looked at this weird sight.


    ¡°Are they really threatening themselves? That¡¯s too intimate, it looks more like they are about to kiss¡±.


    ¡°Now, what did you say again¡­?¡±


    Even before the thug could finish his sentence, a big hand already grabbed his neck before raising him easily like he was just a leaf being rocked by the wind.


    Gasps escaped from the nearby tourists on seeing this. The other 2 thugs were also shocked, but they quickly suppressed their shock and rushed forward to attack.


    Pa!! Pa!!


    2 resounding slaps suddenly reverberated, as both thugs flew back with more momentum than they came with.


    ¡°Not this again¡±. Seeing this, the thug that was grabbed tightly on the neck slowly felt a familiar feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as his eyes widened to the limits. Though he was shocked, he still decided to try his luck.


    ¡°Do you know who I am? Drop me immediately, my boss is the king of demolition¡±.


    Hearing this, a weird expression came over the captain¡¯s face. ¡°And who is the king of demolition?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t know him? Drop me now, I¡¯ll probably contemplate letting you go, my 2nd boss is a high-grade soldier with lots of subordinates¡±.


    The captain¡¯s face narrowed into slits on hearing this. This bastard¡¯s random blabbering was not entering his ears, but this surely did. A lot of things flashed through his mind.


    ¡°Did your boss and his subordinates visit here recently?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so you know him. Now, drop me immediately¡±.


    ¡°They are all dressed in black, they are¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s them, you know them¡±.


    After asking of all the qualities of Clark¡¯s squad that he knew off and getting a positive reply, the captain¡¯s face grew ugly.


    ¡°F*ck, so you know those bastards¡±.


    Pa! Bam!


    ¡­


    2 minutes later, the 3 thugs were humbled with various bruises on their swollen faces.


    ¡°Is that all that you know about them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m not lying, he is really not our boss, we just met him by coincidence¡±.


    The Mariana Captain ignored the other blabbering of the 3 defeated thugs, as he left the shelter with a satisfied expression on his face. He finally got the information he needed.


    ¡°Enjoy yourselves, for now, f*ckers, I will soon catch up to you guys¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 213: aftermaths of clarks departure

    Back in the Spartan republic, in Vatican City, the morning was bright as always as every citizen went at his/her endeavors for the day with boundless vigor and overflowing happiness.


    Today marked more than a week since the leader of the city went out for a confidential mission, but there was hardly any change in the demeanor of the city and the citizens.


    Despite this long, the whole city was still busy in the process of recovering from the terrorist attack.


    The destruction that was wrath by the terrorists was not something that can be recovered from in a week, it would take at least weeks if not months for everything to return to normal.


    The 5 leading commissioners of the city did everything in their power to curb any further outrage from the citizens, while also appeasing those that suffered from the attack.


    In this aspect, Clark¡¯s press conference before he left did a good job as due to respect for him and his reassurance, most of the citizens tended to hold back and be more restrained.


    Being the 5 leaders of the city just below Clark, there was no way that they would be left out from the information of their Major being forced to go on a mission.


    They already expected it though, so it was easier for them to take in. They could only lament their bad luck, while also praying for him and hoping that he would come back safely.


    Telling them was one thing though, curbing the aftermath of the news was another thing entirely. The Spartan government just succeeded in giving them a new heap of workload for them to spend time with.


    First, they were not given a specific duration for when the mission would end, so they did not know when their Major was coming back.


    Secondly, when the city was recovering from such a terrorist attack, the leader of the city was supposed to be on ground always to reassure and calm the volatile citizens.


    These were the 2 main causes of their headaches in this situation, and there were other minor causes that they were too overwhelmed to focus on. Overall, this sudden mission screwed them more than Clark was screwed by it.


    The first thing they did after getting the news was to organize another press conference to address the city, where they announced that Clark was temporarily out negotiating for a way to make the terrorists pay for the attack.


    The Spartan army also helped them, as a delegate came from there to verify the news.


    This succeeded in fooling and appeasing the citizens a bit, but no one could say for how long this would be effective. They could only pray that the city recovers faster so that the citizens could focus on other important things.


    Today, they were about to attend another press conference to give more details about Clark¡¯s progress in his negotiation and about other pending matters that needed their attention.


    The 5 of them sat in a room as they discussed faintly between themselves while waiting for the signal for them to come out. It felt just like a secret gathering of oldies and grandpas.


    ¡°Commissioner Tack, what do you think of our situation? We should follow the normal script that was prepared by the scriptwriters, right?¡± One of them spoke out.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think the citizens would grow suspicious so quickly. I don¡¯t think they even have a reason to, the Major addressed them last week¡±.


    ¡°They know there is no way that he would leave his other duties and attend press conferences every week, that is enough of a reason for us to be calm already¡±. The commissioner Tack replied smoothly, as another one butted in.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, the Major is not really the social type also. Week in, week out, he was always going for his army and mercenary missions, so I think the citizens are already used to not seeing him¡±.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡±.


    They exchanged ideas and questions between themselves for another 2 minutes, before the head commissioner finally spoke out to interrupt them.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, let¡¯s go out. You all know the drill, radiate confidence and sincerity in every action you make. Act like you mean it, and they would believe that you mean it¡±.


    ¡°Yes, head commissioner Craig¡±.


    With that, the head commissioner took the lead as they all came out of the room to meet the Vatican citizens that were gathered outside.


    As they walked directly to the podium that was erected in the middle of the government building, they waved to acknowledge the citizens, who responded in turn with claps.


    To them, these claps were a good sign, so they were more optimistic, making their steps more confident.


    After climbing the podium, 4 of them stood together at the back as the head commissioner took a step further to stand in their front as the leader.


    Grabbing the sound amplifier that was before him, he waved at the audience again, making another wave of clapping rise before he finally cleared his throat and spoke out.


    As he started speaking, dozens of cameras turned in his direction before flashing their lights simultaneously to form a strange light convergence. The social media group was clearly not idle, not when there was such juicy information.


    ¡°Dear fellow citizens of Vatican, it is an honor to stand before this podium and address you again¡±.


    ¡°First, I want to appreciate you all for the patience that you have shown over the past week. On behalf of Major Clark our leader, I thank you all, well done for your mature reaction to this crisis¡±.


    ¡°Like you all already know, the love our Major has for you all is unquantifiable, but it¡¯s a pity that he cannot see you all face to face today. He deeply regrets it, but he has to focus on what he is doing¡±.


    ¡°He delegated me to tell you all that you should bear with him, in a while, he would return with more victory to fight this vengeance on our steed¡±.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a thing of honor and joy, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!!¡±


    He smiled widely on hearing this.


    ¡°For those that lost properties or their love ones, he said I should apologize to you all again. You have been compensated materially, but the emotional damage can never be compensated¡±.


    ¡°All he wants is for you all to stay strong with him, stay obedient for him, and he will stay strong as the anchor to all your victories¡±.


    ¡°We are welcoming a period of change, a period of zero oppression, a period free from terrorist attacks and other evil vices. Change is not something that can be done in a day, it¡¯s a gradual process¡±.


    ¡°All our Major wishes is for you all to cooperate. With him, this city can enter a period of prosperity and growth. Our rapid recovery activities from this crisis are just the tip of the iceberg, more shall come¡±.


    ¡°I know that there are a lot of things to say, but unfortunately, time will not let me say it all. I hope that with this, we can be more united and cohesive against evil and external threats¡±.


    ¡°Once again, I thank you all for your patience and cooperation. Remember, the government is always at your service, not the other way round. The safety of the city is your responsibility also¡±.


    ¡°I will hammer on this point again. If you notice any suspicious activity around your vicinity, don¡¯t hesitate to call the Spartan emergency line and report it immediately¡±.


    ¡°With that, perhaps an attack like this terrorist attack can be detected early and prevented¡±.


    ¡°Long live Vatican!¡±


    ¡°Long live Vatican!!¡±


    ¡°Long live our leader, long live Major Clark Pendragon!¡±.


    ¡°Long live our leader, long live Major Clark Pendragon!!¡±


    Seeing the enthusiasm of the citizens, the head commissioner nodded to himself inwardly as he started climbing down the erected podium with the other commissioners.


    They waved generously again, as the Vatican citizens reacted enthusiastically with more claps and chants. With that, they slowly disappeared from view.


    As all these happened among the hundreds of Vatican citizens that were gathered, a lavishly dressed young man stood rigidly in their midst, hardly reacting despite the excitement in the air.


    ¡°A bunch of sweet talkers and liars, that¡¯s politicians for you. I¡¯m not surprised¡±. The young man muttered sarcastically to himself before turning to leave the horde of people.


    He was dressed in a very luxurious combination. A red jacket, a yellow inner polo shirt, blue jean trousers, green funky face cap, orange gloves, and a pair of large purple boots.


    In short, he was dressed in a rainbow outfit from head to toe. A terrible mismatch of rubbish, but he liked it though as it never failed to draw people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Why do we dress? To cover nakedness; that¡¯s ridiculous. We dress to impress people, believe it or not, it¡¯s the truth¡±.


    He spoke to the man that was closer to him, bringing a weird pondering expression to the poor fellow¡¯s face. He chuckled on seeing this, before walking with puffed chests to where he parked his bike.


    Getting there, he did not enter to leave immediately, he instead leaned at the side of the bike to listen to the new information that was coming.


    A female just took to the podium now, he wanted to see if she would say anything meaningful. As he waited, he could not help but speak to himself in a slight grumbling tone.


    ¡°This Major Clark or whoever they call him, I don¡¯t believe you left to negotiate any nonsense. You¡¯re clever than that, are they hiding something?¡±


    He felt a little indignant as throughout the past week, he already visited Clark¡¯s mansion secretly 3 times but never met him at home nor did he see any signs of him.


    It was like he just disappeared, which was extremely baffling to him.


    After his last showdown with Clark where the latter almost busted and captured him, he was awed while at the same time afraid of his strength. At times, he doubted if Clark was really just a 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    Yes, he was the thief that Clark rode round the whole Vatican City just to catch. Thinking of this, he could not help but chuckle with pride again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I irritated him pretty badly, would he still agree to train me? Well, who cares? From my small interaction with him, he is someone that loves money a lot and I have that in excess, so it¡¯s already solved¡±.


    ¡°All shall bow at the face of the ultimate weapon, money¡±.


    Chuckling again, he finally entered his white-colored luxurious bike. The bike alone made people look at him in a different light, this was stuff that belonged to only the rich.


    ¡°I hope you come back in a week, wherever you are. I can¡¯t wait again; I want to learn your techniques so badly¡±.


    Smiling, he ignited the powerful engine of his bike before cruising away out of the government building while winking at the stunned girls that kept on looking at him.


    ¡°Life with money was sweet¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 214: resolving differences

    ¡°Hey, do you even have a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, answer me, stop being such a cold beauty all the time. Let me tell you, I already met lots of beauties before now, you¡¯re not the first, so act normally¡±.


    Clark¡¯s weird voice sounded out in the cold forest as his 2 seconds in commands sat on a mechanically erected chair, eating leisurely without a care of the world.


    ¡°Clark, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s insensitive?¡±


    Benny could not help but comment at this moment on hearing this, as he fidgeted a little on his seat before secretly directing his gaze at the one that the word was directed at.


    ¡°I know, Benny, that¡¯s not what I meant. Diana, I meant that you¡¯re not the first beauty that I met, but you¡¯re the most beautiful one among them all, that¡¯s what I wanted to say¡±.


    ¡°Major, this is not the time to be engaging in casual talks, we are in a dangerous region, you said so yourself¡±.


    Hearing the cold tone that this lady used in replying to him, Clark could hardly control himself as his lips twitched fiercely. Really, lady?


    Though he never talked about it, from the day when they escaped from the avalanche, he already started noticing the change in how she behaved and talked around him.


    ¡°Am I that attractive? Gosh!¡±


    That was the first thing that crossed his mind when he first noticed it, as he understood what caused it immediately.


    Even if he felt ashamed to acknowledge it, it was still inevitable that he felt some hormone reactions when he hugged her from behind during their escape. It was not him, it was his hormones, so he was not guilty.


    He wanted to clear things with her before, but he held himself back on noticing that it made her closer to him. His 2nd in command getting closer to him was good, as it would mean his orders could better sink in.


    This changed though, since when he erupted at her during the moment that he evicted the disobedient soldier from the squad. He was very conscious when he did it.


    Though he knew that it would bring some slight problems, he still did it because, first, he wanted to use it as a medium to make it clear to her that their relationship should not cross some boundaries.


    Secondly, he was really angry at that moment because of the death of their first high-grade soldier, so his actions leaned a little more on impulse.


    It was already 2 days since they took shelter inside the hole that was inside the giant cedar tree. They did not leave yet, because they wanted to recover here and to recharge the energy charges of their equipment.


    During these 2 days, Clark kept to himself, but when he noticed that Diana was slowly growing more and more distant from him, he knew that his intervention was needed.


    This was the result. After thinking it through, he decided to call a casual gathering between himself and his second in commands.


    ¡°Ok, I admit it. Diana, I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at you¡±. He finally said the golden word of apology with a smile on his face.


    Though it was not right in terms of military standards for a superior to apologize to his subordinate in such a manner, Clark felt that it was the right decision to maintain the cohesiveness of his squad.


    ¡°Sir, what are you apologizing for?¡± Like she was clueless of the point that he was driving at, she asked innocently with the same cold tone.


    ¡°Diana, please stop this, you¡¯re older than me, you know how these things work more than me also. It¡¯s easy to get carried away by your emotions, that¡¯s what happened, and I¡¯m sorry, please¡±.


    Getting no positive reaction despite all these, he finally turned to Benny for help. ¡°Buddy, help¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­, me?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, yes, you¡±.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t really have much to say. You were a little harsh in your tone to be sincere. But I also support it that she should forgive you, that¡¯s the best course of action, right?¡±


    Clark facepalmed. ¡°What a friend indeed¡±.


    ¡°Sir, you know that¡¯s not decent in military standards, right?¡± She finally spoke out in a normal tone for the first time, making Clark grab his chest exaggeratedly in relief.


    ¡°Ah, thank you, now you¡¯re talking. I¡¯m sorry, really¡±.


    Hearing the sincerity in her superior¡¯s tone and how exaggeratedly he was acting, she blushed inwardly a bit before finally speaking out.


    ¡°Sir, to be sincere, I forgot about it already¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie, be more sincere¡±. Clark quickly countered.


    ¡°That¡¯s the truth, your manner of speech just brought me to the realization that you were the leader of this squad, nothing else. As your second in command, I had no right to so blatantly oppose your decisions¡±.


    ¡°I should be the one to apologize, I¡¯m sorry¡±.


    Damn, Clark and Benny were now the ones left speechless. Though they wanted to refute this claim, they kept quiet because they knew that she was right. She didn¡¯t mind them though as she continued.


    ¡°I was just a little hurt by your harsh tone, and it was so sudden and abrupt, I was a little overwhelmed at the time. But I already got over it, I got nerves of steel, I¡¯m a soldier, remember?¡±.


    ¡°Yeah¡±. Both male soldiers replied in tandem.


    Though the conversation spiraled out of control and progressed in a way that he did not anticipate, Clark was still happy as his small beef with his second in command seemed to have been resolved.


    They chatted together happily, as they used this rare time where they stayed together to get to know themselves more.


    ¡°So, do you already have a boyfriend?¡± Clark suddenly brought up this topic again, making the atmosphere weird.


    ¡°Sir, why do you like that question so much? Are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, no, not that. I¡¯m just asking, you know¡±.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m single, if that¡¯s what you want to know¡±.


    ¡°Great¡±. Clark suddenly jumped up.


    ¡°What is great about it?¡± Diana asked puzzled.


    ¡°Benny is also single. Damn, I think I found you a soul mate. Love blossoms more in desperate situations, you both should just make out together, it¡¯s a match made in heaven¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± Now, Diana and Benny were the ones who grew speechless.


    Seeing how Benny stuttered just because of this, Clark was disappointed. He no longer fretted about it as Diana calmly stirred the topic in another direction.


    10 minutes later, he finally said another gossip-worthy word.


    ¡°Sigh, I miss my girlfriend¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­, sir, you have a girlfriend?¡± Diana asked cautiously.


    ¡°Is it that beautiful one that Leo told me about?¡± Benny also asked curiously.


    ¡°F*ck, I always knew that bastard was untrustworthy. Yes, it is her. I miss her a lot, to be sincere. It¡¯s more than 3 years already, I wonder where she currently is¡±.


    ¡°If you miss her, why not go meet her?¡± Diana asked again, this time puzzled.


    ¡°She is missing, since about a year ago¡±. Clark answered back immediately with a sigh as he leaned back on his chair.


    ¡°Oh¡­!¡±


    Using the exclamation to stir the topic to another direction again, they continued their idle talk until the day grew dark.


    ¡°I already decided, we¡¯ll be going tomorrow. We already stayed here to recover long enough; we have to continue to get more progress in the mission¡±. Clark suddenly spoke out again.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve also recovered. I think you just have to give a motivational speech to the soldiers; they have already been inside the tree for 2 days now because you ordered them not to come out¡±.


    Diana also spoke out at this point while standing up, as she brushed the snow that was attached to her thick black uniform away with her left hand.


    ¡°Benny, what do you think?¡± She asked again.


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t have any objections. Clark calls all the shots; my role is to obey and execute his orders to the best of my abilities¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a lazy bum¡±.


    With that, the trio of soldiers stood up as they started retrieving their solar panels and equipment that were placed on various parts of the large cedar tree to recharge.


    In an extreme region such as Mount Everest here, they did not have access to most of the resources they needed to recharge their devices.


    They recharged them mostly with the input chargers they came with as supplies for the mission, but they also came with sonar panels whose usefulness came today that the sun did the favor of showing its golden head.


    Due to the danger of this region, Clark forbid all the soldiers from coming outside except the 3 of them.


    This was not without basis though as in just these 2 days that they stayed here, they already fought 5 exobeasts which was a frightening number in one region of this forest.


    They succeeded in killing 4 of them, but the last one which was also the strongest escaped their grasp.


    Due to this discovery and other countless readings that were obtained from their long-range detection devices, they already concluded on the right plan to cross this region.


    If they still had the option, they would have opted to leave this region entirely and go back through the tunnel that they came with. This place was just too spooky and dangerous.


    Though this was the plan that they favored the most, everything didn¡¯t always go according to plan. They could not implement it, as that route was already covered and destroyed during their escape from the cats.


    Their only choice now was to continue forging ahead, stay alert, and pray that they should not encounter a situation that was bigger than they could handle.


    Perhaps, if they were lucky, due to their already many experiences in this region and its dangers, they would be able to leave without suffering any casualties again.


    After gathering all the solar panels and arranging the equipment that was already fully charged, they finally went back inside the tree.


    Clark went in last, as he did the normal procedure of carrying the tree bark again to cover the opening in the tree.


    For the deeper parts of the tree, they didn¡¯t take the risk of exploring it. Getting shelter in the tree was already a boon to them, pushing their luck in the name of curiosity was not something they wanted to do.


    After getting into the hole that they already customized to their standards, the soldiers all greeted him respectfully.


    He nodded with a smile to acknowledge them, before going closer to sit down beside Diana and Benny. As he rested his head, a lot of things went through his mind.


    ¡°Were the commissioners able to stabilize the city in my absence? Did the Persian tiger¡¯s organization come back for revenge? I hope everything is fine back home¡±.


    With these thoughts revolving in his head, he finally went to sleep.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. If you love this book, please leave your power stones behind to support it. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 215: the snow leopard with a harem

    The next morning rolled in with a bang as the gloomy cold of the Everest dominated and dictated the weather again, firmly hindering the pitiful golden sun from rearing its head.


    It was a freaky Friday morning, and it was the day that the soldiers of Squad 06 decided to continue their mission journey.


    Due to the reminder from Clark yesterday, all the soldiers were already aware so they woke up earlier than normal with more vigor and vibrancy.


    After 2 agonizing days of being couped in a dark hole inside a cedar tree, they were finally going out to face the world again.


    Activities started in the enormous hole, as the soldiers went to work to organize their supplies again for the journey. Some minutes later, the supply bags were finally filled to the brim again.


    After doing this and arranging their equipment, they finally turned to face their Major with excited and expectant expressions on their faces.


    They could not wait to re-engage and continue the mission. After 2 days of rest and self-reflection, they finally started regaining the demeanor and mental resilience of well-trained soldiers of the Spartan republic.


    Clark did not let their expectations down as he smiled at them before opening his mouth to speak. Though the area was dark, they could see his smile through their night vision goggles.


    ¡°Soldiers, the call of duty is upon us again. I believe that the past few days of rest did you all some good and you are now ready to bulldoze any obstacle obstructing us apart, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The soldiers answered vibrantly.


    ¡°Good. It may seem like we wasted 2 days just to rest, but that¡¯s not the case. In the right circumstances, a well-prepared squirrel can even take down the king of the jungle, the lion¡±.


    ¡°That is exactly what we did. We spent our time to consolidate and recover our strength, which only makes us more dangerous to every predator in this region¡±.


    ¡°Now, I can confidently state that this squad is at its peak. We are the predators here now, not the prey anymore, and predators don¡¯t give in to fear and challenges¡±.


    ¡°Today, we are moving forward. Today, we show this forest who is boss. I already sent out our movement blueprint to your implants, every one of my plans is laid down there for you¡±.


    ¡°We will react accordingly to any unexpected circumstances as they come, so there are no elaborate plans. Diana, Benny, do you 2 have any new suggestions or advice?¡±


    ¡°No, sir¡±.


    After confirming everything with his soldiers and knowing that they were on the same page, Clark nodded with a smile before taking the lead and going out of the hole in the tree.


    After 2 days of recovery from their losses, preparation for every unknown in this region, and consolidation of their newfound knowledge and experience, they finally continued their mission journey.


    As going back was no longer an option, they just continued forging ahead inside the frost forest in a single direction. This time, they did not move disorderly as before, they were more organized.


    Clark as the leader was the one who took the lead at the front, while the 40+ soldiers followed him closely behind in a square-shaped movement formation.


    Diana and Benny stayed at the far back of the formation, as they were both assigned with the role of watching their backs in the case of any sudden danger.


    In this still unknown region, no precaution and countermeasures were too much. From their little experience, this was a forest dripping with high-grade exobeasts, so any contingency plan was welcome by them.


    Just like an organized bunch of refugees, they slowly trudged deeper inside the forest in their thick cold-resistant black uniforms.


    ¡­


    ¡°You 5, corner it and cut off its escape path from the rear, don¡¯t let it escape!¡± Clark¡¯s loud voice reverberated around the cold forest, as he sprinted forward with a pair of exotic daggers in his hand.


    The 5 soldiers that were pointed at reacted swiftly to his orders, as they stacked their exotic shields together to erect a blockade.


    Roar!!


    The snow leopard roared with anger evident on its catty face, as it swiped down with its enormous claws at the blue glowing energy shield.


    Seeing this, the soldiers leaned back a little, kneeling in the process as this helped them to better take in the force that was released by this apex predator.


    With that, they easily weathered the momentum behind the claw attack. After so many battle experience opportunities in this region, they were far steadier, calmer, and more proficient in battles than they were a month ago.


    Yes, it was already a month since Clark¡¯s squad was stuck in this frost forest. After they left the tree, their journey across till now was without casualties but it was not an easy ride.


    Under Clark¡¯s leadership, the squad was now extremely cohesive and organized that it was hard for a soldier to die from the group even if they wanted it.


    They were already used to most dangers of this region and its terrain, so they now had an abundant experience that could weather them across safely. The only problem now was when they would leave this forest.


    The deeper they went, the more they felt that the forest was boundless and without boundaries.


    During this month, they already had various showdown encounters with different exobeasts that their tyranny was already spreading around the forest.


    Most intelligent animals here already knew them as the new local tyrants, so they hardly encounter ordinary beasts, only exobeasts.


    During their countless showdowns, they encountered over 30 exobeasts already, which was a horrifying figure in itself.


    Throughout Clark¡¯s career as a soldier, he had not even encountered so many exobeasts. This just showed how perverse this region was, it was a complete disaster to anyone unprepared.


    Due to their better preparation and cohesiveness, they succeeded in killing about 25 of those exobeasts. The rest luckily escaped while riddled with countless injuries.


    Their current ongoing battle was between 3 snow leopard companions. They found them together, so they easily guessed that these were probably brothers or a husband and 2 wives.


    Encountering them, they attacked without hesitation. This was only right on their part because these beasts would have surely attacked them also if they discovered them first.


    After countless battle experiences together, they already devised battle strategies for various battle situations.


    For example, now in this battle against 3 exobeasts, Clark led a group of soldiers to battle the strongest while Diana and Benny led another group to battle theirs respectively.


    With this method, every soldier could participate in the battles thereby granting them more battle experience.


    Though this was a danger-infested region, it was also a treasure trove of training resources to them.


    Fighting directly against exobeasts was already proven as one of the most effective training methods in this era, that is why most soldiers pay exorbitant amounts of money just to access an exobeast reserve.


    They already started reaping the benefits of this region, as they all already improved at some aspect of their techniques as soldiers.


    ¡°Good job, soldiers¡±.


    Clark complimented his soldiers on seeing how the 5 that he pointed at perfectly curbed the impact of the leopard¡¯s claw attack with their shields.


    The ranged soldiers used this opportunity where the leopard was stuck for a moment to output further damage on its thick hide, as it howled loudly in pain before turning to another escape direction.


    If Clark really wanted it, he could kill the leopard alone, but he wanted all his soldiers to get the experience of the battle.


    He engaged sparingly in the battle only to save any soldier that was under the threat of death, thereby always stabilizing and keeping the battle situation under control.


    As the soldiers fought excitedly, another opening finally appeared in the leopard¡¯s defense as another group of soldiers blocked its advance with stacked shields.


    Taking complete advantage of this opening, the other soldiers all swarmed closer before trying to immobilize it further with their shields and other restraining gadgets.


    Due to the fierce struggle of the beast, it took more effort on their part and even 3 of the soldiers were injured from the impact but they finally succeeded in restraining this beast.


    The shields blocked its movements from the front, back, including both left and right sides, sandwiching it in a very compromising angle.


    This was not everything though, as some gadgets were thrown down close to its still struggling muscly legs.


    Starting with cracking mechanical sounds, the gadgets opened up smoothly as mechanical restraints sprouted out before attaching to the leopard''s legs from all angles, firmly holding it in place.


    The soldiers¡¯ eyes all lit up after doing this successfully, as they rushed closer with their weapons to finish off this sweet kill.


    Clark stopped on seeing this as a faint smile quickly outlined his face, he knew that the leopard¡¯s struggle was drawing to its end after this was done to it.


    The soldiers developed this immobilization strategy between themselves, which they always used in battles involving exobeasts. And it also proved feasible, as they already used it to kill 7 exobeasts.


    His speculation quickly came true, as the soldiers unleashed all their load at their now immobilized target.


    Dozens of energy beams and kinetic powered bullet shots rapidly crisscrossed across the snow, as they swiftly hammered at the snow leopard¡¯s thick skin without hesitation.


    The melee specialists were not deterred despite this fierce firepower concentrated at their target, as they all activated their shields before storming closer to finish the work that they started.


    Bam!!


    Swords, spears, and other exotic melee weapons stabbed and slashed as their sharp edges cut ruthlessly at the now helpless leopard.


    Seeing this, the once tyrannical predator finally revealed fear on its face for the first time as it started whimpering loudly. Whimpering unrelentingly but finding no help, it held its nerve again before hissing at the soldiers.


    This hardly did a thing to the already highly excited soldiers, as they finally drowned their 8th exobeast to death through their unique strategy.


    ¡°Yay!!¡± ¡°We finished ours first¡±.


    They celebrated loudly after turning to their other companions and seeing that they killed their leopard first. As they celebrated, the others also finally killed theirs.


    ¡°Hmm, you guys were lucky because Major spearheaded your team¡±. One of the soldiers in Benny¡¯s group suddenly interjected in their celebration, with a sneer of ridicule on his face.


    ¡°Ha¡­, are you blind? Can¡¯t you see that we used our strategy to kill it? Another soldier quickly shot back.


    ¡°Which strategy¡­?¡±


    As the soldiers were about to bicker between themselves, Clark finally called out to stop them. He was already feeling a headache from this, he felt helpless about it.


    Though he kept on hammering on the importance of being alert always since they came for this mission, it was inevitable that the soldiers would grow more confidence after killing over 30 exobeasts without suffering any casualties.


    He also felt proud of the feat at times, but he always tried to downtone it as a moment of carelessness was all that was needed for one of them to die.


    Though he stopped their bickering, he had no intention of taking the fun away. He just wanted them to be more alert.


    ¡°Ok, have you done the drill?¡± He asked while rubbing his hands excitedly.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± One soldier answered enthusiastically.


    ¡°Ok, tell me the gender¡±.


    ¡°Sir, you said it was a game of guessing between you and the second in commands¡±.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot, silly me. Ok, they are 3 brothers¡±. Clark suddenly said confidently with a straight face.


    ¡°You were trying to cheat before, right? Such a shameless Major¡±. Diana finally spoke out sarcastically at this point.


    ¡°After bashing heads with Sergeant Benny, we decided that it is a family of a husband and 2 wives¡±.


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s nonsense. Tell us, Sergeant Band¡±. Clark scoffed at his competitors¡¯ reply, before turning to the sergeant for the right answer.


    ¡°Umm, sir¡­, they are right this time¡±. The soldier finally spoke out again, this time in a low tone.


    ¡°What??¡± Clark was surprised.


    ¡°Yes sir, it¡¯s a male leopard with 2 wives¡±. The soldier added again on hearing his Major¡¯s exclamation.


    ¡°Damn, even animals are now having 2 wives and I¡¯m stuck with none. What a hard life I¡¯m living¡±. He muttered loudly in a self-deprecating tone, earning laughter from his soldiers.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe even leopards have taken the harem route. What a world we live in, lions have led them astray from the truth¡±.


    Hahaha!!


    The soldiers laughed off their Major¡¯s sarcasm, as they went forward to process the meat that was before them. Yes, they were eating the leopards. Why leave food behind when they were already going low on supplies?


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 216: meeting other humans in the forest

    The soldiers of Squad 06 gathered together in a circle, as they used a massive makeshift gas-powered cooker to roast the 3 leopards.


    Though some of them hated this, as soldiers, it was inevitable that they had to bend to circumstances at times.


    After a month of staying in this region, their stash of supplies was already dwindling which was dangerous since they have not found any directions indicating that they were close to leaving this forest yet.


    Call it barbarism, they didn¡¯t care as far as it brought them more chances of survival. That was the military way, take it or leave it.


    2 male soldiers of the squad volunteered to be the chefs this time, directly relegating the few females to sit down and rest.


    They stood before the 3-roasting meat from opposite ends, as they expertly dropped seasonings on the heating leopard to spice things up.


    Though some were not used to this and felt a little strange, others among them felt anticipation instead. These were the no-limit eaters, they eat anything they see.


    As they have not tasted leopard meat before, especially that of an exobeast, they were already salivating over the still cooking meat.


    ¡°Hey, rein yourselves in. Do you want to dip your big heads in our meat? Move back your heads a bit¡±. Clark suddenly spoke out to the impatient gluttons, earning laughter from the others.


    After so much time together, the squad was also now more united and closer. They already knew each other¡¯s names by heart, which acted as the main catalyst that drew them closer.


    This was good, as it was what snowballed to their current better cohesiveness in battles. If they were siblings before, they were now husbands and wives. The comparison is a little weird but apt for their situation.


    ¡°Major, do you think continuing in this one direction is the best idea?¡± The originally silent Diana suddenly spoke out at this moment, making all the soldiers stop their idle talks.


    Clark was surprised and a little stumped by this question, as he went deep into contemplation.


    After over a month of non-stop traveling in a single direction but not seeing any signs of emerging out of the forest, his resolve in his planned blueprint was already shaking.


    This did not make him take action immediately though as after thinking their situation through, this was still their best choice. He finally turned to face Diana.


    ¡°Diana, I¡¯ve not changed my mind yet. I also already thought deeply about this, and I think moving forward in this one direction is still our best shot at emerging out of this forest in record time¡±.


    ¡°After over a month of moving at a single direction, choosing another direction to move towards now would only bring more unstable variables to the table¡±.


    ¡°I think concentration on this one route is better. My plan is not final though, if you have more viable reasons for us to change the route, you can say it out and I will consider it¡±.


    ¡°Do you have any?¡±


    ¡°No. The thought suddenly crossed my mind, that¡¯s why I asked¡±.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s nice of you¡±. He gave her a thump up before turning to his silent friend. ¡°What of you?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­, what? Me?¡± Benny was left clueless by how he suddenly attracted friendly fire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any suggestions? You¡¯re my second in command for God¡¯s sake¡±.


    ¡°Oh, that, Diana already said it all. I have nothing else to add¡±.


    ¡°As I expected, you¡¯re just a bag of lazy bones. Let me tell you, as a man¡­¡±. As Clark started bickering with his friend, the 2 chefs finally spoke out with confidence in their tone.


    ¡°Sir, the food is ready¡±.


    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s dig in then¡±.


    With that, the whole squad started digging into the meat to satisfy their stomach. Their teeth getting stained was not a problem to them, as they all came with personal teeth cleaning and whitening devices.


    Minutes later, after eating, they leaned on their mechanical chairs to rest for a few more minutes. Their rest was not long though, despite their current convenience, they still had the urgency of their mission at the back of their minds.


    With that, they stood up and continued their journey.


    ¡­


    A day later, the squad was still moving forward across the snow-laden floor of the forest without any signs of fatigue among them. Passion for completing their mission still blazed in them.


    During the night, they couldn¡¯t take cover the way they did before as the cedar tree where they first took shelter was an abnormality in the forest.


    Instead of looking for trees, after getting confidence now, they opted to sleep under the open. Despite this, they still sleep under the protection of an exotic shield and a stealth coverage device.


    Today, they finally crossed to another terrain of the forest. Unlike the originally smooth and conventional forest terrain where they passed before, this one had more hills and bumps.


    They were still in the same forest, but it felt to them like they just crossed from a modern tiled road into a medieval bumpy muddy road.


    Hills rambled across the new terrain like thrones of ancient kings, filling every corner of their sight. The rate of trees appearance here diminished a bit also, as the hills hoarded almost every ground for themselves.


    The soldiers were unused to this new sight, but they quickly grew accustomed to it after traveling through it for a few hours.


    This new terrain also made their journey more tedious, as they now had to climb enormous hills before they could continue in the direction that they were moving in.


    After another 2 hours of non-stop movement, a reaction was finally stirred in the squad as Clark suddenly raised his hand for his soldiers to halt.


    They obeyed immediately, as they all stopped while making swift adjustments in their stance. A minute later, they quickly formed a complete defense formation before looking at their Major.


    Clark raised his hands before bringing it down at this moment, the soldiers understood immediately. They all bent before kneeling down to conceal themselves a bit.


    After this, Clark finally waved his hand across the air, prompting a holographic screen to appear.


    What made him stop the squad from moving was that he just received an emergency signal, from one of their long-range detection devices that they set up as vanguards.


    After squatting down, he opened his bag slowly before letting dozens of the bean-sized drones out to scout the situation.


    The drones were fast, as they shuttled across the forest like little hunters. Their video consoles were already on and were ready to transmit any sight back.


    As they continued forward, Clark remained squatted with his soldiers, watching everything that was being transmitted back with rapt attention.


    2 minutes later, a drone finally transmitted a video that was a little different from the others. The soldiers¡¯ eyes immediately narrowed down on this specific video, as they watched keenly.


    They were puzzled why, but the background of the video coverage was shaky like an earthquake was ravaging on the other side where the drone was.


    They held their doubts to themselves though, as they watched in anticipation of what exactly was causing this. Imaginary sweat already started pouring down their necks, as they felt like punching the drone to move faster.


    Bzzz!! Snap!!


    As the tense atmosphere of the unknown grew within them, the video coverage suddenly shook fiercer before going off with a buzzing sound.


    Seeing this, veins bulged across the face of the soldiers as they felt like cursing immediately. What a bastard drone, getting them all hyped and snapping at the last moment.


    Despite this, they kept silent patiently as Clark started directing the other drones to go in the direction of the previous one that just got spoilt.


    After getting close enough, all of them sent the same feedback of a shaking background. The soldiers were even more hyped this time, but they felt disappointed as all the drones started snapping one by one.


    Seeing this, Clark quickly gave an order for the others to stop their advance. He did not know what was affecting the drones and destroying them despite the expensive and damage-resistant components in them.


    He already had a lot of speculations, but he held all of them back as they could not be verified immediately.


    The only way to know exactly what was causing this was to get closer, and that is exactly what he was about to do.


    He suddenly turned to his soldiers, as they all also looked at him expectantly. He didn¡¯t say anything to them, he just made different hand signs for them which they all understood.


    After making sure that his instructions were sent across, he did not ask if the soldiers understood as he already had boundless confidence in their comprehension abilities.


    Getting up, he finally started moving forward. He still squatted a little though to avoid attention as he did not want to get discovered by the enemy first if there was one.


    His soldiers stood up orderly, before following behind him also in a slightly squatted position.


    Their movements were very swift and efficient, making them seem like the ace special ops squad of an army. So much organization was only possible due to their familiarity with each other.


    If looked at from the top of the forest, they would seem just like a group of black chess pieces that were moving tightly in tandem.


    About 4 minutes later, Clark finally raised his hand again to send across another signal as they all smoothly slowed their movements down. They finally started feeling the tremors that were previously rocking their drones.


    They all kneeled again, as Clark waited for the drones that survived to converge back to his location.


    After keeping them back inside his bag, he finally motioned for his soldiers to follow him. This time, they moved forward at a far slower speed than before.


    As they got closer, the tremors of whatever was happening grew fiercer as the sound accompanying it grew louder without restraint. Different thoughts went through their minds, as they tried to predict what exactly was on the other side.


    They climbed another nearby hill to better protect themselves in the case of danger, and to get a better view of any situation that would present itself.


    After getting to a specific distance, Clark commanded his soldiers to halt again. He communicated orders to his 2 seconds in command with his eyes, before moving closer alone to check what exactly this was.


    He hid behind a tree that was at the edge of the hill¡¯s cliff, took a deep breath, and activated the stealth function of his armor, immediately rendering himself invisible before he finally poked his head out to look.


    ¡°Are those¡­, humans?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 217: being the prince charming saving the damsel in distress

    The sight that greeted Clark was so shocking that he hid again behind the tree despite his stealth armor still active, as a storm of emotions went through his mind.


    He was surprised as the thing causing so much commotion was humans. Though seeing humans were supposed to be a good thing, he still felt weird about it as this was his first time seeing other humans in over a month.


    This group of humans was already in a desperate situation, as they were struggling to survive a siege from an intimidating wolf clan horde.


    Seeing his fellow humans suffering and at the brink of death, he felt compelled to move immediately, but he held himself back to think more about the situation.


    First, how did these humans cross through the tunnel to this forest where countless others already died, evident from the decayed skulls that they found when crossing it?


    And by the manner they were still holding their ground against such a large wolf family, it was clear that they were trained soldiers.


    ¡°Are these people one of our competitors? Which country are they from?¡±


    As these thoughts crossed Clark¡¯s head, he made a series of further signs with his hands which his soldiers understood as they started moving closer to the edge of the hill¡¯s cliff.


    After spreading themselves orderly around the cliff and making sure to be hidden, they finally saw what was causing all this commotion. They were also shocked on seeing fellow humans.


    All the soldiers¡¯ eyes narrowed after understanding the situation, as the same thought as their Major¡¯s crossed through their heads.


    ¡°If these are competitors, I think we should use this opportunity to wipe them completely instead of helping them. That will remove a tumor from our side that we would have worried about later on¡±.


    Diana finally spoke out her suggestion in a cold tone, as her face already took on a bloodthirsty tone.


    Surprisingly, the lazy bum second in command finally spoke out to give his own input at this moment. It seems he was not always clueless After all, his comrades were shocked.


    Ignoring the weird gazes being directed at him, Benny spoke out while looking at his friend.


    ¡°Clark, even if they are our competitors, I don¡¯t think killing them would be the best course of action at this moment¡±.


    ¡°Meeting them at the front means that they probably arrived at this forest long before us, so it¡¯s inevitable that they also know more than us. Perhaps, they already even know the way out of the forest¡±.


    ¡°This is a rare opportunity where we met them in need. We should take advantage of it and act as the prince charming coming to save the damsel in distress, at least, we¡¯ll have favor in their sight that way¡±.


    ¡°From the looks of it, they probably suffered far more damage than us also, so we have the advantage of numbers even if they are stupid enough to start a war with us¡±.


    ¡°And, we have you, that¡¯s an advantage in quality of soldiers also. Unless they have a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, which I don¡¯t think they do, we have the upper hand¡±.


    ¡°If we take advantage of this chance to get a temporary ally, then we won big because we terribly need it¡±.


    ¡°With that, we can better consolidate our strength to avoid more casualties while at the same time getting more chances if we discover our mission target in the end¡±.


    Hearing their second in command¡¯s deep analysis of this encounter, all the soldiers, including Clark fell into a daze as they processed this in surprise.


    ¡°So, you were this competent in analysis and you dared to laze off for the past few months¡±.


    Instead of complimenting his friend for this, Clark grew angry and speechless on thinking of all the user input that he already missed for over a month.


    ¡°Hey¡­, hold it. Do you want them to sight us first? Control yourself, Major¡±. Benny quickly raised his hands before saying innocently.


    Clark¡¯s face twitched on seeing this as he reluctantly suppressed his urge to pounce at his friend. ¡°What a lazy bastard¡±.


    ¡°Diana, what do you think? For me, I think Benny¡¯s input is more viable this time. Like he said, we are the superior side, and elite soldiers such as this should be able to judge this¡±.


    ¡°I think acting the prince charming role this time is the best, what do you think?¡± He finally turned to his other second in command again, before asking.


    ¡°Yeah, I also think Benny did a good analysis job for the first time in weeks. I don¡¯t have any objections, as long as you agree to let him take over every analysis problem from now on¡±.


    ¡°Deal, we are doing it¡±.


    ¡°Clark, what?¡± Benny felt betrayed.


    Ignoring his pitiful friend, Clark turned again before addressing his large group of soldiers as they all perked up like attentive birds to listen to his orders.


    ¡°You all heard us, we are storming in to help our fellow humans. If we can use this opportunity to make new ally friends, then good, but if we can¡¯t, we can as well wipe them out with these filthy wolves¡±.


    ¡°Are you afraid?¡±


    ¡°No, Major!¡±


    ¡°Good, for this battle, I already devised a not too sophisticated strategy for it. All the ranged soldiers, you shall remain here at this hill¡¯s cliff and provide us with cover fire¡±.


    ¡°I, Diana, and Benny will lead the melee soldiers down to help them more directly. With our help, I think we can quickly snowball using our fierce momentum to achieve quick victory¡±.


    ¡°For the high-grade soldiers among you, don¡¯t reveal your trump cards. Don¡¯t use your battle arts, keep them, we cannot reveal our hand completely to these soldiers yet before we understand them¡±.


    ¡°Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Major¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I leave our backs to you, you better not snipe us by mistake¡±.


    ¡°We are veterans sir¡±. The soldiers laughed a bit at their Major¡¯s small joke, as he finally started leading the melee soldiers down.


    They still had the luxury to laugh despite their ambitious plans of facing such a large horde of wolves. This just displayed their current confidence, as this would have been taboo to them a month ago.


    Though they took the talks casually, they were still serious as this was probably going to be their most hard-fought battle since they arrived at this forest.


    Not even their escape battle from the cats in the tunnel could rival this, as the staggering difference in the number of enemies was frightening.


    As they scaled down the hill again, Clark¡¯s brain was already working on overload as he thought of the right method with which he should engage the battle to make it more efficient.


    Before they got down to the base of the hill, he already had a plan in mind as he led the soldiers directly to the right direction of the hill.


    This was the location that led to the rear of the beasts, he wanted to form a pincer attack with the soldiers under attack to force the wolves to a corner and finish them directly.


    The soldiers who remained at the hill were already set, as they calmly waited for the signal from their Major to engage in battle.


    About a minute later, Clark finally led his soldiers behind the large group of rampaging beasts but he did not engage immediately as he ordered his soldiers to hide behind trees.


    Why would he fight a meritless battle? He was not giving charity.


    He planned to put a call through to the leader of these soldiers, lay his intentions across and negotiate thoroughly before he would even contemplate being the prince charming to them.


    He leaned against the thick-skinned tree that hid him, squatted down before bringing his bag out.


    In such a chaotic battle, it would be hard to get a stable connection as he did not have the direct contact details of this man either. He had to perform some programming cheats before he could put his call across.


    After glancing at the battle for only 5 seconds, he already identified the alpha wolf of this clan and the leader of this group of soldiers, so he had his priorities straight.


    He carefully brought out a small device that looked like a smartphone out of this bag. The only thing distinguishing it from a smartphone was that, unlike the latter, it had a long antenna at its top.


    He quickly used his gloved hands to extend the antenna¡¯s reach, adjusting it a bit before he finally nodded in satisfaction after getting the wave frequency that he wanted.


    [Ding!! The wavelength and frequency of waves are stable. The threshold frequency of this region is already exceeded, master can connect directly and send a call across now.]


    After getting the confirmation that he wanted, he smiled before putting the call across.


    Red wavy lines fluctuated on the smart device, showing the readings of the call¡¯s proceedings.


    Though he could have done this call directly through his implant, he already learned to minimize his implant¡¯s use as every use drew part of its energy from his body.


    This was essentially exchanging his energy for convenience, so he already learned to set a good scale of preference long ago.


    Beep!!


    Hearing the notification sound that the call finally went through, he snapped out of his daze before focusing on it. Before he activated the video call, he did another thing first.


    ¡°He adjusted his black climbing uniform better, patted unseen dust from it, quickly checked his teeth to make sure they are sparkling white, donned a mask on his face before speaking out¡±.


    From his many experiences, he already learned that when meeting a stranger, the first impression could do wonders. So, what better first impression was there than to act mysterious?


    After activating the video function, a flustered face suddenly emerged, filling the screen as the stone-faced man looked at his masked face alertly.


    Just like them, when he got the call and quickly deduced that these were probably other humans, he was shocked. Various thoughts crossed his head also, but he did not have the luxury of free-thinking because of his annoying opponent.


    He suppressed his doubts and answered the call, he wanted to know these newcomers¡¯ motive, and most especially, he wanted help so he didn¡¯t have a choice.


    ¡°You are the one who called me?¡± He asked cautiously.


    ¡°It is I¡±.


    Clark spoke calmly, as his voice suddenly sounded a few decibels deeper.


    His subordinates were already coughing blood at the side, as they barely controlled themselves from laughing out.


    ¡°Who are you? And where¡­¡±


    ¡°Before you talk, allow me¡±. Clark interrupted this guy in a cool manner.


    ¡°I already saw your situation and I saw that you needed help, now is not the time to talk, we¡¯ll talk after we rescue you¡±.


    Though the man felt a little irked by the use of the word rescue, he kept silent as he had no choice. ¡°Then what are you waiting for? We will soon be overwhelmed¡±. He continued anxiously.


    ¡°Not so fast, I have a few terms for you to go through. Sign them, before I can decide to help you¡±.


    After reading through the information that was just sent to him, the man suppressed his anger, showing that he was a veteran as he answered calmly.


    ¡°I agree, just save us first¡±.


    Inwardly, he was already cursing at this fool. ¡°Do you take me as stupid to accept such terms?¡±


    Clark easily read his mind but he didn¡¯t care, he just chuckled and answered. ¡°I¡¯m coming, prepare to be saved¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 218: meeting an old acquaintance

    After getting the verbal consent of the other side¡¯s leader, Clark no longer hesitated as he ordered his soldiers to follow him. With this, he at least now had the moral high ground to act without restraint.


    He carefully kept the communication device, activated his armor, and grabbed his spear tightly before storming out directly to meet the wolves.


    His soldiers quickly followed behind him, as their movements stirred dust fiercely in their wake.


    Back in the fierce ongoing battle, after the leader of the soldiers under the siege of the beasts got the unexpected call from the mysterious black-clothed man who he suspected was a soldier also, he felt uneasy.


    He had strong nerves as a soldier, but he didn¡¯t know why, hearing Clark¡¯s deep voice made him feel like he just invited a dragon into his abode to help him fight a lion.


    Both were dangerous predators, if this one saved him, he would be sure to eat him the next moment. He was conflicted.


    As he got distracted a bit, the sharp claws of the alpha wolf suddenly clawed heavily at his armor¡¯s head. The force disoriented him a bit, as he felt like he just bashed his head against a rock.


    The wolf attempted to use this opportunity to lunge at him and pin him down, but his instincts went to work as he ducked, smoothly dodging the lunge while retaliating with an upwards slash of his sword.


    From his fighting style and weapons, it was evident that he was a defensive-oriented soldier. He made use of the turtle shell fighting style- stall your opponent till he is tired.


    He made use of a huge exotic shield and a sharp sword as his weapon combination, as he quickly stood up to block the alpha wolf¡¯s attacks again.


    ¡°Where are these bastards? Did they play with my desperation? Just wait¡±. He was fuming in anger.


    Because of his still aching head from the blow, he now directed all his ire at these scammers as they were still nowhere to be found on the battlefield. Did they really scam him?


    As this thought kept on troubling him, a change finally came into the battlefield from a side that he did not expect at all. These soldiers attacked the wolves from the rear.


    Ahh¡­!! Kill the damn wolves!! Rescue the damsels!!


    Hearing the shameless shouts and declaration of these soldiers, his lips twitched fiercely as he lost his concentration again for the second time.


    He paid for it dearly as the wolf lunged forward and gave him a deadly bite on the head, scaring the hell out of him.


    [Ding!! Armor¡¯s durability reduced by 5%.]


    Hearing this, he was even more alarmed as he finally focused on his battle again. If he got distracted a few more times like that, he would probably die to this fierce beast.


    Seeing the sudden newcomers that emerged from nowhere, the soldiers that were already struggling against the wolves became flustered as their movements grew more disordered. 3 soldiers died immediately.


    Seeing this, the leader of the soldiers was shocked as he came to a realization. ¡°F*ck, I didn¡¯t inform them before now¡±.


    ¡°These are our temporary allies, don¡¯t be flustered!¡± He roared into his comm to his soldiers, as the still clearheaded fellows finally started organizing themselves again.


    They were still guarded though, as they gave a little of their attention to keenly watching these newcomers.


    Clark ran forward momentously with his spear, as he arrived first to meet the horde of wolves. Not slowing down a bit, his spear quickly swiped across like it had no weight like a falling autumn leaf.


    The 3 wolves standing before him died immediately to the strike, their heads flying powerlessly like deflated balloons as he continued unhindered into the ranks of the wolves.


    ¡°Rescue the damsels!!¡±


    His soldiers finally arrived with their ridiculous chant, as they joined the battle with frightening grandeur.


    Despite their loud shouts, they were very much organized as they entered the battle in a tyrannically offensive battle formation. Their teamwork was off the charts as they moved like well-serviced machines.


    A bloody one-sided battle began immediately, as they started pushing the wolves back without any reduction in momentum.


    Awoo!! Awoo¡­!!


    The wolves were also alarmed by these sudden arrivals, as they started howling in anger while others in pain as the soldiers bulldozed across, massacring them with impunity.


    Seeing this, the other soldiers who were already under desperate circumstances were shocked before becoming overjoyed the next moment.


    ¡°We are saved! Where did the leader get reinforcements from? These guys are so dominating¡±.


    Noticing the sudden change in his soldier¡¯s perspective about these newcomers, their leader who was still entangled in a tug of war with the wolf alpha blushed a little in shame.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you guys act any decent? Is that how far you¡¯ve regressed?¡±


    Though these were his thoughts, he did not voice them out as he knew that his soldiers needed a moment of respite. Their struggle for the past few days was too much for them to handle.


    After the wolves knew that new enemies were here, they adjusted their attack trajectory as they started directing more attention to Clark¡¯s soldiers.


    This was supposed to slow them down, but it did not. The moment that the wolves moved and readjusted their focus, Clark also reacted as he raised his left hand before swiping it at the wolves.


    Before the wolves could react to this weird move, energy beams and fast-moving projectile bullets started raining down imperiously on them from above.


    The Spartan ranged soldiers were already hungering to release their weapon¡¯s loads since the battle started. When their Major finally gave the order, they felt freedom like no other.


    Boom!! Boom!!


    Energy beams rapidly shuttled the short distance to the ground, filling the sky with an intimidating rain of fire and bullets as another unbridled massacre began in the ranks of the wolves.


    Painful howls reverberated around the battlefield, as the originally snow-white furs of the mountain wolves became stained with blood.


    This was when the exobeasts among the wolves finally started their rampant maneuvers, as they advanced aggressively to clash with the melee soldiers that were behind Clark.


    Clark did not target these wolves though, he left them for his soldiers. He had complete confidence that with Benny and Diana there, his soldiers could kill these exobeasts.


    Even if it took time, they had the means to dispatch them. For himself, he had another goal, he wanted the alpha wolf that was still wreaking the leader of these soldiers.


    Personally, he was impressed by this guy¡¯s might as he already recognized that this was a mountain wolf with 3rd rank high-grade strength. This was a peak predator in this forest.


    His eyes were locked on the rampaging alpha wolf like they were radar detectors as his spear cleaved left and right, swiftly dividing any wolf that tried to bar his way to parts and pieces.


    Blood flowed like rivers in his wake, as he forged his way to meet this alpha predator.


    ¡°You already did enough, now support me from the side¡±.


    Getting there, he sent a message through his implant to the leader of the other side before directly taking over his opponent tyrannically.


    The soldier¡¯s mouth twitched fiercely but he suppressed himself, he was already shocked by the strength being displayed by Clark. He obeyed, as he meekly relegated himself to the role of support.


    With their combination of an extreme defense-oriented soldier and an extreme offense-oriented soldier, this alpha wolf no longer had a chance. Clark took this as a target to train his skills now.


    Excitement blazed in his heart, as he felt a rush of adrenaline surge through his body like a voltage of alternating electric current.


    Boom!!


    He attacked without restraint, as his hands quickly became a blur while his spear kept on stirring dangerous wind waves like it was the legendary Thor¡¯s Mjolnir.


    Awoo!!


    The alpha wolf angrily howled again at this travesty to its dignity, as it also attacked without any restraint. Its movements were swift like a cheetah, while at the same time heavy like a rhino¡¯s.


    The 2 of them quickly got entangled in bloody melee battle, going back and forth like 2 kids that were fighting and rolling on the sand, but the intensity was something else entirely.


    The leader of the other soldier group only grew more shocked on seeing this, but he suppressed his shock and diligently did his job.


    He did now know why, but such a sight suddenly blazed the competitive spirit inside him. Was this guy trying to show that he was better than him? No, he could not let himself and his soldiers down.


    He quickly upped his aggressiveness in the battle, as his shield now changed from only a defensive tool to an attacking tool also.


    He bashed the wolf at various angles on its body with the shield, making the poor fellow stagger and howl in pain. Despite all these pains, it did not think of escaping as it kept fighting ferociously.


    Clark was also surprised on seeing this guy¡¯s sudden fierceness, he felt a faint familiarity on seeing this fighting style but he held his curiosity back and continued his battle.


    Whoosh!! He suddenly stabbed his spear down in between the wolf¡¯s legs before flipping it to the side, as the force turned the wolf unsteadily to the side, exposing its belly.


    His left hand suddenly went to his bag and quickly came back with his sword, as he stabbed ruthlessly at the exposed belly of this fellow.


    The guy behind him was not to be left out, as his eyes quickly lit on seeing this opportunity. His muscles bulged; his eyes narrowed into slits while his veins erupted outwards as he suddenly leaped upwards.


    Boom!!


    Coming back down, his enormous shield was bashed heavily at the wolf¡¯s unprotected head with mind-blowing force.


    Shockwaves stirred from the blow; the wind protested by squeezing rapidly in honor of this force as a crack sound reverberated after it came into contact with the wolf¡¯s head.


    This did it, the wolf became a mad wolf immediately. After standing uprightly, it staggered disorderly like a drunk wolf with dazed eyes that already rolled to the back of its head.


    ¡°That¡¯s some powerful blow¡±. Clark said with a slight smirk on his face, as he raised his spear before stabbing it directly at the head of this alpha wolf.


    Just like that, these 2 monster soldiers killed a wolf that had 3rd rank high-grade strength. Seeing this from afar, Diana and Benny were shocked as they tried to guess who this unknown soldier was.


    Their battle was also already drawing to an end, they already killed most of the wolves. After they combined with the soldiers of the other side, their killing frequency increased exponentially.


    The other wolves started escaping after seeing their leader¡¯s death. They were intelligent to know that they no longer had hope of victory, to your tents oh Israel.


    The originally desperate soldiers were very happy after being saved, as they walked closer to thank Clark¡¯s men excitedly.


    As the aftermath of the battle was slowly being cleaned up, Clark went closer to the leader of the other group. The soldier grew tense immediately on seeing him.


    ¡°No need to be so tense, I already know you, Great defender¡±. Clark said with a smirk while patting him on the shoulders.


    ¡°What¡­, who are you?¡± He immediately grew alert.


    ¡°Hehe, no need for that, we are old acquaintances¡±. Clark muttered a smile as he slowly removed his mask.


    ¡°You¡­, you, it¡¯s you!!¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers. For my old readers, I have attached a prologue to the first chapter, you can check it out.]]

 Chapter 219: corporal dame dickson the great defender

    The soldier was sincerely shocked on seeing his helper¡¯s face, as he staggered back unsteadily. It was like a bomb just went off in his head, as a storm of emotions was already rolling in his mind.


    ¡°Damn, no wonder¡­, no wonder you were so strong. I felt it weird to see such a strong 2nd rank high-grade soldier appear from thin air, so it was you?¡±


    ¡°What else did you think? Did you think I will not recognize you just because you changed your face with a mask, I also have such a mask so just don¡¯t bring that nonsense in my front¡±.


    Clark replied savagely without mincing words, as he motioned his hands closer to his counterpart¡¯s face.


    ¡°Remove it before I do it for you¡±.


    Hearing Clark¡¯s tone, the soldier laughed awkwardly before removing the mask that was on his face with a slight blush on his cheeks.


    Yes, he was the Great defender, the gladiator that fought in the Microsoft Empire team that eliminated Clark¡¯s team in the team gladiator tournament about a year ago.


    Clark recognized him through his fighting style immediately after fighting with him for some minutes, as this was someone that he had a very clear impression of during the gladiator tournament.


    As the vice-Captain of the Microsoft Empire team, he was also someone that his team focused their counter plans on, so he remembered this guy vividly.


    After knowing who this was, the Great defender suddenly heaved a huge sigh of relief inwardly.


    Words could not describe how bad he felt knowing that another soldier was better than he was. He felt better now, knowing that it was an outrageous soldier like Clark. He still felt apprehensive though.


    ¡°Magician, that tournament was forced on us, you know that so I hope that you let bygones be bygones¡±. After understanding his situation, he finally spoke out softly to Clark.


    ¡°What do you take me for? Am I that petty? I took that tournament as a fleeting phase of my life, so I already forgot about most things that happened there¡±. Clark quickly answered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t live in the past; I live in the present¡±. He ended his speech with a style like always.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good then, I¡¯m relieved¡±. The Great defender heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, I don¡¯t even know it? I mean your real name?¡± Clark suddenly asked.


    ¡°Ah, oh¡­, I¡¯m Dickson¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me, tell me the truth¡±. Clark suddenly moved closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, I swear on my shield, ask my soldiers. My name is Dame Dickson¡±. He quickly raised his hands to show innocence.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s good Dickson. Your name is a little controversial, but I¡¯m Major Clark, remember that¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­, I¡¯m Corporal Dickson¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your rank, Dickson¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As they both walked amidst the corpses of wolves to meet their soldiers, Dickson could not help but speak out again.


    ¡°Back then¡­, you were not like this¡±.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Clark sharply asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I mean you were more reserved then. Like, I thought you were an introvert before, I would have never believed if they told me that you could lead a military squad like this¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem. Did you think I remained stagnant since after that messed up tournament? I have been developing myself in every area¡±.


    ¡°I was a little intimidated at first to be sincere, but I slowly got a hang of it. Reading about other leaders of squads, watching their videos, that¡¯s how I got to where I am today Dickson¡±.


    ¡°By the way, do your name have an abbreviation?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡°No¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok¡±.


    As the 2 leaders walked back, their subordinates secretly stole glances at both of them. They were surprised as after just one battle; they were already talking like familiars.


    ¡°Does the Major know this man before?¡± Diana was surprised.


    ¡°Major, we are done here¡±. She quickly spoke out after Clark got close to their position.


    ¡°Ok, build a temporary camp here. We¡¯ll stay and rest here for a while, you don¡¯t have a problem right Dickson?¡±


    ¡°No¡±.


    He felt like crying, why did he tell this man his real name. He always loathed his father for giving him such a controversial name, what a suffering.


    ¡°After the camp is set up, use the time to convene with your soldiers before converging back to meet me. Don¡¯t think that I forgot the terms that I laid out for you just because I know you¡±.


    Clark spoke out again before going to the right of their temporary camp, where his soldiers already set up.


    ¡°Hmm, ok, I¡¯ll meet you later¡±. Dickson replied with a helpless smile before going to meet his soldiers.


    He felt a little conflicted. When he originally listened to the terms that Clark listed out to save them, he scoffed inwardly while just answering perfunctorily to get his immediate help.


    Never, not even in his wildest dreams would he have expected that he would meet such a troublesome acquaintance in this mission.


    When he saw Clark, he immediately terminated all his ridiculous plans. He was still young, he still wanted to live some more, so he directly canceled all his plans to rebel and escape.


    When he got back inside the military tents that his soldiers made, he suddenly felt 10 years older.


    Though they received help from Clark¡¯s squad, there was no way that they would trust each other so easily, they still employed means to prevent their side from eavesdropping or spying on them.


    As soon as he entered the tent that was made for him, his 2nd in command entered the room also.


    ¡°Corporal, are you ok? Do you need treatment?¡± The female soldier asked softly, as she came closer to hug him affectionately from behind.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Crown, the others need them more. We are already almost low on our supplies; I can still bear it¡±.


    ¡°Ok, just don¡¯t push yourself too far¡±. The lady added before leading him to sit down inside the hot water bathtub that was erected at the side.


    ¡°D-son¡±.


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Who was that soldier exactly? He seems to be very strong; do you know him before?¡± The lady asked softly as she gently massaged his sore muscles.


    ¡°That guy¡­, that guy is a monster. Yes, I met him before¡±.


    ¡°Let me tell you his story, remember when I was taken by the Microsoft Empire organization and forced to be a gladiator?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you met him there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I met him there. Let me tell you his legend, he¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Back in the mechanical tent erected for Clark, as soon as he entered the tent, he heard a knock from outside.


    ¡°Come in¡±. He already knew who was knocking.


    His speculation came true, as his 2 seconds in commands came in with awkward expressions on their faces. Not getting any reaction from him, they steeled their minds before sitting beside him.


    Diana stealthily tapped Benny on the lap before pinching ruthlessly as the silence became too long, making the poor boy flinch.


    Though Clark¡¯s words the other day came out like a joke, sometimes jokes were what sealed bonds that can never be broken.


    Through that small joke, these 2 soldiers were now in a secret relationship. The saying that loyal friends are gotten during the period of wars was being proven again by these 2.


    Benny had a helpless expression on his face, what could he do? He was the man; he could only smile wryly as he finally opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Clark¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to ask about that soldier, right?¡± Clark quickly interjected as he was already getting tired of the silence in the air.


    ¡°Umm¡­, yeah¡±.


    ¡°That guy¡­, I met him during my days in the Mediterranean Sea. I already told you and Leo about most of my encounters, he was part of the team that knocked my team out of the gladiator tournament¡±.


    ¡°Oh, I think I can connect it now. Your opponents consisted of the World dominator, the Blind crocodile, the Great defender, yes¡­, he is the Great defender, right?¡±


    ¡°The one who loved shields like they were his children¡±.


    ¡°Yeah¡±. Clark responded with a slight smile this time, as distant memories started flooding his brain.


    ¡°That guy really gave us real problems then with his shamelessly thick shield, what a shameless bastard. Thinking back, I even think he was one of the main catalysts for our defeat¡±.


    ¡°You said the World dominator was why you guys lost¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, but this guy was the 2nd bastard in their team¡±.


    ¡°How strong is he exactly compared to you?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, compared to me, he is still a toddler. But compared to you guys, I¡¯m sorry to say that he can trash the both of you countless times over¡±.


    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re the shameless bastard, not him¡±.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m still here. Maybe he can beat me, but he surely cannot trash me. Ok, please, before you guys continue, can you also tell me the gladiator stuff that you guys are talking about¡±.


    The neglected Diana finally spoke out again, after seeing that these 2 friends were ready to blabber on without bothering to tell her any of the details.


    ¡°Benny, tell her, I want to rest. By the way, I already know about your secret relationship, congrats¡±. Clark suddenly spoke out again.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spying on us?¡± Diana immediately grew red.


    ¡°Technically¡­, yes¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    A few hours later, after both soldier squads finally got a hang of themselves and rested enough, Dickson finally located Clark with his second in command in tow.


    It was time for negotiations.


    2 soldiers led them inside, as they quickly located the tent that was designated for Clark. Inside, Clark and his second in commands were already waiting calmly.


    Entering the small tent, they both nodded at their counterparts at the other side as a form of greeting before seating at the mechanical chairs that were placed at the side.


    ¡°Ok, you are ready right? Clark did not beat around the bush as he directly asked.


    ¡°Yes¡±. Dickson answered calmly.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s begin¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 220: the animal kingdom in the forest

    ¡°You remember the terms that I proposed, so please don¡¯t give me any bullshit. Tell me your country of allegiance, how you came here, and all the knowledge that you have about this region¡±.


    Clark spoke out as he faintly tapped repeatedly on the armrest of his mechanical chair while staring directly at his counterpart.


    ¡°Major, you know that revealing information about one¡¯s country is sensitive, please be considerate¡±.


    ¡°Dickson¡­, don¡¯t try my patience. Even if I had ulterior motives about this temporary alliance before, seeing that this group of soldiers is led by you changed most of my thoughts¡±.


    ¡°I will not exploit you; I will also reveal information about my squad once I have yours. Just don¡¯t lie, you know more than I do that an alliance would do us both some real good in this region¡±.


    ¡°In fact, why am I even explaining to you. Your squad is the one under our mercy here, don¡¯t try my hand¡±.


    ¡°Ok, Major¡±. Dickson took a deep breath. Though he felt reluctant on revealing such information, he felt even more reluctant at the thought of offending Clark.


    ¡°My country is the middle-grade country, Daland. If you don¡¯t know it, you can do a brief search online to verify¡±.


    ¡°Our purpose of coming here, I think you know that more than I do, so I won¡¯t elaborate. I did not know about this forest before now, I came here with my squad through a tunnel that we discovered¡±.


    Hearing the confirmation that he wanted, Clark secretly nodded to himself as he listened attentively.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s all. What exactly do you want to know about this region? Tell me so that I can have a base to start with¡±. Dickson paused a bit after saying this.


    Clark raised his hand, as Diana who was already prepared filled a glass of wine up before handing it over to him. He calmly sipped the wine before speaking out again.


    ¡°I and my team also passed through the same tunnel here¡±.


    ¡°Really?¡± Dickson was shocked.


    ¡°Yeah, really. That tunnel, I don¡¯t know if you did, but we saw a lot of terrifying things and met a lot of dangerous opponents there. We passed, but we suffered a casualty there¡±.


    ¡°You suffered just a casualty in that hole from hell?¡± Dickson was once again shocked, as some buried memories started emerging back in his head.


    ¡°We suffered a lot, let me tell you everything¡±. His shoulders slumped; his eyes grew distant as he started going through his memories to dig out the story that his benefactors wanted.


    ¡­


    About 2 months ago, when he heard that he was nominated for such an extremely dangerous but important mission, unlike what was expected, his reaction was vastly different from that of other soldiers.


    He was first surprised before being overwhelmed with joy.


    After he came back from the Seafarers alliance outer headquarters, his country¡¯s army started paying more attention to him, granting him more opportunities to improve as a soldier.


    He was pleasantly surprised that the army let him be included in such a dangerous mission, but this did little in diminishing his excitement.


    About a week later, everything was finally scheduled for him and he arrived safely in the great Mountain Everest with his squad.


    Unlike Clark¡¯s squad of 50, his squad started with a hundred soldiers which was outrageously much for such a secret mission.


    During their first week climbing the Himalayan peaks, everything was fine and easygoing. This ended though when they encountered their first attack from the beasts of this region.


    The aggressive lineup of evolved red Pandas charged at them like flooding rivers. Under the leadership of the exobeasts among them, the nimble mountain beasts started wreaking havoc among them.


    His leadership was fairly stable, as he quickly commanded and reorganized his soldiers. Due to the number of the Pandas, he opted to escape with his soldiers rather than to fight, but escaping was equally not an easy job.


    During that desperate escape battle, they lost their first soldiers. Not 2 casualties, not 3, but 10 valuable soldiers died from his squad from their first encounter alone.


    As a defensive soldier, he was able to do a lot in preventing more losses but his influence was limited due to the overwhelming number of soldiers in his squad, hence those casualties.


    After the attack, his soldiers were spooked as they grew more restrained and alert about this mountain.


    They continued their journey amid other small-scale beast attacks until they finally reached their first shelter. During this time, they suffered no further casualties.


    2 days later, they finally left the shelter to continue their journey. They suffered another 7 casualties on the way, which was to them tolerable before they finally reached the beginning of their decline, the tunnel.


    Also thinking that it was a shock-cut pathway to climbing higher up the mountain, he agreed with his soldiers to take the tunnel route. This was the worst decision of his life.


    Crossing the tunnel was a nightmare to them, as they lost 16 soldiers alone to the ferocious cats that repeatedly spammed them with unrelenting attacks.


    This was where they also had their first high-grade soldier casualties, as they lost 3 high-grade soldiers to the cat.


    2 of them died normally, but what horrified them was that a giant egg suddenly emerged from the ground which swallowed the last of them. They were shocked, as their comrade became motionless like he was frozen in time.


    After these 3 last sacrifices, they finally escaped. Coming to the other side, they found this forest which was even more dangerous than the tunnel.


    They learned a lot of useful insights from their defeats, so they became more experienced in dealing with the beasts of this region. Their casualty rate reduced steadily, as their killing rate increased.


    Their journey across the forest was smoother than they expected. Despite the many dangers in it, they lost only 2 comrades who died because of their incompetence, leaving 65 soldiers behind.


    With all these experienced soldiers that were forged from the deaths of their comrades, they were confident of their prospects of leaving this region successfully.


    They found it. Yes, another month later, they finally found the region of the forest that they could take to leave, but here they found another problem.


    This isolated region seemed to be the beast kingdom of the forest. They saw countless animal species that were guarding the region, they even had an alpha that acted as their overall king.


    Surprisingly, the ruler of this fantastical animal kingdom was actually¡­, a wild Yak. Yes, that wild cattle animal, but this one was really wild as its name depicted, it was the tyrant exobeast of the whole forest.


    After a thorough plan that took them 3 days to formulate, they finally became confident of their chances at escaping this forest.


    They knew that they could not kill all these animals, but they didn¡¯t intend to do that, they just had to slip through and escape.


    The plan seemed simple, but the execution wildly exceeded their expectations.


    They made a mistake that exposed them during the plan¡¯s execution, and this blunder sealed their fate forever.


    There was hardly any meaningful thing they could do next, as they were mobbed by the beasts from every side. The alpha wild Yak did not even move, but their losses were still shockingly depressing.


    20 soldiers died immediately from the siege, as the rest all abandoned the battle and started fleeing under the leadership of their Corporal.


    The animals were relentless as they were pursued them for 3 days with only a few hours of rest in between. During this period, most of the animals retreated, only a clan of wolves were adamant about wiping them off.


    During this pursuit period, they lost another 8 soldiers, leaving their original squad of 100 to be left with only 37. They already failed their mission; they were now lost like headless sheep.


    Due to the exhaustion and everything, they already lost all hopes at escaping, so they got prepared to fight their last battle as a soldier. At least, they could not die without inflicting enough damage on the annoying wolves.


    ¡­


    ¡°Then, you came, and the rest is as you know it¡±. Dickson''s voice reverberated again, now a little hoarse as he sniffed while suppressing his fluctuating emotions.


    Clark and his 2 second in commands fell deathly silent, as they carefully went through all the information that was just released to them. They felt¡­, sympathetic and a little overwhelmed.


    Clark suddenly felt a strange feeling inside him. He and his soldiers never knew nor really appreciated how fortunate they were until he heard this. He felt sorry for this old opponent of his.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±. He didn¡¯t know exactly what to say in such a situation, he just said this.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s my fault mostly. We overestimated ourselves, and I was an incompetent leader¡±. Dickson felt the exhaustion of the past 3 days suddenly hit him, as he leaned back powerlessly on his mechanical chair.


    Clark didn¡¯t agree to this, but he didn¡¯t say it out loud. When his team fought this guy¡¯s back in the gladiator tournament, his teammates all recognized this guy¡¯s leadership qualities though he hardly utilized them.


    In his opinion, his incompetent soldiers were what led him down and caused his failure.


    ¡°Ok, my country is the middle-grade country, the Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me your information too?¡± Dickson was visibly surprised.


    ¡°Why are you so surprised? I told you that my proposal of an alliance is now more sincere since I got your real identity, and I noticed that the information you just gave me was not made-up nonsense, so¡±.


    As Clark spoke, he could not help but smirk slightly as he secretly glanced at the information just displayed by his implant again.


    [Ding!! Deep human lie analysis completed. From mannerisms, gestures, facial expression, and other micro details detected on target, it has been detected that he is not lying.]


    This was one of the most useful advantages of his outrageous implant. As a soldier, he knew that this method was not fallible though and could be evaded by well-trained soldiers, most especially spies.


    Despite this, he still believed the data as he knew this man before now. He was not exactly the sly type.


    ¡°My squad came to the mountain roughly about a month ago. Our story is much spicier than yours, but with fewer casualties¡±.


    Clark no longer held back, as he told him the information that he could without compromising his squad. After revealing all that he could, he finally extended his hand for a handshake.


    ¡°I guess we are now temporary allies, right Mr. Dickson?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. But what exactly do you want to do, I already described how hard it is for us to leave here? And now you said that the tunnel is blocked, I think we are stuck here¡±.


    ¡°Not really, our allied force can make it, we just need more intelligent planning. And with me around, hehe¡­, I don¡¯t want to boast¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 221: the kingdom between 2 cliffs

    ¡°You¡¯re saying you saw Molly still trapped inside the mysterious egg, and he is already decaying?¡± Dickson asked again with more weariness now on his tone, as Clark led him out of his tent.


    ¡°Yeah, the sudden sight of him was what actually led to the casualty that my squad suffered there¡±.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s painful, but I think you should get over it. You¡¯re the leader of your squad, you already heard my plans, if you remain like this, our chances of survival will go down even more¡±.


    Clark finally spoke out on this, as he already noticed the disadvantages they would face if his ally remained like this. A drop in morale was the least of concerns.


    ¡°Hahaha, I know, but I don¡¯t think I can for now¡±. Dickson spoke while laughing in a self-mocking manner, as he raised his head to secretly wipe the tear that was threatening to fall down his eye.


    ¡°You can¡¯t understand my condition, Clark. Do you know how many wives became widows, how many children became orphans, and how many families will grieve just because of my incompetence?¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m a murderer. I know it¡¯s ok for soldiers to die for the good cause, but I feel guilty. I led them all to their deaths, I¡¯m an incompetent bastard and I know that¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Stranded dragon, the Magician, you¡¯re a genius in everything and a nightmare to all your enemies, I don¡¯t expect you to understand¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Clark didn¡¯t know what to say to comfort his new ally, he just patted him on the shoulders. After this, he finally took on his business tone again.


    ¡°Like I said, to form an alliance that will grant us enough strength to escape this forest, your soldiers need to rest and replenish their strength¡±.


    ¡°I will help you as you already lost all your supplies during the pursuit, you can take half of my supplies. You need it more, and if we successfully leave here, we can replenish it¡±.


    ¡°You know yourself best and I believe in you, only you can devise the best strategy to go over this setback. All you have to know is that we are now tied to one stick, so I will provide unconditional help to your soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Major Clark. I will not forget this kindness¡±. Dickson said solemnly. Clark just patted his back again.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really the magician that you think I am. Even during the gladiator tournament, I was always scared of what would happen the next day. You know what made me scale through? Determination¡±.


    ¡°Get that¡­, and you get everything¡±.


    Clark whispered into his counterpart¡¯s ear before he finally departed to his camp. To him, calling himself a genius was a misconception, you only had to read his heart and you will know the truth.


    In every battle, in every situation that he had ever faced, he had always been afraid.


    Sighing, he turned to go but stopped on seeing the female second in command from his new ally¡¯s camp that was about to leave.


    ¡°Please, wait¡±. He quickly called out.


    ¡°Yes, Major¡±. The lady answered respectfully.


    ¡°Sorry if this sounds rude, I don¡¯t think you are just his second in command. I want to know, are you his wife or his¡­?¡±


    ¡°His fianc¨¦e¡±.


    ¡°Oh¡­, then I want to give you a task that can increase our escape chances. As soon as you get back, please take it upon yourself to try every means to cheer your fianc¨¦e up and make him forget these setbacks¡±.


    ¡°I may not understand his setbacks but I know him, he is a fierce warrior when in his right domain. I want you to bring him back to his peak¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir, I¡¯ll do that naturally. Thank you for the concern¡±. The lady thanked him skillfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s all for the plan¡±. Clark quickly replied, nodded at her before turning to go back to his tent.


    From this exact moment, preparations for the great forest escape began in full swing.


    ¡­


    Their allies already lost everything, so Clark¡¯s squad provided everything that they needed. They still could do that, their 2 supply bags were not stuffed full for nothing.


    They provided them with solar panels to recharge their weapons and equipment energy reserves, while also supplying them with abundant food to replenish all their lost strength.


    Food was always king in the jungle. The food supplies worked like wonders, as the originally downcast and hopeless soldiers who seemed like dead woods became energetic again after taking it.


    For the next few days, their temporary camp became busy as soldiers went back and forth in preparation for their planned battle.


    The soldiers with some technical backgrounds in the group went to work, as they started finetuning all the weapons and equipment again.


    Others worked on the software devices, as they checked all their programs to detect if any bug suddenly materialized or if anything hampered with the sensitive devices.


    Long-range detection devices were also dispatched around their camp, as through it, every sudden intruder could be sniped from a distance even before they could see the camp.


    The allied force also created a makeshift training chamber, where the soldiers could spar and make sure they were at the peak for the impending decisive battle.


    As the Spartan squad almost provided everything that they needed, the other squad began losing their independence bit by bit as they slowly started succumbing to the Spartans¡¯ influence.


    There was nothing Dickson could do. The benevolence displayed by Clark left him too guilty to impose superiority at this moment, he was fine with taking the support role this time.


    He already got over it, but at times he could not help the innate competitive human spirit in him. He sometimes compared his squad with the Spartans, and only depression resulted from every single time.


    His squad tyrannically came with 100 soldiers for the mission, now they were left with only 37. The Spartans came with only 50, and they were still left with 44, the difference was too glaring just like 7-up.


    As all these activities went on, making the temporary allied camp boisterous, Clark did not forget the importance of getting to know the enemy more.


    Today, he finally gathered an exploration team to go out and explore the territory of their enemy. For the past few days, he was already thinking about it, so he created the perfect crack team that he could think of.


    He wanted only 5 soldiers for this important mission, and they must be elites, as this would make them more flexible to react better to unexpected circumstances.


    After convening with Dickson, they both finally settled on the best. He will be the leader of the group, Dickson, Diana, Negro, and Shakes, these were the elite 5.


    Dickson wanted to shirk the responsibility, as he insisted that one of the leaders was needed at the camp to stabilize things but Clark vehemently rejected all his proposals.


    ¡°Preposterous, why the f*ck would an invaluable defensive soldier like yourself be left behind? Even if I¡¯m mad, it¡¯s not to that realm yet¡±. Clark quickly shot all his points down.


    Dickson also argued that Benny should join the team as he was among the best of the soldiers also, but Clark also shot down this suggestion.


    He reasoned that instead of him staying behind to stabilize things, his friend was the best candidate for the job.


    Taking a jab at this loophole also, Dickson also successfully removed his fianc¨¦e from the list of candidates originally being debated for the mission. None of them wanted their close ones near any danger.


    Negro was a male 1st rank high-grade soldier from Clark¡¯s squad, while Shakes was a female 1st rank high-grade soldier from Dickson¡¯s squad. These 2 completed the quota of 5 soldiers.


    As all the soldiers were already informed before now, when the time came, they all convened outside the region of their temporary camp. Clark spoke out as the leader.


    ¡°You are all elites here, and you already know the reason why we gathered, so I will not take the bother of going deep and bore you with details¡±.


    ¡°I just want to remind you of our core purpose for this team. We are gathered together as vanguard explorers; our main mission is to stealthily approach the enemy and get information about them¡±.


    ¡°Stealth and flexibility are our main advantage in this mission, that is why I decided on only 5 of us¡±.


    ¡°With 5, we can advance and retreat in tandem. We can engage in swift maneuvers when required, we have various trump cards as elites, and most especially, with 5, we are indomitable¡±.


    After spitting out some more load of crap that kept on coming to his head, Clark finally embarked on the journey with his 5 comrades.


    Everything else in the camp was left for Benny and Dickson¡¯s fianc¨¦e to take care of, they just prayed not to come back and meet a camp already run over by beasts.


    Just like the wind, the 5 white-uniformed soldiers blended with the snow and the forest trees as they moved swiftly across the forest.


    This time, to give them even more of a chance against the beasts, they all dyed their climbing uniforms to white to enhance their camouflage abilities, this was part of their preparation.


    The effect was obvious, if not looked at clearly, they seemed just like a bunch of ethereal phantoms that were phasing across.


    With their skill, it was hard to see the snow get disturbed and their military boots erased all their footprints due to the configuration that Clark ordered them all to set it at.


    ¡­


    Hours later, the nimble group of 5 soldiers finally arrived at the biggest and most important part of the whole forest.


    Due to their speed and focused movement, the distance that originally took Dickson¡¯s squad 3 days took them only a few hours to cross.


    When they got there, it was already late in the evening, so they couldn¡¯t see the scenery clearly but Clark and the others were still stunned by the sight that greeted them.


    ¡°Finally!!¡± They all heaved sighs of relief with joy evident on their faces, only Dickson and Shakes had solemn expressions on their faces.


    2 enormous mountain walls stood before them, standing proudly like 2 primordial dragons with a large opening in the middle, separating them to form 2 mountain cliffs.


    The large opening looked like something that was drilled by a mountain drilling machine, they all watched awed.


    This opening was clearly the pathway to leave this forest as confirmed by Dickson, but their faces quickly grew ugly on seeing the countless primitive settlements that were laid below it.


    At this time of the day, the animals were not asleep yet, under the 2 cliffs was extremely boisterous as animals moved left and right disorderly.


    Snow leopards, mountain cats, Himalayan Tahrs, Red Pandas, Musk Deer, Wild Yaks, and other animals lived together in complete harmony, baffling the soldiers.


    ¡°They live like this only because of their alpha¡±. Dickson finally spoke out. ¡°None of them dares rebel, he is the absolute leader here¡±.


    The soldiers kept quiet on hearing this, as they slowly took in this unforgettable and equally intimidating sight.


    ¡°I think we should lie low for now¡±. Clark suggested. They all nodded, as they quickly dug and hide under the snow.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 222: infiltration and gathering information

    The 5 soldiers were perceptive enough to see that engaging now was practically a sure-death move, so they all obeyed Clark¡¯s order without any objections.


    As they hid in the snow, their already activated armor kept on expending energy to keep them warm from the infectious cold.


    The animals walked randomly in various directions, doing different things without any idea that a group of intruders just infiltrated their territory.


    As the soldiers observed through their drones, one thing that came out glaringly to them was the weird manner in which some of the animals behaved and treated others.


    ¡°They have a hierarchy? Are they that intelligent?¡± Clark was surprised.


    ¡°Did you think that we got trashed for nothing?¡± Dickson¡¯s cold voice quickly rose in reply.


    They could see that some of the animals were relegated to slave roles, as the other higher ones in the hierarchy seemed to be giving them orders aggressively.


    It seemed that this was a real kingdom Afterall. If they were not wrong, then these animals had rules that governed them and they were not living purposeless life like other normal animals.


    They clearly had a purpose, evident from the lesser beasts that were working tirelessly to bring foodstuffs and other random things to a hidden location under the cliffs.


    The ones that stood even more glaringly from the others were the Wild Yaks among them, they acted exactly like prince and princesses.


    Despite the far distance where the transmission was coming from, they could see and hear these wild cattle growling and hissing at other animals that were supposed to be the predators to work harder.


    ¡°What a weird ecosystem this is!¡± Diana exclaimed, surprised.


    It felt weird to see animals like snow leopards and Himalayan black bears cowering before wild Yaks, it was simply ridiculous.


    Despite their thoughts, the might of these wild Yaks could not be ignored as most of them stood as tall as 2m, with some even crossing the 3m boundary. Their size made them look just like mini-armored vehicles.


    Their wild Viking-like horns gleamed coldly, as their sharp edges screamed warning signs to anyone that dared cross them.


    The hair growing from their sides was so bushy that it even raised their intimidating grandeur a little. Despite all these, it was still weird for a leopard or bear to fear these animals.


    ¡°Having a strong big brother is really nice¡±. Clark lamented while smacking his lips together.


    It was the truth. These guy¡¯s big brother being the alpha of this large animal kingdom was the only reason why they could act so domineeringly, it probably felt like heavenly treatment to them.


    ¡°Where does the alpha even stay?¡± Clark suddenly asked again.


    ¡°There¡±. Dickson indicated at a specific direction, as all the soldiers¡¯ eyes turned there simultaneously.


    The palace of this alpha Wild Yak was built grandly in the walls of the mountain cliff, standing domineeringly above all other settlements to display its identity as the home of the leader.


    Though they could not see much from their location, the structure of the settlement there verified Dickson¡¯s claim.


    It was clearly better constructed than the rest, the mountain-sized Himalayan black bears that stood at both sides of its entrance as guards sealed it, this was the palace.


    After seeing this, the soldiers finally withdrew their drones a little to reduce the risk of one being discovered.


    After this, they did their own thing as they waited for all the activity to lessen and for the animals to sleep.


    ¡­


    It took a few hours, but the soldiers hardly felt it as most of the animals finally fell asleep. They did different things to pass the time, for Clark, he was playing an online virtual strategy game through his implant.


    ¡°Ok, it¡¯s time. Most of these ugly fellows are already asleep¡±. Clark finally spoke out.


    ¡°What plan do you have?¡± Dickson asked.


    ¡°Hmm, I think it¡¯s the normal plan but I suddenly decided to go in¡±.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re going in? No, that¡¯s not an acceptable plan at all¡±. Diana suddenly spoke out hurriedly, as she tried to stop her Major.


    ¡°Diana, don¡¯t worry, I can do something as simple as this. Don¡¯t forget that I have high-grade stealth armor, I can completely go in without being discovered by any animal¡±.


    ¡°Tell me your reason¡±. Unlike Diana, Dickson was calmer as he knew that this guy had a reason for everything.


    ¡°To be sincere, I think that the peripheral surveillance that we agreed on when coming would hardly help when we really start crossing this dangerous region¡±.


    ¡°Unless someone goes in, we would not be able to get a specific route to take that can lead directly to the opening between the cliffs and is also the least dangerous¡±.


    ¡°If I go in alone, I think I can get all the useful information that we need to ensure our success¡±.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we all go in?¡±


    ¡°Diana, as I said, I am the only one here who has a high-grade stealth armor, except Dickson of course. So, that explains why you all can¡¯t follow me in¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Though she felt deeply reluctant, she could see the reasoning in his words.


    ¡°Please, just don¡¯t let curiosity take over you. Go with a purpose, stick to only searching for a safe route for us. Don¡¯t try anything adventurous, and most especially do not even think of getting near the alpha¡¯s palace¡±.


    She quickly listed out with a fearsomely serious face, as Clark kept on nodding to appease her like a chicken pecking on grains.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I heard Diana. I¡¯ll definitely listen to your advice; I give you my word¡±.


    ¡°Do your jobs well, get good valuable information that can help¡±. After appeasing her, Clark finally turned to face the others. He whispered to them, smiled, and winked at them before quickly turning invisible, he was gone.


    Seeing this, Dickson inhaled a mouthful of cold air before turning to face the others. ¡°You heard him, let¡¯s do our jobs well and not let him down, that will be deeply embarrassing¡±.


    With that, they quickly brought out their detection and surveillance equipment, activated them, and went to work.


    ¡­


    Clark felt in tune with the world around him as the cool breeze of the forest night blew at his invisible figure, bringing some much-needed relaxation to his muscles and nerves.


    Though he spoke confidently to his companions just a moment ago, he was actually quite nervous.


    This was not like the usual enemies that he faced; this was a full-fledged animal kingdom full of dangerous animals that were led by an even more dangerous alpha beast.


    He felt apprehensive. Something that could topple a force of over 50 soldiers that included Dickson without the alpha even showing up was a force to reckon with.


    Though his armor¡¯s activated stealth function made him invisible, he still didn¡¯t feel safe as he tiptoed closer to the enemy¡¯s territory.


    The snow settlements that the mountain animals resided on were separated and arranged in distinct angles. He easily guessed that they were built and arranged according to the hierarchy, he felt weird.


    Some of the lesser animals in the hierarchy that did most of the labor during the evening didn¡¯t even have any settlement shelters, as they slept outside carelessly in the open.


    The location where he hid under the snow with his companions originally was an elevated platform from the animal¡¯s settlement, so he was currently descending down the slope.


    5 minutes later, he finally arrived silently among the sleeping animals. He stopped a bit to regulate his rapid breath, the sight of so many animals still intimidated him a bit.


    He felt like he was just dropped in a lion den, as animals of different species surrounded him, sleeping in various interesting positions while completely naked. It was normal, but he still felt bummed.


    ¡°What a bunch of indecent bastards¡±.


    Ignoring the impulse to sigh at this carefreeness, he remained motionless, blending with the night as he looked out perceptively to detect if any animal discovered his movements.


    2 minutes later, after repeatedly confirming that he was safe and still hidden, he finally heaved a deep sigh of relief before going to work.


    He carefully brought down his bag, opened it before bringing a bunch of small devices out. He brought out the bean-sized drones, small-scale detection devices, a scanning device, and a map layering device.


    The map layering device was one of the main reasons why he insisted on infiltrating this deep, as through it if used properly he could draw a complete layout of the animals¡¯ territory.


    If he could do this, then it could increase their escape chances by as much as 10%. This was a considerable increase, and not even including the lives that would be saved through it.


    The bean-sized drones were another reason, as the map layering device could not work properly without them.


    He and his companions could decide to use the drones from their hidden position, but this would increase the chance of getting discovered.


    Despite their A. I¡¯s enormous processing power, there were still things that a human¡¯s instinct sense could perceive that a computer A. I could not, so his coming here was not led by impulse.


    After letting the bean-sized drones out, he took some minutes to meticulously guide them remotely to the locations he discovered where they could transmit footage more optimally.


    He was extremely careful when doing this to prevent mishaps, making him spend almost 30 minutes on it. After doing it, he finally saw a complete aerial view of the animals¡¯ territory.


    No longer lingering, he went to work immediately.


    He carried the map layering device and scanning device on himself, cleverly placed the small-scale detection devices on strategic locations before starting his detective Conan work.


    He spent hours carefully going around the enemy camp, as through the camouflaged drones, he finally drew a complete map of this territory. After doing this, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°That was easier than I thought¡±. He muttered silently.


    From this, he noticed that due to Dickson¡¯s squad¡¯s defeat under these beast¡¯s tyrannical hooves, he already started seeing them as a fearsome opponent despite not trying them out yet.


    They were fearsome indeed, but they did not have intelligence equaling humans yet. Humans were called higher animals for a reason; this realization made his tense nerves calm down a bit.


    He already completed what he came for after over 2 hours, but his sudden burst of confidence didn¡¯t allow him to leave immediately.


    ¡°Let me just use this opportunity to check out the opening between the 2 cliffs, that¡¯s strategic information gathering too¡±.


    He followed his heart as he used the firm foundation that he already laid down to easily bypass all the animals. 10 minutes later, he finally arrived at the location of the 2 cliffs.


    Seeing the majesty of these 2 cliffs who looked like knights charging aggressively to battle up close, he felt even more awed.


    He recorded other things about the opening and the cliff, this was useful as it could give them more options when they start deciding on the route to take to get here.


    After doing all these, he finally turned to go but he could not help but stop again and lookup.


    ¡°I¡¯m already here, the alpha Wild Yak¡¯s palace is just up there, should I¡­?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 223: the wild yaks palace

    Clark stood in one place, a conflicted expression on his face as he weighed the pros and cons of the idea that just came to him.


    He knew that climbing the mountain cliff to the alpha Wild Yak¡¯s palace was dangerous, but the advantage that he stood to get from it persuaded him that this was a nice decision.


    Perhaps he would not get any useful information or discovery, but it was still good as this would give them more peace of mind that a new variable would not suddenly emerge to disrupt their plans.


    His gaze suddenly hardened, ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡±.


    After making his decision, he did not rush to start climbing immediately, he was sensible enough to deduce that planting contingency plans for his escape were paramount, in the case that he was discovered.


    He leaned against the mountain wall, pressed a button on his activated armor as a holographic screen quickly appeared before him.


    Shaking his gloved hands to remove the snow that already attached to them, he raised them before expertly inputting instructions into the holographic screen.


    A reaction was stirred immediately, as the drones started moving slowly from their original positions.


    Remotely controlling them, he moved 5 upwards, setting them close to the location of the alpha¡¯s palace. With this, he would not be completely blind to where he was going.


    He set the other ones randomly across the sky to cover a significant portion of the animal settlements. With this, if he was discovered, he could monitor the movements of the animals ahead and react appropriately.


    After making some other small preparations, he finally nodded in satisfaction before turning to scale the huge mountain cliff.


    This time, he did not use his sickle-like climbing equipment. He attached a new gadget to his gloves which when paired with his multi-purpose boots, he used to start climbing uprightly like a wall gecko.


    As he climbed, his armor deactivated again, leaving his white uniform behind as it now blended as a camouflage to the snow-filled mountain wall.


    His speed with this climbing method was a little slower than before, but he didn¡¯t care as it still did the job, he was ready to spend hours for this climb if required.


    With such speed, he took his information-gathering mission to the next level, completely forgetting all the warnings that were issued by Diana.


    ¡­


    Back in the elevated snow path in the forest where Clark originally hid with his companions, the group of 4 were no longer busy as they lied face flat on the snow, waiting for their leader.


    After 2 hours, they already gathered all the relevant information that they needed. Though they could not get everything about this huge animal kingdom, they were satisfied with the information that they gathered.


    ¡°With all this information, after we thoroughly analyze them, we can use them as the prototype to make a complete blueprint plan that will increase our escape chances exponentially¡±.


    Dickson¡¯s muffled voice sounded out, showing a bit of excitement and surprise in the tone. ¡°This mission is a huge success; my hopes are ignited again¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, we got a lot of useful information, but why is Major Clark not still here?¡± Diana¡¯s slightly worried and irritated voice sounded out, as she looked anxiously in the direction of the animals¡¯ settlement.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything about taking this long, I hope that he did not forget my advice and go on a dangerous adventure journey¡±.


    ¡°Why are you so afraid for him? That guy can completely take care of himself, it¡¯s us that you should be worrying about instead¡±. Dickson¡¯s voice turned lazy immediately on hearing Diana¡¯s question again.


    For the past few minutes after they finished gathering all the information that they wanted, Diana was constantly anxious as she kept on spamming them with questions about her Major.


    He already got tired of answering, so he started getting bored and lazy, which was reflected in his speaking tone.


    ¡°What do you think he is currently doing?¡± 5 minutes later, Diana asked again.


    Dickson was speechless. ¡°How would I know? We have both been lying down here for the past few minutes, and you expect me to suddenly know what is going on there? Women!!¡±


    Ignoring his gender jab, Diana continued. The other 2 soldiers were completely silent as they let their superiors continue blabbering on without a single word of objection.


    ¡°It¡¯s an hour and 30 minutes already, something does not seem right¡±. Diana spoke out again, this time with narrowed eyes.


    The other soldiers were already getting concerned, as serious expressions lined their faces. 30 minutes was ok, an hour may be described as a fluke, but spending another 1 hour 30 minutes there was abnormal.


    ¡°And he is not even sending any message back, what an annoying prick¡±. Dickson grumbled.


    ¡°We should go in and look for him¡±. Diana suddenly said.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s¡­, what¡­, what? Are you crazy? Do you know what that is? That¡¯s an animal kingdom, my squad was almost wiped out by them¡±.


    Dickson was completely struck the wrong way by this crazy suggestion; his voice rose a few pitches as he fiercely shut down this idea before it could even materialize.


    Seeing this, Diana softened her voice a little as she tried persuading him further, she felt genuinely worried about Clark.


    ¡°I am not going anywhere, neither are you. If you try it, then you have to overpower me first, I won¡¯t let you throw your life away just in a moment of impulse¡±.


    Dickson replied again, this time a little irritated by her insistence on the suggestion. ¡°Clark is fine, if you go there, you will be the one dying instead¡±.


    With such a fierce tone of speech from this soldier that Clark said could trash both her and Benny together, Diana finally shut up, bringing silence to the forest again.


    ¡­


    Like Clark predicted, it took him more than an hour before he reached the location of the alpha Wild Yak¡¯s palace. It took him approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.


    After getting there, he didn¡¯t go in immediately. He was surprised by the sight that greeted him at the entrance to the palace in the cave.


    ¡°His palace guards even do nightshifts, what a tyrannical alpha¡±. He was speechless.


    Seeing the massive Himalayan black bears that stood rigidly at the entrance of the palace as nightguards, he felt a lot of emotions rush through him. Surprises were never-ending here, what a kingdom!


    Though he was surprised by this sight, this could not stop him though as his stealth exotic armor came to use again at this moment. Silently activating it, he quickly went invisible again.


    Before going inside, he remotely controlled one of the drones to come nearer. He coated it with the stealth coverage device, making it invisible before he let it in first.


    Seeing that the drone entered successfully, he finally followed and entered, bypassing the 2 rigidly standing massive bears.


    Seeing how easily he evaded these 2 fellows, he felt like palming his face at how dumb they were. Animal guards indeed; they were really doing a good job of safeguarding their alpha.


    He no longer paid attention to the 2 fellows as through the sight being transmitted to him by the drone, he continued inside after deducing that there was no danger.


    Going inside, the unknown fear that was in his heart about these animals kept on extinguishing after seeing their alpha¡¯s palace.


    ¡°I really placed these guys at a too high pedestal, what more should I expect from wild beasts?¡± He was dumbfounded.


    When Dickson introduced this place to him as the alpha¡¯s palace solemnly, his first thought was of a luxurious palace that was carefully constructed inside a cave.


    The real sight completely differed from what he imagined. This did not fit the moniker of a palace at all, this was still just a f*cking cave.


    The first defect that showed glaringly to him was the small size of the so-called alpha palace. The passage to the palace was so small that he felt like he was trapped in a washing machine, that was how inconvenient it was.


    Secondly, though he was impressed that these animals could do some little decorations, their quality and aesthetics left him almost vomiting in disgust.


    The walls and passage inside the palace were laced on most parts by shining sparkling gems, but the manner and disorderliness at which they were mismatched together took away all its aesthetic value.


    Sparkling gems of different colors and shapes were placed together roughly, making the passage inside the palace look like a cluster of a deformed rainbow formation.


    He no longer paid attention to these, as he continued inside after the drone which kept on marking the safest path for him to take.


    He felt a little surprised as contrary to his expectations, he didn¡¯t meet another Himalayan black bear or any other animal that was serving in their alpha¡¯s palace.


    ¡°Is it only intelligence to have guards that you have?¡± He soliloquized curiously.


    His eyes finally brightened up a bit, as the holographic screen before him suddenly showed that the drone arrived at the main palace hall of this alpha Wild Yak.


    The first thing that crossed his mind was, at least, this was not as cramped up as the passage. The palace¡¯s inside was fairly huge, just exactly the size of a cave carved out by humans.


    The gems decoration was more there and the arrangement seemed to be more orderly, making his eyes feast in admiration for the first time since he arrived here.


    He suddenly stopped on his steps, as the footage being transmitted by the drone turned to the direction of the alpha of this large animal kingdom.


    From the angle of the drone, he could not see everything but he could still see the overflowing grandeur and might that was being exuded by this dreaded exobeast governing this territory.


    The Wild Yak was the epitome of royalty if animals had one. Its enormous horns looked like the blades of a bulldozer, as their huge skeletal frames rested at the side of a primitive stone bed. The alpha was asleep.


    As he was looking more at this dangerous beast, the drone suddenly beeped before turning to another direction of the cave.


    ¡°What? Another exobeast alpha?¡±


    He was shocked, as he saw another exobeast lying at another stone bed that was just beside that of the Wild Yaks. From its size, he easily deduced that both exobeasts had the same status.


    Dread filled his heart as a lot of thoughts went through his mind immediately.


    Despite the clear footage of the drone, he still felt like something was wrong so he decided to see and confirm with his own eyes. Steeling his heart, he took a step forward to the palace hall.


    After getting there, his eyes widened like saucers as he stared at the grandeur exuding from this apex predator.


    From Dickson, he already knew that the Wild Yak was a strong animal with 3rd rank strength. Feeling the pressure also being exuded by this new alpha variable, he confirmed that this one also had 3rd rank strength, even slightly stronger.


    It was a white-furred lion.


    Its rough and bushy white mane rested majestically at its side, as this huge fellow sleep peacefully like the lord it was. Its sleeping posture seemed mysteriously grand to Clark, as he kept staring wide-eyed at this fellow.


    When it snored, its big maw opened for a short moment, revealing the dagger-like teeth of this big fellow. They were so sharp like something forged from fire, as they sparkled faintly despite the darkness of the night.


    Seeing these 2 apex predators together, Clark suddenly felt that their escape chances were dwindling rapidly like pouring water. If there was a bar, he could already see it draining rapidly.


    It was at this moment that the dreaded happened, the white manned lion stirred and shifted slightly, changing its sleeping posture.


    This sudden movement was so abrupt to Clark that he practically saw himself already under this guy¡¯s maw. He could not control his sudden panic, as he staggered back in fear.


    Clink!!


    He suddenly paused after hearing the sound, his brain cleared like a program that was just reset as his back got quickly filled with cold sweat.


    During his staggering, he mistakenly hit the gem that was embedded in the cave¡¯s wall, he did not know that they could make such sounds on impact.


    Gathering his courage, he inclined his head again to the front.


    His heart leaped directly to his throat, the lion was already awake and was staring pointedly at his position.


    He was still invisible due to his armor¡¯s stealth function still being activated, but he felt completely naked under the deep stare of this predator.


    ¡°I¡¯m screwed!¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 224: panic

    Clark did not move an inch for the next minute, under such pressure, his military instincts quickly kicked in as the necessary basic reactions of such a situation poured into his brain smoothly.


    He made sure to remain motionless like a sturdy unwavering tree, he held his breath, reduced his heartbeat to the barest minimum, secretly activated a device that wiped his human smell away, before praying for luck.


    The atmosphere became strangely tense and oppressive to him after doing all these. He tightly shut his eyes to not freak out again, his implant was the one now updating him on what was happening.


    [Ding!! From the exobeast lion¡¯s angle of sight and its expression, it has been deduced that it is not sure of Master¡¯s presence here. It woke up due to the noise, but it still can¡¯t pinpoint what caused it.]


    [Its innate intuition was what caused it to look directly at your position. After a lot of analysis, I suggest that Master should use this opportunity to silently escape.]


    [If you stay here further, the tendency of being exposed will only get more and more increased as it can penetrate your stealth measures through its senses if given enough time.]


    Hearing this analysis from his implant, Clark felt like crying, how the hell did he forget such important information at this moment? Panic was not good in any situation, but he could not help it.


    Knowing that this predator was just guessing and following its intuition, Clark felt relief for the first time as he finally raised one leg slowly.


    Getting no reaction, he dropped it, raised the next even more slowly, and dropped it further forwards. With this method, he started slowly moving out of the cave with his eyes still tightly shut.


    [Ding!! Master has successfully gotten away from the sight range of the exobeast, you can move more freely now.]


    ¡°Move more freely my ass! Am I mad?¡±


    As soon as he confirmed that he left the exobeasts range, he reconfigured his multi-purpose boots to the maximum silence coverage limit immediately before bolting out of the cave.


    Even the flash would blush in shame at his current speed as he ran swiftly across the narrow cave, like a rabbit being chased by a cat.


    ¡­


    Back in the cave palace, the white manned lion was still lying down as it continued looking at Clark¡¯s previous position with narrowed eyes. It felt confused as it could not feel anything there again.


    It was too lazy to give a damn about whatever was there, it was about to go back to sleep but it stopped on seeing the Wild Yak yawning before waking up.


    Roar! Maw!


    It roared in a low voice at its companion, as the latter also made strange noises back at it. If Clark was still here, there was a tendency that he would have messed himself up on witnessing this sight, these 2 fellows were communicating!


    Their deep predatory voices kept reverberating around the palace, as the gems laid in the wall did a good job of echoing them outside.


    After 30 seconds of communication, the Wild Yak yawned again before going back to sleep. The Lion still had a confused expression on its face, but it also slept as it didn¡¯t have the patience of a human detective.


    With that, the 2 hegemonic alphas of this large animal kingdom finally went to sleep again. The short disturbance was insignificant to them, they were afraid of nothing in this forest.


    To them, if an enemy comes to assassinate them in the night, all they had to do was eat the fellow. It was as simple as that, and their strength could do it, so why stress themselves?


    ¡­


    Back in the cave passage inside the palace, on hearing the deep roaring and strange sounds that evidently belonged to the alpha Wild Yak, Clark almost missed his steps in shock.


    ¡°I was still discovered. Damn, I¡¯m roasted¡±.


    Panic submerged his brain, as he scrambled to run even faster than his legs could carry him. All that was in his mind now was to escape, he didn¡¯t regret his choice of coming here, but he was felt afraid for his fate.


    If the 2 alpha exobeasts went after him together, he was pretty sure that he had zero chances of escaping. He could only try his best to escape and leave the rest to fate.


    It did not take him up to a minute before he finally arrived at the entrance of the cave. Seeing the 2 rigid Himalayan black bear guards, a headache came in immediately.


    He suppressed his irritation, lowered his speed so that the wind would not be stirred to alert these 2 guys when he passed. After doing this, he finally slipped past them silently.


    As soon as he left them, he jumped immediately from the cliff as he started freefalling downwards.


    In such an urgent situation, deciding to slowly climb back down was practically the same thing as forfeiting his life. Jumping directly down was the fastest, and it could bring him better chances of surviving.


    The wind blew fiercely, hitting his armor and making whooshing sounds as he continued his dive down like an eagle.


    The wind speed and his dropping speed were so fast, his figure seemed like a spaceship shuttling across. If not for his armor¡¯s protection, his mouth would have been pried wide open by this fierce wind already.


    As the wind hit his figure relentlessly, his panic slowly subsided as a strange calm started replacing it. Only his landing position was in his sight, as he narrowed his eyes to look clearly.


    His brain was already on overdrive, as he calculated his chances of escaping and not stirring a commotion rapidly.


    Psshh!!


    His multi-purpose boots suddenly erupted with energy when he got very close to landing, as its anti-gravity function was activated at a great expense of energy.


    His figure¡¯s dropping speed was lowered a bit due to this, as he landed with a bam sound while curbing the remaining impact with a forward roll.


    Even if the bam sound was not too loud, there was no way that these perceptive beasts would remain unaware, especially the ones that were close by, but he was already prepared.


    As soon as he rolled to curb the impact of his landing, he kneeled and swiftly brought a special short pistol from his bag before bringing a compact white bag housing dozens of injections.


    Like he predicted, almost all the animals in this region reacted to his landing as they all woke up groggily. He took complete advantage of their still sleepy forms.


    His hands moved smoothly like water as he carefully slotted 5 injections inside the small pistol. After this, he quickly turned and aimed.


    Pu! Pu!


    The injections were shot out like bullets, as they quickly impacted the nearby animals before discharging their loads inside their bodies.


    As soon as the injection¡¯s content was discharged into their bodies, they grew dizzy immediately before falling back to the ground and entering a deep sleep. These were special sleeping injections made for soldiers.


    Clark did not stop to rest for a moment, as he kept slotting in injections into the pistol and shooting rapidly at the animals.


    It took him 5 minutes, but he finally heaved a sigh of relief as none of the animals made a strange sound that would compromise his position. Despite this, he did not feel safe at all on thinking of the 2 alphas, he went on the run again.


    Backing his bag, his figure flashed across the settlements of the animals like an expert parkour specialist as he jumped, ducked, and slid across every obstacle hindering him swiftly.


    Other animals woke up as they sensed a commotion, but none of them saw his shadow as he left them all in the dust swiftly.


    As he continued evading and fooling these animals, his confidence grew more and more, so he finally started using the drones that he placed on various places to draft out a better escape path.


    With the drones, his escape quickly became dozens of times easier as he avoided any place that had too high a concentration of animals.


    It took him another 20 minutes before he finally arrived at the edge of the animal¡¯s settlement, as he could now see the elevated path of the forest where he originally hid with his companions.


    This did not make his movements stop though. Giving an order swiftly, his multi-purpose boots changed their configuration again to become skiing boots as he slides swiftly up the sloppy pathway.


    As he slides away, his tense nerves finally relaxed a bit. He now had the luxury to look back, but when he did, his face froze immediately.


    ¡°It seems my escape was not as full-proof as I thought¡±.


    It seemed that his escape caused more commotion than he predicted as most of the animals were already awake, the glowing colors of their eyes shined in the darkness of the night to form a very intimidating sight.


    The animals started running after his figure, as they formed a beast stampede immediately. Their strong hooves hit the ground heavily, making loud sounds like those of beating war drums.


    ¡°Oh, boy!¡±


    He increased his speed more, as his figure warped forward across the slope speedily. His face brightened a bit, he could finally see his companions.


    That was his face¡¯s expression though. Seeing him, all his companions had gloomy and annoyed expressions on their faces as they glared daggers at him with frightening intensity.


    ¡°What the hell did you do Clark?¡± Dickson¡¯s angry voice quickly sounded out even before he reached there.


    Diana also opened how mouth to speak and show how annoyed she was, but Clark¡¯s next words quickly drowned hers.


    ¡°Run¡­, run immediately, the alphas are after us¡±.


    Not hearing the apology that he expected but this, Dickson was even more irritated. ¡°What the f*ck do you mean we should run? You will stay and fight these animals, we are not leaving today¡­, wait, wh¡­, what did you just say?¡±


    ¡°You provoked the alpha?¡± Goosebumps suddenly erupted all over his body, as he felt his legs wobbling weakly immediately.


    He looked to his side in panic, but to his shock, his other companions were not there again. Looking back, he could only see their figure swiftly disappearing deep inside the forest. They were gone.


    ¡°What¡­? Wait for me¡±. He felt like crying, what a bunch of unreliable teammates.


    He did not dare linger, as he also ran like the wind into the forest. Clark finally arrived before him, as he quickly overtook him through the advantage he was getting from his boots.


    ¡°Wait for me¡­!!¡±


    Like sneaky rats that were scrambling from a human after eating the latter¡¯s fish, they ran swiftly into the depths of the forest, breaking their running records in the process.


    If only they knew¡­, the 2 alphas were sleeping peacefully.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 225: strategy planning for the escape

    ¡°Clark, I still can¡¯t believe that you actually went inside the alpha¡¯s palace. That was too daring of you¡±. Diana spoke out with a deep sigh as she idly caressed her sword.


    ¡°I know it seemed reckless, but the information that I brought back is priceless. Without knowing that there is the 2nd alpha, our chances of escaping would be practically zero if we made and followed conventional plans¡±.


    Clark calmly replied, as he casually swiped at the open air with the dagger that was on his hand.


    ¡°Clark is right, this information is priceless. Even with knowing it now, there is no guarantee that our escape will be full-proof and successful¡±. Benny also commented at this point with a serious expression on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re right but¡­, it just doesn¡¯t feel right¡±. Diana added again.


    ¡°You guys keep on talking about how Clark placed himself in danger while forgetting how you all heartlessly left me in danger¡±. Dickson finally spoke out at this point in a bitter tone.


    ¡°You, yes you Diana, I never knew you were that ruthless. I guess everybody who follows Clark is like that, I should have known. How can you guys just leave me at the back? That¡¯s heartless¡±. He lamented.


    ¡°The soldier that you selected with us from your squad also left you. No hard feelings, we left because we had faith in your strength to protect yourself¡±. Diana calmly replied.


    ¡°¡­¡± Dickson was left speechless again.


    Yesterday night, after Clark fled past him with the help of his multi-purpose boots during their moment of desperation, panic took over him but he still escaped successfully though.


    This was why they choose only 5 soldiers for the reconnaissance mission; their retreat was completely smooth and without burden. In just 5 minutes, the animals lost them.


    After they arrived back at their temporary camp, they all turned to lash out at their leader angrily for placing them in such a dangerous situation.


    They were extremely angry, but when Clark revealed the information of there being a 2nd alpha exobeast in the animal¡¯s kingdom for them to pass through, they all kept quiet in shock.


    As Benny said, this was priceless information.


    Trying to escape without this information and trying to escape when knowing it was a completely different thing, they all suddenly felt cold sweat cover their backs on thinking of its far-reaching consequence.


    Thinking deeply into it, Dickson finally realized that his saying that he almost crossed the cliff with his squad was just spouting nonsense.


    There was no way that the alpha Wily Yak would look at them foolishly, and leave them to cross its territory without retaliation. If they had to face 2 alphas then, he was sad to realize that he would probably be a dead man already.


    Thinking of that, he suddenly felt that Clark was the best companion in the world. Without his daring move, they would have still been ignorant of this truth.


    They originally planned to make their move this week, but this new variable affected their plans as they were still brainstorming on ways to suppress the 2 alphas, or even avoiding them.


    Even though 2 days already passed since they returned, they were still bashing their heads against a rock. They could not think of any viable plan that could increase their escape chances.


    Their small gathering was inside a big tent that the camp made temporarily for them to act as their strategy discussion hall.


    ¡°Ok, it seems that we are still clueless. I¡¯m tired, I¡¯ll see you guys later, I want to rest. If you find a viable plan though, you can wake me¡±. Clark said with a tired yawn.


    He did not wait for them to answer before he picked his bag, stood up from his mechanical chair, and walked out of the tent lazily.


    After he found out about 2 alphas being their opponent, he lost most of his optimism since then. To him, if they could not come up with a revolutionary magical plan, their chances of escaping were close to nil.


    He was the only one who saw the 2 alphas up close, he was the only one who experienced the pressure exuded by them, and he was the only one who felt how strong they were up close.


    Thinking of the experience, he felt hopeless and exhausted. Never in his life had he ever been so afraid, it was a traumatic experience for him.


    Seeing Clark walk out of the tent dispiritedly, the others had various expressions on their faces but no one tried to stop him.


    Though they were still discussing vibrantly at the moment, inwardly, they already knew that their escape chances were becoming less and less likely to be successful.


    ¡°If no one can come up with a better plan, we will face the animals like that. It¡¯s better for us to die trying than to die miserably in a forest like this where we have no other choice of escape¡±.


    Dickson spoke out at this moment also. He looked at the others in the room, nodded at them before standing and leaving.


    Seeing this, the others said nothing as they also stood up to start going. They had no objections to what Dickson just said, they had no plans of spending the rest of their days trapped in a forest.


    ¡­


    The golden rays of the sun shone down, illuminating the allied squad¡¯s temporary camp and encapsulating it in a very rainbow-like colorful glow.


    It was another beautiful morning with bright prospects and opportunities for those who cared to explore.


    It was already 2 days since the last gathering that Clark held with the others to think up a useful strategy, they didn¡¯t come up with any mind-blowing plan yet but they were ready to advance and leave the forest.


    In the end, there was really no use in them cowering in the forest due to fear. This would make them miss the timing to complete their mission, thereby rendering their cause meaningless.


    Clark sat at the head of the round table that was erected in the strategy discussion tent, as Dickson and the other soldiers looked at him intensely.


    Seeing that everyone was focused on him with serious expressions on their faces, he nodded before opening his mouth to speak. His voice was laced in a solemn tone to show the importance of this last meeting before engaging.


    ¡°You all already heard my plans through our online network planning session, so I will not go into details. I will just lay them down again and emphasize on a point if needed¡±.


    ¡°Today, we are leaving this forest and there is nothing that can stop us except death. I hope you are all ready and already informed the soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Yes, my soldiers already know¡±. Dickson answered while clearing his throat.


    ¡°Good, for our specific strategy plan, let me illustrate it again¡±. Saying this, Clark stood up and swiped his hand at the air as a holographic screen quickly materialized.


    The holographic screen flickered a bit before stabilizing as an enlarged picture quickly emerged into view, the angle of sight being displayed was from the air. This was the aerial view of the animal territory.


    Though the information that they discovered about the alpha lion exobeast was their most important discovery when they went out for surveillance, they still gathered other useful findings.


    For example, the current aerial view of the animal¡¯s territory was what Clark captured when he went deeper into the enemy ranks to get better-capturing angles.


    ¡°This is the entire territory of the animals. I edited it and did some modifications, so the image is divided into 4 parts and are distinguished using different colors¡±.


    ¡°The part painted in yellow color in the image is the periphery zone of their territory, this is where the lesser animals lower in their hierarchy reside. The red zone next to it is the middle zone, where slightly higher-ranked animals stay¡±.


    ¡°The last 2 zones are the ones that we should be most wary of. The purple zone is where the strongest animals reside, what stands out most glaringly there is that it¡¯s filled with Wild Yaks¡±.


    ¡°The last zone, I call it the black zone as it¡¯s depicted by the same color. As you can see, it¡¯s the smallest zone, but it¡¯s the most dangerous huddle that we have to pass before even smelling escape¡±.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, your squad was busted at the red zone, right?¡± Clark directed a look at Dickson.


    ¡°¡­Yes¡±. The latter answered reluctantly.


    ¡°This just shows how dangerous an endeavor we are trying to accomplish, but I believe that we can do it as far as we remain cohesive and follow my battle plans to the book¡±.


    ¡°For the past few days, I have been engaged in rigorous calculations to compare and make out the best escape plan¡±.


    ¡°I already sent the elaborate details to you all, but I still want to expound on the more common and important basic ones. I already told you, for us to get a chance at escaping, we need to divide ourselves into groups¡±.


    ¡°For my squad, the Spartan squad, I already relinquished command of the soldiers to Diana¡±.


    Hearing this, the soldiers did not make a fuss as they already knew beforehand. Still, this did not fail in making them shift uncomfortably on their seats, this was a daring plan.


    ¡°Diana, complete control of the Spartan squad will be in your hand, I hope that you will not disappoint me. We have a lot of things at stake in this battle, and there is no place for mistakes¡±.


    ¡°Are you up for this task? Are you prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The female soldier answered quickly, as a determined light seemed to twinkle deep inside her eyes.


    ¡°For your squad, Dickson, I already spoke with you, you are relinquishing authority and handing everything to your second in command. This is not a conventional battle, and we will not take conventional means either¡±.


    ¡°Sergeant Anna, you shall take over command of the Daland squad. I hope you are up to this task?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The beautiful blonde-haired female answered calmly.


    ¡°Good. As for you Benny, you shall take command of the newly created flanking squad that was formed from a combination of soldiers from both squads. You have an indispensable role in our escape¡±.


    ¡°Half of the high-grade soldiers in our allied force are under your command, I expect you to step up when needed. If we fail to escape silently and we get discovered, make the battle chaotic to give us more opportunities of escape¡±.


    As Clark said this, he did not ask his friend any question, he just looked steadily straight in his eye.


    ¡°Clark, I will not let you down¡±. Benny pledged solemnly.


    ¡°Ok. For you Dickson¡­, you know your role, 2 of us are the ones who will decide whether our soldiers perish or successfully escape¡±.


    ¡°We are not staying with our soldiers. We will act alone to silence and prevent any unexpected circumstances that may arise, and we also need to provide them with optimum help to enable their escape¡±.


    ¡°We will be their sharp swords in the dark¡±. Clark paused a little after saying this, as he gave his companion a pointed look.


    ¡°Dickson¡­¡±


    ¡°Speak, Clark¡±. The latter answered calmly.


    ¡°If the situation goes contrary to our expectations and things go bad, I hope you are ready to give your¡­¡±


    ¡°No need Clark, I love and respect my soldiers more than you think. I will gladly give my life for them if that is what they need to escape¡±. Dickson answered even before Clark could finish.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s all. Our survival is in our hands, I hope to see smiles on our faces a few hours from now. You can all leave to flesh out your preparations more, no amount of preparation is too much.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    As the soldiers quickly left the tent, Diana stood up also but she lagged behind the others. After they all left, she finally stopped at the side of the tent¡¯s opening and looked back at Clark.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it Clark, I want to remind you that luck is by our side, I believe it. Remember once you once asked me? What do you say to the god of death?¡±


    Clark was startled by this question, but his confusion quickly cleared the next moment and was replaced by a melancholic smile.


    ¡°Not¡­, today¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 226: operation scaling the mountain

    As soon as Dickson and the others left the strategy discussion hall, just like beasts that were injected with adrenaline vaccines, they moved energetically like excited bulls to their various squad camps.


    To them, the time was already ticking along for their escape as they quickly arrived and started instructing their subordinates.


    For the first time in his life, under Clark¡¯s suggestion and subsequent encouragement, Dickson was about to give his first morale-raising speech to his soldiers.


    Standing before the dozens of soldiers who followed unwaveringly behind with him as the survivors from the dangers of the past few weeks, he felt dazed. These men and women passed through all the storms and survived with him.


    Remembering Clark¡¯s words, he did not allow himself to continue looking dazed as he quickly snapped out of it. When he started speaking, it originally seemed a little stiff but he gradually got more in tune with it.


    From just a casual speech, it quickly turned into an impassioned speech as he spoke with vigor directly from his heart.


    Without the temporary support in the form of Clark, he would have succumbed long ago to the pressure of the animals, especially when the surprising news of a 2nd alpha came.


    His desperation made him resonate with his soldiers than normal, as they responded passionately to his speech. They were Daland soldiers, they were ready for war if that¡¯s what the animals wanted, they were ready to fulfill their mission.


    After ending the speech, his face was already red from how intense he was. He finally waved farewell to them and left command over them to his fianc¨¦e, his second in command.


    As the soldiers already knew about Clark¡¯s plans, they were not caught off guard by this sudden change, they just felt a little sad.


    Dickson had a lot of things in his mind to say, but his mouth refused to open when he finally faced his fianc¨¦e. In the end, their eyes communicated everything, he just kissed her on the forehead before turning to leave.


    As he left, he raised a clenched fist at his soldiers before muttering out to them. ¡°For Daland!¡±


    ¡°For Daland!!¡±


    Though he did not hear a reply because they did not want to stir too much noise, he knew that they replied in their hearts. This was the passionate spirit of soldiers that is evoked in desperate situations.


    ¡­


    In the Spartan camp, the dozens of soldiers stood orderly as they looked at their Major with a strong determined expression on their faces.


    Clark did not say much, he just gave a short motivational speech to his soldiers to tell them that he was still there for them. That was all that mattered in this battle, he wanted a cohesive front for their escape.


    After giving them his speech, he finally turned to his 2 seconds in commands. He wanted to give them a short motivational talk also, but he figured that they didn¡¯t need it so he just patted them on the shoulders.


    ¡°Please¡­, stay alive for me¡±.


    With that, he also went out from there to prepare. He already left the Spartan squad to Diana, after over a month together, he had a lot of confidence in her leadership abilities.


    ¡­


    After the general motivational speech from the leaders of the squads to their soldiers, they finally separated for more comprehensive preparations and for the assigned soldiers of the newly created flanking squad to meet their leader.


    Before his new subordinate soldiers could converge completely, Benny was already there and waiting for them.


    When Clark suddenly dumped so many competent soldiers for him to lead, he felt a little panicked and overwhelmed by the sudden responsibility.


    Though there were only 12 soldiers in the new squad that was created for him to lead, they were the cream of the crop just below Clark, Dickson, and the 2nd in commands.


    They were all high-grade soldiers.


    As he was of the same rank as them, he did not try to impose any rules to show superiority nor did he try to give them any motivational speech, these were experienced and highly-skilled soldiers just like himself.


    After asking them patiently and making sure that they were all on the same page, he finally started expounding on the practicality of Clark¡¯s plan and their role in the plan.


    For this mission, the direct battle was not their role, they were more like the back-up of the other soldiers.


    For the first phase of the battle, the plan was for them to hide from the animal¡¯s side and not engage actively in the escape movement. They would come out only when the situation of the others grew desperate.


    The plan seemed straightforward, but the hidden intricacies inside it were mind-boggling. They had to be careful, timely, meticulous, and most especially extremely precise with their actions.


    ¡­


    When Clark went back after leaving his soldiers under Diana¡¯s leadership, he did not return to his tent, as usual, he went to a bigger tent that was erected conspicuously at the center of the camp.


    Entering inside, he saw that Dickson was already inside. He was not surprised on seeing this as this tent was made for the both of them to prepare.


    None of them spoke to each other, as they stared at the walls of the tent. The walls were lined with rows of weapons and equipment, their preparation was just starting.


    Both of them went to work immediately, as they started selecting the weapon of choice that they wanted.


    Of course, most of the gadgets and military equipment there were provided by the Spartan squad. They didn¡¯t hide anything, as they would all become useless if they did not survive.


    Even their food supplies were not spared, yesterday, they had a big feast that may possibly be their last.


    There was no way that they would let some of their soldiers be relegated to the role of support soldiers, now that they were in such a desperate situation. Doing that was just stupid.


    The 2 support soldiers of Clark¡¯s squad finally freed themselves from the trouble of carrying the large supply bags, the bags were now empty.


    Every single useful gadget was scrapped out and distributed to all the soldiers, every soldier that had a personal trump card all revealed it to let the squad device more precise plans around them.


    After the distribution, the soldiers of both squads could be said to already be in their deadliest form.


    They were all armed with their own weapons, the ones that were distributed to them, top-notch support gears and stealth coverage devices, and most especially exotic bombs.


    As Clark said, this was an unconventional situation, and they were ready to employ unconventional means to fight it. What better way to tip the balance than to blow everywhere up if the situation needs it?


    This was the trump card that Clark finally settled on for the mission, none of the soldiers had objections, so they adopted it.


    Even if the resistance was much than they anticipated, with dozens of highly energetic exotic bombs on each soldier, they could blow the animal¡¯s territory to pieces without caring about the consequences.


    At least that way, they would drag the animals to death also and some lucky ones could escape in the chaos. Practically every soldier of the allied squad was all suicide bombers in this escape mission.


    A few minutes later after carefully slotting the weapons and equipment into various places in their climbing uniform, both 2nd rank high-grade soldier leaders of this mission were set.


    Even if there was no mirror for them to see themselves, they both knew that they were set for their escape, and if required, battle.


    Both of them still left their climbing uniform dyed white, as it was now the custom uniform color of all the soldiers. That way, it could act as a camouflage to increase their escape options.


    They looked just like twins if looked at from afar.


    The white climbing vest covered their whole body, with a slim mechanical white helmet covering their face also.


    They both had a sword slotted into a weapon hold installed at the back of their uniform, with pistols slotted and held firmly in various places of the uniform-the chest area, the leg, and shoulders were all filled up.


    Their other more sophisticated weapons were miniaturized and hidden inside their white bags.


    Clark¡¯s trademark spear was folded and compressed after undergoing some tweaks by the technical soldiers in the squad before he could keep it in his military bag.


    For Dickson, his enormous shield could not be folded. They had to install some expensive miniaturizing equipment into it, before finally compressing it into a ball shape to enter his bag.


    ¡°Clark, I hope you are ready. This is a dangerous escape situation and it could easily divulge to a long battle if things become complicated, you ate well yesterday, right?¡± Dickson finally spoke out to break the silence.


    ¡°Food? Hehe, no need to ask about that, I¡¯m stuffed full¡±. Clark replied laughingly.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go¡±.


    Though they were both about to face an extremely dangerous situation, they did not radiate any nervousness or anxiousness out. They were already deep in it, and they would not hesitate again.


    This was really a no retreat, no surrender situation. If the animals spotted them, it¡¯s either they died, or they eradicated the animals.


    After thinking into it for the past few hours, they finally settled on a codename for the mission. This would at least give their efforts more importance, it was good for morale also.


    The mission was codenamed ¡°operation scaling the mountain¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 227: the nemesis of human soldiers dipers

    The morning was still bright and early, but unknown to the inhabitants of the enormous animal kingdom, undercurrents were ongoing currently under their noses.


    Due to Clark¡¯s meticulous planning, the most vulnerable and important group that needed to be protected in this escape, the 2 squads led by Anna and Diana had specific directions to move towards.


    Both leaders of the Spartan and Daland squads had the greatest number of soldiers, so letting them escape first was the priority in their overall plan¡¯s scale of preference.


    Both squads did not take the same route to infiltrate into the enemy territory, they took different pathways to enter inside, but both paths led to the same ultimate direction.


    This was to avoid the situation where one squad being compromised would spell the whole allied squad¡¯s doom.


    Diana felt sweat trickling down her neck as she firmly grasped the stealth coverage device in one hand while holding her sword in the other as she led the Spartan soldiers forward.


    The atmosphere among the squad of slowly advancing soldiers was extremely tense and offensive, as they fought hard to suppress their tense nerves.


    They would have opted to escape in the night, but most of the leaders declined the idea as the dangers of the night were even more unpredictable if they were discovered by the animals.


    As Diana and Anna led their soldiers, Benny was also already advancing with his squad across the left flank of the animal territory.


    Because of Clark¡¯s information, their movements were extremely precise, they roamed the territory of the animals like this was their backyard. Compared to the other 2 squads, their movements were far smoother.


    Only the position of their 2 leaders was unknown to the other soldiers, Clark did not see any need in revealing their position to them.


    He only communicated with them at intervals to guide them, and also to check up on their status.


    To completely eliminate the risk of getting discovered due to noise, all the leaders of the 3 squads were to communicate with him only, and every communication was to be by their implants.


    If the leader of a squad wanted to issue an order to his/her soldiers, they had to do it through bodily gestures and signs.


    It did not take long before they finally started encountering the animals¡¯ settlements. This did not stop them; it only slowed their speed a bit as they started weaving expertly across the territory of the beasts.


    As the day became more advanced, the animals finally started waking up to face their day¡¯s activities. This was when the soldiers¡¯ real problems started manifesting.


    The soldiers had to move more carefully, as the chaos like that of a blooming city took over the animals¡¯ territory.


    Clark already predicted this though, and they already practiced how to safely maneuver their way past through virtual simulations. This practice¡¯s effects showed immediately, as they smoothly evaded the beasts.


    The time slowly ticked away as the soldiers continued their high-risk escape mission. It was already over an hour since they started moving, it seems that everything was good as the beasts were still clueless that they were there.


    ¡­


    2 white-clothed figures moved rapidly across the snow ground smoothly, while climbing the slightly elevated animal settlements with swift moves.


    Clark and Dickson were hard at work, as they stealthily followed and guided the moves of their soldiers. Compared to the others, their movements were more daring and purposeful.


    Though the soldiers were hidden by the stealth coverage device, this was not a guarantee that they could not be sighted.


    The animals residing in the more elevated settlements posed more exposure threats to them, as them looking down from a higher place would make the wind speed of the territory more trackable to them.


    If there was a super perceptive exobeast among them, the difference in wind speed caused by the soldiers¡¯ passage could be discovered.


    Clark and his companion worked relentlessly to solve this hidden problem, as they secretly entered the settlements. If the owner was at home, they silenced them through their deep sleep injections.


    They did not want to kill yet, the risks attached to it were too much.


    As Clark did all these with Dickson, he would stop at times, prompting a holographic screen to appear before him. Through this, he kept constant track of the whole territory and his soldiers.


    Though he knew that they still had a long way before seeing safety, he felt a little relieved on seeing that his soldiers were not exposed immediately.


    ¡°If we go on like this, we have a high chance of escaping¡±.


    He stopped frequently with Dickson after dealing with the troublesome fellows, as he used every opportunity to check his soldier¡¯s progress.


    After 1 hour 30 minutes, his soldiers finally crossed the yellow region marked on his screen safely. This was a good sign, as it meant that they were progressing.


    He continued his monotonous task like that, keeping track of the troublesome exobeasts and his soldiers.


    The sun was suddenly snuffed out of the Everest¡¯s sky, as the more commonly seen gloomy weather of this region quickly took over again to show its domination.


    The soldiers tried hard to ignore the change of weather, as they continued forward silently. Though the monotonous movements were affecting their psyche, they did not dare complain.


    ¡°Finally!¡±


    Clark heaved another deep sigh of relief as his soldiers crossed the red zone of the animal¡¯s territory, they were now in the purple zone.


    Though he was happy, his wariness and slight fear grew more on seeing this as the animals at the higher parts of the hierarchy system were residing here. This was a danger zone.


    He did not even get to adjust his emotions before an abnormal reaction was stirred by the animals, his back straightened immediately as his eyes stared sharply like an eagle¡¯s.


    ¡°What happened¡­?¡±


    ¡°Shhh¡± He did not let Dickson finish before he shushed him, his expression was growing more serious by the second.


    ¡°Order a halt immediately, something is wrong¡±. He quickly sent through his implant, as the 3 leaders of the squads obeyed without hesitation and stopped.


    Nobody questioned him, they all kept silent as they wondered what made him suddenly give such an order. Their backs were already soaked with sweat, as their brain started cooking up horrifying imaginations.


    Before his soldiers moved, Clark already set the bean-sized drones that he embedded with stealth coverage devices into every corner of the animals¡¯ territory.


    Through them, he could see whatever was going on inside the animals¡¯ territory, and right now, something was evidently wrong.


    Since the first time that they came here, even when they came for the surveillance mission, they already noticed and confirmed that all the animal settlements were built above the surface of the snow.


    Clark¡¯s scanning device even scanned under the snow several times, and it confirmed that there were no settlements built under the ground.


    This was a confirmed deal already, but the sight currently before him challenged this as his face grew more and more ugly. As soon as his soldiers stepped into the purple zone, the reaction started.


    At first, he thought that it was a result of a natural hole under the ground that was dragging the snow in, but it seems that he was wrong.


    The snow covering a region of about 10m kept on shaking and vibrating, like something fearsome was about to emerge from under it. He no longer hesitated on seeing this, as he hastily gave new orders to his soldiers.


    ¡°Move quickly, temporarily retreat. There is something under the snow, I can¡¯t verify it yet¡±.


    Hearing the sound through their implant, Diana and Anna reacted extremely fast as they quickly made retreat signs with their hands. The soldier started retreating as they understood the sign immediately.


    Due to the concentration of animals around, their retreat was very clumsy as they could not afford to move too fast least they hit a randomly moving beast.


    Time seemed to have stopped all of a sudden, as Clark kept on staring pointedly at the vibrating snow while urging his soldiers to move faster with his eyes.


    Breaths seized, as Dickson kept quiet and waited while hoping for the best. Benny and his soldiers were already expecting the worst, and their fears came true.


    ¡°Damn!!¡±


    Clark quickly cursed as the figure causing all the commotion under the snow emerged before his soldiers could leave its sight range, he felt pissed off even though they were still under stealth mode.


    Calming himself, he finally looked closer at what this figure¡­, no, figures were. It now became evident that whatever came out was not one, but multiples.


    The snow quickly fell off to show the identity of the 3 figures as animals. They looked just like a big lion, but their skin had circle stripes at various locations and their manes were far lesser than a real lion¡¯s.


    They were white-furred, as Clark quickly associated them with the lion alpha, but he shut this thought down as he clearly recognized that these 2 fellows were not lions.


    ¡°What are these?¡± He could feel that they were animal species that he¡¯d seen before, but he could not remember them.


    As he was drawn into this conundrum, his soldiers were still escaping. What made him shocked was that despite them still under stealth, these 3 strange animals were looking directly at their locations.


    His heart skipped a beat immediately, this was when he remembered to quickly search the internet to get their species and identity.


    His implant¡¯s enormous processing power quickly searched, as a result finally presented himself before him.


    ¡°No¡­, no, not this fellow, we are screwed¡±.


    Seeing the information that was displayed before him, he shuddered as he finally recognized these 3 big animals. This realization was so shocking to him, that his heart turned cold immediately.


    These 3 predators were called Dipers. They were not around in the 21st century, they came about during the late stages of the 21st century as a result of the union between tigers and white manned lions.


    What especially made his heart sink was that these fellows had a special ability, their noses could naturally detect the smell of humans no matter how hidden it was.


    Realizing all this, he knew what would come next. The Dipers did not disappoint.


    Grii!! Grii!!


    After their abnormally long noses twitched at the air a bit more, they finally opened their big mouths and started making strange growling sounds, but they were extremely loud.


    Just like an alarm bell for an emergency, the sound reverberated across the territory as every animal promptly paused what it was doing and looked at the location of these remote alarm ringers.


    ¡°We are discovered¡±. All the soldiers¡¯ hearts sank.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 228: headon collision

    Every beast in the territory¡¯s attention was drawn to the general location of Diana¡¯s squad, the Spartan squad was the one that was discovered by the perceptive Dipers.


    The animals suddenly had drooling excited looks on their fearsome faces. Even if they could not see the soldiers yet, they believed the Dipers nose more than they believed their eyes.


    Clark reacted the next moment even before the drool could fall off the beasts¡¯ mouths. The worst-case scenario happened despite their precautions; he felt a little depressed but this did not make him hesitate.


    ¡°Diana, execute plan B immediately¡±. He no longer took the longer route of his implant; he gave the order directly through his comm.


    ¡°Anna, try your best to avoid drawing attention to yourself. Do everything in your power to make sure that you are not discovered by the raging beasts, I¡¯m relying on you this time¡±.


    ¡°Benny, stay still and hold your peace. Your time is not now¡±.


    Before he could finish all his orders, the excited beasts already grew frenzied as they all started charging directly in Diana¡¯s squad¡¯s direction.


    The sounds of different hooves beating hard against the snow, penetrating it to the thick rock below was like thunder, as shockwaves erupted glaringly from the beast¡¯s stampede.


    The hunt was on.


    Seeing this, Clark quickly nodded at Dickson who was opposite him as the latter quickly understood his intentions.


    They both jumped down from the elevated platform that they originally stood in, as Clark threw a disc-shaped device upwards. 2 ropes quickly came out of it, as one attached itself to his glove while the other flew towards Dickson.


    After grabbing the ropes, they both did not hesitate as they pulled fiercely with all their strength.


    Snap!!


    It seemed that the fabric of space was tyrannically torn and thrown away, as the device quickly snapped into 2, revealing the contents that were stored inside it.


    A blew transparent glow quickly covered the sky, encapsulating dozens of kilometers from where Diana and her team stood.


    This was a sound dampening device. There was no way that they wanted the sound of their inevitable battle to disturb and irritate the alphas, thereby drawing them out early.


    All these happened in intervals of seconds.


    Diana and everyone else in her squad heard Clark¡¯s orders clearly through their comm, so they all reacted with frightening speed and accuracy. The timing was impeccable, as they all dipped their hands into their bags.


    Boom!! Boom!!


    Their hands came out of their bags at the same time as the exotic bombs were thrown out without hesitation. The sound, impact, and aftereffect were terrifying as it seemed like an earthquake was imminent.


    This was Clark¡¯s plan B, let everywhere burn in chaos. Sometimes, when you meet crazy opponents, employing crazy tactics against them was the best retaliation.


    The beasts were rattled up by the fierce burning hot explosion that followed the loud sound, as hundreds of beasts who were too close quickly got submerged in the fire.


    As all these happened, the sound waves that traveled out from this clash were bunched together before the blue glow in the air absolved them like a sponge absolving water.


    The Spartan soldiers took complete advantage of this opportunity granted by the burning flames, as they charged aggressively at the still startled beasts.


    No retreat, no surrender. They were already so deep and in the purple region, they no longer had the choice of retreating, only forging ahead. It was a complete head-on collision.


    The soldiers bared their fangs, which at this moment were their weapons as they quickly got entangled with the beasts in a heaven-shaking melee battle. The melee soldiers were the pioneers.


    Due to the beasts being startled, with them suddenly going without hesitation on the offensive, this gave them frightening momentum with which they pushed the beasts back.


    This was just for a moment though, as the beasts quickly retaliated with the same ferocity and force.


    For any force that is applied to an object, there must be a corresponding force that is opposing it. At this moment, the Spartan soldiers ironically felt this clearly as the rebound of the beast¡¯s counterattack hit them dizzy.


    This became the signal for a bloody battle, as the first casualties among the beasts quickly started emerging.


    Animal broken limbs and disfigured legs quickly started flying about like Christmas gifts, as blood rained heavily on the battlefield to form a very gory and terrifying sight.


    The Spartan soldiers did not relent as they held their ground, surprisingly, they were massacring the beasts but the pressure hitting them was in no way small. Their improvement was not just an illusion, it seemed.


    The melee soldiers bravely clashed with the animals, as their weapons quickly started feasting on the blood of their enemies. They already formed a battle formation, the double reverse refrigerator formation.


    The melee soldiers formed a forward pushing blockade at the front, as they forced their way forward.


    Unlike them, the ranged soldiers formed 2 vertical lines behind them. They formed the double pivot, as their weapons kept on spewing bullets like rain at the thick hides of the animals.


    The pace of the battle was already extremely fast.


    Back in the location where the Daland squad led by Sergeant Anna was, they were struggling to evade the crazed beasts that were rushing to the Spartan¡¯s location.


    They tried hard to fulfill Clark¡¯s order of not getting discovered by the beasts, but the horde was too much for them to avoid completely. In the end, they finally came into contact with the beasts also.


    The animals were fairly surprised on seeing another group of prey before them to feast on, but they hardly thought deeply into it as they also started charging at them.


    The Dalands did not hold back either, as they opened their battle with their now trademark trump card, explosion.


    Boom!!


    Blood blossomed wildly, forming a strangely beautiful combination with the pure white snow that was flying about like falling autumn leaves, as this heralded the ferocious start of their escape battle.


    No soldier held back, as they gave their all to pound hard at the beasts. They quickly formed the revolving spaceship formation, commonly referred to as the ice cream bread formation.


    Cocking her 2 exotic machine guns with a stern face, Anna¡¯s armor quickly covered her face as she led her ranged soldiers to fearlessly clash with the beasts.


    Unlike the Spartans, she and her fellow ranged soldiers formed the spearhead of the formation.


    The melee soldiers were the revolving factors, as they orderly moved about to pick out and take out the animals at the sides with mind-blowing efficiency.


    The Dalands also joining the battle meant that they could no longer stay hidden, Benny finally revealed himself with his elite squads with style.


    They rushed to help the Daland soldiers that were closer to them, as with their help, their killing speed and the speed at which they forged forward increased exponentially.


    Their opponents were practically endless, but they were not deterred. The more swarms of beasts rushing at them, the more they sent to the other world without mercy.


    The territory of the beasts was already a mess, as most of the less sturdy settlements were already trampled to the ground carelessly by their owners.


    Chaos reigned on every area of the once gracefully designed animal kingdom; humans were here to spread their tyranny.


    Perhaps, the animals thought that Clark came with his soldiers to invade their home. Sadly, both parties could not understand themselves so that they could even negotiate and perhaps draft an agreement.


    What a sad reality!


    Seeing the battle that was slowly getting fiercer and more intense at the moment, the 2 ace soldiers of the humans could no longer watch and analyze from afar again.


    They hoped not to see this, but it came, so they had no choice but to continue this head-on collision.


    With the sound of air pressure rapidly being let loose, the burly figure of Dickson was suddenly launched into the air as he streaked across the beast¡¯s heads like the superman.


    As he was about to land, his eyes gleamed brightly for a moment as he quickly retrieved his shield from his bag. Before he landed, the shield suddenly expanded rapidly as he used it to hit the floor.


    Bam!! Bam!!


    The snow caved in before separating from the tyrannical force, as the shockwave rendered all nearby beasts incapacitated and unable to fight back. He landed within the Spartans squad.


    Before the beasts could recover from the shock of his arrival, his swift hands already went to his back as he retrieved his sharp sword.


    With smooth and beautiful well-timed swings, head after head flew upwards accompanied by blood and snow flying about as he started a massacre directly among the horde of beasts.


    Clark was not to be left out, as every hand was needed on deck in this decisive moment. This time, he was not spear-Clark, he was gun-Clark.


    His eyes gleamed sharply like those of an eagle, as he coolly retrieved his two 2-form guns before slowly aiming.


    The same sound of air pressure being suddenly released sounded again, as he was launched directly to the battlefield location of the Spartan squad.


    While flying across the air, his godly marksmanship came to play as his 2-form guns now in their sniper configuration released one high-caliber bullet after the other with shocking frequency.


    Before he landed, he directly shot 20 bullets, reaping the lives of over 100 beasts in the process.


    As soon as he landed, he whispered as his 2-form guns changed again to their machine gun configuration. His moves and decisions flowed smoothly like water, as he started executing his battle art, the bullet encyclopedia.


    Snow sprayed rapidly, separating to reveal the rock that was hiding below them as the poor beasts became the venting objects of these 2 metal monsters. The bullets flew out, pitty pattering at the thick hide of the beasts.


    With Clark and Dickson now helping Diana¡¯s squad, the battle suddenly became dozens of times easier as they now started advancing at a much faster speed.


    It may seem like they were neglecting the Daland squad led by Anna, but this was all in the plan that Clark came up with.


    The beasts were massacred without any remorse in their own territory, as Clark led the others and forged a path of blood and body parts directly to their ultimate direction, the opening between the 2 cliffs.


    It did not take long before they crossed the purple zone, they were now in the black zone which effects became evident immediately.


    The massive Wild Yaks and other fierce animals started appearing at a more rapid frequency, as the resistance being offered by the beasts grew.


    Clark did not hesitate nor did his soldiers, as they quickly adapted to the change in ferocity and started bulldozing through these guys without any respect to their origin or species.


    It may seem like they were tyrannically massacring the beasts, but this was only possible due to the resources that they were burning in the process. Every beast killed was accompanied by thousands of Spartan credits draining.


    As the massacre continued and the beasts continued making various sounds of pain, a change finally appeared on the battlefield.


    Maw¡­!!!


    A strange-sounding loud roar suddenly reverberated across the whole battlefield, as everything seemed to have come to a stop.


    The originally steady transparent blue film that covered the sky and was keeping the sound of battles from going out suddenly showed a crack. The crack quickly expanded, before the blue film fragmented into pieces.


    Every soldier on the battlefield stared in horror.


    ¡°The Alpha Wild Yak is here!¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 229: crossing the black zone

    The first alpha of this animal kingdom emerged with frightening grandeur. The loud mawing sound that reverberated across the territory announced its arrival, as the soldiers looked up uneasily.


    Instead of jumping down like a fictional villain animal or a comic character, the enormous Wild Yak scaled down the mountain in a very unique manner.


    Various sized fragments of snow and ice started falling down the mountain wall, as it ran across the wall horizontally with its huge body slanted to enable it to get a weird center of gravity.


    Its astonishingly huge body zoomed down the mountain wall, seeming just like a heavy truck lumbering across. Its zig-zagged fearsome horns stood erected, as they carved the air apart to reduce the wind resistance against its speed.


    The bushy hairs at its sides waved fiercely at the wind, looking just like the flipping pages of the arcane book of a legendary warlock.


    Its descent speed was mind-blowing, as it seemed like it was running without obstruction on the bare ground. The Spartan soldiers were frozen stiff, this was just too mentally impactful.


    Its bloody red eyes that were fixed pointedly at the soldiers made them shudder in fear, their hearts directly leaped up to their throats.


    In just a little over a second, the Wild Yak scaled the hundreds of meters separating them down and dived without hesitation into the ranks of the soldiers.


    Boom!!


    The soldiers could hardly react, the thick and sturdy horns which were also the most dangerous weapon of this predator arrived first as they plowed easily at the unprepared Spartans.


    The energy armors of the soldiers flickered weakly before shattering to pieces, as the thick horns pierced through 3 soldiers that stood in the way without any resistance.


    The outcome was obvious, the 3 unlucky fellows died instantly.


    The horns did not rest with this alone on the first charge, as its spread-out Viking-like form also reached and brought severe injuries to the other 5 soldiers that were close by. The soldiers¡¯ battle formation became disorganized immediately.


    After the momentum of its first charge died down, it finally turned its eyes to scan these daring intruders carefully.


    Seeing the destruction that was wrath on one charge, Clark¡¯s heart tightened. It seemed that he still underestimated this fellow, this did not make him despair though as he quickly reacted.


    He also heaved a secret sigh of relief as it seemed that the other alpha did not deem them worthy to get its attention and draw it out.


    ¡°Diana, follow the plan, but be fast. I don¡¯t know for how long we can hold; this enemy is beyond our limits¡±.


    After quickly throwing this order at his second in command, Clark¡¯s hand jerked a bit as fierce energy waves suddenly erupted, gushing out with his 2-form guns as the center of this nebula wave.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    His 2 guns still in their machine gun configuration started revealing their loads, as a bright blue beam accompanied the bullets every time to hit hard at the hides of this exobeast.


    Different bullets with even more varying effects shot out without any care to their monetary costs, as they inflicted various effects on this predator.


    A pressure-filled bullet pushed it backward for one moment, a stun bullet numbed its legs the next, a short frequency radioactive bullet followed next as this beast quickly grew annoyed.


    Roaring loudly, it shrugged all these effects off as it picked up speed again, this time in Clark¡¯s direction. It already identified him as its first target, but Clark did not retreat.


    He stood his ground as his forever reliable buddies in the form of his guns showed their support, staying strong at this critical juncture. But this could not prevent the beast from closing the distance.


    As the exobeast got horrifyingly close to Clark and its protruding horns were already showing death¡¯s portrait vividly, a new arrival joined this small battlefield.


    Dickson had an unnaturally serious look on his face, as he quickly blocked the way of this exobeast with his towering shield. The Wild Yak was now very close, but he could still do the basic defense moves in this short time.


    Apparently from the Wild Yak¡¯s movements, it had no intention of stopping its charge.


    Quickly digging his shield down inside the snow, Dickson widened his legs to form a formidable defense stance with a stable center of gravity to better curb this impact that would surely be frightening.


    Bam!!


    As soon as he finished his preparations, the collision happened as the initial impact immediately made his face stiffen with veins sprouting all over.


    Pfft!! He coughed out blood the next moment, before staggering and falling backward weakly as his enormous shield vibrated intensely while ringing loudly in a rough tone.


    His right hand that supported the shield felt even weaker, as he could feel it dangling without support by his side. Apparently, his hand was dislocated from the impact.


    The Wild Yak was slowed only for 2 seconds, as it quickly recovered and aimed at him with its dangerous horns again. The horns that looked like steels of death were now aimed at him.


    He wanted to roll away, but he could not as the weakness in his bones kept him down like he suddenly became a paralysis patient.


    Before the beast could pick up momentum, a bright light shone across the battlefield as a thick blue beam quickly flashed across and hit it squarely on the face, just below its left eye.


    Hissing in pain, the beast fell back a little for the first time.


    Using this opportunity, Clark quickly arrived at his friend¡¯s side as he helped and supported him up while trying to cool down his overloaded 2-form gun.


    He only looked into Dickson¡¯s eyes for a brief moment before he got what he wanted. He quickly grabbed the latter¡¯s right arm, used his other hand to push his chest back before pulling ruthlessly.


    Dickson released a muffled scream, as his dislocated arm was quickly pulled back to its previous location. As soldiers, they could do such simple first-aid treatment.


    After doing this, Clark quickly kept his guns before bringing his spear again. From this small confrontation, he discovered something.


    If he left Dickson alone to fight this beast in close range while he stayed back and supported with his guns from the side, he would probably not see a comrade again but a corpse.


    Both soldiers quickly communicated between themselves, as they started to surround their enemy without any trace of fear in their eyes.


    This beast was undoubtedly stronger than them by miles, but they could not cower. They would fight to the end even if it meant death, just for their subordinates to get a chance at escaping.


    Seeing this, the alpha Wild Yak got even more irritated as it sprang back aggressively at them.


    With one smack of its thick claws, Clark¡¯s spear was easily swiped away but Dickson quickly arrived with his shield the next moment. His sword was not idle, as it complimented the shield from the side.


    The Wild Yak bit down harshly at the sword, as it quickly got it in-between its teeth. Pulling roughly, Dickson lost control of his sword and staggered forward as he was bashed on the chest by this beast¡¯s huge body.


    He felt like he was just hit by a truck as a metallic taste came to his lips again, but he gritted his teeth this time, bit his lips to clear his dizziness before holding strong.


    Clark also returned at this moment as they both clashed aggressively with this Wild Yak.


    To their despair, despite their perfect coordination, this exobeast firmly held them at the hollow of its Wild Yakky palms as it trashed the both of them without any sense of sympathy.


    Both of them quickly started sustaining injuries but they did not mind, all their mind was on stalling this beast.


    As all these happened, Diana already obeyed Clark¡¯s orders and led her soldiers forward as they fought relentlessly with the other animals while moving closer to their ultimate goal, the 2 cliffs.


    At another part of the chaotic battlefield, Anna led the Daland soldiers and moved forward swiftly. With the help of Benny and the other high-grade soldiers, their progress was faster than the others.


    This was also attributed to the fact that the Spartans received special attention from the animals as they were discovered first, and the alpha was drawn there.


    As the animals died frequently, casualties also started frequenting the ranks of the soldiers. In these few minutes, they already lost a combined amount of 7 soldiers.


    Despite the heavy casualties, the Spartan and Daland soldiers were slowly drawing closer to the opening between the 2 cliffs, only their leaders were being bullied by the Wild Yak alpha.


    Clark and Dickson¡¯s armors kept on spamming them with high-damage notifications, as their opponent kept on trashing them.


    In just less than 2 minutes, they were already exhausted and panting like they just ran a planet-wide marathon. Despite the protection of their armors, they already suffered lots of internal injuries.


    The Wild Yak¡¯s horns were the main problem, as any attack from it always prompted a warning notification from their armors.


    Clark had never felt so tense. His heart was pumping blood at a rapid frequency, and his adrenaline surge was at an all-time high as he fought without any further acknowledgment of time.


    As the defensive soldier, Dickson felt the worst as he had to weather all the most dangerous attacks directed at both of them. His 2 arms were already numb, only sheer willpower was carrying him on.


    Their situation was not optimistic at all, it was only a matter of time before their armor¡¯s energy got depleted, and that would surely spell their end.


    It was at this moment that a message of hope came to them.


    ¡°Major Clark, we already crossed the black zone, we are in-between the 2 cliffs now¡±. A loud voice interrupted their focus for a moment, making them receive a vicious attack from their opponent.


    Despite this, Clark still answered as he stuck close to help Dickson stabilize his shield.


    ¡°Good, follow the plan. Wait there to help the others in Diana¡¯s squad¡­, and start setting the trap¡±. Clark answered wearily.


    ¡°Ok, sir¡±.


    As the Daland soldiers rapidly went to work, they could already see their Spartan counterparts who were fighting fiercely and drawing nearer to their position.


    They formed a defensive perimeter to hold off the beasts while continuing according to Clark¡¯s plan.


    As soon as the Spartan squad crossed the black zone into the passage to the other side, another noticeable reaction was finally stirred.


    It seems that there was a limit to their other enemy¡¯s patience in the end, and it seemed that these animals were adamant about not allowing anyone to cross these 2 cliffs.


    They all stopped their works after noticing it, as they turned their heads upwards to look at the last archenemy obstructing their escape.


    Unlike its counterpart who ran horizontally across the walls down, the white-maned lion was more graceful and elegant.


    It burst out of the alpha palace with speed before immediately jumping out. Its figure felt just like a white deity dropping from heaven, as it glided rapidly across the air to their direction.


    Every soldier¡¯s breath stopped on seeing this. If Clark¡¯s intelligence was right, then this was the climax of their escape opportunity.


    If they could not grasp this well, they were doomed.


    ¡°Prepare the switch¡±. A tired Diana softly whispered.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 230: an overturned earth

    Despite the impending doom, the soldiers were completely focused after hearing Diana¡¯s orders.


    The allied force formed another defense perimeter as 3 soldiers who were being tightly protected typed rapidly and controlled a holographic screen that was before them.


    All the soldiers prepared for the worst-case scenario, as they grasped their weapons tighter. They could already see the enlarging form of their fearsome enemy, but their faces still showed determination.


    One of the technical soldiers that were controlling the screen finally spoke out, while rushing to Diana¡¯s side.


    ¡°Staff Sergeant, the switch is ready!¡±


    ¡°Activate your shields immediately!¡±. A tense Diana quickly ordered as she grabbed the mechanical switch from the soldier¡¯s hand immediately.


    Every soldier obeyed her command, they were already prepared for this. After activating their exotic shields, bright blue energy films quickly emerged before solidifying above them to form sturdy energy frames.


    As this happened, Diana and Anna quickly communicated with their eyes. They both brought a strange-looking exotic shield from their bags before activating it.


    As soon as this was done, a faint ripple spread across the formation of the soldiers as a change began taking place in their erected shields.


    All the bright blue shields started converging in mid-air like they were being summoned by a higher power. They quickly collided with a small shockwave, before turning into a single collective shield.


    This one was darker and more solid, as it stood sturdily like the great walls of ancient China. As all this happened, the white-maned lion exobeast was already before the soldiers.


    Diana no longer hesitated, as she smashed at the mechanical switch on her hand immediately. Every soldier reacted to this, as they all covered their ears before squatting to get a firmer stance.


    Boom!! Boom!!


    Heatwaves quickly erupted around the location between the 2 cliffs, as red-hot waves of fire leaped out of the buried snow like magma giants in their heat period.


    The nearby snow evaporated immediately, forming fleeting white mist as all the rocks that were close by cracked before melting and turning to splashing magma.


    All the animals in a location of 2km surrounding the soldiers turned to randomly flying blood and flesh instantly, as overturned intestines melted before evaporating to red mist.


    The other beasts beyond the 2km region suffered various degrees of injuries, as most of them got roasted, diffusing the air with the aroma of cooked meat.


    The sturdy dark blue shield that was erected by the Spartan and Daland soldiers flickered from the first shockwave impact, as the heat waves quickly spread to their positions.


    All the soldiers had their hearts in their throats, as they prayed for the shield to hold.


    Cracks emerged, spreading across the energy shield like the tentacles of an octopus from all the damage being done to it. Its dark blue color dimmed a bit also, but it still held in the end despite all this.


    Though the light accompanying the bomb blast was blinding, Diana still squinted her eyes under her goggles to look at the alpha lion¡¯s position. Her heart sank a bit as she saw nothing there.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± She felt uneasy.


    The visual impact of the bomb blast seemed just like divine retribution from heaven. This was the real turning point pivot in Clark¡¯s plan, a completely crazy idea that could be thought up only by the crazy.


    When they started their escape moving across the animals¡¯ territory, they knew that the chances of being discovered were on the high side so Clark took countermeasures against it.


    When he separated with Dickson from the rest of his soldiers, this was not only to keep check of the more troublesome beasts but also to plant the gifts that they brought.


    With his deep penetration scanning device, he and Dickson were able to locate the volatile formation of rocks below this self-proclaimed animal kingdom.


    Through this stealthy maneuver, they were able to place 80% of the exotic bombs that they brought here. They distributed the other bombs between Diana and Anna¡¯s squad.


    For the past week of preparation, they were not idle. They pumped most of their stored energy reserves into these bombs, making them more lethal and becoming genuine mountain-breaking weapons.


    As the aftermaths of the bomb blast triggered by Diana continued wreaking havoc in the vicinity surrounding their allied squad, Clark and Dickson heaved a sigh of relief before also preparing to leave.


    The alpha Wild Yak was shocked by the sound and the visual impact of the bomb blast, but this did not stop it from focusing on its 2 targets. Both soldiers were already at their wit ends.


    ¡°You ready?¡± Clark quickly sent a message to Dickson¡¯s implant, as he tightened his throat to swallow the blood that was about to gush out through his mouth.


    ¡°F*ck, yes, just do it¡±.


    ¡°As you wish¡±. Clark decisively hit the activation button on the mechanical switch that was in his hand. Unlike Diana¡¯s, his bomb setup hard a timer.


    He received another diving attack from the Wild Yak, as his armor indicated that his energy reserves were already low. He did not mind this though, as he quickly jumped up high with the help of his multi-purpose boots.


    Dickson did the same thing as he bashed the rocky floor with his enormous shield, using the repelling force to propel himself up also.


    The alpha Wild Yak reacted late to Clark¡¯s jump, but it saw Dickson¡¯s actions clearly. Though it was puzzled, it didn¡¯t care as it bolted closer immediately with eyes that were narrowed into slits.


    The timing was extremely accurate, as it hit the rocky floor hard before leaping at the ascending figure of its opponent.


    Dickson widened his eyes on seeing this, as he hastily started searching for a solution. A large device suddenly attached itself to his military boots, enlarging its size by countless times.


    A blue energy glow started seeping out, as the boot vibrated like it was waking from hibernation.


    Unfortunately for him, before his boots could power up completely, the Wild Yak was already before him. The rough horns of the exobeast quickly stabbed his legs, ruthlessly separating them from his body.


    He gasped for breath in pain as blood poured down from his legs unrestrainedly, dying the snow red. His armor was directly breached from the attack.


    His upward momentum quickly died after the fatal injury, as he slowed down before starting to fall back the next moment. His face full of regret was what dominated his thoughts.


    ¡°Forget about me, leave¡±. He muttered while closing his eyes.


    Seeing this, Clark whose boots were already fully activated hesitated to leave. He took a quick glance at his wristwatch, gritted his teeth before diving back down.


    Before Dickson could react, Clark quickly grabbed his burly form from above, dodged the alpha Wild Yak¡¯s next dive attack before soaring up into the air. Blue energy spewed out of his boots, forming a long trail.


    The long trail of blue energy quickly ignited before turning to orange fire, as the boot made a booming sound before transferring them away like a rocket.


    The device that they attached to their boots was not the equipment that they brought, the technical soldiers in their allied squads worked together to design this at the last moment just for this part of the plan.


    It was at this moment that hell broke loose.


    Dozens of booming sounds quickly followed after this action, as the whole mountain bed that this animals¡¯ territory was erected on started vibrating and shaking roughly.


    The foundations of the territory started shaking and pulling off like a house that had its building blocks cut off. Red-hot fire quickly followed, as the whole territory of the animals suddenly turned to a sea of fire.


    Dickson cried out in pain, as his unarmored form got exposed to the heat of this rapidly spreading fire. He felt like he was being roasted in a microwave, as he bit his lips to curb the pain.


    Clark was affected too as the extreme heatwave hit the device that was attached to his boot, making him jerk unsteadily for a moment. The device sustained damage, which was dangerous to both of them.


    Their flight was no longer smooth, as they now flew forward unsteadily at a still fast speed.


    Maw¡­!!


    The shocked angry roar of the alpha Wild Yak reverberated around the territory like thunder, as just like the other pitiful animals, it was submerged in the wide range of the fire.


    Both soldiers had no idea if it was dead, but they heaved a sigh of relief before turning their attention to the front where their soldiers were.


    The allied squad of soldiers temporarily under the leadership of Diana remained huddled up under their erected shield, as they patiently waited for the aftermath of the bomb fire to go down a bit.


    When it finally reached a level that was acceptable to them, Diana quickly deactivated the shield that was already at its wit¡¯s end before barking a new order at the soldiers.


    ¡°Fly away immediately!¡±


    The soldiers didn¡¯t even need her reminder. As soon as their sharp eagle-like eyes saw that the shield flickered and disappeared, they all erupted from their positions and jumped up.


    The recently designed propulsion device was already attached to their exotic boots, so all they needed was to wait for its activation and leave. This was when another variable appeared.


    ¡°It survived!¡± Diana¡¯s heart sank as she quickly gave a warning to her soldiers, but it was just too abrupt for them to react appropriately.


    Though the animal that sprang out swiftly in their direction had all its fur blackened and roasted from the fierce bomb fire, Diana could still accurately deduce that this was the white-maned lion alpha.


    The lion was thoroughly angered by this ambush. Though its danger senses tingled and alerted it at the last moment, its reaction options were limited. In the end, he was still scorched by the fire.


    Seeing the people that brought it so much suffering, its hatred soared.


    It arrived before the startled soldiers immediately, before taking advantage of its superior speed to attack frenziedly. In less than 5 seconds, 12 soldiers were taken out of the allied squad.


    ¡°What?¡± The others watched wide-eyed in horror.


    Though they were shocked, they still reacted according to their practice drills due to sheer instinct. After their boots activated completely, fire spewed out before forcefully pushing them forward.


    Seeing this, the injured lion alpha moved again. Its attack speed was too much for the soldiers, another 7 casualties emerged before the rest finally escaped and fled.


    Sighting this from afar, Clark and Dickson shuddered in fear. This did not stop their forward escape though as stopping was even more dangerous, the bomb that they triggered already resulted in a kilometers wide earthquake.


    The intimidating sound was just like a stone crushing machine that was at work crushing rocks.


    Clark¡¯s eyes narrowed as he grabbed Dickson tighter before continuing forward. The alpha lion already sighted them, as it now crutched and waited patiently like a veteran hunter.


    When they came to its attack range, the lion finally leaped up. Its jump height was shocking, as it soared upwards like an airplane to its position in the air.


    Despite being shocked by this, Clark still reacted and moved sideways to dodge the diving attack.


    He heaved a sigh of relief as he saw himself leaving the lion¡¯s attack trajectory. This did not last though, as he suddenly felt a tug on his right hand. His heart went cold immediately, his companion was grabbed.


    The already exhausted Dickson moaned in pain, as the sharp claws of the lion dug ruthlessly into his last intact leg. The pain was almost driving him crazy.


    This sudden move brought a stalemate in the air, as the alpha¡¯s momentum stopped the forward momentum of Clark¡¯s boot, bringing him another dilemma.


    His boot¡¯s energy reserves were already low. If this stalemate continued, his situation would grow more dangerous, he felt conflicted.


    ¡°Should I let him go?¡±


    Turning his eyes reluctantly, he saw a helpless expression on Dickson¡¯s face for the first time since he knew him. Seeing this, he made his decision immediately.


    He suddenly reversed the flight direction of his boot, as he used the sudden surge in momentum to throw a fast forceful blow at the blackened alpha lion¡¯s head.


    Bam!!


    He felt the head of the lion cave in a bit, as blood gushed out freely from a hole that was inflicted by his fists on this fellow¡¯s face. He wanted to grin on seeing this, but he could not as his hands also dislocated from the blow.


    The last thing that he saw was an enlarging sea of fire, a half-dead alpha lion, a half-dead companion, and an overturned earth.


    The last thing that he felt was pain. His vision darkened the next moment.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 231: aftermath of the bomb explosion

    Crack!!


    Dozens of minutes after the impact of the underground explosion wrath by the exotic bombs subsided a bit, a dull sound of impact resounded as a crack came from underground, before quickly widening to form a hole.


    Following the appearance of the hole, a battered head slowly emerged out of the earth. The Wild Yak finally saw the light of day again after the horrifying encounter that left it hovering between life and death.


    Sizzling sounds echoed out, making it whimper and growl in pain as, after some minutes of struggling, it finally wriggled its enormous body from the ground.


    Compared to before, its previous grandeur was nowhere to be seen. Its main weapon, its horns were bent out of shape, while some parts even broke out from the impact of all the rocks on it.


    All its hairs that usually floated luxuriously at its sides were gone; the fire spared none as only a blackened thick skin remained at their previous location. It now seemed like a Wild Yak that just received a clean shave.


    Blood seeped out from various orifices around its huge body, as it staggered to stand upright after digging itself up. After barely stabilizing its stance, it finally looked at the barren land that was once its territory.


    It felt like the lone survivor of an apocalypse, only silence similar to those encountered in the grave reigned across the once boisterous kingdom.


    Most of the snow around the territory already melted, leaving only scorched earth and blackened rocks behind. All the settlements were razed to the ground, nothing was spared by the fire.


    From its position, it could still see the fire that kept spurting from the ground occasionally at some locations. This once vigorous kingdom now seemed like the bed floor of a volcano filled with magma.


    Its eyes quickly grew dazed and dizzy, as this sight evoked deep emotions in its predator''s heart.


    Its eyes recovered after some time as they started blazing with anger. Never, not even in its dreams did it imagine that these puny intruders could mount an attack of such scale.


    Though it could not understand how this happened, its sharp eyes still captured that one of the intruders who fought with him pressed something, which seemed to have triggered all these.


    At the last moment, it saw as Clark and Dickson were attacked by its companion. It saw how its companion also fell with both intruders.


    The anger in its heart prompted it to want to go check the 2 intruders, and if they were still alive to finish them off. Its rational instinct felt that they were dead, but it still wanted to check.


    This was its most basic thought impulse though. Though it was angry, it was also intelligent enough to now feel fear and respect for these intruders.


    For years since it became the alpha ruling over this territory, this was the first time that it felt genuine fear for its life.


    ¡°What if those 2 puny intruders still had the thing that brought this fire? What if on getting there, another fire emerges to blow it to pieces?¡± It shuddered on having these thoughts.


    This timely realization made it know that going back to check was suicide. It cleverly turned, growled slightly to curb the pain that followed, before limping away.


    It was moving far away from this location. The white-maned lion alpha? That guy was not its buddy, it was a stronger rival that came to impose authority in its territory, so it was even happy that a rival died here.


    With that, the only alpha who survived this disaster escaped. The other lesser animals that survived the explosion already escaped long ago due to fear.


    ¡­


    Hours after the explosion that tyrannically turned the animal kingdom that a deserted area, Diana was still escaping rapidly with the allied soldiers in tow.


    None of them looked back despite worrying about their 2 leaders, as the stern order from Clark still reverberated in their heads.


    [A recall:]


    ¡°All of you, pry your ears open and listen to me. No matter what happens to me and Dickson today, promise me that you will not look back and will escape by all means¡±.


    Seeing their uneasy, stubborn, and uncertain faces, Clark narrowed his eyes before speaking out in a sterner tone.


    ¡°Are you deaf? Do you think that I¡¯m playing games here?¡±


    ¡°No, Major¡±.


    ¡°I want to warn you now. If any of you, I repeat if anyone of you dares to follow your emotions and not follow my plans, if I survive, I promise you eviction without hesitation¡±.


    ¡°I know what you are all thinking¡­, that you need me, right? Now, let me tell you, you don¡¯t need me for anything¡±.


    ¡°The mission given to us is our priority, and I don¡¯t want anyone of you to misjudge that priority. I am just a tool to make accomplishing the mission easier, if I don¡¯t make it, forge ahead and move¡±.


    ¡°My overturning earth plan is dangerous, and I cannot guarantee that I will make it. Diana, please, I hope that you follow my plans even if I am not there. Don¡¯t rest until you find a shelter¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Major, I know my priorities¡±. Diana answered firmly.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s move out¡±.


    ¡­


    Thinking of this, the soldiers felt conflicted. Benny felt it more, but he still did not speak out as he didn¡¯t want to be the first soldier who will disobey orders and possibly cause their doom.


    An hour ago, all the energy that they stacked up in the new rocket-like anti-gravity device that they made exhausted. They were continuing the rest escape on foot.


    When they escaped, dozens of spooked animals also followed in their direction, as the animals directly lost their sense of reasoning on seeing so much fire. The heat alone could reset brains.


    Clark ordered that they should not rest until they find a shelter, and that is what they intended to do. Most of them were already feeling fatigued, but the conviction to not let their leaders down was pushing them forward.


    Despite all their preparation and meticulous planning, they still lost 17 soldiers to ensure their escape.


    Though losing a comrade was not a good experience, they still felt lucky as it was only because of their leaders¡¯ help that they could escape with so few casualties.


    Anna felt torn apart on thinking of her fianc¨¦e, but she held on as she did not want to reduce the morale of her fellow Daland soldiers.


    ¡°Dickson, please survive for me¡±. She could only mutter this prayer inside while keeping a strong fa?ade outside to motivate her soldiers.


    After so long, they already passed the opening between the 2 cliffs and emerged at a new region. From the rough outline of steep rocks and human pathways, they guessed that a shelter was close by.


    They could now see the towering walls of the main mountain Everest again, which calmed their hearts and reassured them that they didn¡¯t emerge in another strange forest.


    With this optimistic sight before them, they felt motivated which indirectly increased their speed.


    They already exhausted all their military supplies, only the medical supplies that could not be modified and used as weapons were left and distributed in all their military bags.


    They threw the other bothersome ones that would not aid their escape away, this was to make their escape more flexible.


    They carried the medical supplies along in the case of some of them being injured. Some of them were indeed injured, so this decision came in handy.


    Though finding a shelter was their main goal, making sure that they stayed alive was another. They stopped briefly at some locations to attend to the injured, and to recover their strength.


    Like this, they were able to cross hundreds of kilometers across the Himalayan peaks.


    In this region, one notable thing that they discovered was that the temperature here dropped a few degrees more than the forest and their previous location.


    They were already suspecting it, but they confirmed it after finding the next shelter. They were already in the middle regions of the Himalayan peaks; they were pleasantly surprised.


    Compared to the previous shelter where they took refuge, this one was bigger, more fortified, and more luxurious.


    The shelter was just like a super extra-large duplex, and it was built upon 2 rocks that intertwined to form something like a clenched fist. Also, unlike the last shelter, as soon as they arrived here, guards came out to confront them.


    Dozens of guards that were armed to the teeth came out to welcome them. Well, they didn¡¯t know if it was to confront or to welcome them.


    They paused on seeing this, as the one who seemed to be the leader of the guards came out to greet them.


    ¡°Hello, good evening, welcome to the free for all shelter. My name is guard Davidson, I am the chief guard here¡±.


    ¡°My name is Lipsey, we are mercenaries who climbed the Himalayan peaks to find some fortune¡±. Diana smoothly lied with a straight face, as she came out to greet these guards.


    ¡°Nice to meet you¡±. She added.


    ¡°You too. You guys seemed to have encountered some trouble¡±. The guard added while pointing at their battered climbing uniforms to drive home his point.


    ¡°Yes, we encountered something like an animal kingdom. Most of our comrades sacrificed themselves to enable our escape, that is why we ended up so battered¡±.


    ¡°Please, can you allow us in? As you can see, we need a nice shelter to rest and recover our wits¡±.


    ¡°Oh! You guys are either lucky or really strong to encounter an animal kingdom and escape, I¡¯m impressed¡±.


    Already getting a little irritated by this guard¡¯s countless words, Diana wanted to politely ask again but she was quickly interrupted after the man seemed to have read her mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you guys can enter. But you know the magic substance, money¡±.


    ¡°No problem, we have that¡±.


    After getting the lodge price for a single mercenary, Diana paid quickly before all the soldiers started moving inside the shelter orderly. They could finally heave a sigh of relief.


    After everyone entered, Diana stopped at the door before looking outside. Hesitation showed on her face, as she seemed to be fighting an inner battle.


    ¡°Clark, please survive, Benny can¡¯t live without you¡±. She muttered softly.


    As she was about to step in, she hesitated and stopped herself again before looking at the so-called chief guard of the shelter.


    ¡°What?¡± The latter asked on noticing her stare.


    ¡°You were not surprised when I said that we encountered an animal kingdom, have you seen or encountered one before?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°Ah, about that. I think you are new here; you have a lot to learn¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 232: moving on

    Blink!!


    After what seemed like an eternity of sleep, Dickson finally woke up groggily. His eyes were fuzzy and unclear, he thought he just had a long dream where he fought against dragons and aliens.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± He asked while motioning to stand up.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± He was shocked, as he felt like he just dipped himself into burning hot larva. All his body felt hot, pains suddenly erupted all over his body as sweat quickly covered him.


    It took him a while to get used to the pain, as it finally started subsiding a bit. He was horrified by the pain.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He felt shocked.


    After barely stabilizing himself, he did not dare move, instead, he slowly inclined his aching neck down to look at where the pain originated from. He sucked in a breath of cold air immediately on seeing what greeted his eyes.


    Both his legs were completely bandaged. From what he was seeing, he easily deciphered that his left leg was cut off while the other was heavily injured.


    From the blood that stained the injury, he could see that these were fresh injuries. His eyes widened in horror after taking all these in, as he searched his memory rapidly for what happened.


    They originally felt distant to him, but after putting in more effort, he slowly began to recover all his memories.


    ¡°Major Clark¡­, the earth overturning plan¡­, the alpha Wild Yak¡­, the anti-gravity device¡­, the lion alpha¡­, then the fire¡­¡±


    ¡°I survived!¡±


    He suddenly blurted out in a muffled voice, as he did not want the sound to spread out. As a soldier, he knew that making noise was suicide if he had not confirmed his safety yet.


    After piecing all the memories together, he finally remembered everything that transpired. He was pleasantly surprised that he survived, he still felt that it was a dream.


    As he came to this realization, this was when he noticed that not only his legs were bandaged.


    His right hand was folded and wrapped up by a white cloth to support it, he could easily see that it was dislocated. Other bandages were placed on his abdomen and various parts of his body, including his head.


    It seemed that he bashed his head against a rock, as he could now feel the dizziness resulting from it. After seeing all these, he finally turned his head up to survey where he currently was.


    This was a cave¡­, no, it was a roughly placed space that was made from the support of some rocks inclining and resting on each other.


    It seemed that when the explosion was still rocking the animal territory, the shaking and vibration formed this small cramped shelter and he was lucky enough to land here.


    The space was very small, and fairly dark also as the only source of light was from the slight openings in the rock, which was where air also passed through inside.


    ¡°If I am here¡­, then where is Clark? And the lion alpha also?¡± He suddenly muttered while turning his head to the side.


    To his right, there he saw Clark. The Spartan Major was already deep into sleep, probably due to exhaustion which his loud snores could testify.


    Seeing Clark, Dickson did not know when teardrops started falling from his eyes involuntarily.


    When his antigravity device was destroyed by the alpha Wild Yak, he thought that he was dead, but Clark saved him. When the alpha Lion bit him and he thought he was dead, Clark saved him again against all odds.


    He felt confused, shocked, and grateful at the same time. They only met a few days ago, he did not know what he did that warranted so much care from this Spartan stranger.


    Clark clearly saved him and suffered more from their fall, which explained why he still survived.


    Though Clark was exhausted, he still pointed his dagger at the entrance of their small shelter cave. There was no doubt that if an intruder came, he would wake up and fight immediately.


    He also had various injuries all over his body. Dried blood dyed his arms, legs, and abdomen, which were clearly from injuries. Only his head was spared.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t bandage himself, Dickson was left puzzled but he quickly understood after connecting the hidden dots. During their escape, he lost his military bag, only Clark was still with his bag.


    The bandages used on him were clearly from Clark¡¯s bag. He preferred using them on him than to treat his own injuries. Seeing this, he felt more conflicted.


    He wanted to stand up, but he could not. He wanted to shout out to Clark and call him foolish for his selfless decisions, but he could not. He felt his throat dry up as all strength left him mysteriously.


    ¡°What did I do to deserve this?¡± This was what he said last before he fainted again.


    ¡­


    Hours later when he woke up again, he felt some activities going on in the small cave, which prompted his eyes to spring open immediately.


    ¡°Hey, easy, you will exacerbate your injuries, stop acting like a scaredy-cat¡±. Clark quickly called out to him to reveal himself.


    ¡°F*ck, you scared the hell out of me. Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Dickson yelled back, as he turned his head slightly to hide his blushing face.


    ¡°Why will I wake you up, so you can start whining in pain?¡± Clark was not polite at all, as he retorted back.


    Dickson was speechless, what a jerk. He did not know why, but the benevolent, selfless, and perfect image of Clark that he painstakingly built up yesterday started cracking to pieces.


    Clark was surprised why his companion suddenly went silent, so he turned to face him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­, nothing¡±. Dickson lied.


    ¡°If you say so¡±. Clark shrugged before turning back to continue what he was doing.


    After Dickson finally made his burning face turn back to normal, he turned to face Clark again. Clark was already at work, as he gathered and arranged the small gadgets that survived the explosion with his bag.


    After taking some time to survey the small cave more carefully, he finally spoke out.


    ¡°Clark¡­, yesterday, what happened?¡±


    ¡°You mean after the alpha lion bit your leg? Can¡¯t you see, I saved you of course¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ahem¡­, I mean the details¡±. He coughed while cursing inwardly, as he politely asked again. By this point, the perfect image was already crushed to pieces.


    ¡°What a troublesome fellow. What other details do you want?¡± Clark sighed before finally leaning at a nearby rock to rest.


    ¡°Ok. After the lion bit you, I punched it in the face. It cried out in pain, then we all started falling down. As my armor still had some energy remaining, I used myself as a shield to protect you¡±.


    ¡°Then the rest is this. The lion fell somewhere, while we both fell here. Luckily for us, the stones did not crush us but formed this instead¡±.


    Not hearing anything else for a minute, Dickson asked. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, what else do you want to hear?¡±


    Dickson suppressed his irritation before pointing at himself. ¡°What of all these?¡±


    ¡°Oh, those. You lost your bag, so I used all my bandages to wrap you. That¡¯s why I said that I saved you, or do you think that you would have survived without those?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Then what of yourself?¡± Dickson asked again.


    ¡°Your questions are too much, why are you asking¡­? Wait¡­, you felt cushy and all that right? Haha, I can¡¯t believe it, were you feeling emotional?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Dickson was speechless again.


    ¡°Remove those thoughts bro. I used them on you only because I can survive without them, my injuries are not as serious. If my injuries were as serious as your own, I will definitely choose myself over you, so delete those emotions¡±.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it; the Great defender of those days could feel emotional too. Haha, so it was just a coverup, you¡¯re a f*cking fragile girl also¡±. Clark chuckled, before returning to work.


    After Clark turned away, Dickson was left feeling annoyed, irritated, and surprisingly, grateful at the same time.


    Though Clark downplayed his benevolence, he was not a fool. Even if he made fun of him over it, he would still remember this favor. Clark was true, he felt cushy all over like a newborn baby.


    ¡°Clark¡±.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Are you sure that you can stand?¡± Clark asked skeptically.


    ¡°Yes, just help me up bastard. I can walk, lingering here will do us no good¡±. Dickson argued back.


    ¡°If you say so¡±. Clark shrugged carefreely before motioning forward to raise him.


    After their small bickering and the unexpected thank you, they both kept quiet and did their own thing. After some minutes, Clark finished arranging everything before breaching an opening in the cave that led up.


    They both already discussed and argued over it for the past minutes about what to do next. They concluded that leaving was the best decision.


    Luckily, among the supplies left in Clark¡¯s bag, there was a mechanical prosthetic leg. So, he just attached it to Dickson¡¯s leg, which made up for his inability to walk.


    ¡°F*ck, that¡¯s painful, I said slowly¡±. Dickson suddenly yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯m already doing it slowly; you are just being a kid¡±. Clark sharply retorted.


    Dickson ignored him as he gritted his teeth to endure the pain of standing up. His injuries were really serious. Despite having a prosthetic limb now, the other injuries did not have a substitute, the pain was real.


    It took more effort from both of them, but he finally succeeded in standing on both legs again. This alone already left him sweating bullets.


    This move on their part was dangerous as they already lost most of their weapons, but they were determined to leave.


    Clark already lost all his weapons, only his pair of daggers that were originally kept in his bag was still intact. Dickson lost his bag and everything, only his sword was left.


    After they both finally got ready, Clark led the way forward as they started forging a pathway upward to leave the cave.


    As they slowly climbed upwards, the destruction wrath by the bombs started becoming apparent to them. Most of the rocks already melted to flowing magma, only a few were left intact.


    They both shuddered in fear when they imagined themselves falling into these. The brain was really a massive shit-stirrer.


    Despite all the horrifying scenarios that their brain cooked up, they still finally reached the surface territory of the once animal kingdom which suffered the most.


    Surprisingly, on the way as they climbed up, they found the battered and scorched corpse of the lion alpha. This scene left them feeling proud for a moment, as this lion was a real predator powerhouse.


    This did not stop them though. After they came to the surface of the ground, they admired and took pictures of the destruction wrath by their bombs before turning to leave. Their story here was over.


    ¡°Clark, do you think our soldiers made it to safety?¡± Dickson suddenly asked as they left.


    Clark thought for a moment before answering. ¡°I don¡¯t know. All I know is that we did our best for them, the rest is up to them. I believe in Diana though, so I think that they made it¡±.


    ¡°I hope so¡±. Dickson sighed.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 233: mercenaries

    ¡°God! How long is this passage really? We¡¯ve been passing it for over 5 hours already, my whole body feels sore¡±. Dickson grumbled as he angrily kicked a stone lying at the side with his new prosthetic leg.


    ¡°I¡¯ve not even had my bath, gosh, I can literally see the odor oozing out of me materializing physically. And I¡¯m damn hungry already¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re not grateful that we didn¡¯t encounter any exobeast. Sometimes, I feel that your brain is filled with mud¡±. Clark quickly shot at him with words.


    ¡°With those clumsy legs of yours, you really think that you can fight. I already told you before, if we encounter an exobeast and the going gets too tough, I¡¯m abandoning you without hesitation¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, I know, how many times will you repeat that? Who needs your help?¡± Dickson replied sarcastically.


    ¡°Haha, what a joke. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m hearing that from the one who cried on realizing that he survived after being saved by me¡±.


    Dickson was shocked. ¡°You knew?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I know? I was f*cking tired but I was still alert. Do you think I¡¯m a clumsy soldier like you? I just kept quiet to give you face, that¡¯s all¡±. Clark replied coolly.


    ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Dickson could not help but feel embarrassed. He coughed awkwardly before turning to look at Clark with a weird expression on his face.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Clark quickly asked on noticing his look.


    ¡°Umm, please, can you promise me not to tell Anna about that?¡± He asked with a pleading expression on his face.


    ¡°Forget it, I don¡¯t have the energy to mock you. You don¡¯t need my help, I¡¯m cool with it, but narrating everything to her is the first thing I¡¯m doing when we finally converge back with them¡±.


    Clark replied with a gloating face, as his steps developed more swagger in them.


    Seeing this, Dickson could not help but get annoyed. Thinking deeper into it, Clark already saw every version of him, both the version where he saw himself as invisible and his current weak form.


    To him, his most invisible form was when he was a gladiator. As the vice-captain of the then widely acknowledged strongest gladiator team and having a soldier like World dominator as his teammate, he felt on top of the world.


    Comparing then to right now where Clark had to take care of him, he finally concluded that life was really unpredictable. From opponents, they were now close comrades.


    Though these were the thoughts in his head, he could not afford to appear weak in front of Clark. As he was about to lash out loudly, Clark suddenly stuffed his left hand inside his mouth.


    ¡°Shh, I hear noise¡±.


    Clark quickly shushed him, made a sign for him to squat and lie low before he started tip-toeing forward.


    As he silently moved forward, he was already holding his pair of daggers tightly. He prayed for the best in his heart but he was already expecting the worst. This would make him react faster.


    As he got closer to the source of the sound, he was surprised to notice that another road stood perpendicular to the one that he was currently in.


    Seeing this, he was overjoyed as this meant that they were getting closer to leaving the boundaries of these unending cliffs, which indirectly translated to getting closer to the location of a shelter.


    After getting closer to the new road, he didn¡¯t go directly to look. He squatted to hide beside a rock that lay at the side, before looking around himself to confirm that he was safe.


    Looking up, he saw the walls of the 2 cliffs still standing tall without an end in sight. Despite everywhere being covered with pure white ice and snow, he still confirmed that no one was climbing the cliff walls.


    After doing this, he heaved a sigh of relief before standing up slowly to look beyond the rock that he hid behind.


    Thud! Thud!


    As soon as he stood up, the noise that he heard became more glaring, making him shrink back from instinct.


    After gathering his nerves, he stood up again to look across. This was when he saw the source of the noise, it was an organized group of mountaineers, probably soldiers from his deductions.


    They were marching across in a tightly organized formation, showing how alert they were to their surroundings.


    Though only their thick climbing uniform was shown outside, his sharp eyes could still detect the slight figures of weapons hidden beneath their covers.


    This new road intersected with the one they were currently passing through between the 2 cliffs, and both groups converging was inevitable. If he didn¡¯t see them now, these guys would have seen them first.


    From his quick deduction, this group comprised of 6 females and 15 males.


    ¡°What is there?¡± Dickson suddenly whispered a question, making him turn with a scolding expression on his face.


    ¡°I told you to squat there¡±.


    Dickson shrugged. ¡°I was bored and curious, so I came to see also¡±.


    Clark felt the urge to bonk this guy on the head on hearing his lazy laidback answer, but he suppressed the impulse and shifted to the side a little to allow him to see.


    Seeing the organized group of humans, Dickson¡¯s eyes narrowed, but this did not last long as they quickly became clear again.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a mercenary group, follow me. I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s why you acted so secretive, what a scaredy-cat you are¡±.


    Before Clark could react, Dickson already started walking down the road to meet these newcomers. He was shocked, he could only open his eyes wide as this guy walked away confidently.


    ¡°F*ck, don¡¯t you know what planning means? What a bastard!¡±


    Clark cursed to himself but he stood rooted on the spot. If his companion was courting death, he would not follow in his footsteps. He got ready for the worse to happen.


    ¡°Tighten the formation immediately¡±.


    The man who seemed to be the leader of the newcomers reacted instantly on seeing Dickson, as he gave orders smoothly to his subordinates.


    Seeing that Dickson kept on walking confidently to meet them despite seeing their reaction, the man¡¯s sharp eyes quickly narrowed.


    ¡°Stay where you are and state your intentions, otherwise, we would attack¡±. He said in a deep tone while flexing his sword by rotating it expertly to show his point.


    ¡°Yo¡­, no need for such hard measures, I¡¯m a human like you¡±. Dickson answered carelessly as he continued forward.


    ¡°I said stay where you are!¡± This time, everyone in the group wielded their weapons as they got set for battle.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s ok, no need for weapons please. I just came to ask for information about this area, I¡¯m not familiar with this place you know¡±. Dickson finally stopped and raised his hands to show his innocence.


    Seeing this, the group of mercenaries heaved a sigh of relief but they still didn¡¯t let their guard down.


    They went closer to meet him with their faces fearsomely tightened while paying attention to all his moves. As they did this, this was when they started observing him closely.


    A human- check, the physique of a soldier- check, rough clothes like those of a thief- weird, no weapon- check, a prosthetic leg of high quality- check, approximate danger level- low.


    After making those series of quick assessments, they suddenly grew bolder and stepped forward to hold him. Surprisingly, they had some weird handcuffs with them which they used to hold him.


    ¡°Now, tell me, what were you saying again? And who are you?¡± The man who seemed to be the leader asked.


    ¡°Not this again¡­¡± Despite complaining in his heart, Dickson still patiently gave them a bullshit filled-explanation of his situation and who he was.


    Hearing his explanation, the mercenaries face grew weird.


    ¡°Cough¡­, ahem, you mean that you came here to ask for food? That¡¯s why you came so confidently, almost scaring the hell out of us?¡± The leader of the mercenaries suddenly grew angry and embarrassed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to offend you. As I told you, I¡¯m a mercenary, all my colleagues died when we encountered a strong exobeast, I¡¯m willing to work for you and be a part of your mercenary group¡±.


    Dickson continued reinforcing his bullshit motion with an innocent and sincere expression on his face, completely unlike a 2nd rank high-grade soldier who was the leader of an expedition squad.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m hungry, just give me food and I¡¯m yours¡±. He added again.


    ¡°So you¡¯re just a lucky bastard who abandoned his teammates to die, how the f*ck did you climb to this zone of the Everest mountain?¡± One of the mercenaries suddenly erupted.


    ¡°And how did you get your hands on such a nicely made prosthetic?¡± Another one quickly added.


    ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, leave everything valuable that you have behind. Then, perhaps we can contemplate letting you live¡±.


    ¡°You heard them; I don¡¯t accept incompetent soldiers in my mercenary group. Leave everything that you have behind¡±. The leader of the mercenaries finally spoke again in support of his subordinates.


    Dickson fell silent as a lot of things revolved around his mind. ¡°Does it always have to end up like this?¡±


    ¡°You said what?


    ¡°Oh, nothing¡±.


    ¡°Commander, I heard him, he insulted us. I¡¯ll show him a lesson¡±. One of the mercenaries suddenly spoke out righteously, before rushing forward with a clear aim at Dickson¡¯s prosthetic leg.


    Bam!!


    Before the mercenary could react, a fist already connected with his face, as his nose crooked immediately with the majority of his front teeth dislocating and flying randomly like kites in the sky.


    ¡°What?¡± The mercenaries were shocked.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death¡±. Already angered at the attack aimed at their comrade, the rest all swarmed at him. This was a decision that they would forever live to regret.


    ¡­


    5 minutes later, Dickson was the last man standing as he looked down at the mercenaries with a victorious grin on his face.


    ¡°I almost forgot what it feels like to trash overconfident bastards, thank you for granting me the opportunity. Now, will you give me food or not?¡± He asked while smiling.


    ¡°Sorry sir, forgive us for not recognizing the dragon in you. Take, please eat to your fill¡±.


    One of the female mercenaries in the group came closer while trembling, as she placed the canned food before him. Unlike most of the boys with battered faces, she only suffered slight bruises, but this alone horrified her.


    ¡°Good, next time, you don¡¯t just harass anyone that you see. Did you all get that, dumbheads?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, your wisdom is as vast as the encompassing sky. We will always treasure this knowledge; it will become our family heirloom¡±. The leader of the soldiers quickly added.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dickson¡¯s face twitched on hearing this, but he did not reply as he started digging into the food to replenish his exhausted reserves.


    As he expected, his companion could no longer hold himself back seeing him eating as he came down the next moment.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t come down scaredy-cat. Even with one leg, never underestimate me, Clark¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, I know, just give me food¡±. Clark answered calmly, swept a glance at the trembling mercenaries before also settling down to eat.


    The mercenaries shook even further on seeing him. ¡°Another devil, we are doomed¡±.


    ¡­


    Minutes later, they both finally stood up satisfied. Even if these mercenaries were brainless, at least they had a good sense of food taste.


    ¡°Ok, you¡­¡± Dickson called out in an authoritative tone.


    ¡°The name is Jason sir¡±.


    ¡°Good, you said that a shelter is nearby, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    ¡°Lead us there¡±.


    ¡°Ok, sir¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 234: the king of demolition

    ¡°How long till we get there? I¡¯m already tired of the constant walking¡±. Dickson complained again as he inclined his head to glance at the leader of the mercenaries, Jason.


    ¡°Invisible sir, we¡¯ll get there in about an hour from now¡±. Jason smoothly answered.


    After so long, he already got used to Dickson¡¯s antics. As a hustler who came to the great Himalayan ranges to look for opportunities, knowing your situation was a must-learn skill that he must have.


    After knowing his situation, adapting to his situation was the next, and from the way that he smoothly transited from a bully to a master bootlicker, it showed that he was an expert.


    ¡°Ok, use the remaining time to tell me about your mercenary group. According to you, we are already in the middle height of the Himalayan peaks, what brought you here?¡±


    ¡°From my knowledge, weaklings like you have no place here¡±.


    Ignoring the savageness in Dickson¡¯s tone, Jason patted his chest before answering enthusiastically.


    ¡°As invisible sir said, I and my subordinates are all weaklings. We came to this dangerous region because we can¡¯t find a foothold in our country, at least here, no one is safe¡±.


    ¡°And opportunities are abundant here. It¡¯s only in dangerous places like this that weaklings like us can become big from one leap, the great king of demolition is our greatest pioneer¡±.


    ¡°The name of my mercenary group is the crumb pickers mercenary group. We pick the crumbs and scraps left by the big guys with hopes of striking big one day¡±.


    Seeing the proud manner in which this man described his mercenary group, Dickson secretly rolled his eyes.


    ¡°As you already know, I¡¯m the commander of the mercenary group, but if invisible sir wants, you can directly become the leader and the commander. No one will object, I guarantee that¡±.


    ¡°No need¡±. Dickson¡¯s eyes twitched.


    ¡°Ok, let me tell you the exploits and legendary feats of my mercenary group¡­¡±


    As Jason continued rambling on and indulging Dickson¡¯s antics, Clark kept quiet at a corner. A word that this man said was ringing a bell in his mind, the king of demolition, who was he exactly?


    If his memory was intact, he remembered that this was the second time that he was hearing this same name, which was weird in a big region such as the great Himalayan ranges.


    The first time was when they entered their first shelter where 3 thugs impersonated the king of demolition¡¯s subordinates.


    Then, he didn¡¯t take it seriously, but now, he started perceiving that there was more to this name. He wondered if he/she was a high-grade soldier, or what else could make him so famous?


    ¡°Jason¡­¡± He suddenly called out to interrupt the blabbering mercenary.


    ¡°Yes, 2nd invisible sir¡±.


    Clark¡¯s face twitched. ¡°Why did you call him invisible sir while me 2nd invisible sir?¡±


    Seeing that the man was already fidgeting in a panic to the enjoyment of Dickson, Clark shook his head before waving it away.


    ¡°Tell me, I want to know about this so-called king of demolition¡±.


    Hearing his inquiry, Jason¡¯s eyes quickly lit up in excitement as they shone in the bright day like 2 additional suns.


    This reaction made Clark more curious to know the identity of this king of demolition, now he was really interested in this guy.


    ¡°As you wish, 2nd invisible master¡±.


    ¡°According to what I heard on arriving at the great Himalayan ranges, the king of demolition is the greatest rogue mercenary in all the peaks. He is a legend here, and so is his story¡±.


    ¡­


    They said that he is a child born from war, a teenager tempered from frost, and a man forged from blood. His bloodline is without blemish, he is the favored son of the Everest.


    The legend started approximately 31 years ago when there was a clash of territory between the flourishing Kraken mercenary group and the declining fierce Tiger mercenary group.


    Both his parents were mercenaries of the declining fierce tiger mercenary group, who were the underdogs in the great clash.


    Coincidentally, at the time of the clash, his mother, the blessed one of the great Himalayan peaks was pregnant. As the wife of the leader of the mercenary group, she was protected by all the mercenaries.


    According to the legend, the legendary battle dragged on for 7 days and 7 nights. Rain fell, thunder struck, exobeasts cried, avalanches and snowstorms were everywhere, even the heavens were overturned on that dreadful day.


    After 7 days, the mercenaries of the fierce tigers started losing endurance. They still persevered to the end, but their opponents'' overwhelming number did them in.


    From the 6th hour of the 7th day, they started dying slowly under the bombardment of their archenemies.


    During the 9th hour, amid the raging battle and raining blood, the first lady of the mercenary group finally gave birth to the son blessed by the Everest, who is now called the king of demolition.


    The fight continued dragging on to the 12th hour, that was when the unshakable mountain, the mountain fist, the breaker of boulders, the leader of the fierce tigers finally died.


    Before the great leader died completely, he was reluctant to let his newborn child and weak wife fall into the hands of his archenemies, so he took the both of them to the edge of a cliff.


    He jumped down decisively to end his life and that of his wife. Though he did this without hesitation, he was reluctant to hand his newborn child over to death, so he offered him to the Everest.


    On that day, the legend said that his manly voice was heard across the whole Milky way galaxy. He shouted:


    ¡°Oh Everest, please, I can die from the sword because I have taken countless lives with it, but not my newborn child. He is just an innocent child who has not held a sword, spare him¡±.


    ¡°Take him and nurture him, I give him to you¡±.


    With that, the great leader of the fierce tigers threw his newborn child far away from his position. After this, he and his wife were finally submerged in the raging avalanche.


    The world became dark on his death. The sun cried for another 7 days after he died, reinforcing his legendary acts.


    To answer his plea, the Everest went to action. It used its mysterious ways to save the child that never cried from birth, this is what made the king of demolition that we know today.


    His feats are known across the great Himalayan peaks, and other legendary feats keep on stacking on top to enlarge his legend.


    He is the only blessed son of the great Cold Kong who lives at the zenith of the Everest.


    ¡­


    After Jason stopped his passionate blabbering, a strange silence fell upon the group as everyone slowly internalized the mind-blowing information that was just dumped at them.


    After hearing this, Clark was speechless. The only word that kept revolving around his head was- what the hell?


    ¡°Damn! Jason, where did you hear such a nice fairytale? I can pay a million to hear more, you did a good job man¡±. Before Clark could speak, Dickson already beat him to it.


    ¡°But, invisible sir, it¡¯s the truth¡±. Jason replied with a voice that kept a constant weakening tone.


    ¡°Truth?? Truth¡­, yeah it¡¯s the truth. You really know the drill, when you say that, people will believe it more. To be sincere, I felt some real goosebumps there man¡±.


    ¡°I like you now, I think you¡¯ll be a nice buddy. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Yes, invisible sir, I¡¯m ready to do anything that you want¡±. Jason answered humbly.


    As Dickson was about to spout more nonsense, Clark finally interrupted him. At times, he felt a little speechless at how this guy could switch from a fierce powerhouse to a blabbering fool so impeccably.


    ¡°Jason, is this story real?¡± Clark asked skeptically.


    ¡°It is true 2nd invisible sir. I bet on my life that I did not lie, that is the undiluted truth. Every veteran who has stayed in the Everest for more than 10 years knows it¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I understand. What of the legendary Cold Kong, is it true that he stays at the zenith of the Everest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is even more true. It was long ago, but I once had the privilege of seeing his napping silhouette that was reflected from the top level of the mountain¡±.


    ¡°It was so¡­, magnificent. Nothing else could best describe it¡±.


    ¡°What the hell? A napping ape?¡± Clark was speechless.


    Ahem¡­, ok¡±. Clark quickly interrupted him as he knew that if left alone, this could lead to another legendary tale.


    ¡°I want you to tell me the legendary deeds of the king of demolition¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m at your service 2nd, invisible sir¡±.


    ¡°His first well-known feat is when he was just a 6-year-old kid, back¡­¡±


    As Jason continued doing his job of narrating the deeds of the king of demolition, all his subordinates kept quiet while humbly following from the back. After Dickson trashed them, they finally learned some manners.


    Seeing their leader who was speaking so freely with the same man who beat him up a moment ago, they suddenly felt admiration for him.


    He was speaking about the legend of someone else without knowing that he himself was a legend. It is a legendary feat to speak so coolly with someone who just trashed you.


    Now they knew why this mercenary group was able to last in this treacherous region for 10 whole years.


    ¡°Invisible sirs, we are here¡±. The female mercenary who served Clark and Dickson suddenly spoke out at this moment, after much pushing from her comrades.


    ¡°Oh¡­, we arrived so fast¡±. Dickson was surprised on seeing the enormous size of this shelter. Jason quickly read the atmosphere, as he smoothly ended his narration.


    Clark was even more surprised. From the little that he could see, he already recognized a lot of technological applications that were applied here.


    ¡°Do you think Diana led the others here?¡± Dickson finally asked.


    Though he tried to use this funny mercenary leader that he found to vent and keep his emotions in check, it was inevitable that he still felt worried about the fate of his fianc¨¦e.


    ¡°No need to ask, they are here. Benny has already seen us¡±.


    Dickson opened his eyes wide in joy, as he saw Clark¡¯s second in command coming out of the shelter to greet them. He suddenly felt like lying down leisurely on the soft snow to sleep.


    After that life-threatening encounter, he and his fianc¨¦e survived. The world suddenly seemed brighter to him.


    ¡°Clark, welcome, we¡¯ve all been worried about you¡±.


    Benny finally welcomed his friend with a warm hug, as they both indulged themselves in the beauty of reunion.


    With Benny with them, the guards of the shelter did not come to block them, granting them unhindered passage inside. When the door guards asked them for money, Clark and Dickson turned to face Jason.


    The mercenary forced a smile on seeing their stare. ¡°Don¡¯t worry invisible sirs, I will take care of it¡±.


    ¡°Ok, good¡±. Dickson patted his back with a smile before they swaggered inside the shelter.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 235: reunion and planning

    When Clark and Dickson entered the shelter, they were quickly submerged in a barrage of passionate hugs.


    Despite being soldiers, these Spartans and Dalands could not help themselves on seeing their 2 leaders who sacrificed a lot for them to escape.


    Dickson was almost tripped over due to his prosthetic leg, but his subordinates quickly stabilized him after they noticed it.


    Both leaders stood rooted on the spot as the front of the shelter suddenly became the stage of an emotional reunion. Though they never spoke about it, Clark and Dickson were always worried about the safety of their subordinates.


    After they finally got confirmation of their safety, they indulged themselves in this sweet feeling. They didn¡¯t want this moment to end at all.


    The others in the shelter sat, looking rigidly at this public display of affection. Jason and his mercenary subordinates felt it more, as they stood awkwardly at the side.


    After the group reunion ended, to the dismay of the onlookers, this was not the end. Dickson and Clark started their personal reunion with their second in command.


    Diana and Benny smiled brightly as they went forward for a personal hug with their Major.


    Seeing Dickson¡¯s prosthetic leg and the bandages still in some parts of his body, Anna did not know when she started crying.


    She dove into his outstretched arms while sobbing, as they remained in this posture for an indeterminate time. Dickson felt peace again on feeling the familiar figure resting in his chest.


    When they finally separated, they saw that the others were already waiting for them, so they went inside the shelter.


    Though the allied soldiers did not have the space to carry all their supplies, they still carried all their money, so they were able to hire a large side compartment for themselves in the shelter.


    As they all left, Dickson suddenly remembered something. He quickly turned around with his hand still wrapped around his fianc¨¦e, before speaking.


    ¡°Jason, sorry for the wait. I didn¡¯t forget you guys, wait for me, I will come back to meet you. You are now my buddy, I didn¡¯t lie¡±.


    ¡°Invisible sir, take your time. I can wait¡±. Jason answered humbly.


    ¡°Stop calling me that ridiculous title, call me Dickson¡±.


    Dickson smiled on seeing the dazed look on the mercenary¡¯s face, as he finally stepped away with the help of his fianc¨¦e.


    ¡­


    Entering the side compartment, contrary to what would have been expected in such a situation, the allied soldiers did not engage in any celebration to commemorate their survival.


    Honoring the dead was the priority of them as soldiers. Their dead comrades were already gone and can never come back, but they would give them the respect that was due.


    The large room was already set for the 2 leaders, as Clark and Dickson solemnly climbed the elevated platform where 22 flowers were laid down in a row. These represented the casualties of the escape battle.


    Though they escaped in the end, it was from the sacrifice of these 22 brave souls that they could still breathe the fresh air of the Everest. No war was without casualties, but they still felt bad.


    After climbing the podium, Clark turned to look at Dickson. After getting his nod of acknowledgment, he took the stage and gave the speech to honor the dead soldiers.


    Though this was something that he was already versatile on, Clark still got carried away by his emotions. Just like the other soldiers, the death of so many comrades deeply affected him.


    After a deep emotional session, the honoring of the dead tradition was finally done. Clark ended his speech on a strong note.


    ¡°I feel crushed about the death of our comrades, but I believe that no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we will always come back stronger¡±.


    With that, the flowers were finally taken out to be buried.


    After getting back, when the soldiers inquired about the next plan, Clark smiled at them before telling them that today was a holiday for them. They were taking today as a day to rest from all the stress of the mission.


    As the soldiers left contentedly to do their own thing, Clark located a corner in the large side compartment to speak with his 2 seconds in commands.


    Diana and Benny eagerly went with him to the side, they brought a first aid box along. Though they had a lot of things to catch up on, attending to his injuries was paramount.


    Only the outrageous physique of 2nd rank high-grade soldiers enabled him and Dickson to survive, their injuries were pretty serious and numerous.


    Clark leaned against the chair as he let Diana attend to his injuries. Benny sat at the side as he now acted as her medical assistant, giving her any tool that she asked for.


    As this went on, they finally started their conversation.


    ¡°Please, Clark, tell us your encounters after you guys escaped¡±. Diana asked.


    ¡°No, you first¡±. Clark replied while smiling.


    ¡°I knew you would say that, ok¡±. Diana pouted cutely to Clark¡¯s surprise, but she didn¡¯t make a fuss over it. She started describing the procedure of their escape to Clark.


    After 30 minutes of description when her mouth was already dry and she already ended her first-aid session, her story finally came to an end. With the special medical injections that they escaped with; Clark felt a lot better.


    ¡°Wow, that was intense, you guys really tried¡±. Clark said with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s the 5th time you are saying that already, is it that incredible? Well, never mind, it''s now your turn¡±. Diana said with a brighter smile, Benny was already rubbing his hands in anticipation.


    ¡°Well, mine was more complicated but was less tense than yours¡±. Clark started while staring at the ceiling.


    ¡°No suspense, I didn¡¯t leave you suspending¡±. Diana quickly protested.


    ¡°Ok, if you say so¡±.


    It did not take long, only about 15 minutes before he finally finished narrating his encounters with Dickson for the past few days.


    After listening to his story, Diana and Benny went silent as they tried to place themselves in his position. Though his story was straightforward, they knew that it was far more complicated than described.


    They suddenly felt a little guilty for leaving him behind.


    ¡°Hey, guys, we already passed that level. If you guys did wrong, my tongue would have eaten you up already. Cheer up, this is already past tense to us¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right¡±. Benny finally smiled again. ¡°What of Dickson, how is your perception of him after staying with him for so long?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­, that guy. For me, after so long together, I think he is someone that is mostly led by his emotions. He vents anytime that he¡¯s frustrated, so it doesn¡¯t take me hard to read his thoughts¡±.


    ¡°Personally, I think that he is a nice guy. He is funny, a reliable soldier and buddy, but the most dominant description for him is that he is a massive shit stirrer¡±.


    ¡°Those guys that we came with. You won¡¯t believe it if I told you how we met them, this Dickson¡­¡±


    Diana and Benny secretly held each other''s hands on seeing their Clark back, they gave him their undivided attention.


    As this went on, in another secluded corner of the side compartment, Dickson and Anna were together enjoying some fianc¨¦e time. She already attended to his injuries, so they spent their time talking about their experiences.


    Surprisingly, Dickson gave his fianc¨¦e a unique gift.


    Anna was shocked as she placed her hands on her bosom. ¡°A ring? But you already gave me one when we engaged¡±.


    Dickson smiled. ¡°This is not an engagement ring; this is the ring that I originally bought for our marriage¡±.


    ¡°I want to give it to you in advance. When we crossed Mariana on our way here, I saw this on an online auction and I fell in love with it immediately, so I secretly bought it for you¡±.


    ¡°After getting so close to death, I discovered that holding it to myself is useless. Please, take some time to thank Clark for me. Without him, I would be dead already, I don¡¯t know how to repay his kindness¡±.


    Feeling his fluctuating emotions, Anna hugged her fianc¨¦e tightly. They spent the rest of their time huddled together in a passionate hug.


    ¡­


    Hours later when it was already evening, Clark, Dickson, and their second in commands finally converged together for a leaders¡¯ strategic meeting to decide their next course of action.


    After setting a round mechanical table, they finally sat down in their various mechanical seats. After clearing his throat, Clark finally started speaking as the leader of the allied force.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to give any special name to this strategic meeting, as we all already know its significance. This is to know our next course of action, and to avoid mistakes in our route¡±.


    ¡°When I was still escaping with Dickson, I already came up with some plans, but I still want to hear from our second in commands first¡±.


    ¡°Benny, Diana, Anna, do you have any important report to make?¡±


    After looking at the other¡¯s faces, Diana finally answered. ¡°Yes, Major, we have an important report¡±.


    ¡°During the time that we were waiting for your arrival, we were not idle. Every soldier was active, as we gave ourselves the mission of gathering sufficient information before you arrive¡±.


    ¡°We expected to get the general information, but surprisingly, we discovered a very vital information that may possibly lead us to a lot of progress in our mission¡±.


    ¡°We gathered information about a specific well-known figure here in the Himalayan peaks¡±.


    ¡°Let me guess, the king of demolition, right?¡± Seeing the way that she phrased this, Clark connected it and guessed.


    As expected, he was right. Diana was visibly surprised that he already knew about the king of demolition. He quickly explained how he knew him to her before she continued.


    ¡°According to the information that we got, like his well-known name, he is like a king here. We learned that if we want to know of something important, he is the right person to meet¡±.


    ¡°Though we got this, we also learned that he is very rare to meet. This would have left us with little choice, but there is a rumor that he will be visiting the central shelter of this region in a week¡±.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if this information is correct, but that¡¯s our best choice at meeting him, I think¡±.


    ¡°The central shelter is the widely acknowledged biggest shelter of this region¡±.


    After listening to everything that was said, Clark fell silent. When he heard the story of this man, he already expected this, but still hearing from Diana¡¯s mouth about his exalted status left him thinking.


    He now really wanted to meet this man.


    ¡°Do you know why he is called the king of demolition?¡± Dickson suddenly asked.


    ¡°Well, we learned that he is a demolition expert¡±.


    ¡°A demolition expert?¡± Clark and Dickson were stunned. Though this was normal, getting well known for your demolition skills rather than your physical strength was weird in this era.


    ¡°He is a demolition expert, but some others said that he is a very strong soldier too. Most of the information about him is exaggerated nonsense, so I can¡¯t really say¡±. Diana shrugged.


    ¡°Ok, I already decided¡±. Clark finally stood up.


    ¡°From tomorrow, finding the central shelter will be our main priority. We need to meet this guy, so we have to reach the shelter in at most 5 days from now, not a single day more¡±.


    ¡°Are there any objections?¡±


    ¡°No, Major¡±.


    ¡°Good, the meeting has come to a close. Diana, Benny, Anna, disclose the new objective to the soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Major¡±.


    As they left to go, Clark motioned at Dickson to stay behind. He did not object, as he calmly sat down again.


    After the others left, Clark opened his mouth to speak after hesitating a bit. ¡°Dickson, about the mission target¡­¡±


    Dickson sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Clark, I already made up my mind. After all the help that you rendered to me and my squad, fighting with you over the mission target is foolishness on my part¡±.


    ¡°The main target is not the only mission target. There are other valuable targets, and I can vie for those, right?¡±


    Clark suddenly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Yes, you can, thanks for understanding¡±.


    ¡°No probs buddy¡±.


    With that, the meeting officially came to a close.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 236: the tyrant plan

    The next day, the Spartan/Daland allied squad was set for departure as the soldiers energetically prepared to leave the shelter after over 2 days of staying there.


    While waiting for their 2 leaders, they already had some memories with the mercenaries here. If they survived the mission, perhaps these were potential stories that they could filter and tell their grandchildren.


    It was every soldier''s dream to get old, retire as a fulfilled Commander in chief, have a large mansion and a special place to tell his/her legendary stories to their grandchildren.


    Well, this was if they survived this mission. Life is in phases and men are in sizes, they had to learn to crawl first before learning to run.


    After Benny, Diana, and Anna announced their leader¡¯s decision to them yesterday, they no longer wasted time as they gathered their remaining resources to leave.


    After their escape battle between the 2 cliffs, their material and survival supply losses were so big that they had just a fraction of what they came to the battle with.


    With so few resources and supplies, even survival alone in the extreme regions of the Everest was not guaranteed, so they needed to find ways to replenish their resources. This was what Clark and Dickson already secretly planned for.


    Though it was nice to be always good to others, they were not here to play, they were here for business, and they would do anything necessary to replenish their low supply reserves.


    Not every day should a soldier play as the prince charming, sometimes, when the situation calls for it, they have to play the menacing demon. That¡¯s just life.


    Even though being tyrants was not good, they were well-trained soldiers of their various countries. They were not trained to cower in fear in the face of adversities, but to utilize their skills and face it with dauntless courage.


    For the first time since he became a soldier, Clark approved of the idea of being the bully tyrant after being persuaded by Dickson yesterday. They had no other choice if they were to continue their mission.


    As the group of black-uniformed soldiers trouped out of their special side compartment, they drew the attention of every inhabitant of the shelter again.


    As a shelter located in the middle heights of the Everest Mountain, no tourist had the guts to come this far. Only mercenaries, retired soldiers, and active soldiers took refuge in it.


    After a few days here, most of them already recognized Clark¡¯s group as one of the fiercest here, so they naturally gave them the needed respect.


    The soldiers did not waste any time, as they directly opened the door and went outside into the snow. Clark and Dickson lingered behind, as they were to settle their cumulative bills for the past few days.


    Going to the wide semi-circular counter that isolated the clerk there from the main shelter hall, Clark quickly asked for the amount he needed to pay and settled it.


    Leaving there, he sighed ruefully at the amount of money that just left his pocket. Despite already paying for the initial lodging, he still had to pay an astronomical 360,000 Mountain credits.


    These additional charges were just for the fact that they hired a side compartment. That was the huge difference between the normal hall and the side compartments, it almost felt like daylight robbery.


    This successfully took a huge lump from their reserves, but he was not too anxious. Though Dickson¡¯s plan of sustenance was vicious, it was the best for soldiers like them.


    Dickson named the overall move¡­, the tyrant plan.


    Before they left, they both turned to a corner to face a group of mercenaries who had patiently waited for them since they came.


    ¡°Jason, you actually stayed till now? I¡¯m sorry for not coming early. After just reconvening with my comrades, I had a lot of things to take care of¡±. Dickson apologized loudly, as he came to meet his companions who escorted them here.


    ¡°No need to apologize, invisible sir, your matters and ways are far beyond my comprehension and understanding. I can never leave when you told me to wait, that¡¯s how much respect I have for you, sir¡±.


    The ever-surprising mercenary, Jason, stood up and replied calmly while complimenting it with a nice curtsy bow.


    ¡°Yeah, you still got it¡±. His subordinate¡¯s faces twitched on seeing how he smoothly transited from their boss to this guy¡¯s loyal bootlicker again, he was really the best at it.


    Though this was their thoughts, they still stood up respectfully to greet Dickson. ¡°Welcome back, invisible sir¡±.


    Hearing this guy¡¯s welcome words, Dickson rolled his eyes but he didn¡¯t mind, this was one of the main reasons why he liked this guy. His mouth was just the sweetest.


    ¡°Perhaps, if I survive this mission, I should offer to take him away from this region. It¡¯s not a bad thing to have a subordinate like him¡±. Dickson licked his rosy lips thoughtfully.


    ¡°Buddy, I like the way you speak, you never fail to surprise me. I think that I¡¯ll miss your storytelling a lot¡±. Dickson laughed and broke out from his thoughts as he bearhugged Jason.


    Seeing this, Jason¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Did I do it this time? Did I befriend a bigshot? Oh my God¡­!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you wait for so long, Jason. Don¡¯t worry, the bills accumulated for this period will be borne by us¡±. Clark finally interrupted his thoughts.


    ¡°Ah, 2nd invisible sir, no need for that¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, Clark waved him to stop. At this moment, he felt like he was a rich tycoon that could afford to splash money anyhow.


    ¡°What a nice feeling it was to be filthy rich¡±, he thought.


    Clark first thanked him and his subordinates for guiding them here, for the informative stories that he entertained them with on the way before finally giving them a buddy¡¯s handshake.


    The mercenaries felt flattered by this, as shaking Clark left a faint blush in their cheeks. After so many days, they already knew that Clark was the overall leader.


    After doing all these, Clark patted Jason again on the shoulders before turning to leave. He left them to Dickson, their new friend, or should he say superior.


    ¡°You heard him, my boss already thanked you and said everything, so I don¡¯t have much to say again¡±. Dickson finally said while chuckling.


    ¡°I have to say that I¡¯ll miss your company a lot¡±. He added with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered, invisible sir¡±. Jason was sure not to forget this timing to bootlick, the pro-flattering spirit in him was already rippling excitedly, but he still kept a calm demeanor.


    Hearing this, Dickson¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°Actually, I have a help to ask of you, Jason¡±.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m all ears sir¡±.


    Dickson did not speak immediately, instead, he directed his gaze at the subordinates who stood behind Jason. Quickly getting the hint, they calmly excused themselves away.


    Seeing this, Jason was surprised. He knew that Dickson meant no harm, but such a setting in preparation for this made him tense, he suddenly felt goosebumps all over.


    It was at this moment that Dickson leaned closer, placed his mouth to his ears before whispering something to him. A minute later, he opened his eyes wide at Dickson.


    ¡°What? You thought we were the ever-good guys? We are indeed the good guys, but we have to adapt to changing situations¡±. Dickson laughed on seeing his reaction.


    Hearing what he said, Jason suddenly felt relieved. He nodded to show that he understood before he smoothly dipped his hands inside his bag and brought out a map inscribed inside an iron plate.


    ¡°Oh, it seems that you already expected me to ask of this?¡± Dickson was surprised.


    ¡°I predicted it sir, so I prepared in advance. Everything that you need is there, it has some side ports where more elaborate information is recorded¡±. Jason answered smoothly.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re indeed my buddy. I guess this is why I merged with you so smoothly. If fate allows us to meet again, I¡¯ll probably surprise you¡±.


    After saying this, Dickson brought out a wrapped paper and dipped it into his hands before turning to leave. ¡°It was nice meeting you¡­, Jason¡±.


    ¡°You too¡­, invisible sir¡±.


    Seeing Dickson leave, Jason was left trapped in a daze. He knew that separating was inevitable, but he was shocked to find himself feeling sad on witnessing this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I think that I¡¯ll miss him a lot. I really liked him, though I don¡¯t know how and why. Is this the legendary attraction at first sight?¡± He mumbled to himself


    ¡°Boss, what did he give you? Open it let''s see¡±.


    His moment in a daze did not last, as his subordinates quickly swarmed back to meet him on seeing Dickson leave.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot¡±. He activated a low-grade camouflage device to prevent prying eyes, before unwrapping the stuff that was handed to him. This was already instinct to a mercenary like him.


    ¡°Woah!¡± The mercenaries gasped as soon as the contents of the wrap were revealed.


    Bundles of Mountain credits were nicely wrapped together to form an extremely visually impactive sight. They were shocked for a short moment, before immediately becoming excited.


    ¡°How much?¡± They all asked in unison.


    Jason recovered from his daze, looked around cautiously before scanning it with a small device. He gasped, ¡°500,000 Mountain credits¡±.


    ¡°Damn, we hit the jackpot this time. Commander, you¡¯re the best, you always recognize the generous guys¡±. One of the mercenaries whispered excitedly.


    ¡°I now want to learn the trick, I¡¯m envious of such an ability Commander¡±. Another one whispered, making the others laugh.


    Jason also laughed loudly at this point; his method was right after all. His belief was not baseless, getting lucky to help a bigshot was the fastest way to immediate success.


    His head inclined backward as his laughter soon turned into a full-fledged chortle. ¡°Fate is on my side invisible sir¡­, we will surely meet again¡±.


    With that, the small mercenary group left 500,000 Mountain credits richer. This was what they could only get after working hard for months, they were undoubtedly happy.


    ¡­


    After going outside the shelter, Clark¡¯s face bloomed into a smile as the white icy view of the great Himalayan peaks showcased their brilliance before him again.


    The allied group of soldiers before him had even brighter smiles on their faces, their excitement was palpable.


    After the battle against the animal kingdom, the Daland soldiers already had a deep respect for Clark. When Dickson also told them about how he saved him, this was the fitting puzzle that brought their respect for him to the peak.


    Originally, they still had some doubts as Clark was still essentially a soldier from another country. But now, they only felt reverence and respect for him.


    The Spartan soldiers felt proud on seeing this, as they unconsciously propped out their chests a bit higher. Nothing was more satisfying to soldiers in this era than having a capable leader.


    Clark did not give another speech, everything needed was already said. As soon as Dickson came out of the shelter, they set out again to continue this journey for their mission target.


    Once again, they were trudging forward to fulfill their mission objective. They suffered some setbacks, but they already lived past it.


    Don¡¯t be afraid to be ambitious about your goals. Hard work never stops, neither should your dreams.


    This was the only belief that they held to, and it was what was helping them to continue forward.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 237: a curios adventurer and the first vicecommander

    ¡°These guys are really some tenacious bastards!¡±


    A man¡¯s deep voice echoed out in the abandoned landscape in a surprised and slightly spooked tone, as he carefully scrutinized the destruction that was before him.


    All over his sight, all he could see was a wasteland. This place seemed like a desert that was used as the testing site of a new nuclear weapon of the big 5, his eyes remained wide open like saucers.


    From his insight as a high-grade soldier, he easily deduced that this huge expanse of land was once a flourishing landscape, probably a very beautiful one too.


    He was indeed the Mariana Captain, and this was the location where Clark and Dickson¡¯s allied squad fought their decisive escape battle with the 2 alpha beasts and their horde of subordinates.


    Seeing the still lingering effects caused by the fire that was probably from a big explosion and the depressed landscape that was formed because of the impact pressure of the battle, he sucked in a cold breath of air.


    From the little that he could see from his position, he could faintly imagine and picture out what exactly transpired here. He deduced that his targets were the ones who fought this destructive battle.


    ¡°What exactly happened here?¡±


    He shuddered for a moment after picturing everything and simulating it through his implant. The fact that his targets could do this left him shocked, he could already feel cold sweat soaking his back.


    ¡°How many beasts died here to these guys? And I still actually have the guts to continue my pursuit, am I mad?¡± He touched his forehead to feel his temperature.


    Though this forest and the wasteland that was originally the flourishing animal Kingdom was isolated from other parts of the Himalayan peaks, surprisingly, he still traced his targets here.


    This was not due to his competence or genius though; it was all due to dumb luck. Luck was something he knew that he had, that is why he would go on such an unprovoked pursuit.


    About 2 weeks ago, the optimism that he originally had that pushed him in going after his targets started waning as despite so long of searching, he still could not find any clue that led to them.


    It felt strange to him, it seemed like they just disappeared into thin air. Despite his top-notch military gear, he was still lost and clueless.


    After searching for another 2 days but getting no positive result, anger slowly started clouding his judgment as the thought of stopping this brainless pursuit and going back to his comfort zone started coming.


    For most parts of the day, he just kept on cursing and cursing. He never seized raining curses at the goddess of luck that was protecting the intruders from his wrath.


    In the evening of the next day, as he continued his pursuit with lesser enthusiasm while not forgetting to curse, he fell into a dangerous but strange situation.


    He was climbing a glazier-filled slope upwards to cross a difficult pathway that was hindering his progress. The slope looked just like the Khumbu pathways, but much smaller.


    As he climbed, to his shock, a part of the glacier suddenly caved in after he stepped on it. He fell immediately into a water body under the glaciers that were flowing rapidly, due to him not being alert.


    Before he could react, his figure plunged into the extremely cold water as he was carried away with the rapid current.


    He was alarmed, as the cold waves that followed this made him widen his eyes in alert and start looking for solutions to his conundrum. He wanted to find support to stop his swiftly moving figure, but he found none.


    The water pathway was too narrow for him to stretch or make any proper moves, its glacier walls made it easier for the flowing water to carry him away. It seemed like a water tunnel.


    He could not even grab his oxygen mask to cover his face as it was in his bag, and his bag was stuck in his back. He felt despair for the first time since he started this pursuit.


    Why was he so stubborn? Why did he lower his guard and become complacent? Will he die like this, just like a rat? He wanted to start crying as his breathing became a struggle.


    As he was dragged deeper inside the tunnel filled with cold water, he felt only regret, fear, and regret again.


    He already heard of how people who visited the Everest encountered various unknown situations and died mysteriously.


    The thug that he interrogated in the shelter did not inform him about a place like this, this meant that this was a new dangerous water tunnel that was not discovered yet.


    The last thought that crossed his mind before he passed out was surprisingly about¡­, the next day¡¯s Everest news.


    ¡°Breaking news from your favorite news station, the face of Everest. A brave young middle-aged soldier has been discovered dead in the North Slope of the 3rd border sector. A promising¡­¡±


    He could not imagine the rest parts before the darkness of unconsciousness submerged him. Since he was small, he always wanted to be in the news¡­, but not this way!


    The next day when he woke up, he was shocked to find himself in a forest inside the Mountain.


    ¡°Am I dead? Is this heaven?¡±


    He was spooked by the sight, making him think that this was the land after death. If this was not heaven, then why the hell would a forest like this be in the cold Mountain Everest.


    For the whole day, he went about surveying the surrounding, this was when he confirmed that he was still alive. He felt relieved and at the same time disappointed that this was not heaven.


    He resumed his cursing after this before going back to sleep as he could no longer see the water tunnel that carried him here.


    The next day, he continued his journey forward across the forest. To his shock, this was not the regular Himalayan ranges that he knew. Shock after shock kept on bombarding him throughout his journey.


    He almost died when he was attacked by a mob of animals led by exobeasts. His shock grew when he discovered that this forest was not on the map that he had.


    His thought process soon turned from pursuing the intruders to surviving and escaping this forest.


    A few days later, he finally found his target¡¯s trail. This discovery made him thrilled and motivated, that all his previous fear and dread of this region disappeared immediately.


    ¡°If those bastards could survive here, why could he not?¡± With that thought, he increased his speed.


    From time to time, he located places where Clark¡¯s squad camped to spend the night. A few days later, he discovered a battered Wild Yak exobeast that was hiding underground, licking its wounds to recover.


    For a high-grade soldier like him, the first thought would have been to kill, but the sight of this exobeast gave him goosebumps.


    He felt pressure like never before in his life from an animal. He was pretty confident, not just sure that if he attacked rashly, being trashed would be the only result that he would get.


    He was not a foolish battle maniac. He carefully circumvented the location of the slumbering beast before continuing his journey.


    Just a day after, he finally discovered the wasteland that encompassed his whole sight. This discovery was what finally made all the hairs in his body stand erect.


    To be sincere, after so long, he already lost most of his original optimism in pursuing Clark¡¯s squad.


    When they fought the Himalayan black bears, though he suffered from it, he had the privilege of seeing Clark¡¯s squad fight that day. Since then, he knew that the squad had only one 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    This gave him the confidence to pursue them as he wanted to vent his anger on someone.


    Despite being one person going after dozens, he was surprised to see that he could not catch up to them swiftly. Their traveling speed surprised him.


    This did not deter him though, rather it seemed like a challenge to him which prompted him to continue. Like that, a pursuit that he estimated to be for only a week already stretched over a month.


    When he finally got near them now, he discovered that they may be stronger than he predicted.


    ¡°Should I continue?¡± He felt conflicted and a little afraid.


    After going through a strong mental battle, he finally decided to continue his pursuit. Even if he could not defeat them, he was confident that he could escape if the situation became dangerous.


    He was now curious to know these guys badly, and the reason why they came to the forest.


    ¡°It''s my duty as a Mariana soldier to know why they came; I can¡¯t back down now¡±. Motivating himself with that, he continued forward energetically with renewed enthusiasm.


    He estimated that he would catch up to them in at most 4 days.


    ¡­


    Back in civilized areas in the Reagan republic, Emily sat in the room excluded for her as the Commander, as she gazed outside through her one-way mirror with a nostalgic smile on her face.


    She was dressed in a dark green militaristic uniform with brown strips, this was the trademark uniform of the Pendragon mercenary group now.


    Today was a great celebration day for the Pendragon Mercenary group that she jointly created with Clark. Today, she was inaugurating the first vice-commander of the mercenary group.


    After so long developing slowly, the mercenary group already had a sturdy foundation in the industry. A soldier among them finally broke through, meeting the last requirement to become a vice commander.


    Knock!! Knock!!


    ¡°Come in¡±. She didn¡¯t even ask; she already knew who was coming in. She turned with a broad smile to face the door.


    ¡°Yes, commander¡±.


    The mercenary behind the door smoothly opened it before coming inside. His boots made steady thudding sounds with a sweet rhythm, as he walked confidently before Emily¡¯s chair.


    He made a military salute with a bright smile on his face. ¡°I made it commander¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I know Jack¡±. Emily smiled back.


    ¡°It¡¯s every soldier¡¯s goal to breakthrough, and you are now already a 2nd rank high-grade soldier. You will have a lot more responsibilities now, and you¡¯re now a pillar of the mercenary group¡±.


    ¡°I will never let you down Commander, your guidance for the past few months has been invaluable to me. I already told you before, but I want to say it again¡±.


    ¡°Till I die, my life will always be with the Pendragon mercenary group. I love the family, it¡¯s a privilege to see you and the legendary Major Clark, I don¡¯t want to miss this. Not now, and I don¡¯t think in the future also¡±.


    Jack said smilingly, as the memory of his first encounter with Emily floated past his mind.


    Remembering when she crushed the arrogant mercenary and when she became a frightening asura cleaving through terrorists to locate and kill their leader, he felt excited.


    ¡°I have a long way to go¡±. He clenched his fists.


    ¡°Ok, we have to go now, the others are waiting for you to climb the hierarchy and become their first vice-commander. Congratulations¡±. Emily stood up and patted him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Thank you, Commander¡±.


    With that, both mercenaries left the room.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 238: leos life and hidden undercurrents

    In the Spartan republic, in the headquarters of the Python military division, Leonard stood on the roof of his mansion, looking at the beautiful scenery of the military division that was before him.


    Though he was not smiling, his facial expression showed that he was happy. It seemed like he was grinning, crying, and laughing at the same time.


    He suddenly raised his hands upwards, inclined his head upwards before speaking out a barely audible word at the heavens. No one else heard it, but the word rang in his head loudly.


    As the morning breeze blew at his steady figure, his military uniform waved a bit but remained stuck to his body.


    After so long of serving the Spartan army through the Python military division, he finally got another promotion some days ago. His rank, salary, prestige, and a lot of other things increased with this promotion.


    He felt fulfilled. He felt like his hard work for the past few years was finally paying him back. Nothing in the world was as sweet as working earnestly and getting earnestly paid for it.


    And, he already bought his own mansion in the Python military division headquarters. If this was not worth feeling fulfilled for, then what was?


    Thinking back, when he was small, he never even dreamt of living in his own house one day. But now he had his mansion, not just a house, but a mansion.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, I wish you were here to enjoy the prosperous me¡±.


    Thinking of this, his brows dropped a bit and his eyes softened. The wind took this opportunity to hit them, drawing the tears that he was trying to hold back out.


    ¡°Honey¡­, the food is ready! Come down before you get late, you don¡¯t want to draw your Captain¡¯s ire on your first day reporting to duty after your promotion¡±.


    A loud feminine voice suddenly reverberated to the roof, startling him. He was a little irritated by how the voice just disrupted his thoughts but thinking of the owner of the voice, his complaints faded away like the wind.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be right there in a moment¡±. He finally wiped the tears away, made sure his face was dry before smoothly climbing down from the roof of the mansion.


    Unlike Clark¡¯s enormous mansion where dozens of workers had to take care of the day-to-day activities, his mansion was more compact, hence they had only a female maid, a gatekeeper, and 2 soldiers who were his followers.


    When he entered the large parlor through the main door, his sight first came upon his fianc¨¦e immediately. The female maid was helping her meticulously to set the table.


    ¡°You climbed the roof again, right? I know that you¡¯re a soldier, but please stop doing that, it makes me fear for your safety¡±. Seeing her hubby to be, Kate started nagging immediately.


    As she blabbered on, Leo did was no longer seeing her. All he was seeing was her long swaying hair, the beautiful contours on her face, her chubby cheeks, rosy lips that were tempting him to envelope them in a kiss, and her cute white uniform.


    ¡°Hey, why are you staring at me like that¡±. When he came closer, Kate finally noticed his stare despite facing somewhere else.


    Before she could say any other thing, Leo gently grabbed her by the waist, carefully turned her around before planting a lovely kiss on her lips.


    They stayed like that for about a minute before he finally parted, though reluctantly. ¡°Good morning, honey,¡± he finally greeted.


    ¡°Good morning¡­, wait, you were crying again¡±. Her tone suddenly grew soft, turning into a whisper as she said this. She didn¡¯t want the nearby maid to hear what she said.


    ¡°Gosh, Leo, I already asked you to tell me what is wrong. What is wrong, really?¡± She placed her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Nothing, just some childhood memories¡±. Leo removed her hands and placed his on her hips, before leading her to the round table so they could eat and go to work.


    Kate knew that this gesture from him was just to divert her attention, but she didn¡¯t yield this time.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me that memory this time¡±. She demanded.


    ¡°I already told you every notable memory about my childhood, which one do you want again?¡± Leo asked exasperatedly while sitting down at the biggest chair in the middle of the table.


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t care, tell me everything, even the minor ones this time. Stop hiding things from me, I loathe it¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t again. By the way, you look beautiful in your white dress. I feel blessed by the heavens, what a wonderful thing it is to marry a stunning doctor like you¡±.


    Kate blushed a bit from this as the maid was still there. ¡°Stop it, Leo, we are not married yet¡±. She protested weakly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be married in 2 weeks, what difference does that make? To me, we are already married¡±.


    ¡°It makes a lot of difference!¡± She quickly added.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, the dish is ready¡±. The maid finally placed the last dish on the table, announced to Kate, greeted Leo respectfully before slowly walking out of the parlor.


    Seeing that everything was set, this stopped their bickering as they both started digging into the food.


    ¡°Your cooking skills keep on improving every day, you¡¯re really the perfect wife¡±. Leo suddenly spoke out when most of the food on the table already disappeared.


    Kate rolled her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t make it, Leah did¡±.


    ¡°Oh, but I can still feel your touch in it,¡± he winked at her. ¡°By the way, when will you tell your sister to come back? We need her for the perfect organization of our marriage ceremony¡±.


    ¡°I already told her, she said that she appointed a vice-commander in her mercenary group, so she will come in 2 days¡±.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s good¡±.


    ¡°What of your friends, Clark and Benny¡±. She asked while looking at him.


    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t really know. I don¡¯t know when they would come back from their mission¡±.


    ¡°I always dreamed of having my marriage with Clark and Benny there to cheer me on, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible again. I can¡¯t wait to tie the knot with you¡±.


    Kate smiled. ¡°Well, let''s just wish them luck¡±.


    ¡°Ok. Goodluck to Clark and Benny¡±.


    ¡°Good luck to Clark and Benny!¡±


    With that, they finally stood up satisfied. They cleaned their mouths, arranged their clothes before turning to leave for work. Leo held Kate¡¯s hand as they both walked confidently to the door.


    As soon as they stood up to leave, Leah, the maid came back to take the dishes away.


    In a sense, they were both already living the ideal life of their dreams. Their only wish was for things to keep on getting better, they didn¡¯t want this life to disappear at all.


    ¡­


    In a remote corner, in the West region of the Spartan republic. Up in the morning sky, unknown to the residents that were living in the nearby city, an enormous warship was hovering above the forest that was close by.


    If the citizens or even the local authorities could see this, they would have freaked out as not only one warship was hovering there.


    3 enormous warships that looked just like mountains when looked at directly hovered in the air on stealth, as they slowly moved forward across this region.


    The warship that stood in the middle was the biggest, almost about 1km tall. The others were smaller but still enormous, they were all coated with black colors.


    At the sides of the 3 ships stood a logo proudly. This was the logo representing the tumor of the Spartan republic, the Persian tiger¡¯s terrorist organization.


    In the largest warship that lumbered forward at the middle, in the innermost room of the warship, a large conference meeting was currently going on with dozens of the organization¡¯s upper echelons present.


    Most of the upper echelons were based in other locations, so only their remote projections were there in the meeting.


    All of the upper echelons had masks on, so none of them could be recognized just by looking at their faces.


    The ones that came through remote projections were more extreme, only something like a black hole was projected in place of their face.


    Most of them didn¡¯t even know themselves, but this was normal here. This was the rule of the terrorist organization.


    They were all seated around a table. At the forefront and center of the stage sat the mysterious founder and leader of the terrorist organization, the vicious Achilles.


    He was the one who single-handedly founded this large terrorist organization that was now the 2nd greatest rival and enemy of the Spartan republic, only below the Mocan republic.


    Like the others, he had a mask on that depicted a roaring tiger. Most of the other upper echelons wore this same patterned mask.


    ¡°Let the gathering begin¡±. The leader¡¯s deep croaky voice like that of a frog¡¯s echoed out, as the others immediately sat uprightly.


    One of the upper echelons stood up, materialized a thick book from the air before opening its pages. After opening to a certain page, he finally started speaking.


    His informative speech lasted for over 2 hours, but none of the upper echelons showed signs of fatigue, nor were they bored. They all listened and watched attentively like patient wolves.


    Another 10 minutes later, the upper echelon finally ended his speech and sat back down.


    As soon as he sat down, murmurs emerged in the hall as the upper echelons discussed fervently among themselves. One of the pieces of information that were just given shocked them.


    ¡°Silence!!¡± The leader¡¯s voice suddenly reverberated across the hall, restoring total silence immediately.


    After everyone kept quiet, he looked around at the upper echelons seated as his face soon turned into a vicious smile that could send chills down an enemy¡¯s bones.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that the Mocan republic would recover so fast, and even become so proactive again. It seems that the last lesson did not sink in, they are all really bastards¡±.


    ¡°You heard the speaker, the Mocan republic elected a new president. They already recovered from the civil strife brought about by the Spartan attack 3 years ago, now they want to retaliate¡±.


    ¡°This new president is really fierce. He even already started targeting the Spartans by sending his soldiers to the great Himalayan peaks, with the main goal of attacking and disrupting the Spartan¡¯s mission¡±.


    ¡°I find all these funny and interesting, but I don¡¯t give a damn, this is all to our favor as long as the Spartan republic military might weakens¡±.


    ¡°Chief executor, I want you to take this most important news to the Spartan upper echelons. They always hated Leonidas¡¯s rule, perhaps, we should lend them some more help¡±.


    ¡°Without them, our hold over the republic would not be this strong, so we have to help them at times like this. This is just like killing 2 birds with one stone¡±.


    ¡°Though the Mocan¡¯s revealed it in codes, the message says that they are preparing for a war with the Spartan republic to avenge the humiliation 3 years ago¡±.


    The leader licked his lips. ¡°I love such wars the most, but the only problem is that they didn¡¯t indicate when the war will start. It may be tomorrow or even years¡±.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care about the specifics as long as there is war. Help them with everything that they need, that¡¯s my only executive order in this gathering¡±.


    ¡°Discuss the rest among yourselves¡±. With that, his remote projection puffed into a cloud of smoke.


    As soon as he left, the other upper echelons started discussing energetically about the upcoming war. As most of them were soldiers, they loved wars the most as it was the greatest nourishment to improve.


    The meeting went on for another 2 hours before everyone left.


    Unknown to the Spartan republic, another undercurrent was being stirred under their noses. Perhaps, their day of retribution against their previous offensive was nearby.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 239: an emergency meeting

    A mansion stood proudly in the enormous presidential villa of the Spartan republic. The large building stood tall, towering over most of the other buildings surrounding it, and it was built in a dome shape.


    It was painted in a dark grey color but this dull color could not degrade its majesty. If looked or probed at from outside, one could only see something like an overturned bowl.


    This was the highest strategy discussion hall of the Spartan army. It was built in the presidential villa so that the President could access it more freely.


    Though outside it seemed plain and simple, dozens of specially trained soldiers in stealth and armed to the teeth were guarding it 24/7.


    This was where the most confidential matters and secrets of the republic are discussed, it was a building accessible to only the higher-ups of the republic. Currently, an emergency meeting was going on in this building.


    On the highest floor of the building, a group of stony-faced individuals sat as they awaited the start of the meeting. 30 seats were arranged around a huge round table, and 28 of the seats were already occupied.


    President Leonidas called for this meeting just 10 minutes ago, and all the higher-ups of the Spartan republic were already gathered, waiting for him respectfully.


    Most of the upper echelons that were seated already had grey hairs that indicated their ages, some even went as far as keeping long beards to emphasize this.


    This did not matter though, what mattered was that everyone that was here was an experienced veteran in their field.


    As everybody waited, it did not take long before the door of the hall where they were gathered sprang open with 5 soldiers quickly entering inside. They were all dressed in grey suits.


    As soon as these soldiers entered the hall, the 28 upper echelons that were present all stood up in attention. The President was coming.


    Calm thudding footsteps echoed across the corridor leading to the hall, as they formed a strange melody that demanded respect. As the sound formed a steady rhythm, the President finally entered the hall.


    Unlike what was expected of the mysterious Spartan President, his long hair was not completely white like those of sages yet, they were still grey with some tinge of black being seen frequently.


    He was dressed in a formal grey suit to complement his hair with grey shoes as the final touch. He had an air of authority around him as he entered the room.


    His face did not show any emotion, they were steely and steady but at the same time erratic. What could best describe him now was¡­, the nameless one. He was completely calm like he had seen the whole world already.


    It did not take him long after entering the hall as his wide steps quickly took him to the largest chair at the center of the round table, he sat down majestically like a king.


    ¡°Welcome President¡±. All the upper echelons greeted.


    ¡°Sit!¡± His tone was sharp, precise, and to the point.


    ¡°Yes President¡±.


    After everyone sat down, the hall fell silent as he scrutinized everyone with his eyes that looked like that of an eagle. The upper echelons fell silent like they were used to it, it seems that they experienced this often.


    After the 5 soldiers that entered before him left and closed the door, he finally spoke. ¡°The meeting can now begin¡±.


    One of the upper echelons quickly stood up to kickstart the meeting after hearing this as a large holographic projection materialized in the middle of the round table.


    Unlike most of the upper echelons that were present, he wore the distinctive golden uniform of the Spartan army. The badge attached to his uniform showed that he was a General of the army.


    ¡°Good day everyone, before I start, I will like to appreciate the President for granting me this opportunity to helm the meeting. I¡¯m not taking it for granted sir, I appreciate it¡±.


    After saying this, the man¡¯s expression quickly became serious as he pointed a finger at the screen before him.


    ¡°Like our customs, as this gathering was called mostly because of our military matters, I will start the meeting by showing a pictorial description of the main reason why we gathered first¡±.


    He swiped at the screen as the map of the Mocan republic came into view. ¡°Like most of you already suspected, yes, the troublemakers this time is our archenemy, the Mocans¡±.


    ¡°It seems that the blow we dealt them 3 years ago did not leave any message, they are still as tactless like before and already started moving¡±.


    ¡°It first started in the last week when our EO5 secret service team started sending us signals and coded words. After translating it, we discovered that it was about another plot that the Mocan republic is orchestrating¡±.


    Hearing this, the eyes of the upper echelons present flickered sharply but they held themselves from speaking out, only listening carefully.


    ¡°The EO5 secret service team is one of our few secret elite squads that reports only and directly to the president, you can rest assured that this information is not some random rumor¡±.


    ¡°According to intel that we got, the Mocan republic is out again to strike and this time, they are targeting our expedition squads that went on the mission to the Everest¡±.


    ¡°In fact, the plan is already in motion¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to expand on the implications of such a move to you, no one here is a stranger to the might of the Mocan republic¡±.


    ¡°The main reason why the President called for this meeting so abruptly is that we already have casualties¡±.


    ¡°An hour ago, we received distress signals from the Everest Mountain about our soldiers suffering from attacks. It was largely disrupted by electromagnetic waves and other interferences, but we still got the needed information¡±.


    ¡°Due to the confidentiality of the mission, our secret shelters could not mobilize any help. If we are not wrong, some loyal Spartan soldiers just lost their lives¡±.


    ¡°The Mocans have struck and they struck hard. Of the squads that we sent, we assume that Squad 07, Squad 012, Squad 04, and Squad 018 have already been wiped out¡±.


    Hearing this, the upper echelons¡¯ faces went grave immediately. No one could guess what they were thinking as their face became a lot more serious.


    ¡°This is a really hard blow that we cannot easily recover from, every one of these squads is something that we heavily invested in¡±.


    ¡°Apart from the losses that were caused by the Mocans, we also discovered a lot of unsettling news. We expected it, but it seems that the death rate of the Everest is more than we predicted¡±.


    ¡°The old information from our shelters may be a little outdated, it is clear that the cold dragon keeps on growing in size and lethality¡±.


    ¡°Of the 20 squads that we sent off, apart from the 4 that were wiped out by the Mocans, we already suffered a loss of 2 other squads¡¯ total annihilation. The death rate is frightening high¡±.


    ¡°We already lost over 200 soldiers and the number is still counting¡±.


    ¡°Through our beyond visual detectors, we have a periodic real-time view of the situation of the squads as most of them have not crossed into the middle heights yet¡±.


    ¡°Only 2 squads have crossed the boundaries to the middle heights, which are Squad 01 and Squad 06¡±.


    ¡°That is the summary of all the intelligence that we¡¯ve gathered about our expedition teams out there in the Everest. This intelligence is open for intelligent reviews and insights¡±.


    ¡°And during the past month, a lot of other things that require our attention has been happening, but I believe that you already knew about all those, I won¡¯t stress myself to repeat them¡±.


    ¡°Also, a stir has been detected in the activities of the Persian tigers, but overall, it seems that it¡¯s just a small-scale operation, so it¡¯s not our priority. I¡¯ve passed on the information delegated to me by Mr. President¡±.


    After saying all that he had to say, the General placed a hand on his chest and bowed a little in the direction of the President. He saluted him next before sitting back down.


    The hall suddenly plunged into a strange silence as the upper echelons processed the information that was just dumped at them. Whether they were serious or were pretending, no one knew.


    ¡°Mr. President, I think we should retaliate immediately. We should pound them with as much force as they are giving us¡±.


    One of the older upper echelons who was another General suddenly said loudly while standing up with an angry expression on his face. ¡°The Spartan republic definitely cannot take this lying down; we must show our hand¡±.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s it¡¯s better to lie low now and observe¡±. Another one said. He didn¡¯t flinch despite feeling the glare from the General, his face was tranquil as a lake.


    ¡°Lying low is too proactive. This is a taunt from the Mocan republic, we should not act like fools. The Everest is located in the territory of Mariana republic, and I believe that none of you here wants to offend such a fearsome enemy¡±.


    Another one of the upper echelons who looked more scholarly added as he gently stroked his beards with his left hand.


    Others quickly butted in after him as everyone started giving his own opinion about the next course of action.


    Though they all had loud voices, it should be noted that the hall did not become chaotic, it seemed like they planned it as their suggestions were always timed and orderly.


    After 5 minutes of this, the upper echelon who stood beside the President suddenly stood up. The others immediately kept quiet as the hall went silent like a graveyard immediately.


    Commander Rashford had a dignified look on his face, his handsome features were showcased more clearly from the illumination of the room but he had a poker look on his face.


    ¡°President, I think that we should lie low and wait¡±. He spoke slowly in a calm tone. ¡°From my knowledge, the Mocan republic did not know about the Aragan ruin before¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to dwell on how they got the news, but my suggestion is that we should not send any reinforcements. That will surely infuriate Mariana¡±.


    He swept a cold glance across the hall, his eyes penetrating the hearts of the upper echelons present.


    ¡°Our capable soldiers are already there, no need to add more. If they can¡¯t retrieve what we need, then no need to stress ourselves, that simply means that we have no chance from the beginning¡±.


    With that, he finally sat down.


    The upper echelons wanted to start talking again, but a soft grunt directly silenced their impulses.


    President Leonidas cleared his throat before saying authoritatively. ¡°It¡¯s settled, we¡¯ll stick with Commander Rashford¡¯s suggestion. Take care of the effects in your territory¡±.


    ¡°General Uther, take charge of the subsequent gatherings and planning after this. I have other things to do, the meeting is dismissed¡±.


    No one spook again as they watched their President stand up to leave.


    On reaching the door, Leonidas paused. ¡°For those of you who think yourself as clever, remember that the interests of the republic come first before any other thing¡±.


    ¡°I will not cause a ruckus to find out how the Mocan republic knew about our mission¡­, but be warned. My patience has limits¡±.


    With that, he stormed off, officially bringing the meeting to an end.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 240: the 4th day

    BOOM!!


    Ice fragments randomly flew about, splashing everywhere and stirring white mist high up in the air as bullet after bullet streaked across, hitting the snow-filled region. A fierce gunfight was currently ongoing.


    A group of unorganized mercenaries fought hard in a panic to hold back their attackers, trying every means that came to their heads to escape. They were already sweating bullets in horror but they refused to surrender.


    Though their Commander tried to give out orders repeatedly to calm them down, the overwhelming power being displayed against them left them unable to react.


    Though there was a difference in power between both parties, it was interesting to note that the mercenaries fought with anger, fear, and even despair evident in their eyes.


    The scenario felt weird, it felt just like a big uncle bullying a helpless sister next door.


    Seeing the reaction of the mercenaries, Clark felt a muscle in his face twitch but he feigned a serious expression to hide his real feelings.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you guys just surrender? If not seen clearly, people can easily be misled that he was really a big uncle luring girls with chocolate packs to bully them. But I¡¯m not like that, right?¡±


    As soon as his thoughts strayed to this, Dickson looked at him with a meaningful smile on his face.


    ¡°Cough¡­, ahem, Dickson focus on the battlefield. You never know when our soldiers can be in a dangerous situation, behave like me and always have your eyes on the battlefield¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I completely understand Major¡±. Dickson smirked.


    Clark sighed. ¡°If I knew that this is what will befall me later on, I would have never rescued your squad back then¡±.


    Dickson just smiled in reply.


    After knowing each other for an extended period, they already grew extremely close. Such funny jabs were daily attacks that they threw at each other to kill time.


    Their allied squad was the culprit bullying this group of mercenaries. The fight was still tense as bullets kept crisscrossing around the scene.


    The melee soldiers were completely free, lazing at the back and watching attentively like they were watching a movie as their ranged counterparts firmly held the battle in their hands.


    4 days ago, after they left the last shelter where they took refuge, they immediately started implementing the plan thought out by Dickson, the tyrant plan.


    The name was tyrannical, which could easily deceive people that it was either something very zealous or honorable. Well, it was inversely honorable, it was practically daylight robbery.


    Dickson¡¯s plan was that as they were suffering from a supply deficit, why kill themselves over it when the easiest solution was to rob others.


    They were soldiers and such a thing could be easily accomplished by them so far as their identities remain hidden. The plan was vicious but practical, so Clark agreed after hesitating a bit.


    Their journey became a lot more eventful with such a motive in mind as through the map that was gotten from Jason, they were able to locate various mercenaries on the way.


    None of the mercenary¡¯s hands were clean anyway, so they did what they did with much fewer scruples.


    The only rule that they made was to not kill without consideration.


    After 4 days, they already met and fought with 6 different mercenary groups and no casualties were recorded either from their side or their targets.


    They always allowed their opponents to surrender, which made things a lot easier for them. They were not afraid of revenge, so doing this did not bring them any problems.


    Clark¡¯s decision to not let the melee soldiers get involved in the battles easily was that participating would bring more variables that could lead to death.


    With their superior weapons, the mercenaries in this region could only put up feeble resistance, so the battles were completely left to the ranged soldiers.


    Though Dickson and himself sometimes yearned to join the bullying battles, they reigned their impulses in to reinforce their images as leaders.


    Leaving the weak opponents to subordinates was the stuff of legends once said a legendary high-grade soldier, and they didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity to act like legends.


    After fighting and plundering from others for so long, all their most basic reserves were already filled. This didn¡¯t stop them though; a budget surplus was always better than a budget deficit.


    Due to their daring, rampant, and completely unrestrained actions, they already gained a tyrannical reputation in this region of the middle heights of the Everest.


    All the local forces and warlords already heard of them, now most forces focused on hiding from them if they sighted them first.


    Their current opponents were the 7th mercenary group that they encountered and these guys seemed reluctant to surrender.


    Normally, after being shot in the face repeatedly by their modified bullets that were less lethal but more painful on impact, most of the mercenaries would have already started breaking their formations.


    This time, it seems that they finally met some tenacious guys.


    Though this was what most of the soldiers thought, Clark didn¡¯t think so. ¡°Why will these guys fight such a hopeless battle with so much morale?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, they think that they still have a chance¡±. Dickson quickly answered though Clark¡¯s question was clearly rhetorical.


    Clark ignored him; he was already used to this guy¡¯s antics after getting closer to him. ¡°Are they expecting reinforcements?¡± He asked, puzzled.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Dickson¡¯s sentence ended mid-way as his eyebrows curled upwards in surprise. ¡°Wow! They really brought reinforcements!¡±


    ¡°See, I told you¡±. Clark patted his chest proudly but Dickson ignored him.


    ¡°Hehe, who cared if you told me? It doesn¡¯t matter, all that matters is that I can now engage in battle. Finally, the great shield master can move¡±.


    ¡°Shield master my ass¡±. Clark rolled his eyes, but this didn¡¯t affect his companion as the latter already rushed into the battlefield.


    On the side of the mercenaries that were enduring the bullying of their opponent, the change that came from behind them was glaringly visible as dozens of soldiers started running to converge with them.


    Like most other locations in the world, to survive better in the hostile environment of the Everest, the mercenaries here formed close profit cliques with others with like minds.


    Through this, dozens of mercenary alliances were formed across the Himalayan peaks. This new group was clearly reinforcement by their alliance and the numbers were fairly intimidating.


    From a glance, a hundred soldiers easily greeted the sight of the Spartan/Daland allied soldiers. The reinforcement was clearly above 200 mercenaries, which was an outstanding force in this region.


    Seeing their reinforcement arrive, the originally helpless mercenaries that were being bullied regained color and energy in their eyes.


    ¡°Our reinforcement is here! Long live the Dried fish alliance!¡± One of the mercenaries suddenly yelled loudly.


    ¡°Long live the Dried fish alliance!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s show these intruders where they belong, show them the might of the Dried fish!¡±


    With that, they all gained vigor and started charging forward under the thunderous rain of bullets.


    After information from the previous raids that were circulating about, they deduced that these intruder¡¯s strongest point was ranged shooting, and their weakness was close-ranged battles.


    Their eyes flashed ominously. ¡°We¡¯ll teach them the power of close-range combat¡±.


    Despite hundreds of mercenaries charging at them, the Spartan and Daland soldiers were calm, their ranged counterparts were still shooting steadily. Diana came forward to meet Clark at this moment.


    ¡°No need¡±. Clark raised his hands to stop her.


    ¡°This is not our real battle, keep your strength for when we discover our mission target. For now, leave this cleaning to the ranged soldiers¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s been days since I last shot with my gun, allow me to flex my muscles a bit. You all need the best me when we reach our target, who knows if I¡¯ve gone rusty after so long?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Diana was speechless. ¡°You just don¡¯t want to be left out of the action and mocked by Corporal Dickson, right?


    ¡°Ahem, it does not matter¡±.


    Clark quickly shoved her away, dipped his right hand into his bag to bring out his 2-form gun as he started walking forward into the battlefield. He changed the gun to its sniper configuration.


    He brought specially modified ammunition for his gun next, before carefully inserting them all into his weapon. He kissed his right palm, inhaled, and exhaled before aiming.


    Bam!! Bam!!


    From the slightly muffled noise made by the gun as the bullets escaped from its muzzle, it was clear that its lethality was toned down a bit, so none of the mercenaries died on impact.


    They just kept on falling like helpless leaves in an autumn season after being hit dizzy by the ultra-fast bullets. A bullet shot equaled a man down, that was the trend as Clark walked calmly into the ranks of the enemies.


    He just kept on inclining the angle of his gun to cover all the angles as the soldiers fell before they could get close to the helm of his uniform.


    His movements were graceful like a hawk¡¯s while concealing a green snake¡¯s cunning behind them.


    Seeing how smoothly he dispatched of them like a father spanking his mischievous kids, the mercenaries shuddered in fear. ¡°Which demon is this? Is he a human? He¡¯s an alien!¡±


    Most of them were soldiers before they became mercenaries. This scene brought them memories of when their cadet training instructor trashed them ruthlessly, their lips quivered involuntarily on these memories.


    Clark smirked on seeing their shaken expressions, but he did not stop as bullet after bullet kept escaping from his gun¡¯s muzzle.


    He penetrated the enemy ranks like a sharp knife cutting through soft butter, no resistance at all was exerted.


    Unlike him, Dickson¡¯s penetration method was just like smashing a big rock at a group of eggs lined in a row. The outcome can be easily imagined, only squish and squash would happen.


    Ducking to dodge a desperate stab from one of the mercenaries, his right hand used the momentum gotten from it to slap his shield horizontally.


    Bam!!


    The mercenary¡¯s armor flickered for a moment before all its energy was depleted. The poor man staggered like a drunkard from the impact for 10 seconds before falling asleep.


    Only smacking sounds could be heard around him as he bashed anyone that confronted him with his shield, only unconscious individuals were left in his wake.


    After trying different methods but getting no positive results, the remaining mercenaries that were conscious finally despaired as they turned tail, running as fast as their legs could carry them back into the snow mountain.


    Their movements were awkward but fast. The battle ended with the same speed that the reinforcement charged.


    Seeing that they were clever enough to leave their supplies behind, Clark and Dickson nodded before going forward contentedly to collect their tribute.


    Noticing Clark¡¯s foolish smile, Dickson commented. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re now enjoying this. Kid, learn to keep your emotions in check. Such things can easily change your thought process¡­¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    Their subordinates stifled their laughter as they came to help carry the supplies. To them, this was the best phase of their mission journey by far.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 241: a clash of the hunter and the hunted

    ¡°Sigh, I think that this is the last mercenary group that we¡¯ll have the chance of plundering. You¡¯re right, I¡¯ll miss the thrill brought from this¡±. Clark muttered softly in a sad tone.


    ¡°I told you kid; you can easily get infected with the thrill. Learn to control your impulses better, its¡­¡± Dickson quickly commented.


    Diana rolled her eyes exaggeratedly on hearing them but she didn¡¯t comment. Anna and Benny exhibited no reaction, they stood still, rigidly blending with the blowing wind.


    Clark didn¡¯t have the energy to refute this time, he just kept quiet in his own world. What he said was just a distraction to hide his true feelings, he was worried about their future.


    In his hand, he held a telescope through which a tiny black dot ahead was enlarged before him. This black dot seemed to be the next shelter that was described.


    Seeing a black dot despite the extreme distance separating them meant that this shelter was outrageously large, probably even larger than all the previous shelters that they visited combined.


    He didn¡¯t feel it initially, but when he finally laid his eyes on this shelter, the fear of the unknown started gripping his heart.


    He was not afraid of the shelter; he was afraid of what would come after getting there. His intuition warned him of a bad omen, and the dream that he dreamt last night confirmed it.


    He told no one about the dream to not induce panic, not even Dickson.


    Though they were safe since they arrived at the middle heights of the Everest, this was the region that was already marked out as safe by humans. To reach their mission target, he was sure that they would stray from this region.


    After the Wild Yak animal kingdom encounter, his wariness about the Himalayan peaks only grew. He felt unsettled, despite this, he did not show it outwardly.


    ¡°I think this shelter is up to the quality of the so-called typical standard shelters¡±. He suddenly muttered.


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t wait to get there. Jason told me a lot about it, what are we even waiting for?¡± Dickson questioned impatiently.


    ¡°Yeah, let''s go, we don¡¯t have anything waiting for again¡±. Clark laughed.


    30 minutes ago, after they repelled the allied mercenaries and took their supplies, they didn¡¯t pursue the ones that escaped. They left a heating device to prevent the unconscious ones from dying to the cold before they woke up.


    After doing this, they finally continued their journey. They didn¡¯t even move a few kilometers before one of their scouting soldiers reported this, the next shelter.


    ¡°If we move fast, I think we can get there before the day darkens completely¡±. Anna suddenly said while brushing her long hair sideways.


    ¡°I hope we reach there today, that way, we¡¯ll have a better chance of meeting the lord of¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the king of demolition¡±. Diana sharply corrected.


    ¡°Oh¡­, ok¡±. Benny replied calmly.


    ¡°Diana, go inform the soldiers. We are moving¡±. Clark finally spoke again while stretching himself.


    As soon as the other soldiers were informed, they quickly reorganized themselves and continued their journey against the howling sound of the wind and the biting cold.


    Like Clark predicted, they didn¡¯t meet any other mercenary group along the way as they trudged forward without hindrance.


    They met 3 stray beasts wandering around the region which posed no threat to them, they quickly became a distance practice target to the soldiers. They died before they could even understand what happened.


    Clark didn¡¯t know if he was being paranoid, but as they continued, his intuition kept on ringing to him that something was about to happen.


    Though he knew that his soldiers were far more experienced than a month ago, he could still not let the unsettling feeling go.


    He was completely alert, stealthily looking around as they moved but his actions seemed to be meaningless, as he could see nothing despite hours already gone.


    ¡°Is my intuition wrong?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dickson asked, startled.


    ¡°Umm, nothing¡±. He quickly denied it.


    Dickson flashed him a deep glance but at the end didn¡¯t say anything. He already noticed that Clark was behaving weirdly, which also made him more alert to his surroundings.


    With tense hearts, they continued their journey across the rocks submerged in snow.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hehe, finally! Finally¡­, I finally f*cking found you guys¡±.


    A burst of maniacal laughter suddenly tore the veil of silence in the mountain as a black figure threw his head back due to the frequency of his vocal cord movements.


    After laughing to his fill, he squinted his eyes and looked at his telescope again.


    After all his perseverance and daring movements, the Mariana Captain finally found his targets. He felt curiosity overwhelm him, making him shake giddily in excitement.


    Sometimes, he always felt that the career of an explorer fit him than his work as a soldier where he was always staying in enclosed military posts like a rat. He was not a nocturnal animal for shit¡¯s sake.


    After seeing the location where Clark¡¯s squad wreaked the animal kingdom, though he grew afraid of his targets immediately, in the end, his passion for knowing the unknown took precedence.


    That was the name that he gave it. People may call his actions foolishness, but he would forever call it the exploration of the brave.


    ¡°If our ancestors were not brave explorers, we would not be enjoying the sweetness of technology today. In the future, people will soon see that exploration is the best career¡±. He muttered determinedly.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s for the future. Now, I have to ambush these guys since I saw them first. I think that with this, I now have a higher chance of trashing them. I can¡¯t wait¡±.


    Rubbing his hands excitedly, he leaped up a little before sliding down the slope that he climbed to get a better view of his location.


    Now that he already saw his targets, all that was left was planning perfectly. If he planned well, with his 3rd rank high-grade soldier strength, he believed that he could win no matter what strange means those soldiers employed.


    ¡°Bring it on, I¡¯m not a coward¡±. He went to work immediately.


    He first dropped his big bag, gently massaged his aching neck before bending down to open the bag.


    He brought out a rod-like device that looked like the ancient scepters that medieval kings used; it was an electric and gravity-powered distance estimation device.


    He squinted his eyes to focus on the readings on the device¡¯s surface. ¡°4 kilometers huh¡­, I got you¡±. He pointed his fingers forward.


    He quickly opened his bag wide, brought out a very large mechanical equipment, and placed it down.


    After activating it, the device drilled a hole on the ground, spreading its mechanical tentacles under the rock to get a good foundation. It quickly got stabilized with a click sound.


    He installed other devices nearby to form something like a spider¡¯s net, he finally stretched his body with a wide grin on his face.


    He brought out a black pen and a mirror to check his face as he used the pen to draw black lines on his face. He adjusted his uniform next, making sure that it looked neat and commando-like enough.


    He also donned dark eyeglasses, bringing his look to the next level of coolness. He grinned on seeing his reflection in the mirror.


    After this, he brought out a sword and an enlarged muzzle machine gun. He placed them on both sides of his shoulders before straightening his back and raising his head confidently.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready¡±.


    ¡­


    After hours of walking without rest across the snow-laden pathway, the allied group of soldiers could already see the silhouette of the shelter. Seeing it up close showed them how large it really was.


    Some of the soldiers were already muttering between themselves in amazement. Despite their discipline as soldiers, seeing such a structure in this practically desolate Everest Mountain was surprising.


    ¡°Is that where we will stay?¡± One of them commented.


    ¡°It does not look like a shelter at all¡±. Another one replied.


    The soldiers only dared to do this because their Major was not strict. They knew that Clark was tolerant to them when they were not in dangerous situations, so they were more self-expressing under him, unlike other superiors.


    Though Clark could hear the sound coming from his soldiers, he could not make out any coherent thing from what they were saying.


    He was still alert, constantly monitoring his surroundings. His brain was rapidly filtering the information that was entering, and such lame conversations were not a priority to it.


    After so long, he was already forming a conspiracy theory on his head. He knew that he was probably paranoid, but after so many experiences, he could not bring himself to ignore his dreams.


    ¡°Is the danger in where we are going? Is that place really a shelter? What if it is a trap, and Jason aimed at us from the beginning? How can a shelter be that big? Maybe, thousands of soldiers are already waiting to ambush us¡±.


    Though Dickson tried hard to ignore it, Clark¡¯s behavior was making him feel tense, even to the extent of irritation now. He could not hold it in again.


    ¡°Clark, what is it exactly¡­?¡± He suddenly stiffened as his eyes widened.


    ¡°Umm, you said what¡­? Dickson, what is it?¡± Clark immediately became alarmed on seeing his expression.


    ¡°Scatter¡­!!¡± Before Dickson¡¯s voice could spread completely, the danger already arrived.


    The soldiers reacted instantly on hearing the shout, but a black flickering figure already rushed into their midst like a cheetah running into a pack of sheep. The figure was far faster than them.


    Boom!!


    All the soldiers saw was a blur before the sound even came, as 3 soldiers were slammed to the ground with force. The 3 poor fellows immediately lost consciousness.


    Only one sound reverberated out but 3 strikes were released. This figure¡¯s movements were faster than sound, time seemed to stop for a moment.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± The soldiers were shocked.


    As they fumbled to grab their weapons, this was when they laid their eyes on the figure before them clearly.


    To their surprise, he was a human. He wore a black climbing uniform like them and though his armor was activated, it was transparent, showing his appearance under it.


    This man was clearly not hiding.


    His striking eyeglasses, trending haircut, handsome face, stylish boots, and enormous machine gun left them all gasping in surprise.


    They felt like this man did not come here to battle at all. If not because of the weapons that he was wielding and the 3 unconscious soldiers, they were more inclined to believe that he was a model instead of a soldier.


    All these observations happened in less than a second, and in this short time, the man already moved again.


    Whoosh!!


    His sword stabbed forward swiftly as the 2 nearest Spartan soldiers dodged to the left and right respectively, but his movements were even faster as the sword slapped left, then right.


    2 sharp slap imprints were left on the soldier¡¯s faces by the sword as they felt their vision grow dizzy. Their face was burning hot, the world suddenly seemed upside down to them.


    As he intended to move and strike again, a figure suddenly crashed down from the sky at him with outstanding force.


    He nimbly dodged to the side but a spear stabbed swiftly at him to complement the shield bash. This seemed like a hopeless situation, but he was still able to react.


    His sword swept upwards at the last moment, clashing with the spear while he fell downwards to allow the spear to fly past him.


    Seeing his spear parried so effortlessly, Clark was greatly surprised but he kept a cold expression on his face as he asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the soldier that has been tailing us, right?¡±


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 242: captain josh

    When he heard this question, the Mariana Captain stopped for a moment in surprise. ¡°So you already noticed me, well, that saves me the trouble of explaining¡±.


    ¡°Now, surrender and bow before the great Thor before thunder strikes you to pieces. Tell me what your mission is, immediately! My patience is limited, act fast before I get angry and change my mind¡±.


    Hearing this, the soldiers were stunned. ¡°What the hell? You just hit 5 of our comrades unconscious and you want us to surrender¡±.


    ¡°Are you nuts?¡± Clark finally asked.


    ¡°Hmph, it seems that you will not learn until you are spanked¡±. He snorted before grabbing his sword more tightly and rushing forward.


    Dickson and Clark reacted immediately. The former lumbered forward with his enormous shield encompassing his front as he bashed forward heavily at his swift target.


    To the soldiers that were still a little stunned, this just felt like a movie. A moment ago, this strange man was wreaking their defense, another moment, he was asking them to surrender, now, he was rushing at them again.


    ¡°What the heck?¡±


    Despite the doubts in their hearts, one thing was clear, this man was not their ally, so he was their enemy. They quickly recovered as they all formed tight battle formations and swarmed at their target.


    From the first attack, Clark already deduced that his opponent was a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, but he was still astonished by his strength.


    If he was not mistaken, this man before him had the same peak strength as General Oxford when he was still a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. This made him perplexed, why would such a strong person target them?


    Though a lot of thoughts were revolving around his mind, he knew that at this moment, cracking this man down was the priority.


    You¡¯re a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, right? Well, if I and Dickson can¡¯t withstand you, I have dozens of soldiers behind me. I don¡¯t believe that you can trash us all.


    With that mentality, Clark and Dickson clashed with the swift stranger, making snow fly about from the shockwaves stirred from their battlefield.


    The captain who called himself Thor, though he already prepared himself for it, the strength that was exerted by this group to suppress him still shocked him.


    He had experienced this feeling only when he was fighting simulated battles with the Mariana special ops secret units. He felt like he was not fighting individual soldiers, but rather a well-coordinated mechanical catastrophe.


    As the battle raged on, he began to discover that his targets were slowly getting the hang of suppressing him.


    Seeing this, his eyes narrowed as he switched to the 2nd phase of his plan. He finally brought down the enlarged muzzle machine gun that was resting in his left shoulder, he felt a burden leave him immediately after doing this.


    This was not all. He quickly gave a new order through his implant as the gift that he prepared for his targets roared to life.


    Accompanied by large booming sounds, the Spartan/Daland allied soldiers were shocked to see fire erupt from the distance. Before they could react, red and blue energy beams were already falling at them swiftly.


    ¡°Come on, this is my gift for you!¡± Thor shouted excitedly.


    ¡­


    30 minutes later, the battle was still raging on but dozens of soldiers were already lying about unconscious.


    Something that remained noteworthy to Clark was that Thor refused to kill a single soldier among them, he only beat them up ruthlessly to the point of no resistance before knocking them unconscious.


    Though he did not know this stranger, this act alone made him feel some goodwill towards him, but he was still determined to take him down.


    After fighting for dozens of minutes, they already sustained various injuries. Thor himself was already bleeding on the nose and various parts of his body, he was not invisible Afterall.


    Facing the attack of dozens of soldiers, it was inevitable that he would be overwhelmed.


    Despite this fact, the Spartans who were more enthusiastic about strength felt a deep reverence for him. They fought harder seeing this, as they did not want to depict themselves as weak.


    Boom!!


    Clark was thrown back again from the sharp blow of Thor¡¯s sword as his figure shuttled backward from the momentum. Before he could land, his opponent¡¯s machine gun already shut dozens of bullets at his armor.


    He did not take this lying though, as he carefully positioned himself and retaliated with a nicely placed sniper shot.


    The bullet hit Thor on the face. Though his armor materialized to weather the damage, the impact of the bullet still transferred to his face, making blood seep from his nose.


    He staggered backward, trying to stabilize himself but he was not allowed to do so as a large shield bashed at his face next, followed by a sword.


    After attacking him, Dickson used his downward momentum to kick him as he hit the floor and rolled away in the snow. Thor quickly stood up the next moment and leaned on his sword.


    Both sides tacitly stopped to rest for a moment, as they were all exhausted from the intensity of the battle.


    ¡°Hehe, that was some nice fighting there. How about we come to a stop here, I can be magnanimous enough to accept the result as a draw¡±. Thor shamelessly proposed again.


    Clark sharply cut him off. ¡°You¡¯re dreaming¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered you long ago, but I originally thought that you were some random mountain climber. This ambush proved me wrong. Without knowing your identity, don¡¯t even dream of leaving here intact¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, I need to know why a strong soldier like you is going after us¡±. Dickson also added curiously.


    The others did not speak, but they looked at their target with alert expressions on their faces. Diana, Anna, and Benny were the ones coordinating the offensive against this stranger.


    The past 30 minutes was the first time that they encountered a situation where they were completely led by the nose. This Thor kept on toying with them, making them look like some amateurs.


    If Clark and Dickson were not here, Thor could completely steamroll them without breaking a sweat.


    The thought of this alone left them ashamed, they had to fight harder to keep their dignity intact. They never felt so embarrassed before, they felt like pupils being spanked by their strict teacher.


    This thought only made their face grow redder.


    Ahh!!


    They shouted to borrow imaginary strength from the void as they started the battle again, prompting the exhausted Thor to smile bitterly before preparing himself to welcome them.


    Clark grasped his spear and dived into battle again, trying hard to restrain the movements of this strong enemy.


    The fight became a battle of attrition that continued for another 20 minutes. 30 soldiers became unconscious before Thor finally lost the ability to fight, they felt like he was a boss monster.


    He continually coughed out blood as he lay down powerlessly on the floor, but a faint smile was still on his face. Diana bet that he was still smug of his achievement despite his current state.


    Though there was a great divide between the 3rd rank and 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, fighting against so many elite soldiers was still too much of a stretch for him.


    As soon as they confirmed that he was incapable of fighting further, Dickson directly fell on the snow to rest his aching muscles.


    He felt like all his veins and blood vessels were just tempered in an extremely hot furnace. He felt drained of all strength. If exhaustion was tangible, then this was it.


    Though Clark badly wanted to lie down on the snow to rest his burning body also, he knew that interrogating this stranger before him was the priority. He had a lot of questions in his mind.


    ¡°Who are you and why are you fighting us?¡± He asked in a stern tone.


    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± Thor asked with a chuckle. After he lost his ability to fight, he suddenly seemed like a completely different person to Clark. He could not pinpoint the difference, but he knew that it was there.


    ¡°You really want to know why?¡± Clark asked with a strange smile on his face.


    ¡°Yes¡±. He answered matter of factly.


    Clark slowly brought his bag down and opened it. ¡°Before coming to the great Himalayan ranges, I once watched the video compilation of the legendary Jack Bauer¡¯s torture techniques¡±.


    ¡°I found them interesting, so I secretly bought the full set of torture equipment. I never thought that they would have any use, but it seems that I was wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Captain Josh, I¡¯m the leader of the Everest surveillance team of Mariana¡±. The man suddenly spoke out.


    ¡°Umm, what? Wait¡­, you said what?¡± Clark was stunned.


    The captain shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what you want to know, I don¡¯t have the willpower to hide anything from you, so why hide it?¡±


    ¡°I am not afraid of injuries and pain sustained when battling, but I hate torture. Instead of suffering myself for a lost cause, I choose the safer option of telling you directly¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± Clark was suddenly speechless. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Then why are you coming after us, or do you have the same target as us?¡± He asked suspiciously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know nor do I have any target. My surveillance team discovered unusual movements in the Everest, so we decided to come after you to know what exactly was happening?¡±


    ¡°So, why will a captain like you come? I don¡¯t believe that Mariana has so many soldiers that they can send a Captain like you so nonchalantly into danger, what are you after?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an explorer, I like exploring and I was curious to know your group, so I followed¡±.


    ¡°From your tone, why do I feel like you did this to brag?¡± Clark was suspicious again. From the battle, he knew that this guy did not necessarily harbor evil intentions, that is why he spoke so harmoniously with him.


    ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re really perceptive. Yeah, my cousin thinks that I¡¯m incompetent to be relegated to the role of mere surveillance team head, so I went after you guys to prove myself to him¡±.


    ¡°Really? Then what made you a surveillance team head?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long story. It¡¯s basically because I¡¯m too handsome. My superior¡¯s wife got attracted to me, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it, I¡¯m not a mind controller, so my boss started targeting me¡±.


    ¡°I lost my position, got demoted bit by bit, and here I am¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± Clark was completely short of words.


    Unknowingly to him, he was already feeling a sense of closeness with this stranger. He laid down beside him as they faced the gloomy atmosphere carelessly to recover their strength.


    He knew that he should not easily believe strangers, but he felt that Josh did not lie. So, they just laid there, talking about each other¡¯s lives before they finally fell asleep from exhaustion.


    It was already evident that they could not get to the shelter today again, so they just built a camp there to spend the night.


    Diana and the other soldiers were alert after the battle, but seeing their leader¡¯s interrogation soon turn to a buddy¡¯s conversation, they succumbed to their exhaustion also and fell asleep.


    What a day this was!


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 243: a typical standard shelter

    ¡°I thought that all 3rd rank high-grade soldiers are always aloof. I can¡¯t imagine how you were patient enough to tail us for over a month, that¡¯s awesome really¡±. Clark muttered thoughtfully.


    ¡°Ha, those guys are just using that to elevate their sorry egos. There¡¯s no difference between you and them, only that they are stronger. Don¡¯t let anyone deceive you, even 5th rank high-grade soldiers are still humans¡±.


    ¡°For me, I think the reason why they act like that is that they are not as handsome as I am¡±. Josh answered smugly.


    Well, Clark had no basis to refute that. Even if he wanted to shamelessly oppose it, the evidence before him was too glaring to slip by it. He would only leave his face burning that way.


    Josh was probably the most handsome soldier that he had ever met. Though he never wanted to acknowledge it, this was the indisputable truth.


    According to him, he was already 30 this year, which made him middle-aged. Despite this, no signs of age could be seen on him, his skin was so smooth like that of a baby¡¯s despite being a soldier.


    His smile was so dazzling, his face and physique so delicately chiseled, he was the closest embodiment of perfection.


    Connecting this with his confession yesterday, Clark no longer found it hard to believe his claim that his superior¡¯s wife was running after him. He was really worth running after.


    Yesterday was already gone, as every one of them slept due to the exhaustion from the battle. They were currently on their way to the shelter early in the morning.


    Because of the humiliation of yesterday, the allied squad¡¯s soldiers still had some animosity against Josh, especially the ones that were knocked out, but they held themselves back on seeing his current relationship with their leader.


    Even though they already knew that he was a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, they could not reconcile with the fact. After all their experiences, they already had some confidence in themselves, but this encounter made them waver again.


    This morning, after having another thorough conversation with Josh, Clark was surprised to find out that he decided to follow them on their journey.


    This decision naturally alarmed him as he associated him with a spy immediately. He became wary, but after thinking about it more, he found it ridiculous for such a soldier to be sent alone to spy on his humble squad.


    After having long laps of conversation time, he already grasped the personality of this new soldier that he was traveling with.


    According to Josh¡¯s story, he was not a native of Mariana.


    Due to the great battle of supremacy, most small countries were absorbed by other stronger countries during the chaotic period of war. His origin was from one of the countries that were destroyed and absorbed.


    His parents went through and survived the great battle of supremacy, after which they became citizens of Mariana.


    Though they were citizens of the same country in name, the treatment given to them was far different than the pure Marianans. That was the only reason a Captain like him could be so neglected.


    To Mariana, no matter how hard he worked, they could never see him in the same light that they saw the natives. This treatment easily led to abuse, but the government hardly cared.


    His parents died 7 years ago which made him take responsibility for his life at that age.


    He enrolled in the army, where he got his first breakthrough during his graduation training. That was where he first realized his talent.


    He thought that he was finally experiencing the good things of life. Everything seemed so as he gradually climbed the ranks of the army to his current rank of a Captain.


    All these abruptly stopped though when his superior¡¯s wife crushed on him. Being handsome was supposed to be a blessing, but in his case, it turned out to be his curse of bad luck.


    That incident led to a lot of demotions which snowballed him to his current position. At this moment, he no longer had any ambitions, he just wanted to enjoy life as it was.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you, but I just want to know. What will you do if we encounter a dangerous situation?¡± Clark suddenly asked.


    ¡°Is that something that you should be asking? I thought you already grasped my personality; I¡¯ll naturally help of course¡±.


    Normally, hearing that would have sounded shady to Clark, but he knew that Josh was serious and was saying the truth.


    They both engaged in idle talks to kill time as Dickson soon joined in on the fun derived from blabbering without any care of the world.


    As they narrated their stories to each other, not forgetting to exaggerate their legendary moments, they finally arrived before the enormous shelter that loomed before them.


    Clark already filtered information to explain their reason for coming here to Josh. He hid all the important information, but the little that was given made the cheerful soldier already understand their situation.


    The 3 of them stood still as they gazed at this scene in awe.


    ¡°I guess this is what is called a typical standard shelter¡± Clark muttered in a dreamy tone.


    Standing before them was a behemoth of a structure. The enormous shelter felt more like something created by extraterrestrials, than something created by humans.


    In the last century, humans would have seen this as a miracle, but there were even better ones in the higher heights of the Himalayan peaks.


    ¡°Humanity really keeps advancing¡±. Dickson sighed in admiration.


    ¡°The urge to fight for resources is the only thing killing us, humans are innately greedy¡±. Josh added, prompting the other 2 to nod absentmindedly.


    All the previous shelters that they encountered always seemed like structures that were enclosed in a small space, but this one was the exact opposite. The width of its perimeter alone was over 2 kilometers.


    The massive work of architecture was built upon a bundle of protruding rocks that acted as its natural defense against predators.


    Its outward appearance was designed like the castles of medieval royal families. Dozens of large settlements were built close to each other, with the largest standing proudly in the middle.


    The largest settlement was over 90 feet tall, completely dwarfing the awed soldiers that were admiring it from below. The other settlements that stood around it ranged from 40 to 60 feet tall.


    Apart from the settlements which the soldiers recognized as the main shelter, they could see other structures that looked like towers that were manned by soldiers.


    Dozens of such towers surrounded the perimeter of the shelter. From their position, they could see the large caliber rifles that were aimed at them from above.


    At the foot of the protruding rocks that held the shelter was a finely structured staircase that led upwards. At the top of the staircase stood a large gate, which probably led into the main body of the shelter.


    The allied soldiers could not keep their composure in front of this behemoth at all, they all expressed their awe in different ways.


    Diana¡¯s eyes glittered like stars, unknowingly to her, she was already holding Benny¡¯s hand in a tight grip. Anna drew closer to Dickson subconsciously, as they admired this scene together.


    ¡°Which country bumpkins are these? They¡¯ve been standing there for 15 minutes already¡±. A voice suddenly sounded from one of the towers that were facing them.


    ¡°Cough¡­, ahem, let¡¯s go inside¡±. Clark almost choked on hearing the voice as he quickly called out to his soldiers before leading them forward.


    Climbing the staircase did not take much time from them, as they quickly scaled it up to the location of the gate. 2 guards that were armed to the teeth came to meet them as a thorough search began.


    After making sure that they did not bring any bomb or other harmful substances that could threaten the shelter, they were finally let in.


    As soon as they entered the shelter, Clark and his soldiers were even more stunned. An energy shield was activated, isolating inside the shelter from the extreme weather outside 24/7.


    They felt like they were just yanked from a refrigerator before being dipped into a boiling hot water pot. The temperature difference made them moan subconsciously in pleasure, they already forgot what it meant to be warm.


    ¡°This is heaven¡±. Benny spoke out dreamily as he admired everything around him.


    Inside the shelter was just like a small-scale city, as people of various backgrounds walked around like they were not in the dreaded Everest Mountain. The service here was superb.


    ¡°Sirs and madams, welcome to the Comfort shelter. I¡¯m your guide¡±. An extremely beautiful lady suddenly greeted the soldiers, drawing them from their distraction.


    ¡°Oh, ok, lead the way¡±. Clark did not lose his cool this time, as he smiled and gestured for the young lady to lead them forward.


    ¡­


    The lady suggested that they should go and check out the wages first, but Clark insisted that she should lead them to have a tour around the shelter. The sight was unforgettable.


    The soldiers were already feeling excited. The feeling that they got from here was like they were out for a vacation, instead of a dangerous mission.


    After doing a complete survey of the shelter to their satisfaction, they were finally led to the clerk building by the beautiful young female. She always had a smile on her face as she patiently answered all their queries.


    ¡°Sir, this is the clerk building¡±. She spoke softly as her sweet delicate voice left Clark feeling intoxicated.


    After the 15-minute tour, she already recognized Clark as the leader of the squad, so she directed most of her words to him.


    ¡°Ok, thanks for the hospitality¡±. Clark smiled as brightly as he could before stepping into the building.


    ¡­


    ¡°What the heck? 10,000 Mountain credits for a person? This is daylight robbery!¡±.


    The soldiers were startled on hearing their leader''s voice, as they turned to look at the building before turning back to look at their beautiful guide. The lady just smiled at them in return.


    Nothing was free, high quality is directly proportional to high money, this saying was true and Clark was experiencing it for the first time.


    Though he was repulsed by the outrageous price, he still paid as he wanted to meet the king of demolition, and most especially because he could not bear leaving such a place of comfort after all that he had been through.


    If they didn¡¯t follow Dickson¡¯s tyrant plan, there was no way that they would have afforded such a shitty price.


    After paying, he left the building in tears. Getting outside, he wanted to direct his frustration at the female guide but seeing her brilliant smile made him restrain his impulse.


    The lady led them to their settlement shortly after as they quickly settled down.


    What came as a relief to them was that, unlike the other shelters that they took refuge in, every customer who came here had a settlement to himself instead of the cramped-up hall that they were used to.


    After the lady left, they finally settled down in the shelter. As some of the soldiers'' set up the settlement, more than half of the others left to the main hall to search for their target.


    Operation find the king of demolition officially began.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 244: negotiation

    After getting out of their settlement, the Spartan/Daland soldiers walked for 5 minutes before they reached the location of the main hall. It was a building isolated at a corner of the shelter.


    As soon as they got close to the main hall of the shelter for the first time, the first thing that became apparent to them was the dressing code here.


    Unlike them that were still dressed in thick climbing uniforms, all of the people that they met dressed more casually. The warmth of the shelter brought a lot of conveniences which some people eagerly took advantage of.


    Some of the mercenaries here shamelessly opened stalls where they sold light and stylish clothes, the female guide already showed them this when she led them on the short tour.


    As they were drawing too much attention with such clothes on, Diana finally decided that they should also get the trending clothes here for themselves.


    After getting the light clothes on, they finally blended with the others here for the first time. The shelter was boisterous as people walked about doing their own thing.


    They joined the cue as they quickly located the main hall of the shelter again, they went inside after dividing themselves into groups.


    As Clark and Dickson did not join the group on the lookout, Diana was the default leader while Benny and Anna were her assistants. With their combination, they smoothly entered the hall without drawing too much attention.


    Unlike what their guide told them; the shelter¡¯s main hall was unusually boisterous today which left them thinking of the reason.


    The hall was shaped just like a football stadium, with thousands of chairs neatly arranged around it to form a circular shape. A podium was erected in the middle of the stadium.


    After locating seats to sit down, Diana finally deduced why a podium was erected here. A projection suddenly flickered to life as 2 men who were obviously gladiators were projected.


    Seeing this, she observed silently while making conclusions on her head. It was already apparent to her that this hall was mainly constructed to provide a source of entertainment to the people here.


    She could see some of the mercenaries going to various booths around the stadium. After asking, she found out that the booths were used as betting sites.


    Even if the hall was made for entertainment, she found it hard to convince herself that all these people came here for this alone.


    After thinking more about it, she concluded that they converged here probably to meet the king of demolition that was rumored to be coming here today.


    She stayed alert for 2 hours watching sharply, but her concentration started waning after this as she followed the other people around to watch the ongoing virtual gladiator tournament.


    3 hours later, she forgot her objective and focused completely on the projection. She even started yelling with the other spectators.


    30 minutes later, a change finally came in the shelter.


    It started from outside as a large number of people started cheering loudly all of a sudden. Hearing the noise, the ones in the hall were aroused as they also started cheering excitedly.


    Diana was jolted by the noise as her brain quickly cleared the next moment. Her eyes grew sharp again, she squinted them while looking outside to see what was happening.


    Her efforts proved to be useless. She was speechless as the projection quickly switched views, projecting what was happening outside to the people in the hall.


    King!! King!! The people started cheering excitedly.


    Seeing this, she was stunned. It seems that they didn¡¯t even need to be alert in the first place, the shelter announced this guy¡¯s arrival even before they could react.


    ¡°How popular is he really?¡± She questioned herself doubtfully.


    From the projection, she could see that the king of demolition had white hair with sharp facial features. She didn¡¯t know if he dyed the hair or if it was natural, but it looked good on him.


    A multitude of people stood around him, cheering excitedly as they escorted him to the direction of the shelter¡¯s main hall.


    His attire from head to toe was all black, with black eyeglasses even on his eyes, which stood as a sharp contrast against his pure white hair.


    ¡°Is Major Clark seeing this?¡± Anna¡¯s voice suddenly sounded through her comm.


    Anna¡¯s voice jolted her as she was getting engrossed in this sight, she quickly reacted. She smoothly placed a hand on her chest, adjusted her button which in the same process switched on the camera that was there.


    At the same time that she did this, Clark and the other soldiers who were in their settlement received the feedback.


    Because of the multitude that was surrounding him, the king of demolition took a long time to take a single step forward. Despite this, he still smiled brightly while waving at the people.


    The atmosphere seemed harmonious just a moment ago, but a change suddenly came into the background.


    A group of 20+ soldiers suddenly rushed forward from the multitude of people with sharp weapons on their hands. Their target was clear, the king of demolition was the target.


    Diana was surprised as most of the people around did not have much of a reaction to this, even the target himself.


    She was surprised, but it soon turned to astonishment. Before the group of 20+ mercenaries could rush forward 10 steps, fire erupted from the towers around the shelter as the sound of gunshots followed.


    The snipers stationed there were frighteningly accurate. A bullet to a corpse and all the attackers were wiped out in a moment.


    A blue solid suddenly fell from the top of the shelter on the corpses as in a moment, the blood, body parts, and corpse were quickly removed like everything that just happened was just an illusion.


    None of the people reacted to this, they were still cheering enthusiastically.


    Seeing this, Clark was stunned. ¡°I expected this as no matter how popular you are, not everybody will like you, but such an efficient reaction is baffling. Why does it feel like the shelter is fawning on him?¡±


    ¡°I feel so too, this guy is not simple. I already heard of him before, but seeing him now is different. I think he is a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, but even this does not warrant such treatment¡±. Josh commented.


    All the soldiers grew serious on hearing this. This person was crucial to their mission, his being troublesome was detrimental to their goal.


    It took some more time, but the focus of attention of the day finally entered the main hall of the shelter.


    He was led to the best seat in the hall by the guards of the shelter. After this, the shelter delivered refreshments to everyone like they were celebrating something worth being proud of.


    As soon as he sat down, most of the more noteworthy mercenaries that the allied squad¡¯s female guide showed to them started standing up to go meet him for idle talks.


    Despite these movements, Clark was patient as he decided to wait a few more minutes. He wanted to know the motive of this guy coming here before he would move out.


    From minutes, it soon turned to over an hour. During all this time, it became apparent to him that this guy probably had no specific motive for coming here.


    From the beginning, he never focused on anything nor anyone. He always had a smile on his face when talking to the people that came to visit him.


    Clark felt that instead of a soldier he felt more like a shrewd businessman. Seeing the smile always gave him goosebumps.


    Another thing that became apparent to him was that this man came with no follower or mercenary, this meant that he was a lone ranger and probably didn¡¯t have a mercenary group.


    ¡°Then how did he become so famous? Is it because of the legend that Jason told us? That¡¯s nonsense, mercenaries can not like someone so much just because of a random legend¡±.


    He had a lot of doubts after watching this man for the past hour, his personality was far from the king of demolition that he envisioned in his mind.


    Well, he could not know more if he didn¡¯t get close. He made his decision.


    ¡°Diana, engage¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Major¡±.


    Diana suddenly stood up from her seat as she started wriggling herself down the column of seats. At the same time that she moved, Benny also stood up from his seat and moved.


    They both quickly came to the foot of the hall again. They converged, nodded at each other before moving together to the location where the focal attention of this celebration sat.


    As almost all of the mercenaries sat down, their movements immediately elicited a reaction from almost everyone. Thousands of eyes converged on them, watching them with interest.


    Seeing them coming closer, the well-known mercenaries that were conversing with the king of demolition narrowed their eyes to look at them.


    Some of them expertly whispered something to their subordinates, who left immediately in acknowledgment of the order.


    Though she could not hear what they said, Diana still made out from the mouth movements that some of them said- go check, find their identity, and bring me a detailed report.


    As she walked forward with Benny beside her confidently, some of the mercenary subordinates suddenly blocked their path. They obviously harbored evil intentions but she was too lazy to spank their butts.


    Benny smoothly walked ahead of her, continuing forward without pause as she glared at the mercenaries.


    This staring contest only lasted for 10 seconds before the frightened mercenaries scrambled from the way.


    This made some of the well-known mercenaries raise their heads in interest, these people were not some cheap scammers trying their luck. This made it more interesting as they¡¯ve never heard of them.


    After intimidating the mercenaries, Diana had uninterrupted passage straight to the king of demolition¡¯s seat.


    The latter swirled the glass on his hand playfully, downed it in one gulp, belched before inclining his head to look at her. ¡°Are you here for me¡­? Or you¡¯re against me?¡±


    Diana took a deep breath before speaking out.


    ¡°My name is Staff Sergeant Diana. I came to solicit your help after hearing about your legend, I believe that you have what it takes to render me the help that I want¡±.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The latter smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, money is not my problem¡±. Diana quickly added with a poker look on her face.


    ¡°When you hear our terms and offer, I believe that you will be interested. What do you think? Let¡¯s find a place to talk, right?¡±


    ¡°I like your confidence. It makes me want to accept immediately, but I don¡¯t think that you are the right person to be speaking to me¡±. He smiled wider while gulping down another glass of alcohol.


    ¡°Bring me your leader¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 245: a new ally

    ¡°You don¡¯t need money? Then what do you need?¡± Clark asked exasperatedly.


    He felt a little frustrated and irritated, the king of demolition that he envisioned and the one in reality deferred so much that he felt like life was playing tricks with him.


    According to the king of demolition, his real name did not matter, that he should be called either Thunder or King, anyone that they found convenient.


    Clark didn¡¯t know how he did it, but when he heard King ask for him when Diana tried to start negotiations, he knew that they were already exposed.


    Trying to beat around the bush would not solve the problem, it would only waste useful time, so he decided to bite the bullet and go there himself to meet him.


    What he didn¡¯t expect was that as soon as he got there, King would suddenly get up in shock. He thought that this was another trick, but the shock on the fellow¡¯s face could not be faked, which left him perplexed.


    King suddenly didn¡¯t want to negotiate there again, he asked to be taken to a private location so that they could discuss properly. Clark had no objections, so he was brought to their settlement.


    Getting to their settlement, King did not let him speak, he took over from him as the main negotiator which was another perplexing fact.


    King kept on asking him some weird questions. Though he wanted to lie at some point, he decided to answer everything truthfully as his intuition told him that this was leading somewhere.


    In the end, the last question that King asked almost made him choke on his saliva.


    ¡°Where did you get the tattoo on your butt?¡±


    Hearing the question, he blushed fiercely as he suddenly wanted to pursue him away and stop the negotiation. His fists almost launched themselves subconsciously, but he held himself back.


    Knowing that Diana and the others were secretly listening from another room, he felt his face burn.


    Despite his extreme reaction, King insisted that he checked his butt to confirm what he just said.


    Of course, Clark did not let a stranger check his butt, but he entered the restroom to check it himself. This was when he got the shock of his life, there was really a tattoo there, on the left cheek.


    The tattoo depicted a roaring lion with fire raging around it.


    He was completely shocked; he was not perverse enough to get a tattoo on his butt. If so, then how the hell did this get there?


    Suppressing his raging emotions, he rushed back to ask King how it got there and how he knew that a tattoo was there.


    To his frustration, after confirming that such a tattoo was there, King no longer answered him nor did he talk about it. He finally diverted the topic of attention to their negotiation.


    Clark was angry but despite all the threats that he threw, the bastard refused to open up.


    He could only suppress his anger and start the negotiation for real. He was once again shocked; the king of demolition knew far more than he expected.


    According to him, he already noticed the change in the Everest since 2 months ago. He was perplexed after noticing it, but he decided to lie low and watch from the shadows to deduce what exactly was happening.


    He said other squads of soldiers already came before them, but he didn¡¯t meet them as he wanted to gather information first.


    During the night, he sneaked into the resting camps of some of the squads unnoticed. That was how he got information about the discovered Aragan ruin and the mission.


    Finding out that the King of demolition already knew everything about their mission took all hopes away from Clark, but he was surprised at this man¡¯s decision again.


    King said that their interests did not conflict so he would still help them. He said that he would not only help them but accompany them also, which was a surprise boon to their mission.


    According to him, his target was not their main mission target nor the other minor targets. He wanted all the bomb samples and all the research information about bombs that they found there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take advantage of you. My interest only lies in the bombs, you can take the rest¡±. He said with a smile.


    ¡°How do I confirm that you are not lying?¡± Clark asked doubtfully.


    The latter spread his hands casually. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I announced my movement so that I could draw out the next squad that was looking for the ruin to work together¡±.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, then you¡¯re free to go. I¡¯ll just look for another squad, I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re the last. I¡¯ll see you again in the evening to flesh out our plan, make your decision before then¡±.


    After saying this, he stood up before walking in the direction of the door. Seeing him almost at the door, Clark hesitated but still spoke out at the end.


    ¡°Why are you so popular? I don¡¯t believe that it¡¯s because of that lame legend¡±.


    King smirked. ¡°I save mercenaries a lot, that¡¯s why. This is a dangerous region, I¡¯m extremely familiar with this region and I¡¯ve saved thousands of lives here, so it''s natural that I¡¯m popular¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m the king of the Everest, that is one of my titles that is only known by few veterans here. I was born here, so what else did you expect?¡±


    ¡°I have to go greet the higher-ups of this shelter; I believe that they are already waiting for me. I¡¯m used to them always using me as promotion for their business¡±. With that, he stepped outside and disappeared.


    As soon as he left, it did not take long before Diana and the others arrived inside the room with different expressions on their faces.


    ¡°I think he is full of himself; his tone was always so smug and all-knowing. How can he say we should call him King? What an arrogant fool!¡± Diana spoke spitefully.


    ¡°He is used to controlling and he has the strength to back it up, I think that I like him already¡±. Dickson spoke casually as he plunged into the chair that King sat a moment ago.


    ¡°His proposal is nice; we just have to make sure that he is sincere. Without confirming that, I advise that we should keep a safe distance from him¡±. Benny held his chin in thought as he replied.


    Seeing everyone turn to look at her, Anna sighed before commenting also. ¡°You guys are the decision-makers; I¡¯ll follow any decision that you make wholeheartedly. But I think his offer is acceptable¡±.


    ¡°For me, I don¡¯t really believe him, but he¡¯s our only shot at discovering the ruin in the shortest possible time¡±. She added.


    ¡°Let¡¯s contemplate it more, we have all the time till evening. I don¡¯t want us to appear desperate to him, he can easily take advantage of us that way¡±. Clark spoke again before waving them away.


    As the others turned to leave, Dickson suddenly spoke again. ¡°Ahem¡­, what tattoo was he talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°Get lost! Leave my room¡±. Clark quickly interrupted him and pushed them out of the room with a red face.


    After everyone left, he sank back in his chair. A lot of things were currently going through his mind. He felt tense that he was getting closer to his mission target, but he was also perplexed by the king of demolition.


    How did the latter know that there was a tattoo on his butt?


    ¡°Is this some kind of attack to get more bargaining power? No, he didn¡¯t ask for money, so what the hell did that mean?¡± He felt like banging his head against the wall.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll soon become allies. I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t pester him to reveal everything to me after a few days¡±.


    Using that to comfort himself, he leaned to a more comfortable position on his chair before quickly falling asleep.


    ¡­


    At 5:00 pm, the king of demolition finally contacted Clark again to schedule another meeting. They agreed to meet up at the same location as before in 30 minutes.


    This time around, when he came, Clark and the others were better prepared so he experienced no hiccups nor did he let King take over control of the meeting.


    After spending a whole day contemplating their decision, they finally found a delicate balance.


    As soon as King sat down, Clark did not waste time as he went straight to the point. He first gave him his consent that they were ready to ally with him before showing him their plan.


    Like usual, King asked for some alcohol to while his time away. After staying with him for an extended period, Clark finally confirmed that this guy was a drunkard, it was just that he could control himself better.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that we finally concluded, thanks for your understanding. I have no objections to the plans that you laid down, it¡¯s feasible¡±. King commented as he downed another glass.


    ¡°At this juncture, don¡¯t you think that I should see all my allies. At least, that way we can build our relationship faster¡±.


    Hearing this, Clark felt a muscle on his face twitch but he maintained the poker look on his face as he gave an order. The others entered the room the next moment.


    Silence reigned as both parties stared at each other with interest and curiosity. Clark did not interfere; he was fine with being the bystander.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re being sincere here, where¡¯s the 3rd rank high-grade soldier?¡± King suddenly asked.


    Clark was startled as his face quickly darkened. ¡°You¡¯ve been spying on us?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you spy on me too? Stop bickering and tell him to come¡±. King spoke calmly in a casual tone.


    Clark took a deep breath to calm himself down. ¡°He¡¯s not part of us, we found him on the way and he decided to follow us¡±.


    ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t think that you could be so easily deceived¡±.


    Clark ignored what he said. ¡°Is there anything important that we have to know?¡±


    ¡°Yes of course. You have a lot to learn about this region¡±.


    ¡°For us to have a shot at discovering the ruin and getting our goals, this is the list of equipment that we need. Get them before tomorrow, they are not overly expensive¡±.


    Clark glanced at the list and nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No. I hope I¡¯m not allying with incompetent teammates, let¡¯s meet tomorrow¡±. King waved at Dickson and the others before turning to leave.


    ¡°Wait¡­, please what do you know about the animal kingdoms?¡± Clark suddenly asked, prompting the latter to stop.


    ¡°Hmm, it seems that you encountered one. You guys are lucky to have survived, that means you have some teeth¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much to tell you about them. Just know that exobeasts that can rule a kingdom are always dangerous and extremely intelligent. They are all subordinates of the Legendary old monster¡­, Cold Kong¡±.


    ¡°In this region of the Everest, if you encounter an animal kingdom, run. That¡¯s my only advice for you¡±.


    Bam! The door was swiftly slammed shut. The king of demolition was gone.


    Clark handed the list to Diana. ¡°Buy everything that is listed here, I think our reserves can take it right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Major¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 246: setting off

    The next day, the allied squad of soldiers finally got ready to leave the Comfort shelter. In all the shelters that they¡¯ve visited since they came for their mission, this one was undoubtedly the cushiest and largest.


    Seeing his soldiers work orderly, preparing their newly bought equipment, Clark involuntarily fell into a daze.


    He still felt that it was unreal as just like this, their mission target was already in sight. He felt excited, relieved, fortunate, and most especially he still felt worried.


    After becoming allies yesterday, the king of demolition finally sent them the basic location and layout of the discovered ruin. According to him, he already reached there before but he didn¡¯t know that it was there then.


    From the information that was sent to them; Clark confirmed that the ruin was not something that they could easily enter like eating beans. They will have to sweat for it as it was located behind a big animal kingdom.


    Though it was located behind the animal kingdom, it was still going to be a dangerous ordeal.


    Putting his anxiousness aside, he was still stunned by how smoothly their negotiation with the king of demolition went.


    Deducing from the legend that was narrated by Jason, he originally expected the king of demolition to be an aloof, strong, and egocentric man, but reality ruthlessly slapped him on the face.


    The man made no unreasonable demands, everything went so smoothly that he now felt that the god of luck was watching over him. Maybe this was his time to shine Afterall.


    The list that King drafted for them contained a lot of gadgets, which resulted in almost all their plundered money going down the drain.


    Despite the astronomical sum, they didn¡¯t hesitate to buy everything. What use was money if you intend not to use it? Money was created to be used, hoarding is just an alternative for expressing foolishness.


    A notable fact that he observed was that almost 70% of the equipment in the list had stealth functions. The list was filled with equipment that could hide their trails, which reinforced his notion that their journey was not going to be safe.


    ¡°Sir, we are ready to move¡±. A soldier¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from the door into his room.


    ¡°Ok, got it. Tell Staff Sergeant Diana that we will wait for the king of demolition¡¯s arrival before we move¡±.


    ¡°Ok, sir¡±.


    As soon as the soldier left, Clark¡¯s original train of thought left him like fleeting clouds as he started thinking of home for the first time since he came to the Himalayan peaks.


    ¡°How is Leo? I hope he is fine. What of Emily and the mercenary group? Can they cope with me leaving so abruptly?¡±


    ¡°What of my territory, Vatican City? Did the Persian tigers¡¯ terrorists strike again? Did the 5 big commissioners cope well with my leave? What if the city is experiencing another bloodshed because of my disappearance?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°I hope everyone is fine, I¡¯ll never forgive myself if something bad happens because of my unannounced leave¡±.


    ¡°What of Sonia?¡± This time, he spoke his question out loud.


    Though he always spoke and behaved normally around his friends and everyone, deep in his heart, he knew that he had still not gotten over the disappearance of the then 18-year-old girl that stole his heart.


    Back then, he always tried to suppress his feelings and act appropriately around her. He never knew that he would lose her someday, and losing her was far more painful than he thought.


    Perhaps, he never really treasured the small amount of time that he spent with her. Her disappearance showed him how important she already was to him, but it was too late.


    People don¡¯t treasure their loved ones until they are gone. Perhaps, this was what happened to him. He never treasured her enough, he sometimes felt conflicted about it.


    ¡°Why was I so foolish?¡±


    He knew that he shouldn¡¯t be thinking about this at such a crucial moment of his mission, but he could not help himself.


    He already started splashing money to search for her secretly, but they were all to no avail. Thinking of the fact that her rich dad could not even do it, he felt more discouraged.


    ¡°I need more strength¡±. He clenched his fists.


    ¡°With more strength, I will have access to more money which can indirectly translate to more influence. If I achieve that, I will have a better chance of finding her¡±.


    ¡°Sonia, please wherever you are, persevere for me, I vow that I will find you¡±.


    Despite making this vow, he knew that it would not be solved just by saying it, he needed to do it. The best way to increase his strength was to break through his current bottleneck, but he was still stuck.


    ¡°No matter what happens, I must break through after this mission¡±. He challenged himself this time. Breaking through was not easy, but setting it as a must-achieve goal would make it seem easier for him.


    ¡°Major, the king of demolition is here¡±. Diana¡¯s feminine voice suddenly disrupted his thought process.


    ¡°Umm, ok. I¡¯ll be there in a minute, wait for me¡±. He rubbed his face with his palms while standing up, grabbed his bag, and put it on his back before walking out of the room.


    Everything that he needed was set. He already set a goal for himself, he just had to do his best and everything will fall into place like the building blocks of a mansion.


    As soon as he got outside, Diana smiled at him before leading him out.


    She led him to another room. In the biggest room that was allocated to them in the shelter, dozens of soldiers stood uprightly as they welcomed their leader with a military salute.


    Clark nodded at Dickson and Josh who were seated at the front of the room before he went to the middle of the room to address the soldiers.


    This time, he gave them a short military briefing as their ally was already waiting for them outside.


    After using his words cleverly to motivate, advise and admonish them subtly, he finally led them outside.


    Daland and Spartan soldiers alike all looked at his upright back in admiration as he led them outside. To them, he was their ultimate leader, they could not imagine anyone better in their current situation.


    As suspected, the king of demolition had no subordinate as he stood before the soldiers alone.


    He wore all black from head to toe. A black hood to cover more than half his face, a black long flowing outfit that covered his black climbing uniform, a pair of black boots, and a large blotted black bag.


    Seeing him, the first thought that crossed Clark¡¯s head was- men in black.


    As the group of soldiers observed their ally, the king of demolition also observed them with a soft inviting smile outlining his face.


    He nodded to himself on seeing the soldiers, they were clearly all prepared.


    All the soldiers, from superior to the least wore all black like him. What impressed him most was the blotted bag that was on their backs just like his, his allies surprised him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you guys to carry such blotted bags. It seems that you bought everything that I listed, that¡¯s impressive¡±. He finally broke the veil of silence.


    ¡°Yeah, we are rich. Very rich actually¡±. Clark smiled as he went forward to exchange a handshake with him.


    The king of demolition took the hand with a smile also. ¡°Really? Why do I smell the scent of plundered money in the air?¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Clark almost choked on his saliva.


    ¡°Ahem, I don¡¯t understand what you mean. I think that you like this version of us more. Well, let¡¯s forget about such trivialities and go, or do you still have anything doing here?¡±


    ¡°No, my business here is done. You¡¯re right, I like this version of you guys more. Prepared allies are always better than clueless ones¡±. King replied casually before turning around to go.


    Clark twitched his lips on seeing this, he could only laugh self-mockingly. This guy was really a Rubik cube, just when he thought that he was grasping his personality, he would suddenly open another side.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go¡±.


    His soldiers acknowledged his orders as they left the building, going outside in the direction that their ally just took.


    Their going out stirred some reaction. Dozens of soldiers with blotted bags on their back going out uniformly could not be hidden, they became the focus of attention as they passed.


    Some mercenaries spied at them from a distance, carefully taking photos of them and others recording.


    Most of the mercenary leaders here were shocked to find out that no information about them could be found after they ordered their subordinates to check their background.


    Due to this, they started stalking them as anyone that could draw the king of demolition¡¯s attention could not be ordinary.


    They intended to take it slow, but they never thought that this group would spend only 2 days here. They were all frustrated but they could do nothing about it, they could only watch from the sidelines.


    Clark and his soldiers expected to leave immediately, but their eccentric ally clearly thought otherwise.


    He first took them to the small-scale market of the shelter where he bought and ate a sumptuous dish of food.


    Though they already ate, Clark could not stop himself from salivating which irritated him a lot. In the end, he also settled down with his soldiers as they all had a nice meal.


    When he was asked why; the king of demolition said that he always ate nice meals before going out in the wild as no one could predict what would happen.


    Today may be the day that he died, so why not enjoy himself first?


    Though Clark wanted to refute this argument, he only twitched his lips in reply. A few minutes later after they ate, they finally left the shelter uniformly.


    According to the description from the king of demolition, the ruin was located northwards from here.


    After speaking with the guards of the shelter at the gate enthusiastically, the king of demolition finally led his new allies down the slope and into the encompassing world of snow.


    Their journey was going to be a long one.


    ¡°How long do you estimate that we would spend on the way?¡± Clark suddenly asked.


    ¡°If everything goes according to my plan, we would reach there in a week. But if things go wrong, I¡¯m afraid that we can spend up to a month just to get there. So, I hope you are prepared¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, we are fully prepared¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 247: an appreciation gift

    In the Spartan republic, precisely in Delhi city, though most of the people in the city could not feel it, the aura of celebration was already circulating everywhere for a certain group of people.


    In the Python military division headquarters, Leo drove his car through the gates, steering it directly to the location of his Captain¡¯s apartment.


    Unlike usual when he reported for duty, he was dressed in a formal sky-blue suit instead of his military uniform. And beside him on the passenger seat sat someone else, his wife.


    Kate was unusually gorgeous today. She was dressed in a long pink gown that was embedded with decorative diamonds, she looked just like a princess to the man sitting beside her.


    Although he was driving, Benny could not help himself from stealing glances at her before smiling contentedly. He was living his dream already.


    After so long of waiting and persevering tenaciously, he finally completed the deed. He was now married to Kate Bauer, all that was needed to make it official was a celebration party.


    A few days ago, he visited his home city again to finalize the marriage rites. Though this was an incredibly advanced era compared to the 21st century, most of the customs were still intact.


    Since Kate¡¯s home was already ravaged by family rivals, the marriage could not take place in her country. Everything was scheduled to be done in the Spartan republic.


    Even though Leo¡¯s home city was a den of criminals, at his current level, those were just trivial matters.


    After asking around, he was able to find some of his relatives that were still in the city. Through them, he finally got the marriage rites ceremony with his wife done according to the customs.


    That meant that he was now a married man. He was no longer just Leonard Bane; he and his wife were now Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Bane. What a wonderful feeling that was.


    He already got the consent of his military superior before the family rites marriage, his motive of coming back was to thank him for the support with his wife accompanying him.


    Captain Daniel has been his superior for so many years already.


    Though the man was sometimes ill-tempered, he never treated any of his subordinates harshly. This was something that Leo was especially grateful for as some superiors were vastly different.


    This was one of the main reasons why he never thought of leaving the Python military division. With such a nice superior, there was no better place, excluding the Spartan army headquarters.


    It did not take him long again as his Captain¡¯s apartment slowly started entering his sight.


    As it was an apartment building in the military division base, it was much smaller than typical mansions that were owned by high-grade soldiers. Despite this, it was still pleasing to the eye.


    He expertly maneuvered the car as it slowed to a stop at the parking lot of the apartment. After switching off the ignition of the car, he exhaled while surveying the familiar surroundings.


    It was 4 years now since he became a soldier serving in the Python military division. He already had lots of beautiful memories here, he would find it hard if he ever had to face the decision of leaving.


    Well, that was not the main reason why he came today.


    As he opened the car¡¯s door to come down, he suddenly felt a soft pair of palms rest on his hands. He turned his face to look at his wife.


    ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t know, I feel a little anxious. I think I once heard from Clark that Captain Daniel is very harsh¡±. Kate blushed a bit as her husband turned to look at her, but she still said her mind.


    Listening to what she just said, Leo sighed. ¡°I told you already, Clark loves exaggerating matters. That¡¯s his nature, don¡¯t be too believing of everything that he says¡±.


    He paused a bit before trying to tone down his voice to its softest possible volume. ¡°Honey, do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±. Kate nodded cutely.


    ¡°Then believe me and forget what Clark said¡±. He placed his palm on her chubby cheeks and lightly caressed them. ¡°Believe me, ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok, I believe you. Let¡¯s go¡±. Kate smiled.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s good. But wait, don¡¯t open the door by yourself¡±. Leo quickly came down and went to her side before gently opening the door for his queen.


    Kate smiled brightly before bringing her gorgeous legs down. She held her husband¡¯s outstretched hand before following him forward.


    As Leo tightened his grip on her hands, she suddenly felt like all the worries in her heart were fluttering away like the early birds. She felt tranquility fill her heart, she felt contented, this was her husband.


    The couple¡¯s luxurious shoes made soft clinking sounds as one of the soldiers in the apartment led them to the large sitting room.


    As soon as they entered the sitting room, the first thing that presented itself to Leo was his Captain¡¯s poker face. He almost gulped on the sight but he quickly emboldened himself by the knowledge that his wife was beside him.


    Surprisingly, after laying her eyes on the dreaded Captain Daniel, Kate coped far better than her husband.


    She no longer felt tense and anxious, her moves and gestures became more natural as she became the main initiator of the conversation. Leo was stunned by his wife¡¯s adaptability.


    ¡°Good morning captain¡±. Kate greeted respectfully with a slight feminine duck and dip of her shoulders accompanying it.


    ¡°Good morning captain¡±. Leo saluted respectfully.


    Hearing this, the captain¡¯s poker face finally shattered as it broke into a pleasant smile. The room suddenly seemed brighter to the couple on seeing this, nothing was more reassuring than a smile.


    ¡°Kate¡­, you¡¯re the little girl in the medical department, right?¡± He turned to the wife and asked good-naturedly.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    He turned to give a meaningful eye at his subordinate. ¡°Leo, you¡¯ve really grown up. Getting such a nice wife is an achievement in itself, congratulations on your find¡±.


    Leo smiled awkwardly. ¡°Thank you, Captain¡±.


    ¡°Please have a seat, I don¡¯t want the new couples in town to exhaust their leg strength¡±. The captain said in a joking tone, prompting the couples to laugh which further livened the atmosphere.


    As they sat down, Leo had a baffling thought on his head. He didn¡¯t know if it was him, but he felt like his Captain suddenly seemed much nicer today than before.


    ¡°Is it because I came with my wife?¡± He was puzzled.


    After sitting down, they kept quiet as Captain Daniel dictated the direction of their conversation. They only commented when necessary and answered when asked.


    10 minutes later, the atmosphere was already pleasantly harmonious. The captain finally threw out the ultimate question. ¡°Ok, Leo, what brought you here today?¡±


    A strange silence suddenly came into the room, but Leo quickly salvaged the situation and spoke out.


    ¡°Before I answer, I want to first thank you for the hospitality. I really appreciate it, sir¡±. Leo spoke much faster than he usually did, the harmonious atmosphere already made him forget all his misgivings about his Captain.


    The captain just smiled in reply. Leo stood up before continuing, his wife also stood up with him.


    ¡°My main reason for coming with my wife today aligns with what I just said. I came today to appreciate you, sir, not just for the hospitality, but for everything since I came to this military division¡±.


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s a stretch to call you my father, but to me, I think that you¡¯ve been my father in the military headquarters for the past 4 years¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that I can ever repay your kindness. Despite that, I still want to appreciate you with the little that I have. I brought this to thank you for everything Captain¡±.


    Kate brought out something from her bag at this moment. It was wrapped up in a rectangle shape with decorative hard paper, making it look extremely attractive.


    Though it looked nice and attractive, Leo knew what his Captain liked so the decorative cover had a certain militaristic style to it.


    Leo and Kate kneeled at this moment as the latter handed it respectfully to the watching Captain. The wrapped gift was a shapeshifting weapon that Leo got from a high-tier auction.


    As a Captain, just like any other soldier, Captain Daniel was obsessed with powerful weapons.


    After cracking his brain hard to think, Leo finally settled on this for his Captain. The weapon had dozens of configurations that it could morph to, which made it extremely valuable.


    It cost him a whooping 5,000,000 Spartan credits to get it.


    As soon as he held it, though he could not see what was inside due to the wrapping, Captain Daniel still deduced that it was a fairly expensive gift.


    Smiling was supposed to be the normal reaction, but the captain didn¡¯t smile, he instead gave his subordinate a deep look before asking.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving the military division?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain. I was contacted by the Spartan army 2 weeks ago, they offered me the privilege to serve the republic in their ranks. I came to inform you of this also¡±. Leo answered calmly.


    ¡°I see¡­, congratulations. Stand up, no need to strain your knees¡±. He finally helped the couple to their feet.


    ¡°I appreciate your gift¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention sir, I really don¡¯t know how to thank you for your care for the past few years¡±. Leo added.


    ¡°I also want to appreciate you sir. Thank you for taking care of my husband on my behalf, he¡¯s told me numerous stories about your benevolence. I¡¯m deeply grateful sir¡±.


    Kate finally joined the conversation as she bowed her head in gratitude.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. When is the date of the main marriage again?¡± The captain suddenly asked.


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s on the 5th of this month, which is this Saturday¡±. Leo answered.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll come¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Leo and Kate were shocked for a moment as they didn¡¯t know how to immediately respond to this.


    Captain Daniel chuckled. ¡°Why are you so shocked? Because I hardly go to social events does not mean that I loathe going¡±.


    ¡°Thank..., thank you sir. I¡¯m deeply grateful¡±. The couple was completely flabbergasted.


    What does it mean to have a 3rd rank high-grade soldier attend your marriage? Those were the upper echelons of the current Spartan republic; they didn¡¯t know how to express their joy.


    Captain Daniel, as a 3rd rank high-grade soldier originally would not bring himself to attend such events, but he made an exception this time.


    He could not explain his feelings. Though the gift was just like a pinch of sand in a vast desert in comparison with his wealth, he still felt a cushy feeling from the gift that he¡¯d not felt in a long time.


    Perhaps, this was the feeling of being appreciated and he loved it.


    After presenting the gift, the couple no longer spent time there as they left shortly after. They were still shocked by the captain¡¯s promise after entering their car, they just sat stiffly stunned.


    In the end, they both leaned in and shared a deep kiss. To them, their honeymoon was already on even before the official marriage ceremony.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. Please, leave your power stones behind to support the book. Purchase privilege for The Conspiracy Of The Elites and read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers.]

 Chapter 248: an eventful journey

    ¡°I think this is another animal kingdom¡¯s territory. How troublesome, how can they be so numerous?¡± Josh¡¯s grumbling voice reverberated again but no one reacted to it, they were all used to it.


    After spending some more time with this man, the allied squad finally grasped his personality completely.


    Unlike what was expected of typical 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, he was the complete opposite. Not only did he not put on any airs, but he also grumbled more than the weakest soldiers in the squad.


    Though it always left the soldiers awkward, his grumblings were not without basis. As the king of demolition said, this region was countless times more dangerous than all the areas they¡¯ve passed before.


    As soon as they crossed from the safe territories marked out by humans after years of exploration, it felt like they just jumped out of a cushy king-sized bed directly into a lake of fire.


    Starting from the first day of their journey, they started encountering strong exobeasts that were difficult to handle. Some came with their horde of subordinates, which only made the situation more precarious.


    Despite the difficulty, they always defeated them and emerged victoriously. This changed though, on the 2nd day, it felt like the Mountain was just watching them with a cunning grin previously.


    Just the morning of the 2nd day, they encountered the first animal kingdom. And like the king of demolition said, it was bigger than the one they encountered about 2 weeks ago.


    All of them grew tense immediately after sighting it from afar, the trauma from the previous encounter with the Wild Yak¡¯s territory was still vivid in their minds.


    This was when the king of demolition finally stepped up after being a silent observer for the past day.


    After getting Clark¡¯s acknowledgment, he took over as the temporary commander of the allied squad. Though some of the soldiers felt disgruntled, this all disappeared 3 days later.


    After taking command of the soldiers, King led them through various corners and hidden pathways through which they completely evaded the first animal kingdom without alerting them.


    His movements felt just like he was an extension of the mountain. The allied squad finally knew what it felt like to have a local guide, and this was no mere local guide either.


    Just like that, they passed through the first animal kingdom¡¯s territory safely without any hiccups. The allied squad felt it unreal as this same setting made them lose dozens of comrades previously, they were sincerely shocked.


    Though this was shocking, this was not what made the soldiers¡¯ discontent of him being the commander go, it was their next encounter.


    The next day, they met their second animal kingdom, which was roughly the same size as the one that they evaded and passed through the previous day. It felt like the mountain was now spamming them with problem after problem.


    This time, though the king of demolition took them through another hidden passage, a mistake from one of the soldiers exposed them. They quickly killed the few animals that were present, but the damage was already done.


    The soldiers were completely horrified.


    The animal kingdom was aroused like a beast that just woke from slumber as all the animals rushed in their direction. The horde of animals was endless. Such a sight was not strange to them, which only made them more horrified.


    ¡°Follow my instructions and you will be safe¡±. After calmly saying this, the king of demolition finally showed why he had such a nickname.


    He gave some directions smoothly to the soldiers, allowing all of them to escape ahead of him, he only asked for Clark, Dickson, and Josh to stay behind.


    He assigned Josh to be the temporary leader that would lead the two-2nd rank high-grade soldiers to harass the animals, he was the real damage dealer. He quickly explained his plan to them.


    As the 3 soldiers quickly clashed with the animals that were rushing at them, he calmly placed his bag down from his back and started his work.


    ¡°Now run!¡±


    None of the 3 soldiers hesitated, there was no way that they could fight so many animals alone. But before they could even take the first step, they felt like an earthquake was imminent.


    Boom!!


    The explosion was blinding as the fire-ravaged and roasted the animals who led the charge without any remorse, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air immediately.


    The king of demolition had a calm face as he steadied the large weapon that was on his shoulders. It was shaped like a gun with an extremely large muzzle.


    When connecting it with the bomb that was just released, it looked more like a grenade launcher, but a highly optimized one. This was the king of demolition¡¯s main weapon, and this was his fighting style.


    He was a one-man army¡­, so long as the cost of the bombs were settled.


    His boots were already glowing an ominous red as they pushed him back across the rough passageway, his eyes never left his target. The 3 stunned soldiers finally knew why he addressed them as harassers.


    ¡°Help repel the ones that are getting through¡±. Josh quickly recovered as he started instructing Clark and Dickson. Though he was at times childish and all that, he always seemed like a different man in battle.


    They all snapped out of their daze and began attacking. The few animals that escaped the line of fire became their targets as they picked them out for destruction, protecting their damage dealer in the process.


    The first launched exotic grenade was not the end, this was just the beginning.


    Boom!! Boom!!


    After releasing the first, the others kept on coming as the muzzle of the weapon kept on lighting up with sparks and flames before raining down destruction.


    This was not the king of demolition¡¯s only attack option though. As he moved, small gadgets that looked inconsequential kept on dropping from his bag.


    Despite their sizes, Clark and the other 2 did not dare underestimate them after seeing the countdown timer that was faintly blinking from them. They quickly rushed behind them to let the animals suffer the brunt of everything.


    As soon as the animals ran into the gadgets, they all erupted, forming a brilliant combination of red, orange, blue, grey, and indigo in the air. The timed bombs had different effects.


    Some animals were pushed violently away as they were impacted with the high-pressure shooting bombs, others were torn to pieces after sharp shrapnels were shot at them, others were roasted to pieces.


    These were just the most conspicuous effects; other minor effects were rapidly being displayed by dozens of the other bombs.


    Even unconventional effects like extreme emotional manipulation were on display, Clark could only marvel at the technological skill on display.


    After falling under the influence of these bombs, most of the animals succumbed as they entered their heat periods without prior warning. Not being able to hold back their urges, they ran around looking for female counterparts.


    The sight was in itself both horrifying and goosebumps-inducing. The 3 soldiers felt chills drench their back, what a frightening ability!


    At the same time, dozens of thoughts went through their minds. ¡°Where the hell did this guy get so many high-tech gadgets? No wonder he only asked for bomb research samples as his pay when they enter the Aragan ruin¡±.


    At this moment, they finally knew why their ally was nicknamed- the king of demolition. The name was just perfect for him.


    Just like that, what they originally sacrificed dozens of comrades to cross, the king of demolition led them through it with zero casualties. The soldiers felt only awe for him.


    ¡°Destroy the exit¡±. He calmly ordered after they crossed through to the other side.


    The soldiers did not hesitate, they swiftly reduced the entrance of the passage to a dead end blocked with rocks. They would not do such a lame mistake and let their enemies meet them again.


    When they continued their journey, Clark and Dickson could not bring themselves to forget the battle at all.


    They knew that it wasn¡¯t right, but they just couldn¡¯t help feeling incompetent all of a sudden.


    When they escaped the last time from an animal kingdom, they did it with dozens of casualties. But this time, just because of a difference in leadership, they suffered no casualties. They felt inadequate.


    ¡°If being a demolition expert could make someone so overpowered, why did we even waste our time training to become high-grade soldiers¡±. It was a depressing thought to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a difference in inclination¡±. The king of demolition suddenly said while coming closer to meet them.


    ¡°How did you know¡­?¡±


    ¡°I guessed¡±. He smiled.


    ¡°Even if you became a demolition expert, what are the chances that you will get access to such top-notch exotic bombs like the one I used? To me, I think the chances are low¡±.


    ¡°And it''s also a matter of passion. You became a soldier because you have passion for it, that also applies to me. I became a demolition expert because I have passion for it¡±.


    ¡°Even with all my bombs, some 3rd rank high-grade soldiers can still trash me. No military inclination is the best, you just have to have passion for a specific one and pursue it to the best of your ability¡±.


    Clark and Dickson fell silent for a moment as they internalized what they just learned. ¡°Yeah¡­, you¡¯re right¡±. They sighed.


    ¡°Thank you¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it¡±. The king of demolition smiled.


    ¡°Do you know when my passion for bombs first blazed? It was when someone very dear to me took me through a battle, that is when I first witnessed the splendidness of bombs¡±.


    ¡°After that battle, I developed a zealous liking for bombs immediately, and here I am¡±.


    As the king of demolition continued, Clark and Dickson felt silent, listening attentively. This was a soldier that was stronger than them even if they forfeited his demolition skills, they had a lot to learn from him.


    And recently, after they embarked on the mission, they already noticed that King showed them much more care than what was expected from normal short-term allies.


    They didn¡¯t know why he behaved like this, but one thing was sure, he either had a liking for Clark or he knew him somewhere. That was evident to everyone, even Clark himself already noticed it.


    Just like that, they spent the rest of the day uneventfully.


    The next day, being the 5th day, they continued their journey. Unsurprisingly, they encountered another animal kingdom. This brought them a serious question.


    ¡°How many animal kingdoms are there actually?¡±


    Though they were exasperated, they didn¡¯t feel much pressure as their reliable ally was still with them. What surprised Clark was that despite noticing the animal kingdom for a few minutes already, King did not speak.


    He turned to look at him and was surprised. Unlike the casual king of demolition that he knew, King currently had a deep frown on his face.


    ¡°Stop!¡± King suddenly called. ¡°Something is not right¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 249: surrender

    As soon as the soldiers heard the king of demolition say stop, silence descended immediately. Every one of them stood as rigid as a rock, their hairs stood on end like antennas.


    They could already feel their hearts in their throats but they still made no sound. What could make the king of demolition so tense was definitely not good, they had no intentions of pushing their luck.


    Though they still didn¡¯t know why he was so tense, none of the soldiers dared to disturb him, not even Clark and Dickson.


    They could already see the roughly made settlements of the animals before them, which was the trademark of the animal kingdoms, but they still could not understand what made the usually casual king of demolition so tense.


    The king of demolition finally made a gesture with his hand.


    The soldiers understood what he meant on seeing his gestures. They slowly bent down to make themselves closer to the snow, thereby making them blend with the white background better.


    If looked at from afar, they looked just like some inconsequential dirt that littered the snow-filled mountain pathway.


    As they did this, they already drew out their weapons carefully.


    They made tiny but consistent movements on the floor, quickly forming a battle formation. After undergoing so many battles in this region, this was something that they were already extremely familiar with.


    Seeing that they understood his gestures, the king of demolition heaved an inward sigh of relief but this did little in making him less tense. If his guess was correct, then things were already complicated.


    He gestured at them to follow him silently before he took the lead and started going carefully to the location of the animal kingdom¡¯s territory.


    It did not take them long, 10 minutes later, they finally found a nice location where they could get a good view of the animals that were roaming around.


    Clark suggested that he bring out his drones so that they could have a birds eye¡¯s view of the animal territory, but King quickly shot down the suggestion without second thoughts.


    This again verified the notion that something was wrong, but the soldiers still couldn¡¯t pinpoint what exactly, making them feel tenser.


    From the elevated location that they hid, they could see the boisterous animal kingdom as the lesser animals did the grunt work of gathering food, while the higher-ranked ones ordered arrogantly.


    They were animals, but the soldiers could still feel the complex emotions that they were exuding. Since they met the king of demolition, this was the first time that they came so close to the animal kingdoms.


    This continued for 5 minutes as they continued watching. Clark could no longer hold himself back, he turned to look at King.


    ¡°What is happening, really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still trying to deduce it. You guys should get prepared and not freak out, I think an invasion is imminent¡±. King replied without turning his head.


    ¡°An invasion?¡± Clark was surprised, but it soon turned to shock as he quickly ducked his head back down.


    It was so abrupt that he almost fainted from shock. In just a moment, the originally silent territory of this animal kingdom was riled up as another group of animals started descending the nearby slopes at them.


    The higher-ranked animals of the kingdom were alarmed as they started making different noises at the lesser ones, which were probably orders. These new animals were clearly not friends.


    ¡°Is this an invasion?¡± Dickson asked, puzzled.


    Nobody answered him though, what happened next answered him.


    Boom!!


    The animals descending the slope quickly collided with the ones down in the animal kingdom as a ferocious brawl began immediately. The earth shook for a moment from the impact of the clash, but it cooled the next.


    The soldiers were shocked in place as thousands of animals quickly started a bloody battle between themselves.


    The animal kingdom was caught off guard as they were pushed back from the first clash, but this did not last as their reinforcement kept on joining them to resist the attackers.


    From the way that they reacted to this sudden attack, it was clear to the soldiers that they were probably used to this.


    The red color from the overflowing blood quickly became the dominant color on the battlefield as casualties started emerging from both sides. The change of situation from peace to this was too fast to comprehend in a go.


    ¡°Did you know of this before? Is this a frequent occurrence here?¡± Clark finally turned his head to ask his ally again.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be said to be a frequent occurrence, but invasion happens between the animal kingdoms. How else do you think that the alphas expand their territory?¡± King chuckled.


    ¡°Then why are we here? Shouldn¡¯t we use this opportunity to escape?¡±


    ¡°It''s not that simple. If we decide to escape now and something happens, do you think that we can escape a battle between 2 animal kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°You mean they¡¯ll leave their battle and attack us?¡± Clark sucked in a cold breath of air.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how they are. They are not like humans¡±.


    ¡°What I want to know is who the leader of the invaders is. When I know it, that¡¯s when I¡¯ll know how we should react¡±.


    As this conversation continued, the battle was already entering a huge climax. Unlike human invasion wars which dragged on for long periods and involved various strategies, these beasts were completely straightforward.


    This was a battle of bite me I bite you. The speed at which casualties appeared on both sides was mind-blowing, stunning the soldiers even more. The soldiers continued watching for 10 minutes before a change finally came.


    At this time, the dead on the battlefield were already in the thousands.


    Roar!! From among the invaders, 2 huge exobeasts suddenly appeared and roared at the skies. The 2 exobeasts were a Himalayan black bear and a Himalayan Tahr.


    How the hell a Tahr was able to become an exobeast, the soldiers had no idea.


    At the biggest settlement in the middle of the animal kingdom being invaded, an equally huge exobeast also emerged to confront these 2 new intruders. It was the alpha of this kingdom.


    The Snow Leopard had a livid expression on its catty face as it faced these intruders, its predatory instinct could not suppress the rage that was currently being exuded by it at all.


    From this confrontation, the soldiers easily understood its implication. This was probably the fight between the upper echelons to decide the winner.


    After glaring at each other for like 30 seconds, the snow suddenly stirred as the 3 animals rushed at each other with frightening momentum.


    Boom!!


    A fierce battle began immediately after the first collision as the 3 exobeasts savagely fought, biting, clawing, and tearing at each other. Their battle was very bloody and fast-paced.


    From the battle, what made Clark and his soldiers tense was that all 3 exobeasts had 3rd rank strength. This was horrifying in itself, but the next thing that King said completely flattened them.


    ¡°Neither of these 2 exobeasts is the alpha of the invaders¡±. The king of demolition had an unusually solemn expression on his face as he thoroughly surveyed the surroundings.


    Despite the ongoing battle between their leaders, the animals did not pause their battle as more casualties emerged among them.


    Another point of note in the battle was that, even though the Snow Leopard alpha fought against 2 exobeasts of roughly the same strength base, it was not disadvantaged in the slightest.


    All its attacks were still as precise and coordinated as it inflicted deadly injuries on its opponents¡¯ thick hides, prompting terrifying wails of pain from them.


    Despite its dominance, it could not completely nullify the advantage of numbers. Injuries already filled its thick hide, but it refused to succumb, retaliating fiercely.


    The originally boisterous animal kingdom completely turned upside down due to this abrupt invasion, more than half of the settlements already caved in due to the vibration of the battle and the stampede of the beasts.


    Roars of pain kept on echoing across the battlefield, dozens of animals died every second. The ferociousness of the battle already took on a different level entirely.


    As all these happened, another change came into the battlefield again. A new exobeast appeared at the top of the slope where the invaders accessed here from.


    There were countless exobeasts in the ongoing battle, but this one was unique.


    It was a gray-skinned ape, with a darker facial color. It stood tall like an elephant to the soldiers even from the distance that they were seeing it from, its muscles were as thick as tree trunks.


    It had a scientifically impossible physique for an ape. Its legs were as wide and thick as truck tires. It stood on the top of the slope, looking down arrogantly like the monarch of all lives.


    Ho!! Ho!! Hooo¡­!!!


    It suddenly started beating its chest rapidly with its thick arms, inducing sounds like those of war drums being beaten. After doing this, it jumped directly from the slope down.


    Now, it was already clear that it was the true alpha of the invaders, while the Himalayan black bear and Himalayan Tahr were its subordinates.


    The 2 subordinate exobeasts escaped immediately to give their alpha chance, but the already desperate Snow Leopard refused to give up as it roared before facing its enemy head-on.


    Boom!!


    On landing, the apes¡¯ thick legs absorbed all the shock that accompanied the huge dropping distance as its enormous arms slammed hard on the Leopard¡¯s head.


    The Leopard tried to resist but it was flattened from the difference in strength immediately, it twitched on the floor like a bug that was just squashed by a mischievous kid.


    Ho¡­!!


    The ape roared again before extending its left hand to grab its defeated fellow¡¯s neck. It raised the Leopard and looked directly into its eyes intimidatingly.


    Reluctance showed on the Leopard¡¯s predatory face, but it still lowered its head timidly. The difference in strength was just too much, resisting would be foolish.


    The soldiers were shocked by what happened next.


    After the Leopard lowered its head, it roared at the sky as this strange signal immediately made all the animals in its territory also lower their heads as a sign of surrender.


    In just about 30 minutes, an enormous animal kingdom spanning kilometers was just invaded and annexed.


    ¡°What power is this?¡± The soldiers shuddered from their position.


    What happened next even shocked them more. As they intended to ask for the king of demolition¡¯s opinion, the worst happened. The exobeast ape suddenly turned to look in their direction.


    All of them almost pissed their pants immediately, gulps escaped their throats subconsciously.


    ¡°King! King!!¡± Clark whispered anxiously but to his horror, he got no reply.


    He stiffly turned his head to the side; the king of demolition was gone. He felt lightheaded immediately, he felt all strength directly drain from his body.


    He felt a folded paper on his hand which was not there originally, but he was too shocked to be surprised. He opened it in a zombie-like manner to check its contents, he no longer paid attention to his surroundings.


    ¡­


    ¡°This is an urgent situation. I cannot explain much, but don¡¯t engage the exobeast. I repeat, do not resist, surrender immediately. Just hold on, I¡¯ll look for a way to help¡±.


    ¡°If your luck is good, you will not die immediately. Then you can plan ahead, I believe in you, Clark¡±.


    From: The king of demolition.


    ¡­


    As soon as Clark inclined his head up from the letter, the wide face of the exobeast ape was what greeted him.


    ¡°Su¡­ren...dar, human!¡± The ape spoke!


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 250: the chosen one

    Deafening silence descended on the soldiers after this, all of them felt like they were hallucinating.


    ¡°Did an ape just speak?¡± The impact of this could only be imagined.


    It felt just like you went to the back of your house to catch some bugs, and a bug suddenly tells you to surrender. The goosebumps that come from that alone can be imagined; it is a completely horrifying scenario.


    Perspiration escaped their sweat glands subconsciously, pouring down like waterfalls to drench their climbing clothes despite the cold weather. They were all too shocked to react.


    ¡°Diana, lead everyone away!¡±


    ¡°Clark, let¡¯s dine in hell with this bastard, at least to let our subordinates escape¡±. Dickson growled as his shield quickly materialized in his hand.


    As he prepared to rush out to meet the ape, he suddenly felt a hand holding and dragging him back. He turned his head only to see Clark¡¯s lifeless eyes that were muddled in confusion.


    Noticing his glare, Clark finally snapped out of his daze. Seeing the emotions in Dickson¡¯s eyes, he wanted to change his mind but thinking of how strong the king of demolition was only made him hesitate more.


    If someone so strong would advise him to surrender and not resist, then this ape was really a boss-level character.


    Maybe they were deceived by the king of demolition, but he didn¡¯t think that they were worthy to receive such treatment at all. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to listen to King.


    His gaze hardened, he shook his head at Dickson, making the latter have a confused expression on his face.


    Not waiting for his reaction, he fell to his knees. What he meant was evident, he just surrendered. He just prayed that his luck was good, if not then he just led his whole squad to death.


    Dickson was shocked, Diana and Benny were even more shocked on seeing his actions.


    The silence dragged on for another 30 seconds, but what happened next shocked Dickson even more. All the soldiers of the allied squad suddenly followed Clark¡¯s lead and surrendered.


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing? Who told you that exobeasts understand surrender? It¡¯ll just think of us as fools and feast on us¡±. Dickson was angered, when did a Major like Clark become so foolish?


    Clark gave him a calm look. ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility for everything that happens¡±.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Dickson was left speechless. He did not know what came over Clark, but he was angered beyond comprehension.


    As this small banter continued, the ape was surprisingly silent, curiously watching the humans with an interesting expression on its face.


    As all these happened, Josh already wriggled himself to the very back of the soldiers. Feeling the pressure that was being exuded by this exobeast, he felt that fainting now would be the best outcome for him.


    Dickson was not foolish; he knew that this ape could trash the 2 of them. But why would Clark think of surrendering in such a situation?


    In the end, he listened to his instinct that Clark was never wrong. He threw an accusing glare at Clark, emboldened his mind before also falling on his knee in surrender.


    A wide grin suddenly came onto the ape¡¯s huge face. It slowly turned and started walking away like the humans were not worth its attention, its 2 subordinates took over instead.


    What shocked the soldiers was that these animals actually had huge metal chains to restrain them.


    ¡°Do they do this often? Then how many humans have fell to them?¡± Their impression of the world was turned completely upside down again.


    This was why it was advisable to continue learning despite the 5 years of learning through the implant.


    They never learned from their implants that an exobeast could speak the human language and that they could also restrain humans with chains like slaves. This new knowledge was completely mind-blowing.


    The animals quickly chained them and yanked them away.


    ¡°My shield¡­!¡± Dickson whined a bit as his shield was taken away by the animals. All of their weapons were taken away, not a single thing was left behind.


    As they were dragged away like slaves, the letter left by the king of demolition was the only thing occupying Clark¡¯s mind. He was distracted throughout.


    The only relief that came to him was that his luck seemed to work for him this time as they were not killed immediately. He could only hope for the best.


    What an eventful mission this was!


    ¡­


    A few dozen kilometers from where the Spartan/Daland allied squad were just frightened silly and captured, a black figure was swiftly moving across the heavy snow slopes.


    The king of demolition had an anxious expression on his face as his figure flashed across with mind-blowing speed.


    Red energy blazed fiercely from his boots, he already overloaded them as he was now running at an outrageous 120km/h speed. If focused on from afar, only afterimages could be seen in his wake.


    ¡°Why will Grey Fur arrive at such a time? This is completely mad. I just hope you don¡¯t do anything to that man or you will suffer the full-blown wrath of my master¡±.


    Despite his hopes, he was still anxious, prompting him to increase his exotic boot¡¯s speed further to an even more astonishing 140km/h. Now his figure was just a blur.


    Grey Fur is the name of the ape who was the alpha of the animal kingdom that invaded. The ape was an exobeast that could be said to be long-time enemies with him.


    Due to its craving for more territory, Grey Fur always loved invading other animal kingdoms.


    Few exobeasts could match it in strength in the whole middle heights of the Himalayan ranges, which further emboldened its unbridled invasion quirk.


    During one of its invasion campaigns, that was when it first met the king of demolition. Both sides clashed and King was completely trashed, he escaped by the skin of his teeth.


    Though he was trashed, his bombs'' wrath considerable damage among Grey Fur¡¯s subordinates. Thousands of animals and dozens of lesser exobeasts died to him that day.


    Since then, both parties were akin to fire and water.


    The king of demolition felt relieved that he reacted fast enough. If Grey Fur caught sight of him before he disappeared, then all the Spartan and Daland soldiers were doomed.


    ¡°Why are these boots not carrying me faster? Ahh!¡± His impatience was being shown in his barely coherent questions.


    After crossing thousands of kilometers, he finally started slowing down. By this time, a few hours already passed, which made him even more anxious.


    He was now before a flat endless range that barely had rocks. The rocks here were flat, smoothly aligning with the ground.


    He went forward another kilometer before stopping. He brought a key out of his bag, inserted it in a tiny hole on the floor before opening it.


    A door suddenly materialized on his front. He removed the key from the ground and kept it back, pushed the door open before hastily rushing inside.


    As soon as he entered, the door became invisible again.


    ¡°Thunder, what brought you back? You rarely visit these days¡±. A voice suddenly sounded out to him as soon as he entered through the door.


    ¡°Master! Master! I met him¡­, he needs your help now. Grey Fur has him, I don¡¯t know how long he can stay alive¡±. King didn¡¯t even answer his master¡¯s question before he started yelling out.


    ¡°Calm down, tell me what¡¯s going on¡±.


    Unlike what was expected, it was not a mansion that was behind the door, it is a cave. From the humidity of the air, it was clear that this cave was dug a few meters under the ground.


    At the corner of the cave sat the man that spoke first. He was a rather old man with white flowing beards falling down his chin, his cheeks were all covered by the beards.


    He was originally watching the small fishes on the nearby underground pool, but he frowned and raised his head on hearing his student¡¯s flustered tone of speech.


    Yes, he was the man that adopted the king of demolition after the latter¡¯s parents died.


    Though most of his legends circulating about were complete exaggeration, the part that his parents were embroiled in battle and only him survived was correct.


    And no Everest saved him, this old man was the one who rescued him.


    ¡°Who did you meet?¡± The old man asked again, this time in a calmer tone after King sat down next to him.


    ¡°I met the chosen one that you always told me about, the dream chaser. I felt the soul resonance that you always emphasized from him¡±. King quickly answered.


    Seeing the skeptical expression on his master¡¯s face, he quickly continued. ¡°I¡¯m not lying. I was also skeptical, so I decided to check if any one of the elites has met him before¡±.


    ¡°Guess what, I found the alliance tattoo on him¡±.


    ¡°Tell me everything¡±. The old man finally dropped his complacent expression, changing it for a completely serious one.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± King quickly relayed all that transpired between him and the allied squad to his master.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that¡­, he doesn¡¯t need my help then¡±. The old man said nonchalantly after listening to everything.


    King felt wronged. ¡°Master, you still don¡¯t believe me? Even if I lie sometimes, and also steal your equipment, I never lie about these types of matters¡±.


    The old man gave him a deep look. ¡°You finally confessed?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­, master, that¡¯s not the important point here¡±.


    ¡°I know¡±. The old man laughed.


    ¡°If he is really the dream chaser of the prophecy, then believe in him. I don¡¯t believe that such a man can die so easily. If he dies, it just means that you made a mistake¡±.


    ¡°But I really want to see him¡±. He sighed.


    ¡°Thunder¡±.


    ¡°Yes, master¡±.


    ¡°You have an assignment now¡±.


    King¡¯s face quickly soured.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that face¡±. The old man snorted as 2 gadgets materialized in his hand from nowhere.


    ¡°Take these 2 gadgets. The first one is a stealth device; it will hide you from any perception and technological devices being used in this region. The second one is a high-tech camera; I want live footage, understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood¡±. King heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I thought you wanted to give me those your unconventional assignments again¡±.


    The old man snorted. ¡°Shoo! Leave my cave, your noise is disturbing¡±.


    King laughed as he stood up and finally left. He was confident that his judgment was right, so his master¡¯s words reassured him that Clark was probably fine.


    As soon as King left, the old man stopped his pretense and gazed listlessly at the small fishes swimming disorderly.


    ¡°He really appeared!¡±


    His student¡¯s information shocked him, but he did his best to keep himself composed. He was anxious to know if Clark was the one and if he was in danger, but he believed that the chosen one could not die easily.


    This calmed his heart a bit.


    ¡°Perhaps, the conspiracy of the elites has a chance Afterall¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 251: good friends

    3 hours later, the Spartan and Daland soldiers were still being led across the snow-filled region. None of them made any sound, they just kept following silently.


    Though dozens of thoughts were in Diana¡¯s mind, she also kept her mouth tightly shut. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Major Clark also restrained by the chains.


    She felt funny all of a sudden. ¡°Before, it was humans who did this to animals. Is this retribution?¡±


    Among all the soldiers present, Clark was the one under the most pressure. Thinking of the fact that he made a decision that may possibly doom his soldiers made him feel stressed out.


    Though none of the soldiers openly lashed out at him, he knew that they had doubts. This only made him feel more guilty, he just kept praying for the best.


    He inclined his head to glance at Dickson but quickly regretted his decision. Dickson had a nonchalant expression on his face like none of this happening concerned him, he really already put all the responsibility on Clark¡¯s shoulders.


    As all these happened, they finally arrived at the territory of the beasts after traveling for another 20 minutes.


    The animal kingdom territory had the same layout and design as the previous ones that they¡¯ve seen, the only difference was that this one was countless times bigger and more boisterous.


    At first glance, the soldiers thought that they just entered a roughly developed city. It was far more coordinated than the previous animal kingdoms.


    ¡°Have animals become so intelligent?¡± They felt mixed feelings.


    The next thing that happened shocked them even more. As soon as the battalion of soldiers stopped, the ape alpha finally came down from the carriage that it was carried on.


    The carriage was just something like a wooden bed that they made, and 4 exobeasts would carry it around with the alpha in it. This was 5-star treatment already.


    After the ape came down, a few dozen apes suddenly came from the animal kingdom to welcome it. From their movements, the soldiers deduced that they were probably all female.


    The next moment, the alpha ape made a weird sound before happily grabbing a few of the female apes, groping them in various weird places as they cheerfully escorted him away.


    ¡°What???¡± The soldiers almost puked blood.


    They all felt dazed, even Dickson that feigned nonchalance was completely floored. Their perception of exobeasts was once again challenged, this looked more like a fictional movie to them.


    As soon as the alpha disappeared with its harem, the other animals finally led them to a corner of the kingdom.


    They were led through a tunnel underground before arriving at a damp cave that was made there. To their surprise, dozens of humans like them were kept here, shocking them again.


    After dropping them inside, the animals made some weird sounds at them before turning to leave.


    They slammed the entrance of the cave shut after leaving, bringing unnerving darkness and silence into the cave.


    Flick!


    A light suddenly flickered and came to life, it was Josh who made this move. Unknowing to the animals, he sneaked some gadgets in here, and fortunately, a torchlight was one.


    As soon as the light came to life, the dozens of humans that were here before them shuddered in fear before cowering tightly together at a corner.


    This was when the soldiers finally saw these people clearly, they all sucked in a cold breath of air.


    Instead of calling them humans, it was more apt to call them bones. The group of people before them were so emaciated and dirty, it was hard to associate them with humans.


    They were about 30+ people before them, but none of them looked healthy. The treatment that these people went through at the hands of the animals could only be imagined.


    ¡°We are not staying here!¡± Dickon suddenly said as he sharply turned to glance at Clark.


    ¡°Yes, you, Diana, Benny, Anna, come. We have to discuss¡±. Clark nodded without much emotion showing on his face.


    As soon as they convened, Dickson spoke first. ¡°Why did you make the decision? Perhaps, we had a chance then, but now we¡¯re in enemy territory¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of this¡±. Clark calmly brought out the letter.


    The 4 of them quickly went through it. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you made such a decision because of this, what if he lied? If he really cared for us, why did he run?¡±


    Dickson was clearly angry, but Clark tried to ignore him.


    ¡°What do you guys think?¡± He directed the question at all of them.


    ¡°Even if he lied, from your reaction when the ape appeared before us, it was evident that we had no chance at all. I think this decision is best¡±. Diana thought carefully before answering.


    The others gave their opinions as a short debate started. 15 minutes later, they finally came to a verdict.


    ¡°We¡¯re escaping this night then¡±. Clark concluded.


    During this time that they discussed, one of the soldiers came to report to them that they saw signs of dried blood.


    From this, they deduced that the animals either tortured these people daily or killed some of them at various intervals. None of the assumptions was nice, so leaving this same night was agreed on by all 5 of them.


    They already tried to communicate with the poor fellows but none of them opened their mouths.


    It was either because they were traumatized, or they already lost all hopes of living. This made them wonder why they haven¡¯t committed suicide yet, that was much better than living such an agonizing life.


    ¡°Then our weapons, how would we get them? We have zero chances of escaping without our weapons¡±. Dickson bluntly said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my means¡±. Clark smiled mysteriously.


    During his time stranded in the Mediterranean Sea, he learned a lot of survival skills and some of them would come to play today.


    Learn something about everything and learn everything about something, this saying was undoubtedly true to him.


    After bidding farewell to his soldiers, Clark entered stealth and left, startling Dickson and the others. They finally understood, just like Josh, he also sneaked some gadgets inside.


    During the time that Clark left, Dickson led the other soldiers as they scoured the whole cave for any clue that could help them.


    During this process, they deduced something terrifying. From the bloodstains around, they deduced that from the humans that they met here, 2 people were always killed by the animals daily.


    This was a completely horrifying deduction, this caused them to be more resolute about their decision to leave tonight.


    Even if they could not plan everything properly like against the Wild Yak alpha, it was better than staying and waiting for the inevitable death.


    An hour later, Clark finally returned and he did not disappoint. He already found out where their weapons were kept. They just had to get there and grab them when the time of escape came.


    After this, under Clark¡¯s orders, all the soldiers went to sleep to recover their strength before night came.


    The night was surely going to be chaotic.


    ¡­


    5 minutes later, when most of the soldiers already fell asleep, Clark stood up and went closer to meet his friend. It was a long time ago since they discussed friend to friend, Clark just felt the impulse today.


    As soon as he lied down close to him, Benny felt the heat and opened his eyes. Though he could not see through the darkness, he knew that it was Clark who slept beside him.


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡± He asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so¡±. Clark sighed.


    ¡°I sincerely don¡¯t know if I¡¯m doing the right thing, I feel like I¡¯m leading you guys into a bottomless abyss. Do you think that perhaps I was never fit to be a leader, how can I believe a stranger so easily?¡±


    As he rambled on, Benny finally interrupted him. ¡°Clark!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is any leader that is right all the time, the only thing is that they always follow their hearts. You believed that it was good for us, that¡¯s why you did it¡±.


    ¡°To be sincere, I sometimes feel inferior around you. You¡¯re probably the greatest leader that I¡¯ve ever served under, I think you should give yourself some credit¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ve experienced a lot during this mission, I think with all these new things, I can pat myself and say that I¡¯m a fairly experienced soldier. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve experienced a lot¡±. Clark replied nostalgically.


    ¡°From the Himalayan black bears to our first shelter, then to the strange forest, then the animal kingdom, and all the weird people that we met on the way¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we are experienced soldiers. I bet most soldiers don¡¯t even know that exobeasts can speak human language, that alone makes us experienced. Even if we die in the end, this is enough for us¡±.


    ¡°At least, the whole Spartan republic will remember us that we tried. I don¡¯t know of the other squads, but we are just a day away from the Aragan ruin according to King. That¡¯s a great achievement in itself¡±.


    Silence reigned a bit as both friends contemplated the words that they just explained.


    ¡°Thank you, Clark¡±. Benny finally broke the silence.


    ¡°For what?¡± Clark was startled.


    ¡°For everything, I know that you¡¯ve been secretly protecting me from the shadows. I really appreciate everything¡±.


    ¡°And I¡¯m also grateful for this conversation, it cleared my tense nerves a lot. It¡¯s not every day you see an ape that speaks English, it¡¯s horrifying really? It almost caught up to me already, this conversation helped a lot¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I was able to help¡±. Clark smiled.


    ¡°I wish Leo was here, then we¡¯ll be complete. Remembering the day that we first met still leaves a smile on my face, I think that¡¯s the best day of my life¡±. Benny smiled also.


    ¡°I think so too. I have the best friends in the world, I¡¯ll miss you guys a lot¡±.


    ¡°Why are you saying it like we¡¯ll all die soon¡±. Benny joked, making Clark laugh a bit.


    Both friends kept discussing and reminiscing like that until sleep eventually came. As soon as both friends slept, Josh finally looked at them a bit, complicated emotions flitted across his eyes.


    ¡°Having good friends is the best thing ever¡±. He smiled ruefully.


    ¡­


    ¡°Getting to Grey Fur¡¯s kingdom is going to take more time than I expected. Why did I forget to ask for a new boot from master? I¡¯m so forgetful¡±.


    King lamented as smoke billowed out of his damaged exotic boots. After overloading them for an excessive period, they finally gave way.


    He already traveled to a location where going back to ask for help from his master was not viable, so he could only grit his teeth and decide to continue the normal way.


    ¡°Well, the chosen one can completely take care of himself, so no rushing¡±.


    Convincing himself with that, he changed into a lower grade boot before continuing the journey normally.


    One thing that was notable to him as he traveled was that the weather was very gloomy. It seemed that a great rain was about to drench the Himalayan peaks, this made him increase his steps a bit.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 252: it is time

    The atmosphere in the cave was subdued and tense, night finally came which indicated that the soldiers were leaving soon.


    Though they would not disobey their leader, thinking of the ape that could speak human intonation still left the soldiers feeling goosebumps all over.


    Even the originally jovial Josh had a rare solemn expression on his face. He knew that if they were found out, a desperate uphill battle would be the subsequent development trajectory.


    Till now, he still didn¡¯t know why he decided to follow Clark¡¯s team but he already experienced a lot during the past few days. To him, all of these were worth it, that was the main attraction of every zealous adventurer.


    All the soldiers already woke up. When such a battle of fate was looming, none of them had the motivation to sleep deeply.


    Every one of them had tense expressions on their faces. Despite the negative feelings in their heart, glancing at Clark and seeing the confident expression on his face made them all fade away like the wind.


    Clark looked at them seriously. ¡°It is time¡±.


    That was the only word needed from him, all the soldiers already memorized the hastily drawn-out plan that he cooked up. He turned to go as they all quickly followed closely behind.


    For this escape to be successful. The plan was to retrieve their weapons first, try not to get discovered, and escape in the already predetermined direction.


    Getting to the entrance of the cave, Benny and another 1st rank high-grade soldier went forward to roll the huge rock blocking it away. They did this carefully without letting a single sound out.


    After this, Clark took the lead again as they started moving sneakily to the location where their weapons were stored.


    No stealth device was with them, so they were completely exposed under the glare of the moon up in the sky. They could only pray for luck that they should not be discovered immediately.


    When Clark drafted the plan, he knew that they had zero chances of escaping silently without being found out.


    If they were found out in the significantly smaller Wild Yak alpha¡¯s animal kingdom despite their preparation time, then it was only a matter of time before they were also busted here.


    The one thing that mattered was how they reacted to it after being found out. The bulk of the drafted plan was on how they would react after they were found, so speed was paramount for this escape.


    Following Clark¡¯s lead, the soldiers all crawled on their bellies across the cold snow region. It took them 10 minutes, but they finally got to the location where their weapons were kept.


    No soldier moved chaotically despite seeing their equipment standing before them. They all followed Clark¡¯s plan and moved in orderly, one at a time to re-equip themselves.


    After they retrieved all their weapons, phase one of their escape finally ended. They quickly switched over to phase 2.


    Clark released dozens of small drones in the air, these were his eyes to monitor the situation. At the same time that he released them, he also activated a stealth coverage device.


    He activated a camouflage device, a smell distorter, and dozens of other gadgets. Most of the gadgets recommended by the king of demolition finally came to use.


    After this, they started moving across the territory northwards.


    According to the king of demolition, the Aragan ruin was located to the north, and that was their destination. Even in this scenario, fulfilling their mission was still paramount to them.


    They crossed about a kilometer in a few minutes as they continued escaping at an extremely fast pace. Their powerful stealth measures dozed all the intuition and detection methods of the regular beasts.


    From their location, they could already see the end of the animal kingdom territory but this did not make them feel happy, it only made them tenser.


    And they were right to be tense, one of the drones finally sent out a not so reassuring signal.


    With just a swift look at the footage and the metric reading sent back to the holographic screen hovering before him, Clark easily discovered that it was another group of Dipers again.


    The animals¡¯ ears twitched in the live footage being transmitted. Even sleep could not suppress their instinct, these animals were indeed created to frustrate sneaking humans.


    Before they could sound their alarm, Clark acted. ¡°Run!¡±


    Every soldier activated their exotic boots and went full focus mode as they sprinted swiftly across the snowfield encompassing their vision.


    The group of Dipers felt the tremors immediately as they quickly made weird loud noises, the alarm was sounded and the whole kingdom reacted immediately.


    Most of the settlements that were roughly built across the Kingdom haphazardly suddenly started collapsing, their owners were too battle-attracted to care about such damage that can be easily replenished.


    Roar!! Roar!!


    Every single animal in the territory was aroused by the alarm. The silence of the night was broken as beasts of various species woke up, making various loud chaotic sounds.


    As the only humans among the horde of beasts, the Spartan/Daland squad was discovered by the beasts immediately despite the slight cover provided by the night.


    In such a setting of beasts only, they felt so out of place that even a blind animal could feel their presence.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    Before the beasts could charge at them, the soldiers attacked first. All the ranged experts released their loads at the beasts fiercely as the first wave of deaths quickly started.


    This was Clark¡¯s plan. Make the battle progression fast, he meant not only fast but extremely fast.


    As the ranged experts shot unbridled, a Dickson on stealth suddenly materialized before a clustered group of animals as his enormous shield slammed down momentously.


    Every animal under him was squashed into a bloody pulp under the weight and pressure of his shield. Before the beasts could react, he raised his shield again and bulldozed into their midst.


    Melee soldiers suddenly started appearing behind him as they joined him, rushing through the temporary passage that he created from the blood and flesh of the beasts.


    The beasts were not testing subjects though, and the ones just killed were just a small tip of the iceberg that was this animal kingdom. The rest all rushed forward like maniacs unafraid of death.


    The battle began in full force, but the soldiers had no intentions of playing according to the recognized paradigm.


    3 other small battlefields suddenly sprang to life in 3 other directions as the unprepared beasts suffered another slight disadvantage. Diana, Anna, and Benny were leading these separate battlefields.


    The change of pace in the sudden battle that erupted was so fast that even the legendary master of pace changes, Lionel Messi would blush in shame.


    The soldiers poked from the east, west, north, and south, but with only one inevitable direction in their mind. The rest were all feints to grant the main team more escape chances.


    In this battle, there were bound to be casualties but the soldiers were already prepared.


    The exobeast subordinates of the alpha ape finally started rising to this sudden night challenge, they arrived at the battlefield with frightening grandeur as they quickly turned around the status quo.


    Casualties finally started appearing among the soldiers but the others hardly batted an eyelid, only their mission currently occupied their minds.


    They would have preferred detonating the earth rending bomb explosion again, but there was no time for the technicians among them to jury-rig such energetic bombs.


    The soldiers used all their gadgets without hesitation. They no longer paid attention to efficiency; they were in a race against time.


    Clark and Dickson were the main attackers of the main force, they pushed forward to the north with their allocation of soldier supports. Despite the frightening rate at which exobeasts died to their weapons, they still felt tense.


    Josh was not with them, he volunteered to stay back in the minor battlefields to protect their second in commands.


    They could see the end of the territory. It seemed to be getting closer, but at the same time getting further away, they didn¡¯t know which one of the illusions to believe.


    Ho! Ho!! Ho!!!


    The soldiers¡¯ hearts sank. They were constantly praying against it, but it seemed that God was not on their side today. In the end, the ape decided to engage them directly.


    Clark reacted at the same instant that he heard the sound. ¡°Everybody, follow the plan. Disperse and run for your lives¡±.


    ¡°If you survive, wait for me, Dickson, or any of the second in commands¡¯ arrival. We¡¯ll surely get back to you, Good luck¡±.


    Though feeling reluctant, every one of the soldiers still obeyed his orders and ran disorderly in different directions.


    He also anticipated this scenario. This was part of his plan, not only did he intend to make the battle extremely fast and constantly changing, but he also wanted a seed of chaos to be sown.


    As soon as the soldiers separated in different directions, the animals were caught off-guard again, but this time they suffered much fewer casualties as all the soldiers were now focused on running.


    After a lot of analysis and after getting input from Josh, Clark finally concluded that clashing with the ape directly was suicide.


    Through this deduction, he finetuned the plan which was to use the other soldiers as a distraction to enable the elite team to forge ahead to complete the mission.


    Benny, Diana, Anna, and Josh reconvened with the 2 of them in a matter of seconds as all 6 soldiers brutally cleaved a passage of red through the beasts. No animal lasted against them.


    During this time, the soldiers that were escaping solo were also being killed by the horde of beasts.


    The alpha already joined the battlefield, its eyes scanned everywhere for opponents. Seeing the glaring red at a corner of the battlefield, its eyes narrowed and locked into its first targets.


    The small battlefield being led by Clark was too glaring to be ignored.


    The huge ape bolted forward in pursuit, in the process crushing its subordinates that could not clear the way on time to flesh and blood. Its movements felt like a bulldozer demolishing an old district.


    ¡°Set up the U-14 and Drilling device¡±. Clark quickly whispered.


    Josh and Dickson quickly acted together as they struggled to bring down a heavy object which was the U-14 device from Clark¡¯s blotted bag, they acted like the ape charging at them was air.


    As soon as the object was placed on the snow, Clark struck at the red button gleaming ominously, which quickly went green the next moment.


    A bright grey chaotic light suddenly shot out from the device and hit the ape who was still charging forward and was already before the soldiers. Its movements visibly slowed after being hit, it moved like a human stuck in a quagmire.


    Josh activated the drilling machine next, adjusted its focus downwards as he quickly drilled a hole through the snow into the rock, forming an artificial underground passage.


    The remaining 5 soldiers jumped into the hole immediately, with Clark and Dickson both dragging the heavy U-14 device along.


    The 2 devices they just used were the most expensive in the list brought out by the king of demolition. Both combined cost an astonishing 1,500,000 Mountain credits, and their effects worked as advertised.


    This was also part of the plan.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 253: a desperate struggle death

    According to the king of demolition, those exact 2 devices already saved his life dozens of times during his daring adventures around the Himalayan peaks, so Clark didn¡¯t hesitate to buy it.


    The loud noise being made by the drilling machine was extremely piercing to the ears, it vibrated with boundless energy as the thousand-year-old rocks beneath were carved aside.


    Josh being the one who operated the machine felt the vibration the most, but he bit his lips and persevered, pushing it forward with all his might.


    As soon as the others landed in the narrow tunnel that was being drilled by Josh, they entered a battle formation immediately.


    Clark handed his guns to both Diana and Benny. This time, they were relegated to act as the ranged support with Anna.


    Though they were primarily melee-soldiers, shooting a gun was not hard for them, especially in such a narrow passageway. Despite this, Anna was their leader whose mission was to direct them.


    3 of them stood at the back closely behind Josh, while Clark and Dickson stood at the front controlling the extremely heavy U-14 device.


    Thud!!


    As they predicted, the alpha ape did not hesitate before jumping down here to meet them. They were prepared though, they all attacked in various ways.


    Due to the narrow tunnel¡¯s restriction, none of their attacks could miss and the powerful movements of the ape were restrained a bit by the old solid rocks surrounding them.


    This was the plan- draw the ape to an unfavorable position, then bombard and stall it till they either escape or it gives up.


    Clark and Dickson quickly pointed the device at the large ape as soon as it landed. As soon as they activated it, the air seemed to tremble a bit as its fearsome domain descended again.


    The U-14 device was a technological gem that could project the atmosphere of a heavy gravity planet.


    Grii!!


    The ape growled angrily on seeing its movements slow down again. Its bones felt countless times heavy, and it took him countless times more effort just to raise its legs to move forward.


    It was extremely familiar with this device, the king of demolition used it against him when the latter escaped from him a few months ago.


    Tu! Tu!


    Before it could take a step, under the leadership of Anna, the group of 3 shot at it without holding back. Bullet shells dropped, making clinking sounds in contact with the rocks as the bullet heads impacted its thick hide.


    Blood seeped from its skin a little, but most of the bullets left only scratches on its thick skin.


    Roar¡­!!


    It roared angrily and bolted forward despite the suppression of the U-14 machine, Clark and Dickson also retreated at the same time as Josh already drilled a sizeable distance away.


    This quickly became like a siege battle as the ape pursued while they defended, retreated, and retaliated at the same time.


    Despite this setting, the ape kept on getting closer to them. Only the sniper shots being sent at it by Anna impeded its movements a bit, but it was all inconsequential.


    All 6 soldiers felt their hearts on their throats but they didn¡¯t dare stop to rest for a moment or to even wipe the sweat away from their foreheads.


    After crossing a distance of about a kilometer underground, darkness already covered most parts of the tunnel but the ape was still pursuing them relentlessly, and the distance was now closer than ever.


    Clark and the others didn¡¯t worry about the darkness as they had on their night vision goggles, what they worried about was the ape¡¯s speed and tenacious will.


    As it moved forward, its eyes were trained on the U-14 device, it clearly intended to destroy the device as soon as it got close enough.


    Clark felt worried but there was little that he could do. If the device was destroyed, they had no other hopes of emerging victorious against the monstrous strength of the ape.


    Despite his reluctance, the inevitable finally happened.


    After shooting repeatedly for about 30 minutes already, the gun wielded by Diana finally depleted its energy. She quickly tried to change the energy reactor but this small dip in offensive proved deadly.


    The ape¡¯s speed immediately took a great leap after this as the rocks flew wildly under its foot, it arrived before the U-14 device in just 20 seconds.


    Bam!!


    Its enormous right arm swiped down as the device suffered the full brunt of the immense applied force. At this time, Dickson already rolled backward while Clark jumped at the rock wall.


    As soon as the device was destroyed, the ape finally felt liberation from its struggle. It tried to rush at Dickson, but a sharp object suddenly stabbed at its face from the side.


    Clark had a fearsome expression on his face as he thrust his spear into the face of the unsuspecting ape. It went only about a few inches in before the alpha¡¯s thick skin muscle hindered its advance.


    Blood flowed from its stabbed cheek, but it already reacted angrily by swinging its arm at the side.


    Clark abandoned the spear immediately and swiftly ducked, rolled to meet his comrade while at the same time bringing out a new spear from his bag.


    Boom!! The ape rushed at him only to be greeted by Dickson¡¯s shield. Dickson¡¯s face went pale as he coughed out blood from the impact, despite this he still did the needful.


    Instead of flying backward from the kinetic force, he inclined himself downwards as his back quickly hit the floor.


    Before the ape could react, his sword stabbed viciously at its reproductive organ, prompting a loud wail from the alpha.


    ¡°Take that! Even if you have a skin made from stone, your third brother can not have it too¡±. Dickson snorted despite the dangerous situation that he was currently in; he was under the ape.


    Seeing the blood and feeling the pain striking from its lower region, the ape went berserk immediately.


    Its hands and legs flailed wildly, kicking left and right as the foundation of the tunnel quickly started shaking. The hard rocks at both sides caved in from the forceful blows.


    The soldiers suffered the impact as they started rocking disorderly due to the tremors.


    Before the ape¡¯s flailing legs could flatten Dickson, who was under it, Clark grabbed at him and pulled him away fast.


    ¡°Run!!¡± He yelled. They no longer had any chances of fighting the ape evenly, escaping was their only option.


    Josh immediately started working extra hard as he increased his drilling speed, sweat fell down his brows like waterfalls. He was completely drenched but he hardly cared.


    Seeing them trying to escape, the already blood-eyed ape turned to glare at them resentfully.


    Its kick tore the rock floor under to fragments as it bolted forward in pursuit, it already had an unforgivable grudge against these daring soldiers. It suppressed the pain biting at it and focused only on its targets.


    It took only a few seconds before they clashed again, this time against all the soldiers except Josh who was paving the path for them.


    All of them suffered various degrees of injuries from its first strike alone, clearly reminding them of the bitter truth that they had no chances in an even battle situation.


    ¡°Josh, take us back up!¡± Clark yelled again after analyzing the situation.


    The sweaty 3rd rank high-grade soldier obeyed immediately as he exerted all his strength to redirect the tip of the drilling machine upwards. The machine immediately started drilling back up.


    The tremors of the ongoing battle already made him freak out completely, he did not even dare look lest he gets distracted from his purpose.


    In just a few blows, Clark and Dickson being the main attackers already suffered crippling damage but they still held on. They just prayed that Josh should breach back to the surface faster.


    When they get back to the surface, what would happen? Clark did not think of that yet, all he knew was that staying down there was no longer viable.


    ¡°Perhaps, we¡¯ll all die today¡±. He laughed bitterly as he supported himself back up to clash with the ape.


    The ape¡¯s arm movements and force were just like those of the dinosaurs of legends, completely tyrannical. It was not fighting a battle at all; it was on a rampage.


    ¡°Clark, think of something, my shield is already at its end. I¡¯ll break any moment from now¡±. Dickson¡¯s anxious voice sounded again, breaking the chaotic noise of battle reverberating across the tunnel.


    ¡°I¡¯ve breached the surface¡±. Josh¡¯s yelling voice sounded down at almost the same time.


    ¡°Start retreating!¡± Clark bit his lip before yelling out also.


    They all felt saved. Josh¡¯s yell felt like a rare oasis dropping at their path when they were stranded in a desert, the feeling could only be described as refreshing.


    They all started retreating immediately with the motive of climbing back up, this tunnel was already a dead end.


    They quickly started climbing while sending down attacks at various intervals to stall the ape who was tightly on their tail, they had no moment of respite to rest at all.


    Bam!! Bam!!


    Seeing that they were about to escape, the ape angrily banged its fists at the wall of the tunnel, prompting another round of vibration. This time around, it affected the soldiers.


    Anna, who was originally at the very top of the escaping soldiers suddenly lost her grip on the rocks due to the vibration. Her legs slipped next as she started falling back down.


    Eyes widened in shock, Clark could not react on time to save her, Dickson could not, Benny was the only person who reacted on time.


    At the same moment that she started falling, his hands stretched out. He grabbed her on the waist, her weight dragged him back a bit but he quickly stabilized himself.


    At this same time, the still stunned Clark and Dickson that were originally below them already climbed past them reflexively.


    Benny intended to continue his climb but he suddenly felt a tight hand grab his legs, holding him firmly in place.


    Time seemed to have slowed down for a moment as every one of the soldiers stopped on their tracks and looked at their 2 comrades in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Clark. I¡¯m sorry, Diana¡±. Benny whispered before using all his might to throw Anna back up, he dropped back down due to the inertia from the force that he applied.


    Bam!!


    The alpha ape did not miss such an opportunity as his enormous arms quickly slammed at the side, turning the unfortunate human into a bloody paste.


    Benny died immediately.


    Diana and Clark suddenly stiffened on the place that they stood on, they looked at this scene with dazed expressions of disbelief on their faces.


    ¡°Clark! Clark!¡±


    Clark felt that he heard his name being called but he hardly paid attention, his eyes were still clouded by the shock of what just happened. He could see the ape climbing rapidly to his position but he remained stiff in one place.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± This question kept on ringing in his mind.


    As the ape extended its hand to grab him, another hand arrived first, hugged him from the back before rapidly taking him away.


    The last thing that he saw before leaving the tunnel was his friend¡¯s blood, flattened flickering armor, and pieces of his black climbing uniform.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 254: sorrow and devastation

    As soon as the 5 soldiers all emerged outside the tunnel, they reflexively looked back down with different emotions flickering in their eyes.


    They were still in shock at what just happened, it was too abrupt. Though they already prepared for such a scenario when the plan was drafted, when it finally happened, they could not take it calmly at all.


    Clark and Diana felt all strength seep away from their body. Clark was still dazed, looking at the scene in disbelief, but Diana directly broke down in tears, crying bitterly.


    At the last moment, Dickson and Josh were the ones who saved both of them. Josh reacted extremely fast. As soon as Benny died, he knew that both Diana and Clark would be undoubtedly affected.


    He went for Clark immediately while Dickson went for Diana.


    Though he felt sorry and really wanted to let both soldiers mourn properly, he knew that this was not the time for it. Not only was the alpha ape still coming for them, but the situation up here was not optimistic either.


    ¡°Clark, death is an irreversible occurrence of nature. Please get a hold of yourself, we need you now. If you remain like this, there is a high tendency that we¡¯ll all die today¡±.


    ¡°Benny sacrificed himself so that we could escape, we cannot let him down¡±. He shook Clark to snap him out of his daze.


    Feeling the hand that was shaking him, Clark turned to look at him with his emotionally dead eyes.


    Josh winced slightly at the sight but he did not let up. ¡°Clark, please, we¡¯ll all die without your help. Think up something, you always said that your mission is paramount. Have you forgotten what you said so soon?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­, yes, I know¡±. Clark tried to incline his head to look back at the tunnel but Josh ruthlessly slapped him on the face, making his mind become fully alert again.


    Seeing Clark and Diana¡¯s state, Anna felt lost all of a sudden. She felt devastated thinking of the fact that she caused all this, she didn¡¯t know how to react at all to the sudden situation.


    In the end, she bit her lips as tears slowly streaked down her face.


    After getting a temporary grip on his emotions, Clark finally inclined his head to survey the whole battlefield.


    Though they already crossed a great distance from the heart of the animal kingdom, they could still clearly see the soldiers struggling to escape and the relentlessly pursuing beasts.


    Some beasts already sighted them and started running in their direction, but he didn¡¯t pay attention to them.


    Under his watch, he saw how his subordinates succumbed every second to the attack of the beasts, how they were continually being turned to bunches of mangled flesh by the beasts.


    The sight was completely bloody and pitiful.


    He winced slightly on witnessing any new death. This was when he was looking, so how many soldiers already died before now when they were in the tunnel?


    ¡°I doomed my subordinates, and now I even doomed my friend¡±. He muttered softly as all motivation to continue the mission left him, all the light in his eyes dimmed in resignation.


    ¡°Clark, what is the plan?¡± Josh asked anxiously.


    Clark turned to look at him blankly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m out of options. I¡¯m sorry for leading you into this¡±. A teardrop streaked down his eye but he wiped it away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±. He repeated.


    Hearing this, Josh¡¯s heart sank. He looked at the tunnel again where the ape was already before the entrance that he drilled out, only a leap and it would get them.


    ¡°I bit more than I could chew this time¡±. He laughed self-mockingly.


    Dickson stroked his fianc¨¦e¡¯s smooth face. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not too bad to die together in action¡±. He muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±. Anna broke into tears in his arms.


    Seeing the head of the ape poking out of the tunnel, Diana finally regained light in her eyes. She already lost the will to live, dying to the same animal that killed her boyfriend was not a completely bad idea.


    As all these negative emotions filled the air, diluting it, a change finally happened.


    With a loud sound like a cannon being shot, 6 small objects that looked like grenades started dropping from the air. The objects passed them, going straight for the tunnel entrance.


    Seeing the 6 objects, the ape¡¯s eyes constricted in recognition before it exploded in rage. Its rage didn¡¯t matter though, they quickly fell on its head.


    Boom!! Boom!!


    The king of demolition arrived at the most desperate moment as his bombs pushed the ape back down into the tunnel, he fell from the sky and stood before the 5 soldiers.


    ¡°Clark, you guys should escape now. I cannot hold Grey Fur for long, use this opportunity to escape¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Josh answered on Clark¡¯s behalf immediately.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move¡±. He grabbed Clark on the hand, turned around, dragging him along as he started sprinting away immediately.


    Dickson did not think too much, he quickly yanked Diana into his arms and also started running away. Anna ran closely behind him; they were not going to waste this opportunity that presented itself before them.


    They had a lot of questions for King, especially to know why he abandoned them in the beginning.


    But not now, they would escape first and ask questions later.


    Under the background of chaotic battle sounds, exploding bombs, flying red blood, and mutilated flesh, they ran away, squeezing every remaining juice in them to run faster.


    Before they completely disappeared, the last thing that appeared in Clark¡¯s vision was the screaming soldiers, dying soldiers, and the attacking beasts.


    He felt something like a sharp knife cutting through his heart. He really let his soldiers down.


    ¡­


    Due to Clark¡¯s unstable state, Josh took over as the temporary leader as he led them deep inside the mountain to find a hiding place.


    After checking and poking around, they finally found an underground cave where they took refuge immediately. He led Clark to sit down on the floor before giving him space.


    He located his own space to sit down, rest, and think about what just transpired.


    After the adrenaline of the battle and the escape faded, this was when he found out that his left hand was fractured. The bone broke, making the hand bend to an impossible angle.


    From its look, he deduced that normal first-aid could not take care of it.


    He sighed and suppressed the pain before leaning back on the cave wall. Everywhere was dark, presenting them the best atmosphere to think.


    As soon as Dickson dropped Diana, he dragged his exhausted body to another spot before also sitting down alone.


    Thinking of the fact that he left his soldiers¡¯ survival to fate, he felt crushed. He knew that it was for the mission, but he just couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. His conscience was against the step that he took.


    Perhaps, none of his soldiers would be able to survive today.


    Inclining his head to steal a glance at Clark and Diana, he felt even more weak and frustrated. He still couldn¡¯t believe that Benny died just like that, he felt guilty knowing that it was caused by his fianc¨¦e.


    He knew that Benny and Diana were already in a relationship, this was what made him feel even more guilty.


    Back in her corner, Diana sobbed silently amid chokes as she relived the moment when her boyfriend died.


    ¡°I pushed him too much. I pushed him too much¡±. She muttered, feeling out of place, devastated, and lonely. It felt to her like the whole world had forsaken her.


    Because she was stronger than Benny, she always pushed him to work harder if he wanted their relationship to last. Now she felt extremely guilty, maybe he did that to prove himself to her.


    She buried her head in her hands and cried her heart out.


    In the corner where Clark sat, unlike her, he was not crying but he just gazed at the cave wall listlessly like a zombie with no soul. His eyes felt dead, it was horrifying to look at.


    A lot of memories kept on spamming his brain, making it lag and perform below normal.


    He thought of back in the day when they were just captured. ¡°Did Benny predict that such a thing would happen? Is that why he shared so much time with me?¡±


    He felt clueless. Losing a friend was more painful than he thought.


    He knew that as soldiers, it was inevitable to experience casualties when out for missions. But when it finally happened, he felt cheated by death, he felt cheated by the world.


    ¡°Why? Why?¡±


    As he wallowed in his sorrow, he suddenly felt someone sit beside him. Turning his head, he saw a teary Anna looking at him with trembling eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Clark. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it. I don¡¯t know what came over me, I don¡¯t know what to say, I¡¯m sorry¡±. She started sobbing again.


    Clark just stared at her for about a minute in silence. In the end, he said nothing, he just turned his head back before looking at the cave wall listlessly again. He didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Seeing this, Anna felt even more devastated. Her sobbing soon turned into a full-fledged muffled wail.


    A gloomy aura of sorrow filled the cave, making it seem like a haunted cave. But none of the people currently taking refuge in it cared, they had various thoughts going through their minds.


    They didn¡¯t know what to do next. They were devastated, so they vented their sorrow in different ways of their choices.


    Losing a loved one or a close friend is a traumatic experience that no human should undergo. They all cursed death.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it. I don''t know about you but when I edited this chapter, I really felt a pang of sorrow strike me. I had to rest to calm down my mind, I hope you enjoy it also.]

 Chapter 255: mr and mrs leonard bane

    Back in the Spartan republic, in Delhi city, today the road was much more crowded and boisterous as the bright aura of something significant happening filled the atmosphere.


    Today was the knot tying day between Sergeant Leonard Bane and Ms. Kate Bauer.


    As a soldier who was serving in Delhi city for over 4 years already, Leo had an unprecedented status in the city. As soldiers were the protectors of the city, every citizen looked up to them.


    Though he was not the strongest soldier in the Python military division, he and his wife were well known as he was among the few high-grade soldiers there.


    When the news that Captain Daniel was going to attend the wedding ceremony spread out, the whole city stirred. Due to this alone, the hype for it blew through the roof.


    On the main road of the city, special road safety agents armed to the teeth were on duty as they checked every vehicle that was driving across. This was to prevent people with ulterior motives from entering the city on this important day.


    Back in Leo¡¯s compact mansion, he was in his room as he was being attended to by a group of stylists and fashion designers.


    He was dressed in a luxurious sky-blue suit, a neat tie that hung perfectly to his neck, a black shoe that was laced with diamonds, a golden wristwatch, and other minor accessories.


    Overall, he looked unimaginably dashing.


    The female fashion designer attending to him was already giving the final touches to his face. She had a focused expression on her face as she did her work dedicatedly.


    ¡°Hey bro, are you not ready? The church service will commence soon¡±. A man suddenly opened the door and entered the room, he had a slight frown on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s done¡±. The fashion designer finally spoke out. She bowed slightly, arranged her equipment back into her bag before leaving the room with her assistants.


    Leo finally turned to flash his colleague a bright smile. ¡°How do I look?¡±


    ¡°You look cool, satisfied?¡± The man replied flatly before laughing the next moment.


    His name is Joseph, and he is also a soldier serving under the Python military division with Leo. He donned a black suit also, only that it was less luxurious.


    As both friends started talking, the door opened again with no other person but Smart man coming in.


    Like the name he gave himself, he was really smart today. He donned a black suit, the only difference from the others was that he had his military medals lining the chest part of his suit.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Leo quickly asked.


    ¡°What did you think? My medals of course¡±. Smart man smiled. ¡°You already have your wife; I want to use this opportunity to look for one also. With my medals, I¡¯m sure no girl can refuse me today¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re disgusting as always¡±. Joseph snorted.


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t know anything¡­¡±


    As Smart man was about to continue, Leo interrupted him. ¡°Did you come with a message?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot, they said the bride is already on the way to the church¡±.


    ¡°What?¡± Leo and Joseph exclaimed at the same time.


    They wanted to punch this man immediately but they had no time for that. They ignored him and rushed downstairs, they were not ready to let the bride arrive at the church before them.


    Seeing the groom rush downwards, the other soldiers down here waved at him and followed him outside.


    Leo was quickly led to a special car that stood out from the others; it was one of Captain Daniel¡¯s luxurious exotic cars. The car looked so majestic that it was easy to mistake it as an imaginary work of fiction.


    After Leo entered, his men on suit entered with him before the driver started the ignition. The other cars also started at this moment as they quickly drove outside.


    As soon as they entered the road, the line of vehicles started stretching infinitely. Military vehicles and luxurious vehicles formed the entourage as they dominated the highway immediately.


    10 minutes later, they finally got to the church. Leo was relieved as the bride did not get there before him.


    Seeing the large silhouette of the church and the fleet of cars parked around, his face bloomed into a bright smile. He reflexively patted his suit, nodded at his companions before going into the church.


    As he entered, a standing ovation was given to him.


    He smiled brightly and waved a little in appreciation. This was a scene that he would never forget, friends, family, loved ones, even strangers, everyone was here for him today.


    This was probably going to be the best day of his life.


    After he sat down, the church process continued without any hiccups. A few minutes later, he was finally called to the altar as a sweet calming music started coming from the sound amplifiers.


    The atmosphere in the church climbed upwards to a crescendo, loud applause from the audience accompanied the music as the bride started coming in.


    She was dressed in an extremely long pure white wedding dress, part of which was supported by beautiful girls who followed slowly behind her.


    Her beautiful face was covered by a veil, but this could not hide the beauty radiating out. Her steps were like those of the purest fairy. To Leo, she was the whole world to him right now.


    This was his wife, Kate.


    As soon as she got to the altar, her husband took her hands, flashed her the brightest smile he could muster before they both turned to face the pastor.


    After the blessings of the church were bestowed upon them, the moment of truth finally came. It was the moment for the groom to kiss the bride.


    The Pastor spoke solemnly. ¡°From today, I declare you both husband and wife. Now, you may kiss the bride¡±.


    Leo felt his wife blush a bit but he hardly cared, it only made his heart to be filled more with joy. He extended his hands outwards before removing her veil in the gentlest way possible.


    The most beautiful face in the world presented itself to him. His hands drew closer by instinct as he softly caressed her gentle cheeks.


    His face went closer to hers, they were now just a few inches apart.


    ¡°I love you, Kate¡±. He finally enveloped her rosy lips in the most gentle, intense, and passionate kiss ever.


    Fireworks covered the air outside as this scene played out, while shiny objects were thrown and sprayed everywhere in the air cheerfully by the bridal train that accompanied the bride.


    This sealed it all. They were now officially Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Bane. The whole church erupted in cheers, clapping wildly in joy.


    Captain Daniel had a rare smile on his face on seeing this scene. A nostalgic expression was on his face, it felt like this moment just made him relive some scenes decades ago that he has already forgotten.


    ¡°We trust you, Leo!¡± Leo¡¯s comrades yelled at this moment from the side.


    It took a full minute before Leo finally separated from the kiss, leaving his wife red and blushing all over. He smiled again before waving at the audience cheering him on.


    After this, the other procedures that followed were much more straightforward and no longer wasted time.


    A few minutes later, the church service finally ended.


    Loved ones and close friends finally started coming forward to present them with gifts and also to take photos with them, the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.


    Fortunately, nothing contrary happened, making the wedding smooth sailing from the start till the end.


    ¡°Thank you for coming, I appreciate it, Captain¡±. Leo said smilingly while bowing a little at Captain Daniel.


    ¡°Thank you, sir¡±. Mrs. Leonard also added from the side.


    ¡°No worries¡±. The captain waved his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always found it a trouble thinking of which gift to give you both, but your intense passionate kiss a moment ago enlightened me¡±.


    Ignoring the blushing faces of the couple, Captain Daniel continued. He brought out a small pouch from his pocket and presented it to them.


    ¡°I decided to give you this, take good care of it¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, sir¡±. The couple thanked him again.


    ¡°Ok, I wish you both a happy married life. I hope I get to see a little soldier running around the base the next time you return for duty¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Leo laughed awkwardly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just decided to give you an additional 2 months'' leave to enable you to celebrate your honeymoon properly. Don¡¯t disappoint me¡±. He finally left after taking a group photo with the couple.


    As soon as the couple left the church premises, all the bustle and hustle finally ended.


    ¡­


    On the luxurious car carrying them home, Leo leaned closer to his wife as they both shared another round of passionate kissing.


    As he intended to take it further, Kate stopped him. ¡°Leo, remember your promise?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­, which promise?¡± Leo was confused.


    ¡°About the military ranking¡±. She feigned being hurt on hearing that he forgot.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, my bad¡±. He quickly apologized.


    For months, Kate kept on pestering him that she wanted to know why the military ranking of this era was different compared to the 21st century.


    Despite being fianc¨¦es, Leo always refused to tell her, saying that it was a confidential military secret. He said that for her to know about it, they had to become a couple first.


    And now, they were finally a couple officially.


    Leo thought a bit before answering. ¡°About what you want to know, I also don¡¯t know much about it¡±.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. The Spartan republic doesn¡¯t even know much, but we only know the bits and pieces that were revealed to us by the big 5¡±.


    ¡°According to the big 5, the decision to change the military ranking system was made due to the appearance of an alien¡±.


    ¡°An alien?¡± Kate was puzzled.


    ¡°Yes, do you think that exobeasts just appeared out of thin air? Do you think that the breaking through phenomenon just sprang up from the air?¡±


    ¡°Umm, no¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡±. Leo spread his hands. ¡°According to the big 5, animals evolving to become exobeasts started after the appearance of the alien. And they also changed the military ranking because of the alien¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s all that I know, they told the Spartan republic that they are still researching it so we don¡¯t know more¡±.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Kate nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Ok, what of Clark? I really felt bad that he was not able to attend our wedding¡±. She quickly changed the topic.


    Hearing this, Leo sighed. ¡°I also feel bad, really bad. I just hope that he is fine, Benny also¡±.


    On getting home, all his soldier companions read the atmosphere as they tacitly left the mansion to the newly wedded couples.


    Leo brought his wife to the room. They kissed and tossed around on the bed, the night was a long and satisfying one.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 256: choice

    Back in the dark cave, in the deeper parts of the Himalayan ranges. Hours later, after having a deep sleep to recover their depleted strength, Clark and his companions finally woke up again to see the dark cave.


    Nothing changed, the atmosphere was still stale, the sorrow and everything else accompanying it was still there.


    They left trails behind for the king of demolition to locate them, but it seems that he was not coming Afterall.


    Maybe the alpha ape already killed him, maybe he survived but was too injured to look for them. The scenarios were too numerous to count so they just rested their brains and relaxed.


    None of them approached the other, they all still kept their distance from each other. Only Dickson and Anna were together but they never spoke, opting to maintain the silence.


    No one cried nor sobbed again, they just kept quiet, thinking of everything that happened for the past few hours.


    After about another hour of this unending silence, Dickson finally made a move. He wriggled himself away from his fianc¨¦e, before groping his way forward in the darkness.


    Hearing the sound of someone moving, Josh switched on his torchlight.


    Using the illumination brought by the torchlight, Dickson no longer groped forward but went directly in Clark¡¯s direction. After getting there, he sat down beside him and looked into his eyes.


    Clark reciprocated and looked back at him with his still listless eyes.


    ¡°Clark, we can¡¯t stay like this. You know that and everyone knows that, we have to think of something¡±. Dickson took a deep breath and finally spoke out on seeing Clark look back at him.


    Clark did not reply, he just looked at him for 30 seconds in silence before he dropped his eyes back, looking at the cave wall hopelessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your loss, I really am but staying like this will do us no good¡±. Dickson reduced his voice to the gentlest that he could think of before trying to earn a reaction from Clark.


    This continued for a few minutes, he kept on bringing reasons upon reasons but Clark remained silent, looking at the cave wall like his soul already left this world.


    No man was without temper in this world. Seeing Clark stubbornly remain silent, Dickson got angry.


    ¡°Is it because of Anna?¡± He questioned loudly.


    ¡°If it''s her, she¡¯s here just beside us. Kill her if that¡¯s what you want, kill her Clark!¡± He yelled angrily.


    ¡°You were the one who always took the motivational speeches, you said that the mission is always paramount, then what about now? I¡¯m sorry if I sound rude, but I can¡¯t help myself¡±.


    Getting no response despite all this, Dickson became more agitated. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Clark! Answer me!¡± He grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and shook him fiercely.


    The next moment Clark suddenly erupted as he threw a punch at his face.


    Bam!!


    Dickson was stunned, he did not expect it at all as the swift punch hit him squarely on the nose. He felt his nose crack as blood flowed out steadily from it, he touched it in disbelief.


    The hall quietened further, the others looked at them in silence but they didn¡¯t intervene, they sat quietly with no intention to come to their plight.


    Seeing the blood that dripped from his nose, Dickson laughed. ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Clark, is that what you want?¡± He yelled.


    Clark did not respond, he only looked at him with the same listless expression on his face, but this time he was shaking, his fists were tightly clenched as he bit hard on his lips.


    ¡°It seems that this is what you really want¡±. Dickson suddenly rushed at him.


    Boom!!


    Clark immediately retaliated from reflexive as both parties collided momentously, causing the air to shake and contract a bit as fists and kicks quickly started flying around.


    Josh kept quiet, silently watching from his corner. He had a peaceful expression on his face, he had no intentions of interfering. This was a problem that could only be solved by themselves.


    Neither Clark nor Dickson held back, their blows were forceful and vicious as they quickly left injuries on each other.


    Clark quickly threw another fast punch at Dickson, hitting him squarely on the face. As the momentum pushed Dickson back, he used this opportunity to grab Clark¡¯s hand and draw him closer.


    The sound of bodies colliding quickly reverberated around the room. He quickly tackled Clark as they both fell down the next moment, the fight turned into a childish brawl immediately.


    They would roll and roll on the dirty cave floor before one of them would find the rare opportunity of releasing a punch at the other.


    The brawl continued for about another hour as both fighters were now exhausted, but none of them decided to give up. They gritted their teeth, persevering to the very end.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Josh finally called out to stop this farce but they did not listen.


    After about another 10 minutes of tossing around, they finally lay down on the floor completely exhausted.


    None of them spoke to the other, they just laid down beside each other. Their breathing was rapid as their hearts worked hard to suppress the hot raging blood in them.


    5 minutes later, Dickson became the one who broke the veil of silence.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Clark. I may not know how you¡¯re feeling, but I also felt sad when he died. If you don¡¯t mind, let me tell you a story¡±.


    ¡°Do you know how I got to the gladiator tournament then?¡± He paused a bit, getting no response he continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know, so I¡¯ll tell you about it¡±.


    ¡°My dad died when I was young, so I lived with only one parent. One day, when I was a teenager already, I developed a great yearning to travel at sea so I kept on pestering my mother till she agreed¡±.


    ¡°She used her savings to get us on a sea-faring ship¡±.


    ¡°I was extremely happy then, thinking that I was the luckiest teenager on the earth, not knowing that it was a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately for us, our ship was attacked by a fleet of 2 ships¡±.


    ¡°Our resistance was futile; our ship was annexed. But the sad thing was that during this petty resistance from our ship, my mother was shot and she died¡±.


    ¡°She died on my arms. Then, I was crying as she struggled to breathe through her damaged lungs, fighting death just to stay alive for me¡±. He chuckled. ¡°What an irony; I caused her death¡±.


    ¡°But do you know what she told me before she died?¡±


    With her last dying breath, she caressed my cheeks, smiled in her pains, and said. ¡°Dickson, life moves on¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the last thing that she told me before she gave up the ghost¡±.


    ¡°I still feel guilty till today, but I learned that death is an irreversible occurrence. Like she said, life moves on¡±.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I know much about Benny but from the little I know of him, if he was here, he would say the same thing¡±.


    ¡°I may sound hypocritic, but it¡¯s the truth from my heart. I¡¯m not telling you to forget about him, just know that life moves on. Only the living gets to breathe and I think we should cherish it. It¡¯s a privilege¡±.


    ¡°If Benny was here, I¡¯m sure he would say the same thing that the mission is paramount. You didn¡¯t let him die; he joined this mission as a soldier with the knowledge that he could die at any moment¡±.


    ¡°He died a hero, as a soldier should¡±.


    ¡°Clark, you can cry, you can feel anguish, but don¡¯t let it stray you away from your goal. Apart from Benny, did you think of the others? Perhaps all our soldiers died also¡±.


    ¡°For what did they die? For the mission!¡± He stressed the last part.


    After saying all these, Dickson turned to look at Clark. Seeing no reaction from him, he sighed, closed his eyes, and relaxed his body on the cave floor.


    After a considerable amount of time, perhaps 10 minutes or maybe even 30 minutes, the silence was broken again. This time, it was broken by Clark.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡±.


    ¡°What?¡± Dickson was startled awake.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡±. Clark laughed self mockingly. ¡°I always said that the mission was paramount, but I¡¯m now wallowing in sorrow when my friend died¡±.


    ¡°It feels ironic¡±.


    ¡°I think doing this is even selfishness to the other Spartan soldiers that sacrificed their lives without complaints just to let me get here, all for the one purpose of furthering the mission goal¡±.


    He paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°I suddenly feel like a bad leader¡±.


    He forced himself to stand up. ¡°Thank you, Dickson. Thank you for showing me the way, thank you for making me recover myself, I really appreciate it¡±.


    After saying this, he left Dickson and walked closer to where Diana sat watching them quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Diana. I failed in protecting my friend¡­, our friend, perhaps your boyfriend, now I also failed in protecting the integrity of the mission goal¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to apologize to you. You put your faith in me, but what did I do? Not only did I let my second in command die, I also thought of abandoning the mission¡±.


    He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Clark¡±. Diana sniffed and turned her face away.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, really. You, I, Benny, we came for this mission knowing that there was a high chance of dying so I blame no one for what happened¡±.


    She covered her face with her hands. ¡°I just blame myself for surviving when he died, it feels really awful, and painful also¡±.


    Clark pulled her into his arms before hugging her deeply, Diana let loose again as she started crying her heart out.


    They sat together, still in a hug for the next 30 minutes before she finally separated from him. She gave him a deep look. ¡°You¡¯re the leader, do the needful¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Clark nodded at her firmly.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s gather¡±. He clapped his hands in a welcoming gesture at everyone in the cave.


    After everyone gathered in his position, he continued. ¡°At this point, I think its safe to say that the king of demolition is not coming, so we have to take matters into our hands¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an elaborate plan yet, but I think we should find the Aragan ruin first, that should be our priority. Any objections?¡±


    ¡°No¡±. Everyone complied.


    ¡°Good. Now quickly arrange your equipment, we¡¯ll be leaving in 10 minutes¡±.


    10 minutes later, they gathered again, about to leave. As Clark was about to take the lead outside, Anna suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Clark, I¡¯m sorry¡±. Her voice was soft and laced with guilt.


    Clark gave her a deep look. ¡°No worries, Benny made his choice¡±.


    ¡°Now, we have to make our choice¡±. His eyes grew sharp.


    The next moment, they all left the cave.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 257: the aragan ruin

    Going outside the cave, Clark and the others observed that it was already evening, but this did not deter them from going through with their decision. They already made their choice.


    With their blotted bags held firmly on their backs, they started the long journey of fate that would determine the outcome of the efforts they¡¯ve put in for the past 1 and a half months.


    Josh also followed them. Though he was fatally injured and his hand was dislocated, he still decided to follow this group as he, despite being a 3rd rank high-grade soldier was not confident of surviving in this region if he decided to leave alone.


    The countenance of mourning and sorrow was no longer among them, now only determination could be felt tangibly from them.


    They felt like completely new human beings compared to a few hours ago.


    Though they were kilometers away from where the alpha ape just wreaked them, they could still see the billowing black smoke rising up in the distance which was clearly the work of the king of demolition.


    At this moment, they didn¡¯t care about that though, only their mission was in their mind.


    As soon as they left the cave, they went northwards according to the direction that was described to them by King.


    On the way, they crossed a rare oasis filled with freshwater, they climbed a steep slope upwards as it was the only way there, they killed lone exobeasts, and at last, they met another animal kingdom.


    Seeing this, they were not frightened though, the king of demolition already warned them about this.


    According to him, the secret passageway of the Aragan ruin that he found was just at the back of this animal kingdom territory. They only had to bypass this last hurdle and they would find their target.


    Crossing an animal kingdom was not a trivial matter, but the king of demolition was also kind enough to show them a secret tunnel through which they could bypass it.


    This was the moment where they would test how trustworthy the king of demolition actually was. No matter how many good things he did for them, they still had to confirm now that he was actually who he acted to be.


    Though they felt a little apprehensive entering a completely unknown tunnel, they were not going back. They could only trust their nerves in hopes that they were right.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in¡±. Clark said with a stern face.


    Not wasting any more time, they silently breached a small gap in a dense cluster of snow, and as expected the secret door revealed itself to them.


    Clark didn¡¯t say anything on seeing this, he took hold of the door¡¯s handle, inclined it downwards to open it before entering inside decisively. He would not just talk; he would prove it with his actions.


    He already lost a lot of subordinates today, he no longer wanted to feel the sorrow that followed. If there was life-threatening danger in there, he was ready to die first before anyone else could.


    As soon as he entered, the rest took deep breaths before following him in.


    As the tunnel was underground and was dark, their passing through it was tense and extremely oppressive. Despite all these, they made it to the end safely.


    First, they no longer had lots of subordinates that may bust their cover, thereby exposing them. They were all experts; they made no mistakes that could potentially expose themselves.


    The most important point was still that no Dipers were close by.


    After getting to the end of the tunnel, unlike the entrance that had a door, the exit only had a huge rock blocking it.


    Exerting a little effort, Clark and Dickson easily rolled the stone aside. After everyone crossed over, they rolled the stone back, perfectly hiding this secret tunnel again.


    They continued their journey, but it was not even 5 minutes before they found their target.


    Seeing the countless peaks rambling randomly across their vision, they all stopped to take in the full splendor of this scene. This did not seem like a place on earth at all, it looked more like a scene from an alien planet.


    White mist slowly saturated the atmosphere as a rapidly flowing current of water sped down the slope, forming an otherworldly sight, while various rock peaks stood sturdily in this flowing water.


    Seeing the rapidly flowing water, the first thing that came to the soldiers¡¯ minds was cold!


    Even at such a distance, the cold being emitted from the water was seeping through their thick climbing uniforms directly to their skin. Falling into such a water body, the outcome could only be said to be horrifying.


    This was not the only noteworthy sight of this place, the others that greeted their sights were even more impactful.


    Hundreds of monoliths, hoodoos, pinnacles, and rocks stood, delicately balanced atop other rocks to form a sight that made the soldiers suck in a sharp breath of air.


    ¡°My eyes have seen things!¡± Josh¡¯s eyes widened to the limits on this sight. It was at this moment that he felt that his inclination as an adventurer was not without basis.


    He was fairly confident that such a sight could not be easily seen in any part of the world, he really struck gold this time. This was something that he could brag about for generations.


    The delicate natural arrangement of the rocks made the soldiers¡¯ hearts palpitate. It felt like the rocks could fall any moment under the influence of a small breeze blowing, but the fact was there that the wind here was fierce.


    What a wonder of nature!


    At the very end of the peaks stood an extremely large rock cliff. The cliff stood majestically like a dragon soaring the heavens, its peak was out of sight as the clouds shielded it from the eyes of mortals.


    According to the king of demolition, climbing this cliff to the very top would lead you straight to the upper heights of the Everest, though the climbing would probably take months.


    The secret door to the Aragan ruin was built into one of the rocks delicately balanced together. It was built in such a way that even the current big 5 organizations needed a huge amount of luck to find it.


    King found it due to sheer dumb luck.


    Despite knowing that this was the place, Clark and the others could not still notice any irregularity among the rocks. The Aragan researchers of old really overdid it that even their predecessors could not find this ruin.


    ¡°We are here!¡± Clark had a solemn look on his face.


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for? We should go in¡±. Diana spoke with determination on her face.


    ¡°Wait, I want to have a private talk with Dickson¡±. Clark hesitated, but he still said his mind in the end. He gave the latter a deep look before going to an isolated corner.


    No one objected, so Dickson shrugged before going forward to meet Clark.


    Though there were already at a safe distance, Clark still activated a sound dampening device that would assure him that the others could not hear what they were saying before he started.


    ¡°We are here¡±. He repeated.


    ¡°I know, what do you want to tell me?¡± Dickson answered without showing much emotion on his face.


    Clark inclined his head to give Diana one last look, he sighed before speaking out. ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°What? Only 2 of you are going in?¡± Diana was shocked, blowing out immediately after comprehending what she just heard.


    Surprisingly, after having their secret private talk, Clark and Dickson suddenly decided that both of them were the only ones going to enter the Aragan ruin, shocking the others.


    ¡°Please explain¡±. Anna also frowned.


    Josh just kept quiet. He didn¡¯t have the right to speak here, in the end, he was just a bystander who met them by chance. He had no leverage to join in their mission target, plans, and results.


    ¡°Diana, Anna, please listen to me¡±. Clark did not have any change in expression on hearing their protests, he spoke calmly back at them.


    ¡°I already lost too much!¡±


    After waiting for a few minutes but hearing nothing else, Diana grew more puzzled. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it¡±. Clark sighed.


    ¡°As Dickson said, there¡¯s a high chance that all our soldiers probably already died completely. I lost Benny also to get here, I don¡¯t want to lose anyone else that is close to me¡±.


    ¡°Before you complain, listen to me¡±.


    ¡°This ruin is not an animal kingdom, it¡¯s not a horde of beasts, nor is it a lone exobeast brainlessly attacking us. This is a work of advanced human civilization; I want you to know and acknowledge that¡±.


    ¡°If you both follow us in, perhaps, you will be a source of help to us. But to me, you will be more of a burden¡±.


    ¡°I want to acquire the mission target, that¡¯s why I persevered for so long. And I don¡¯t think that you want to botch my chances just because you want to join, think rationally¡±.


    ¡°And the most important thing of all is that¡­, the moment Benny died, I don¡¯t care to know the relationship the both of you had, I vowed to protect you for life with my life¡±.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Before Diana could speak further, Clark grabbed and pulled her into a tight embrace.


    ¡°Forget any buts, Diana, I already made up my mind¡±. He muttered into her ears.


    As he did this, Dickson also pulled his fianc¨¦e into a tight embrace.


    ¡°Clark is right, Anna, I think it¡¯s ok for the both of us to take it from here. You already tried, you already fulfilled your mission, now it''s up to us to carry the mantle forward¡±. He whispered into her ear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not dying¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯ve witnessed Clark¡¯s strength in his peak, he¡¯s not to be trifled with, and I¡¯m not a cannon fodder either. If we die, then it means that we would have all died if we entered¡±.


    ¡°You surviving means the whole world to me. If you die, I think that will be even worse than death to me¡±.


    ¡°In short, no matter what happens, know that I love you¡±. He kissed her intimately on the forehead before breaking from the embrace.


    Clark also released Diana. He cleared his throat, made his face took on a formal serious tone before addressing both second in commands.


    ¡°Diana, Anna, you guys will not be idle. I have a mission for you both¡±.


    ¡°As we go inside the ruin, I want you guys to go back and try to look for any of our soldiers that survived. Only one thing is paramount, your life should be held above all. Understood?¡±


    They both nodded.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Clark finally turned to face Josh. ¡°Good friend¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand, I¡¯ll help them to look for your soldiers¡±. Josh waved his hands nonchalantly.


    ¡°Thank you, I will remember this kindness¡±.


    After saying a few more necessary words, Clark and Dickson held their bags tighter. Their eyes gleamed, flashing sharply like those of eagles.


    Dickson brought his shield and sword out while Clark grasped his 2-form gun tightly. They were ready!


    They moved out the next second.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 258: through the tunnel

    Apart from the peaceful atmosphere in this location induced by the abundant breeze blowing relentlessly, another notable fact was the beasts that were here.


    The king of demolition informed them of this also, so they were not caught off-guard.


    As a location that was rarely visited by mercenaries and soldiers due to its weird geographical terrain, this place became a haven for animals to chill, most notably exobeasts.


    Josh, Diana, and Anna stood watching with various emotions flashing through their eyes as the 2 heroes walked deeper with their backs kept straight and confident.


    Dickson stood at the front, he acted as the melee specialist this time. His eyes were focused, sharp, and alert. His hands were steady, forming the perfect support for his heavy shield.


    For the first mission of passing through the beasts without being noticed and to find the entrance of the ruin, Clark was starring as a ranged specialist.


    Click!!


    His 2-form gun made a click sound as he attached a small device to the gun¡¯s muzzle, which fitted in perfectly. The small device was a miniaturized silencer with advanced features.


    Since he arrived at the Everest and started the mission pursuit, this was one of the few gadgets that he didn¡¯t find the time to use since its use was not really needed.


    This was the first time that he was using this.


    He softly patted the gun to confirm that the silencer fitted in properly before he gave an order to it.


    The 2-form gun responded immediately as its configuration went through a change without any break-ups, it instantly took on its sniper configuration.


    At the same time that this happened, his figure suddenly began turning illusory. Dickson was also experiencing the same thing; it only took a second before they both entered stealth.


    They both found a foothold on the rocks rambling across, before starting their journey to find the entrance.


    A soft whistling sound suddenly swept across, the next moment 3 beasts that were peacefully napping and drinking the flowing water had their heads burst to pieces, spraying blood like rain.


    As their lifeless swaying figures fell down, something like a pillow, but more like a shield suddenly cushioned their falling momentum, letting them drop to the water without a sound.


    Whoosh!!


    A few other wind pressure silent bullets sound whistled across and the same thing happened, none of the beasts at the receiving end dropped with a thud sound to disrupt the peace here.


    Unknowing to the beasts, 2 frightening predators were already in their midst.


    With the sound of the wind blowing and the rapid water currents, Clark and Dickson¡¯s stealth maneuvers could not be discovered by the beasts at all. They seemed invisible.


    The other beasts that were not in their path did their own thing without the slightest knowledge that their brethren were being picked out for destruction.


    With such a messed-up movement plan, both soldiers easily and swiftly bulldozed into the ranks of animals without arousing any suspicion. Their movements were deadly, efficient, and straight to the point.


    It did not take many minutes before they got to the point where the interconnected rocks lying delicately on each other started appearing.


    After getting there, they finally started searching manually. Clark protected from the back with his sniper, while Dickson manually groped the rocks in search of any irregularities.


    This continued for about an hour as they both persevered without rest, checking rock after rock.


    During this same time, dozens of animals and exobeasts already died to their forceful passage method.


    Though a few strong exobeasts came close to busting their cover, they still dispatched of them after some clever maneuvers.


    This was only possible because these few exobeasts were nowhere as formidable as any of the alphas of animal kingdoms that they¡¯ve clashed with, there was no basis for comparison.


    After checking for a few more minutes in the general direction that the king of demolition pointed them in, Dickson finally felt his hand grope something different from the rock that he¡¯s been feeling since, something metallic.


    ¡°I think I found something¡±. He whispered into his comm as Clark who stood a few distances behind him suddenly perked up.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m coming¡±.


    Clark went closer while still alertly checking the environment for threats with the outrageous scope range of his sniper. After getting close, he finally dropped his 2-form gun a bit and extended his hand to touch what Dickson was showing him.


    He also felt it. There was no mistake, this was not a rock, this was metal.


    From the sensation transmitted back to his sensor gloves, he easily concluded through the help of his implant that this was something carved by humans. Probably a door.


    Though the metal was extremely durable and it was not suffering from rust, he still deduced that this was something old.


    ¡°This is it, help me¡±. He nodded to confirm Dickson¡¯s speculation before asking him for help.


    Creak!! Creak!!


    As expected, when both soldiers used their strength to apply force to pull the rock covering it out, the creaking sound of an old door opening was made.


    After applying force for a few minutes, the outward layer of rock covering the secret entrance was finally removed.


    Behind the rock was revealed a small black door, gleaming coldly and standing sturdily under the support of the rock underneath it.


    Though age was already eating at it, its contours were still sharp and neat, making it obvious at a glance that it was a masterpiece design of human civilization.


    From its attractive and dense surface, Clark deduced that it was probably made from an exotic metal though he could not identify which yet.


    After looking through all the mechanical circuits attached to it, both soldiers¡¯ eyes finally narrowed down to the center of the door.


    At the center of the door stood a huge engravement, a huge red-colored A that was aesthetically pleasing to the eye was delicately carved on it. The design behind it was a work of perfection.


    This was the symbol of the strongest and most prosperous country in the world, one of the big 5 powers, the Aragan empire.


    Clark felt his blood flow increase exponentially all of a sudden, his adrenaline level increased as goosebumps crept underneath his skin. He was finally here!


    Though he felt relieved on finally locating it, he did not smile. He turned his head to direct a solemn look at Dickson, he nodded at him before taking a special comm out of his pocket.


    ¡°We¡¯ve found the secret door, we¡¯re about to go in soon¡±. Clark paused for a moment.


    ¡°Diana, Anna, I want you both to remember that no matter what happens to us, keeping your lives safe should be your priority. This is my last order to you both, I hope you do not disobey me at such a moment¡±.


    Without waiting for a reply from the other side, Clark kept the comm back in his pocket before going to work on the door.


    Fortunately for them, no computerized technologically advanced locking measures were used on the door which would have been frustrating, only an extremely complicated mechanical puzzle was used on it.


    Perhaps, back then during the great battle of supremacy, this would have been an unbreakable lock, but to the current Clark, he only needed a little effort and brainpower to decipher the puzzle.


    It only took him 5 minutes before he cracked the puzzle. The door made a clacking sound all of a sudden as it started expanding outwards the next moment.


    Bolts and screws loosened by themselves; metal parts were separated from each other as the door suddenly seemed like a snake that was shedding its old skin. The sight was novel and epic.


    To both soldiers¡¯ horror, this door was thicker than they imagined. Its thickness was easily a few meters thick.


    It took a whole 2 minutes before the moving motion of the door stopped. By this time, hundreds of bolts, screws, metal parts, and interconnecting frames already loosened.


    The creator of the door was a genius.


    As soon as the door opened, what revealed itself before them was an extremely small tunnel that had its walls made from the same exotic metal that the door was made with.


    The tunnel was so small and narrow that to pass through it, they had to crawl.


    A notable fact was that inside the tunnel was the cleanest place that both soldiers have seen in their whole life. Everywhere was black, neat, metallic, meticulously designed, and quiet.


    Clark gently knocked on the metal walls of the tunnel from outside and the sound echoed for about a minute at a frightening frequency, inside the tunnel felt like entering a hollow cylinder.


    All these factors, when paired with the fact that the door took so long to open verified the soldiers¡¯ guess that they were either the first squad that got here or the others discovered another entrance.


    ¡°What is your guess? Why was the king of demolition so truthful to us?¡± Clark suddenly inclined his head to his companion¡¯s side and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m also puzzled¡±. Dickson laughed softly. ¡°He has always been truthful to us which is weird. Despite all these, I still think that he has an ulterior motive. It cannot just be for bombs¡±.


    ¡°Well, he helped us to get here, and I¡¯m grateful for that¡±.


    Clark¡¯s eyes suddenly grew sharper. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°After you, I can¡¯t wait!¡±. Dickson¡¯s eyes shone like lanterns in anticipation and excitement.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it¡±.


    Clark no longer hesitated, he unbuckled his bag, held it in his hand before entering the tunnel with his body placed horizontally. Placing his hands on the tunnel metallic walls, he started propelling himself forward.


    Dickson did not waste time also. As soon as Clark entered, he followed but he also did one thing that the king of demolition told them to do in the case that he didn¡¯t enter here at the same time that they came.


    He used his legs to gently pull the door close, and the rest mechanisms pulled off by themselves.


    As the bolts, screws, metal parts, and other mechanical cords moved to lock the door back in place, he used his leg to drop a small piece of paper at the entrance. A message was written in it for King.


    As darkness descended back into the tunnel, their night vision goggles lit up, turning their vision to yellowish-green. Everywhere was clear like day to them.


    The countdown officially began.


    ¡­


    Outside, as soon as Clark sent the message on the long-distance comm, Diana received it immediately. She shared it with the others but they still didn¡¯t leave, they waited a bit.


    ¡°Will they be ok?¡± Anna asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±. Diana answered immediately. ¡°That¡¯s how life is, we never know. Let¡¯s leave the rest to fate, the best we can do to help them is keep a lookout to see if any of our soldiers survived¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    As they turned to leave, Josh looked back for the last time. ¡°I think they¡¯ll survive. And the next time that we meet, they would probably have grown and changed a lot¡±.


    ¡°Good luck, travel buddies¡±.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 259: laboratory room

    After entering the tunnel passage completely, through their night vision goggles, Clark and Dickson moved forward at a fairly swift pace.


    They crawled forward at a steady speed with their body laid horizontally and exposed vulnerably, they could only pray that no enemy would suddenly spring up to them at such bad timing.


    Though the hollow tunnel passage was dark, Clark who was at the front could detect faint blue flashes that were probably from electrical malfunctions lighting up occasionally on the metal walls.


    He could not pinpoint what was causing it at this moment, he could only rein in his curiosity and focus on moving forward while paying attention to the flow of time to know how long this tunnel was.


    After crawling forward for about 5 minutes, Clark noticed a hole leading upwards on the tunnel wall that was just before him.


    His heart grew tense a bit as he tapped his feet on the wall 2 times, indicating to Dickson that he should stop crawling and keep silent. The latter obeyed immediately, bringing absolute silence to the tunnel.


    After brazing himself for a few seconds, Clark suddenly pushed himself forward. He arrived directly under the hole in a second as he pointed the laser pistol that was on his hand up.


    ¡°Just a ventilation vent?¡±


    He heaved a sigh of relief, it seemed that his fear was unfounded. After letting Dickson know that it was a ventilation vent, he continued crawling forward.


    They both crawled forward for another 5 minutes, during which they saw other 3 ventilation vents. After this 10-minute crawl, the straight tunnel finally bent downwards at the front.


    After telling Dickson to stop moving, Clark crawled towards the bend as silently as he could. Dipping his face through, he saw another ventilation vent below, but this one was not simple like the others.


    Though the metal bars of the vent obstructed his view a bit, he could still see from his position that a large room that looked like a lab was below it. It seems that they were currently in a ceiling.


    He quickly took footage of the scene and transferred it to Dickson.


    After they both took a good look at it, they didn¡¯t discover anything that could ring alarms. This may not be reliable, but they still decided to go down.


    After going through the bend, Clark finally placed his hands on the vent. Coiling his body, a bit, he was able to wriggle his hands into his bag and bring out a short bolt screwdriver.


    After screwing a bit, the vent was finally set free from its hold. Clark did not let it fall, he held it at the last moment while supporting his weight with his legs hooked to the tunnel walls.


    Dickson also held him from behind, granting him stability.


    After doing this, he finally dropped himself lower to let his head peek through at an extremely slow pace. The room was already expanding before his eyes and it seems that he was correct, this was a lab.


    His heart was palpitating rapidly as his grip on the laser pistol became tighter, he was ready to pull the trigger immediately if necessary.


    As soon as his head left the constraints of the tight tunnel passage, his eyes finally fell completely upon the full structure that was before him.


    White was the dominant color in the surroundings. The room was fairly large, about 5 meters by width and length, and most of the space was filled with extremely large machines.


    He didn¡¯t look at all this extravagance immediately though, his eyes rapidly scanned around the room to detect any threat.


    Detecting none, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°The area is all clear! You can release my legs¡±. He finally whispered to Dickson who was waiting for his feedback, also tense all over.


    Hearing what he said, Dickson also heaved a sigh of relief and released his grip on his legs the next moment.


    Thud!


    Clark fell through the ceiling into the lab immediately after being released.


    Due to his quick reflex, he flipped himself in mid-air and dropped in the softest possible manner with his multi-purpose boots absorbing the rest of the residual noise.


    Dickson landed beside him the next moment. They stood side by side with their backs facing each other; they finally did a real survey of this strange laboratory room.


    The laboratory room was divided into 3 parts. The middle part where they landed seemed to be the observation chamber of the scientists who previously worked here, chairs and tables were arranged neatly in rows and columns.


    At the center table which was made from the same metal that was used to coat the tunnel entrance¡¯s walls laid dozens of books of various sizes, bringing an extreme scholastic vibe to the laboratory.


    A map of the planet was placed at the wall, and various regions of the map were marked red. Both soldiers did not know what it meant.


    Another board was on the wall, and a biological chart was on it. Dozens of beasts and exobeast pictures were on it, there were some animals that Clark¡¯s implant didn¡¯t even recognize.


    Overall, the middle part was what was expected of the observation chamber of a research laboratory. But the baffling fact was that the place seemed a little disorganized; like the scientists were rushing when they left.


    ¡°What happened here that could fluster Aragan scientists so much? Did they not have assistants and guards?¡± A lot of thoughts went through both soldiers¡¯ minds.


    After doing a proper survey of this part of the room, they finally turned to look at the front part. The 3 parts of the room were isolated by a big transparent wall, probably made from a rare exotic.


    The front part of the lab seemed to be the specimen section where test subjects were kept and experimented on.


    Clark and Dickson felt their skin tingle a bit on seeing the sight before them. Dozens of animal samples, most probably exobeasts were lined on various containers across this section.


    None of the animal samples kept there had decomposed. Despite being abandoned for so many years already, the systems of the laboratory were still working fine as cold air was constantly being pumped into the containers.


    All the animal samples were frozen stiff.


    Among the animals on display, Clark recognized some. He saw a mature Night Rakshasha, a big Black Bear that had its head cut open, its brain was exposed and could be seen.


    Though these were all organic organisms, they were all dead, which meant that they presented no threat to both soldiers.


    They heaved another sigh of relief before simultaneously inclining their heads to look at the last section of the laboratory room, which was the biggest section and was at the back.


    If the previous 2 sections could be called the observation chamber and specimen chamber, this would be called the machinery chamber.


    Dozens of machines lined up like mountain-sized mechs, towering above both soldiers, making them look like humans suffering from growth hormone deficiency.


    This was the technological equipment section of this laboratory.


    After meticulously checking everywhere with their sharp eyes, they found no threat but some sights in here made them feel tense. They felt goosebumps creep under their skins.


    ¡°Why skeletons again?¡± Clark had a solemn look on his face, but his mind was lamenting something else.


    In the only 2 chairs that were in the machinery chamber sat 2 skeletons. From the injuries that were inflicted on both skeletons, they died before they could even react.


    The one on the left had a big hole drilled through his skull, probably from a high-caliber bullet paired with a hot energy beam. It was practically cleaved through like a pig under the butcher¡¯s mercy.


    The second seemed was much less frightening, but to Clark who was a ranged specialist, this sight gave him the most creeps.


    No breach could be detected in the machinery chamber, but somehow, a sniper was able to silently kill these 2 machine operators without them being able to react at all.


    Clark kept quiet; he engaged his implant to the limits as he tried to reason how this was possible. A minute later, he found what he wanted, but he was even more horrified.


    From the angle of the shot and other calculations that he made, he deduced that the sniper who killed both operators did not even enter this laboratory room.


    And from how sturdy the walls of the laboratory were, not any type of bullet could breach it.


    At a corner of the chamber, there was a small 2-way hole that the 2 operators created on the wall, probably to see to the room on the other side, and this was what brought their doom.


    The glass covering the small hole was broken. Clark deduced that the soldier who killed both operators made his aim and released his bullets through this small hole to snipe these 2 operators that were looking to have fun.


    Clark shuddered after coming to this conclusion.


    ¡°How perceptive and accurate must a soldier be to achieve that? And he must have probably been embroiled in a battle at the other room¡±.


    ¡°Perhaps, only veteran 3rd rank high-grade and above ranged soldiers can do this¡±.


    After making all these deductions, he finally turned to his companion.


    ¡°Dickson, we are here, and it seems that no one is here yet. This laboratory is our prize for getting here first, let¡¯s scour around and thoroughly take everything valuable away¡±.


    ¡°Leave the big machines alone, we cannot take those. Take the small sophisticated gadgets, maybe some organic specimen, and most importantly the experiment research records¡±.


    Both soldiers did not dally around, they went to work immediately.


    The 2 skeletons would not frighten them so easily, most especially as they¡¯ve already confirmed that the laboratory was safe for now.


    They didn¡¯t know if they were the first to get to the ruin, but they were surely the first to enter this laboratory room so looting it to the barest minimum was the best they could do to honor it.


    One thing that stood out to them though was that the tunnel they passed through to get passage here was definitely not the main entrance to the ruin. That was most likely a secret passageway.


    Maybe the main entrance was far from here and their rivals already entered through it. That didn¡¯t concern them now though, they would focus on the present and harvest as much benefit as they could.


    They only looted for 30 minutes before they decided to leave the laboratory.


    Though the things here were valuable, this was only the tip of the iceberg of this long-lost research base. This ruin had much more, and they still had the main target to go after.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave here¡±. Clark finally said.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    Clark held his spear tighter on his right hand while flexing with the laser pistol on his left hand, Dickson held his shield more stably as they slowly advanced to the door of the laboratory room.


    Their journey to locate the main mission target just began.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 260: the mission target

    After getting to the door of the laboratory, Clark went to the side, hid from view, and grabbed the handle of the door. Dickson stood with a solemn look on, facing the door directly with his shield.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Clark asked. Dickson nodded immediately.


    As soon as the door was yanked open, Dickson rushed outwards with his shield held in front. His eyes scanned around his surrounding immediately.


    ¡°Mechanical soldiers!¡±


    Clark didn¡¯t need his reminder as he already saw them from the corner of his eyes. His laser pistol started shooting out its load immediately, accompanied by a muffled sound due to the silencer.


    He quickly attached his spear to his back and brought out his 2-form gun, red energy beams started pelting the armors of the slumbering mechanical soldiers immediately.


    As soon as the bullets touched them, the mechanical soldiers finally reacted and stood up. They intended to run forward and attack the intruders, but their movements were jerky.


    [Warning! Low energy reserves. Soldiers¡¯ reactors need recharging immediately, all mechanical soldiers should head to the refilling chamber!]


    As soon as this warning sounded out from a hidden voice amplifier in the corridor, the hundreds of mechanical soldiers that were charging forward a moment ago suddenly drew to a halt before shutting down again.


    Clark was only able to wreak about 5 of them before this happened, he was stunned in place. ¡°This¡­, is that it?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Dickson asked as he carefully rearranged his stance to defend against any sudden attacks, who knew if this was a tactic by the mechanical soldiers for them to lower their vigilance.


    ¡°I think¡­, I think they¡¯ve exhausted their energy reserves¡±. Clark hesitated before replying in a tone like he wanted to convince himself.


    It seems that this was the case as even after they remained in one place for about 10 minutes, they still detected no change from the mechanical soldiers.


    Some seemed to have undergone a terrible battle as their armors were dented on various angles, exposing vulnerabilities in their frame. Electric sparks occasionally escaped from their metallic frames.


    During these 10 minutes that they stood rigidly in one place, watching alertly, Clark and Dickson already did a visual survey of where this place was.


    They were in a long corridor whose ends were on both opposite sides they could not see from their positions.


    From where they stood, they could see other doors like the one of the laboratory room that they just emerged from on opposite sides of the corridor. Doors filled their vision, seeming endless.


    ¡°How many doors are there?¡± Both soldiers were shocked.


    From where they stood, apart from the doors, the other thing that dominated their field of view was the countless mechanical soldiers that looked like locusts, rambling across the long corridor.


    Every part of this corridor was made from the same exotic metal. Clark and Dickson could only lament how filthy rich the Aragan Empire was.


    After another 2 minutes of observation, Clark finally decided to move forward a bit with Dickson following closely behind him. He got to one of the mechanical soldiers and felt its frame.


    After checking a lot of its critical components, he came to a conclusion. To verify this, he went further ahead to check a few other dozen mechanical soldiers.


    He finally verified it. ¡°Dickson¡±.


    ¡°Um¡±.


    ¡°These mechanical soldiers are suffering from low energy reserves¡±.


    Clark should have thought of it before, but his encounter with a similar ruin back in the Mediterranean Sea clouded his judgment. On seeing mechanical soldiers, a bitter battle was what clicked in his head immediately.


    Like the A. I that just spoke said, the energy reserves of all the mechanical soldiers here were depleted.


    This was not too surprising as these machines were probably here for decades already. It would have been shocking instead if they were still completely intact, nothing lasts forever.


    All their power reactors were already spoilt due to the deprivation of energy, the small movements that they made on noticing them successfully depleted the little remaining reserves that they had.


    Clark¡¯s eyes gleamed as the impact that this would cause rippled through his mind.


    If his conjecture was right and this ruin already lost all energy to power most of its offensive parameters, then this mission would be a lot easier than anticipated.


    This meant that he didn¡¯t have to worry about time bombs like back in the Mediterranean Sea, his only source of worry now would be his rivals that would come.


    After explaining his deduction to Dickson, they both finally couped up a plan.


    As no rival was here yet, they had all the time in the world. They were going to scour through all the doors that were before them, the loot inside was all part of their mission target.


    They wasted no time. As the computerized locking methods of the doors were no longer activated, breaking through the mechanical locking puzzles was as easy as eating pizza to Clark.


    Both of them started a raiding parade immediately as they infiltrated room after room, retrieving loot after loot.


    They didn¡¯t spend more than 10 minutes in each room, only the most valuable loot drew their attention.


    They felt like they were in a grocery store where they could pick anything that they wanted without paying, it was so f*cking convenient. For a moment, they wished that life was just like this.


    After 2 hours of looting like this, they encountered no other party squad nor did they see their most important need- the main mission target.


    ¡°At this rate, I think we¡¯ll never find the mission target before the others come. How about I go further to look for a door that is maybe different from the others, and you continue looting?¡±


    Clark stopped Dickson and voiced out his worry before suggesting.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think separating now is good. We should stick together, but I also know that the main mission target is the most important¡±. Dickson hesitated a bit before continuing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s forget about the others for now. The main mission target is paramount, let¡¯s go forward together to look for any signs that indicate it¡±.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go then. We need to be fast¡±. Clark easily agreed as he had no reason to refuse, he was also apprehensive to navigate this research base alone.


    After confirming their plan, they both continued their journey across the extremely long corridor. They suppressed their yearning to get more immediate loot and focused on the greater picture.


    Though they already predicted it, seeing the infinite stretch of the corridor was another thing entirely. They were moving for 3 hours already, but they still could not see the end nor any signs relating to the main mission target.


    They were now becoming worried.


    ¡°This is too exaggerated. Is it that we¡¯re moving in circles?¡± Dickson voiced his doubt.


    Clark gritted his teeth in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but let¡¯s keep on going for now. In another 15 minutes, if we still can¡¯t see the end then we¡¯ll turn back¡±.


    Both soldiers took a hold of their worried nerves and continued forward. They already came this far, going back all of a sudden would leave a bad taste in their mouths.


    From 15 minutes, they soon continued till 20 minutes. At the 30th minute when they were already lamenting for their wasted efforts, they finally detected a change.


    For the first time since they arrived in this corridor, they finally saw its end.


    They were overjoyed by this discovery, prompting them to quicken their steps immediately. It only took them another 5 minutes before they stood before the end of this record-breaking corridor.


    They came to the corridor through a door, and its end was barricaded by a door also.


    Unlike the other normal doors that they¡¯ve already seen hundreds of, this door was bigger, sturdier, and more majestic than all of them combined.


    At its top was inscribed a big bold A symbol for Araga, and below it was written another sentence of words in a similar bold font.


    >THE ULTIMATE RESEARCH- EVOLUTION.


    Seeing this, Clark and Dickson held their breath and stared with wide eyes.


    It seems that their hard work finally paid off, no other place was better to keep the most important research results than such a room barricaded by such a majestic door.


    They both didn¡¯t understand the meaning of the tag inscribed on the door but they didn¡¯t care, they were not scientists. They were soldiers, and they came with a goal in mind.


    Since their goal was probably before them, they just had to find a way to unlock this huge door and go inside.


    Clark went to work immediately. Though this door seemed to be far more complicated than the one that led them to the tunnel passage, he had some confidence in his ability.


    Dropping his bag down, he started bringing out tools after tools for this operation.


    He worked for an hour straight under the supervision and help from Dickson before the enormous door finally bulged. It felt like a behemoth that was slumbering for years was just awakened.


    Boom!!


    The sides of the door that were attached to the walls of the corridor shook a bit. The sound was deafening like thunder, reverberating and echoing at frightening decibels around the corridor.


    The sound waves crossed kilometers and back in a few seconds, the frequency was maddening.


    Creak!! Creak¡­!!


    The door made creaking sounds, shaking the foundation of the underground as its heavy metal parts started unveiling outwards to show its internal masterwork design.


    Its opening was far more complicated than anything Clark and Dickson have ever seen in their lives. They just stood in place, fascinated by this display of wealth, technological skill, and power.


    ¡°What majesty!¡±


    Despite the hundreds of bolts, screws, metal parts, and interconnecting exotics that were giving way. The rapid opening pace reduced the time to the barest minimum; the door completely opened in just 2 minutes.


    What presented itself before Clark and Dickson left them speechless, behind the door was a dark abyss.


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    They were surprised, but they still took the first step in.


    As soon as their first step touched the floor behind the door, lights lit up from up in the sky, illuminating everywhere brightly, making it seem like it was day inside here.


    ¡°Is that a sun?¡± Both soldiers were stunned speechless again.


    A literal sun lit up, suspended high in the sky as it distributed light to every corner of the extremely large hall that presented itself before them.


    They were short of words. What was the peak of technology? This was.


    The hall that presented itself before them was as big as 5 stadiums combined, and dozens of machines worked in tandem, making this place seem like the headquarters of an alien company.


    They could not see everywhere but from the little that they could see, they were stunned.


    A large structure that looked like a dome stood in the middle of the hall, towering to the skies, while smaller dome-like structures filled the other parts of the hall with countless machines.


    They finally knew why the energy reserves for the other parts of this research base were lacking, this place was sucking every single energy that was left dry.


    At the very top of this large dome-like structure that stood at the middle¡­,


    ¡°That is the mission target¡­!¡±


    [Hey guys, a surprise second chapter for you today. From today, I''ll try to increase my daily update to 2 chapters everyday. I hope I can make this, thanks for your support.]

 Chapter 261: the bean quadrant enhancer

    >Main Research Target: Bean Quadrant Enhancer>


    At the top of the large dome-like structure hanged a big whiteboard, and this was written on it in bold font. Reading it out loud made it seem so epic and important, Clark and Dickson were left breathless.


    ¡°We really found it!¡± Clark exclaimed for the 3rd time in disbelief.


    Though a lot of evidence was pointing out that they came here first, it was only natural that they still had doubts.


    Remember, they were not the most exceptional soldiers that came for this mission. Veteran 3rd rank high-grade soldiers also took on this mission, them getting here first was an astonishing achievement.


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the king of demolition¡±. Clark felt it unreal, what did the man see in them that made him help them so selflessly?


    Despite his feelings, he was still nonetheless extremely excited by this discovery. After months staying in this extreme region, after going through a lot of hardships, after losing lots of subordinates and a friend, he was finally here.


    The large dome structure was the most dominant architectural work in this hall, it completely overshadowed every other thing, especially now that both soldiers knew that their main target was stored in it.


    Just below the big board that was on top of the dome structure sat the bean-sized substance with a slightly metallic appearance.


    They didn¡¯t know how they could see it so clearly from such a distance below, but it seemed that the scientists who originally worked here made it so that everyone who came here could see it.


    This was the thing that made so many countries mobilize soldiers out to the great Himalayan ranges, this small piece of technology was what drew out so many high-grade soldiers to this treacherous region.


    The next conundrum that presented itself before the soldiers was how they could access the dome structure, and how they could get access to the bean quadrant enhancer.


    As strangers who were not even Aragan citizens, the dome structure would not just grant them access inside it, right?


    One notable fact to both soldiers was that a few minutes after they entered this hall, the large door leading here slowly started contracting back. In a few minutes, it was closed shut again.


    This did not fluster them much though. With the main mission target before them, they had no plans of leaving anytime soon till they get it.


    They both quickly went to work, poking around for any clue on how to get access inside the dome structure. There was no door visible on it, and no secret tunnel also, so where was the entrance?


    They both searched and searched all to no avail, it seems that the structure was laughing mockingly at their vain efforts to get access inside it.


    After 30 minutes of this, they both finally stopped the brainless search, they decided to think deeper into it. Was there no way to access the bean quadrant enhancer? So how did the researchers access and experiment with it?


    Who even said that what they were seeing was the real thing? They now felt lost, they sat at a chair that was placed before an observation chamber.


    Unlike the previous rooms that they went into where it seemed that most of the researchers were caught off-guard, this hall was much more organized.


    It seemed that the researchers here detected the danger on time and had enough time to escape. But where did they escape to? If they escaped, then the Aragan Empire would have known of this lost research base long before now.


    What really happened here?


    Thinking deeper but not getting any breakthrough, Clark slumped down on a chair in frustration. Is that it? He finally found the mission target but he could not get his hands on it.


    As he gnashed his teeth in frustration, shaking his head in agitation, his eyes suddenly fell before a string of words written on the observation glass before him.


    He suddenly sat up straighter, he squinted his eyes as he tried to make out the small written words that were barely visible.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Dickson noticed his shift in concentration immediately.


    ¡°I think I found something¡±. Clark stood up and went closer to the observation glass, his face was now directly before it. This was when he finally made out what was written on it.


    >We succeeded in the end, but the experiment focus was flawed from the beginning. Sigh¡­, I feel like we just wasted years of previous experiment time. At this rate, we¡¯ll lose the war¡­<


    The words became broken a bit, probably already eroded due to the passage of time. Clark skipped a significant part because of this before he could finally make sense of the words again.


    >It¡¯s obvious, we didn¡¯t succeed and now our enemies are before us. The bean quadrant enhancer is flawed, it is not compatible with any of our soldiers¡­>


    A few more broken lines.


    >I decided to make it accessible to anyone that comes in the future. If you¡¯re a soldier and you saw this, place your hand on the orange orb, it will evaluate your strength to see if you¡¯re worthy to enter the enhancement dome>


    The words finally ended.


    ¡°Experiment flawed, what does that mean?¡± Dickson frowned after reading the message as he turned to face Clark.


    Clark shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it''s good that they made the dome accessible to everyone. Let¡¯s find the orange orb first, who knows if others are already on their way¡±.


    They didn¡¯t have to check extensively; the orange orb was attached glaringly to the dome at the front. They could not miss it even if they wanted.


    Clark hesitated a bit before turning to look at Dickson, who smiled back at him. He nodded back, stiffened his face, and closed his eyes before placing his hand on the orb.


    Whoosh!!


    He felt a mysterious force sweep through his body immediately, giving him the sensation like an electric current just coursed through him.


    He shuddered from the sensation.


    [Ding! Another test subject has been detected after over 80 years of wait, proceeding to test strength level immediately.]


    A loud mechanical voice, probably that of an A. I suddenly reverberated across the whole hall.


    [Ding! Test subject¡¯s strength level has been identified.]


    [2nd rank high-grade soldier: Pinnacle.]


    [Test subject is eligible to accept the fusing of the quadrant, processing teleportation into the dome immediately.]


    A small swirl in the air was suddenly detected, stirring and revolving a bit.


    As soon as Clark heard this and noticed the swirl, his eyes sprang open as he turned his head to look at Dickson.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen to me nor what I will encounter inside the dome structure. Whatever happens, if rivals come, I want you to leave immediately and protect your life¡±.


    ¡°And, this hall is a treasure trove. Scour through it before other rivals come, try¡­¡±


    Clark could not finish his sentence; he was teleported away the next moment without his consent. It felt rude and at the same time tyrannical.


    [Test subject has arrived inside the dome: Processing and implementing last highest authority order immediately. Destination adjustment in progress¡­, adjustment done.]


    [Test subject has entered the virtual dairy domain.]


    After that, the sound of the A. I died down, bringing absolute silence back to the hall immediately.


    Dickson stood, mouth agape, looking astonishedly at the position where Clark stood a moment ago. His brain could not comprehend everything yet, it happened so fast and abrupt.


    A moment ago, Clark just placed his hand on the orange orb, the next, an A. I starts spamming them shamelessly with various declarations.


    Before he could voice out a curse, he grew astonished as the A. I said it was about to teleport Clark away. Before he could speak, Clark turned and hastily voiced out some instructions to him.


    Clark didn¡¯t even finish before he disappeared, now here he was, stranded alone in this luxurious hall without any idea about what just happened.


    ¡°Am I dreaming?¡±


    ¡°Clark!¡± ¡°Clark!¡±


    He softly called out a bit at Clark¡¯s previous location. Getting no response, his brain hormones finally started registering in the fact that he was now alone.


    ¡°How can you teleport someone away without explaining what is happening to us? What type of messed up system is this?¡± Dickson blew up, panicking a bit after coming to the realization.


    Unknowing to him, after spending so much time with Clark, he already started seeing him as a spiritual pillar of sorts who he turned to when he was clueless, powerless, or puzzled, as he was now.


    After trying a few other methods that came to his mind, yelled Clark¡¯s name repeatedly but getting no response, he finally sat down on the scientist¡¯s chair to go through his situation.


    He finally started going through Clark¡¯s last instruction.


    Well, he was not injured nor was he in any mortally dangerous situation at the moment. He deemed that looting this place was probably the best thing that he could do in this situation, as Clark suggested.


    As Clark said, there was every tendency that enemies would arrive at this doorstep any moment from now, so getting all the benefits that he could was the priority here.


    Though this hall was too big for him to loot completely, he would set his sight on only the most advanced and valuable loot.


    He started poking around cautiously at first. Though no enemy was visibly before him, he had not forgotten the mechanical A. I voice that spoke a few minutes ago.


    What if the A. I attacked him with the machines here on noticing that he was taking loot from this place? He had to be cautious, prevention was always better than cure.


    After poking around for a few minutes and getting no reaction from the A.I, he became a little bolder and placed the first gadget that drew his attention inside his military bag.


    He became tense immediately, cautiously watching his surroundings. A few seconds passed, a minute passed, a few minutes passed, he was still fine.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? Is the A. I broken or it doesn¡¯t care about me? Or does the A. I only have control over the large dome-shaped structure?¡±


    ¡°Damn! That¡¯s great, I can loot all I want to my full satisfaction¡±.


    He went to work immediately after confirming that his fears were unfounded, his enthusiasm was off the roof as he meticulously scanned for high-grade gadgets and research material.


    Today, he was leaving a rich man.


    ¡­


    Clark felt his eyes spinning, he felt like he was stranded in space and was being spun around at a rapid frequency.


    The next moment, all the uncomfortable sensations disappeared. He was now in a completely white expanse of space.


    He could not detect any floor beneath his feet, only the boundless sky, and tumbling clouds. He felt like he was standing in the atmosphere and the mist was carrying his weight, his heart tightened a bit on this discovery.


    ¡°Where is this? Where am I?¡±


    Though he had a lot of questions in his mind, he kept quiet. He deduced that the A. I that transported him here would do something else, and he was right.


    The next moment, the sky before him rippled a bit and an old man appeared before him. He had white flowing beards, he was in a white cloak, a scholarly vibe exuded abundantly from him.


    Seeing this, Clark was stunned in place.


    ¡°Are you¡­, the great Gandalf?¡±


    [I''m feeling nostalgic though I don''t know why. After over 60 chapters, we''re finally here.]

 Chapter 262: professor granits diary

    Clark was stunned speechless in one place, he looked at this man that suddenly appeared before him with eyes glinting with curiosity.


    It was not just an exaggeration that he referenced the great warlock Gandalf immediately on seeing the old man that appeared before him, the resemblance is uncanny.


    If he lied, he was ready to go 2 hours without food.


    Hearing his question, the old man chuckled heartily. ¡°Young man, it''s nice to meet you. It¡¯s been long since I met humans, I feel even more blessed knowing that someone of this era remembers the great Gandalf as I do¡±.


    After observing for a few seconds, Clark felt that something was wrong. Curiosity left his face, instead, it became grim.


    ¡°What are you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You noticed quite fast. Are the soldiers of this era this era so exceptional, or is it just you? I¡¯m impressed¡±. The old man commented smilingly.


    Clark did not reply, he now had a poker look on his face. He already noticed that this was not the projection of a living being and it was not an A. I either, so what was this?


    ¡°I¡¯m the head scientist of this research base. Well, was the head scientist would be more correct¡±. The old man still had a smile on his face.


    Clark had a strange expression on his face. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Is that a question? The great battle of supremacy happened of course. Those dark days¡­, humanity still does not know what they lost when I died¡±. The old man sighed, a melancholic expression on his face.


    Clark hesitated. ¡°How are you talking to me?¡±


    ¡°Haha, kid, I understand your feelings. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m dead, this is just a fragment of my brainpower that was preserved after I succeeded in one of my forbidden experiments¡±.


    ¡°Those days¡­, it felt good being a scientist¡±.


    ¡°And this is not my real appearance. I configured myself to look a little like the great Gandalf without making it too obvious. I always loved his sage-like look as a kid, his white flowing beards were heavenly to me¡±.


    Hearing all these, though Clark did not still understand everything that was happening, at least he had a basic understanding now. He no longer beat around the bush; he went straight to the point.


    ¡°I came for the bean quadrant enhancer, so why was I brought here?¡± He didn¡¯t know why, but he suddenly became bolder on entering here.


    ¡°I know¡­, I was just trying to enjoy my last moments with a human¡±. The old man was calm.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Clark frowned.


    ¡°What do you think? As you already noticed, the energy supplies here are depleting, and soon the machine powering the remnants of my brain fragment would shut down¡±.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll finally leave this world for good and rest in peace¡±.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have much time, neither do you, so I guess I should go directly to the point¡±.


    ¡°This virtual domain is my diary¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I destroyed the physical copy of my diary and kept it in here for the person that would have the luxury of successfully fusing with the bean quadrant enhancer that I created¡±.


    Clark had questions already, but he kept quiet and listened.


    ¡°The bean quadrant enhancer is not what the researchers that came here a few months ago think it is, it¡¯s much more complicated¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I brought you here. Before you go for the fusing, I want you to know what you¡¯re getting involved into¡±.


    ¡°Take your time and go through my diary¡±.


    The old man disappeared the next moment after saying this.


    Then the world seemed to have changed. A chair appeared from nowhere, and Clark was now seated. The sky before him opened like a page flipping open, then a book title appeared before him.


    >Professor Granit¡¯s diary>


    Clark was shocked immediately after seeing this name, he knew who this man was. Before he could think further the sky flipped again, and now the first page of the diary was on the sky before him.


    ¡­


    ¡°August 8, 2085. After applying over and over again, the higher-ups finally approved my idea. They built an extremely big underground research base for my monopoly, I¡¯m excited. Long live Araga!¡±


    ¡°August 27, 2085. I finally had a dedicated group of like-mind assistants that understands me. With this, I think I¡¯m one step closer to cracking the limitations of the human brain, and probably finding the ultimate solution also¡±.


    ¡°October 4, 2085. Now, I¡¯m feeling even more confused. Why can¡¯t we humans use our brain to its fullest potential when one puny alien can? This is puzzling¡±.


    ¡°February 12, 2086. I found it! I think I found it, the reason why we are limited by our brain. Experts of old said the brain is better than a computer, now I understand what they meant¡±.


    ¡°Due to a lot of limitations brought by our low race species, we humans can only use a puny amount of the power offered by our brain. We can improve through practice, but practice cannot crack all the mysteries of the brain¡±.


    ¡°I will research further; I want to achieve the ultimate goal. I want our Aragan soldiers to utilize the full 100% potential of their brain, that way, we¡¯ll become the hegemons of the whole world¡±.


    ¡°March 5, 2086. My request was finally approved, I can now start the brain liberation research program. I¡¯m so excited, this will be legendary. I¡¯ll probably leave my name in history if I succeed¡±.


    ¡°Pfft, what¡¯s probably, I¡¯ll definitely leave my name in history. Now, let the research begin¡±.


    Clark read through dozens of pages that focused on the research results, progress, and problems. After reading for an indeterminate time, the research pages finally started diminishing a bit.


    ¡°January 3, 2087. It finally happened. The agitated countries cannot restrain themselves any longer, the battle of supremacy finally starts. This world is slowly taking on a route of destruction¡±.


    ¡°Well, who cares? All I know is that my experiment now has more priority to the higher-ups which means I will have more allocation of resources. Perfect!¡±


    ¡°August 2, 2087. I finally had a breakthrough; the preliminary research results of the bean quadrant enhancer prototype have been collected. It looks promising but a lot of areas could improve¡±.


    ¡°November 1, 2087. I did it, I created the ultimate biological device that can help humans break through the limits of their brains. This is a groundbreaking achievement¡±.


    ¡°Now, piloting mechs is no longer a sci-fi scenario. A lot of things can be possible because of this discovery, we can now use our brain to its fullest potential. Long live Araga!¡±


    ¡°December 5, 2087. I can¡¯t believe it, the first high-grade soldier to attempt the fuse died. What happened? There were no incompatibilities, everything seemed smooth-sailing. I¡¯m so frustrated¡±.


    ¡°December 29, 2087. The government is criticizing me, is my work a failed project? In just a month, 10 high-grade soldiers have died to my enhancer. I feel like a traitor¡±.


    ¡°Is this what it feels to be a mad scientist?¡±


    ¡°January 1, 2088. The government is desperate, the war situation is not going well, they finally approved the decision to send a 4th rank high-grade soldier. I¡¯m excited, there shall be no complications this time, I¡¯m sure¡±.


    ¡°January 2, 2088. Gosh, I can¡¯t believe it. I killed a 4th rank high-grade soldier! I have no use living again, I¡¯ve killed my country, I¡¯m a traitor¡±.


    ¡°January 10, 2088. Experiments on the enhancer have stopped, and I¡¯m sentenced to death by the government to appease certain parties. What an irony! The great Professor Granit is now a pig used to appease some petty humans¡±.


    ¡°Despite the government¡¯s decision, I still secretly continue my experiments¡±.


    ¡°February 2, 2088. I think I finally created the real enhancer, this one shall surely work, right? But there is no one to fuse it with¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m shocked, invaders from another country found out our hideout on this same day. A fierce battle is going on and most of the researchers are already being escorted out. I¡¯m being left to die!¡±


    ¡°No, I have to do something. Even if I die, my research cannot die so easily. I will do something; I still have the most authority over this research base before my execution day¡±.


    ¡°If I do this, anyone can get access to the quadrant enhancer. But I have to do it, my research cannot die with me¡±.


    ¡°My forbidden research also succeeded; I have a 30% chance of transplanting my brain in the regurgitation machine. I hope this works¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to do it. If I press this button, everyone in this research base will die and be buried by the mechanical soldiers. I hope a worthy soldier comes in the future. My research result coming to life lies on you, future soldier¡±.


    ¡°My history ends here. Goodbye world, goodbye Professor Granit¡­¡±


    The lines suddenly stopped; no words were written on the dairy again. The Professor was dead like he said, only a portion of his brain survived in a machine.


    Clark was left stunned, strapped stiffly to the chair.


    Unknowing to him, his back was already filled with cold sweat. The information that he just encountered was mind-blowing, he did not know how to react at all.


    A biological device to help humans break through the limitations of their brain, is that even possible?


    As if sensing that he had a lot of questions, the air rippled as the old man appeared before him again.


    Clark was a lot more respectful before him this time after knowing his identity. Despite existing just as a brain, Professor Granit was a well-respected scientist in the biological sector.


    Seeing Clark¡¯s fiery gaze, the man chuckled. ¡°I know that you have a lot of questions, that¡¯s what I left my brain for, to clarify the fateful soldier that comes¡±.


    ¡°Before you go for the fusing, let me answer all your questions¡±.


    An intelligent interactive session began immediately.


    ¡­


    The king of demolition stood before the secret door that led to the Aragan ruin. Seeing the big bold A imprinted on the door, he felt a lot of emotions raging through his mind.


    After Clark and his companions escaped, he stayed behind and had a bitter battle with Grey Fur.


    As expected, he was trashed by the outrageous brute strength of the exobeast but his cunning enabled him to survive. He did not only survive, but he also helped some of Clark and Dickson¡¯s subordinates to escape.


    With his area of effect bombs, he could do a lot on a chaotic battlefield.


    After escaping from Grey Fur, he finally found the trails left behind by Josh. He followed the trail and found Diana and the others that were going back after traveling for a few hours.


    They relayed the situation to him.


    After understanding the situation, he also revealed to them that some of their subordinates survived and showed them likely places that they could find them.


    After separating, it did not take long for him to navigate to the location of the secret door.


    ¡°Clark, I hope you¡¯re alright. I still believe that you¡¯re the chosen one¡±. He did not hesitate; he opened and went through the tunnel immediately.


    He was anxious to know Clark¡¯s status and he also wanted to transmit what was happening back to his master.


    He had to be fast.


    [Thank you for reading this chapter, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 263: another variable archenemies

    3 black humanoid silhouettes moved swiftly across the snow-filled mountain range, hiding their trails by moving and blending with the shadows surrounding them.


    Extreme cautiousness was radiating from them, making them seem as inconspicuous as dead trees.


    They wore white cloaks to cover their climbing uniforms, this time they also covered their heads with white hoods to further blend with the environment.


    Josh, Anna, and Diana moved swiftly in a tight formation that let them watch each other¡¯s back. Their eyes shone like those of eagles, this region was too dangerous for them to let their guard down.


    After the king of demolition revealed the good news to them that a few of their subordinates survived, they became extremely enthusiastic to rescue them.


    Only a tiny difference could separate them from drug addicts as their faces were filled with sturdy devotion for this mission.


    Josh was the temporary leader of this group. He stood at the front with his oversized exotic rifle strapped to his back and his sword held tightly in his hand; Diana and Anna flanked him from both sides.


    Shhh!


    He suddenly squatted down and made a no sound sign to both female soldiers, they understood what he meant and squatted also.


    Their hearts were beating rapidly as they thought of various terrifying scenarios, they wiped the sweat from their foreheads but the unshakable determination was still on their faces.


    According to the king of demolition, to get to their subordinates, they had to pass through a region close to Grey Fur¡¯s animal kingdom.


    They didn¡¯t have to show themselves though, they just had to take a long detour and bypass it. Despite this, it still left them freaking out, the trauma wrath on them by that ape was unforgettable.


    Bam!


    Josh erupted from his position all of a sudden, having already pinpointed the position of the intruder with his sharp senses. In one stab, the poor red Panda exobeast was stabbed to death.


    The Panda looked cute but it was an exobeast, so it had to die. Josh did not have a change in expression, he nodded at the ladies expressionlessly and they continued their journey.


    This became a common occurrence during their journey as they assassinated various stray exobeasts before the poor fellows could even see them.


    Advancing like this, another 2 hours quickly passed and they finally started seeing the layout of the animal kingdom that wreaked them about a day ago.


    Seeing this sight, the 3 of them stood still as complicated emotions flashed through their eyes. Their friend, a lot of their subordinates, and comrades died and were buried here.


    It was hard not to feel indignant and the yearning for revenge, but they knew better than to court suicide.


    This scene brought bad memories to Anna, making a pang of guilt strike at her heart again. She didn¡¯t know when, but her head reflexively turned to glance at Diana.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, it''s not your fault. I don¡¯t blame you, I really don¡¯t¡±. Diana sighed before answering like she knew what was going through her comrade¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Thank you¡±. Anna was relieved.


    Diana just nodded back at her.


    ¡°We need to take a large detour, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m about to stay anywhere 2 kilometers near this death hole¡±. Josh finally spoke, interrupting them.


    ¡°According to King, this will delay us for an hour but it¡¯s worth it. Let¡¯s go¡±.


    They no longer delayed; they took a sharp turn to the right before quickly disappearing in the never-ending snow.


    After crossing the territory of the dreaded Grey Fur, they finally started locating the track that King pointed them in. It took them another 4 hours but they finally saw trails of their subordinates.


    They first saw blood and rough footsteps, probably caused by a fierce battle. Seeing this made their hearts sink further, it was not easy for soldiers to survive in this region.


    The soldiers did a good job though, meticulously using clever means to hide their trails after the location of the battle. But as their leaders, Diana and Anna just needed a little more effort to crack through their means.


    They knew that they were getting closer, but they didn¡¯t know how close.


    15 minutes later, they came before a large cedar tree. Its tall frame and broad branches formed a very nice shade, granting relief from the snow to anyone that decided to seek refuge under it.


    As they passed under the tree, Diana hesitated but she spoke in the end. Wait!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Josh and Anna turned to face her at the same time, their face already alert in preparation for any battle.


    ¡°Umm¡­, something is not right. We saw the last fading footprint a few hours ago. If they traveled so far without rest, then they will surely be exhausted by now. And seeing this tall tree¡­¡±


    Anna was also catching up to her point. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    Rustle!! Boom!


    Hearing the sound of leaves moving, all 3 soldiers dodged to the side immediately as a sharp spear stabbed down at their position the next moment.


    Before they could react, other weapons were used on them simultaneously as 7 other shadows dropped down from the tree to support the first one. Their ambush was perfect, only the execution had some flaws.


    With his barely working one hand, Josh advanced like a ghost as his sword swiftly slapped 3 of the shadows down immediately. This was when they finally saw the ambushers well.


    All 8 ambushers were dressed in white with white hoods on also, but Diana still caught sight of the familiar black climbing uniform underneath their white cloaks for a brief moment.


    ¡°Josh! Stop!¡± She quickly shouted as the battle drifted to a stop immediately after Josh retreated on hearing her.


    The 8 soldiers were still battle frenzied, staring at them with such intensity that seemed like their eyes could shoot lasers. Despite this, desperation was now showing in their gestures.


    It seemed that their ambush having failed impacted them a lot, they were now on their wit¡¯s end.


    ¡°Jakes¡­¡± Diana raised one of her hands to form a calm down gesture before she spoke softly.


    The 8 soldiers stiffened immediately after what she said.


    ¡°Jakes, Rose, Martha, is that you guys? She asked in the gentlest tone that she could muster.


    At this moment, the soldiers finally reacted after identifying the voice of their leader¡¯s second in command. They were almost breaking down in tears, their hands shook agitatedly.


    Diana finally removed her hood on seeing this, she felt pity, guilt, and sorrow bombard her heart on this sight.


    ¡°Staff Sergeant Diana, yes, yes it¡¯s me Jakes¡±. One of the soldiers finally came out, his face filled with relief like he finally found an oasis in a barren and dry desert. The feeling was refreshing.


    Anna also removed her hood at this moment with Josh doing so also.


    ¡°Sergeant Anna¡±. A surprised voice called out from the ranks of the other soldiers.


    Hearing this, Anna felt a weight lift from her soldiers. For a moment there, she thought that all the Daland soldiers died and only Spartans survived.


    In such a scenario, she didn¡¯t know what she would have done. Thank God that at least one survived, she was grateful.


    Seeing the familiar figures before them, all the other soldiers finally removed the hood hiding their faces. The survivors finally came into light, 5 Spartan soldiers and 3 Daland soldiers.


    Seeing this, Diana and Anna did not mind if they were men or not. The joy of finding survivors overtook their hearts, they embraced them all in a heartwarming embrace.


    At least, this could alleviate the burden and stress that they¡¯ve passed through for the past few hours.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Jakes flinched and grunted a little as Diana hugged her.


    A few seconds later, she let him go, her face becoming serious again. ¡°You¡¯re injured?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±. Jakes had a sorrowful expression on his face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Though Diana felt reluctant to know exactly what happened, she still asked from the stand of a leader.


    Jakes sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but we want to know first. Where is Major Clark? Where is Corporal Dickson? Where is Sergeant Benny? What about the mission, are we forfeiting it?¡±


    The questions that were thrown at her made her dizzy at first, but Diana gritted her teeth and answered.


    ¡°The mission is still on, both Major Clark and Corporal Dickson are the ones who entered the ruin after we found it. They ordered us to go back and look for you guys, and here we are¡±.


    Jakes was relieved on hearing this but he still caught a loophole in her reply. ¡°What of Sergeant Benny? Why didn¡¯t he regroup here with you guys?¡±


    Diana closed her eyes, her lips quivering a bit as she struggled to mouth out something, anything from her mouth. In the end, it was just too hard to forget about what happened, it was still eating at her emotions.


    Seeing this, Jakes understood the hidden meaning immediately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the loss, Staff Sergeant¡±. He bowed his head a bit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, forget about that. Tell me exactly what happened after we left¡±. Diana steeled her face and demanded.


    Jakes nodded. ¡°It was a fierce battle. After you guys left, we followed the Major¡¯s orders and separated in various directions to make the picking out and kill situation a little more difficult for the beasts¡±.


    ¡°It was working at first, but the beasts soon started coping with it¡±.


    ¡°We started dying in droves, succumbing to the unrelenting attacks of the horde of beasts¡±.


    ¡°We would have all surely died, but at the last moment the king of demolition came to our help. Through his help, 15 of us were able to survive and start escaping immediately¡±.


    ¡°3 of us were severely injured, 2 couldn¡¯t make it far on the way as we didn¡¯t have access to any first aid materials. They died with the conviction of the mission still on their minds¡±.


    ¡°After over 3 hours escaping, we finally lost the beasts. We thought that it was over but unfortunately for us, it was just starting¡±.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t stop as we wanted to get a significant distance from the beasts, this proved detrimental as an exobeast attacked us and we lost another brave soldier¡±.


    ¡°We were now down to 12¡±.


    ¡°As we were exhausted, we found a place to rest but unknowing to us, we just left the lion¡¯s den into the cobra¡¯s nest¡±.


    ¡°We encountered Mocan soldiers¡±. Jakes¡¯s face became heavy.


    ¡°What?¡± Diana was shocked this time.


    ¡°We encountered Mocan soldiers, they killed 4 of us immediately and only the 8 of us escaped with injuries. I¡¯m pretty sure that they are right behind us now, still tracing our trails¡±.


    Diana felt a storm erupt in her mind. ¡°How did the Mocans get here? I thought they didn¡¯t find out about the ruin¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±. Jakes was helpless.


    Whoosh!


    Josh reacted fast by diving forward, pushing both soldiers from the danger at the last moment.


    Diana felt a hot sensation on her cheeks, the high-caliber bullet passed just beside her face. Her armor finally activated to cover her face but what happened still left her feeling goosebumps.


    ¡°They are here¡±. Jake¡¯s heart sank.


    Hearing this, Diana¡¯s face grew ferocious, her blood boiled. ¡°Enter a battle formation immediately¡±. She bellowed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s show these Mocan dogs what we are made of!¡±

 Chapter 264: a survival beckoning

    The battle started immediately. There was no prep time in-between, no elaborated preparations, just a brawl between soldiers of 2 extremely volatile enemy countries.


    When Spartan and Mocan soldiers jam, what results from it is not hard to imagine.


    Though Josh was not a Spartan soldier, he already stayed with them long enough to understand the gist of their enmity with Mocans. Lifting his enormous rifle, he pulled at the trigger.


    Bam! Bam!


    ¡°Come at me bastards!¡±


    With him taking the lead and Diana with 5 other soldiers following closely behind, they rushed outwards to meet their new opponents with impressive grandeur and seriousness.


    Anna stayed behind, taking refuge behind a mold of rocks stacked together as she brought out her sniper rifle. The last 3 soldiers were beside her, together forming the ranged squad.


    The battle started with full force and immediately climbed to a climax.


    This Mocan squad contained 30 soldiers, with only 2 of them being 1st rank high-grade soldiers and the others normal soldiers.


    Against the previous battered, defeated, and escaping force, they could reign as lords. But in a battle where not only Anna and Diana were present, Josh also, the outcome was decided even before the battle began.


    The Mocan soldiers who were confident in their numbers advantage were given a nasty surprise.


    Bulling into their ranks like an excavating bulldozer, Josh used his enormous rifle to its fullest potential as its red-hot energy beams cut through the soldiers easily like a hot knife cutting through butter.


    Diana led the others into the battle from another direction, directly starting a massacre.


    Despite Josh¡¯s strength, the Mocan soldiers¡¯ clever strategies made it possible that they were swarming and surrounding him. They already recognized him as the strongest, so they intended to deal with him first.


    The sudden reinforcement of their prey was shocking, but they were still optimistic. They intended to stack so close to Josh that his rifle would be rendered useless in such a close situation.


    To their shock, as soon as they did this, the man hit 2 soldiers with the rifle¡¯s metallic flame before keeping it on his back. Bringing his hand back, a sword followed, it felt just like magic.


    The real massacre finally began.


    His sharp exotic sword combined with his fierce strength was too tyrannical to resist, the soldiers died at a higher frequency than they swarmed him with.


    ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Retreat!¡±


    After realizing the quagmire-like situation that they found themselves in, the leader of the Mocan soldiers decisively ordered a retreat. But unfortunately for him, their archenemies had no intentions of letting them go.


    With Josh in the lead, they hunted all the ambushers till the last soldier. Not a single Mocan soldier escaped, it was a complete massacre.


    After the battle, they all laid down on the snow panting like dogs.


    Of the 8 survivors, 5 of them were now seriously injured as their previous injuries were aggravated in this battle.


    Despite this, none of them died which was a great achievement to them. They still needed treatment though, the injured could not survive with such injuries for long without receiving medical treatment.


    ¡°Ok, we have to leave¡±. Diana forced herself to stand up to address the soldiers.


    ¡°Lots of our comrades already died, it is enough already. I¡¯m not ready to let another one of our comrades die before us, so I want us to reach the next shelter in an hour¡±.


    ¡°I still have some mountain credits with me. If we get there, we can request medical services which are not too rare in the shelters of this region¡±.


    ¡°Ok, soldiers, stand up, let¡¯s do it¡±. She clapped her hands, slapping some of the soldiers on the backs as they finally stood up, though shakingly.


    ¡°If the person next to you is too weak or injured to walk alone, help him/her. We are our brother¡¯s keeper; we cannot let any of our brothers and sisters die again¡±.


    After a few more words of encouragement from her, the soldiers stood up and started their journey to the nearest shelter.


    They moved in a circle formation so that they could reinforce themselves at the fastest possible second in the case of any danger or ambush.


    Their collective shadows were just like those of refugees migrating during a period of war.


    As they started slowly disappearing, blending with the all-encompassing white dragon- snow, Diana slowly adjusted her position in the circle formation till she was just beside Josh.


    ¡°Thank you, Captain¡±. She muttered to his hearing.


    Josh was shocked, turning to look at her. Seeing her relieved, expectant, and extremely grateful expression, he smiled and nodded at her.


    ¡°Thank you for everything¡±. She added before turning back to reinforce her previous location.


    Seeing her retreating figure, Josh felt a complicated feeling in his heart. He originally wanted to capture these soldiers to prove himself to his nephew, but a lot of strange occurrences spiraled him to now.


    In the end, he gave up his previous goal and decided to enjoy life as an adventurer. Was he satisfied? Yes, he was damn satisfied.


    And he also learned a lot from here, from Clark, Dickson, and also that weird king of demolition.


    It almost felt funny to him.


    Now, what Diana said just brought his happiness through quantum leaps of expansion, his heart felt like it was soaked in hot spring water.


    For the first time since he joined this squad, no, for the first time in his life, a fellow soldier addressed his military rank with an emotion that he never experienced before- Gratitude.


    He felt a fuzzy feeling inside though he would never express it outward, he finally found a group that really appreciated him and what he did.


    This may seem ridiculous as 3rd rank high-grade soldiers are always respected by all lower-ranked soldiers, but no. In Mariana, his backward identity is given more emphasis than his strength, especially after his boss¡¯s wife went after him.


    Did he do anything wrong? No, he was just framed by a horny woman. But that¡¯s life, he was already used to it.


    For the first time, he decided in his heart that nothing must happen to these soldiers under his watch. He would protect them, even with his life.


    As the formation of soldiers moved forward under the lead of 2 of their leaders and the benevolent Captain Josh, their expressions finally started brightening a bit.


    Despite the troubles of this region, they all felt optimistic now. Survival was beckoning at them; they could hear the sweet music of survival.


    In this region where they were strangers, they put all their hopes on brotherhood to pull them through.


    Perhaps, a few days, weeks, months, or even years from now, they would look back on this day as a memory and smile.


    They hoped so.


    ¡­


    Thud!


    As soon as King dropped down into the laboratory floor, he rolled, stabilized himself before squatting down with his enormous exotic bomber on his shoulders, its huge muzzle pointing at the front.


    He remained still for a moment, maintaining absolute silence as his ears twitched slightly to pick out any noise from the background.


    Staying like this for a minute, he finally confirmed that he was the only one in this strange laboratory.


    ¡°Hmm, this place looks interesting¡±. He stood up to get a proper view of his surrounding at this moment, his eyes gleaming and blooming beautifully like budding flowers.


    As soon as he saw the open-air vent, he knew that Clark and Dickson passed through this place before him. And he also saw the message left behind by Dickson, he was pleasantly surprised by their generous proactiveness.


    The note read¡­


    ¡°Thank you for all your help, we finally found the Aragan ruin. There¡¯s not much we can do for you, but I promise you that we will keep a look-out for what you are after if we see it and the circumstances permit us¡±.


    ¡°If everything is right, you will see slight clues here and there. Thank you again, we really appreciate it¡±.


    ¡°From D-Son¡±.


    After reading this, his heart relaxed for a moment. He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt that Clark was safe after seeing the note.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ok, I need to move and secure what I want before other troublemakers come¡±. He no longer admired the work done here, Clark and Dickson already scraped the lab room dry of goodies.


    Going to the door, he found a note looking like the one he read a moment ago on its handle.


    Picking it, he read. ¡°Nothing interesting for you here, check all the next-door handles that you see, you¡¯ll know our discoveries through them¡±.


    He clicked his tongue. ¡°This is really nice¡±.


    Going outside the laboratory, he was also left stunned by the long corridor that presented itself before him. To him, this seemed like something drawn straight out of a horror movie.


    ¡°How messed up must the architects be to draw such a long corridor? They must have used an exceptionally long note to draw the building plan alone, what a group of hard workers!¡±


    ¡°They must have been on drugs¡±. He touched his chin. ¡°That may be true though, master said that drugs were much less restricted during his days¡±.


    He was not afraid of the countless mechanical soldiers that littered everywhere. As soon as he stepped in here, he immediately detected that they were spent goods with no energy to operate.


    As his eyes casually rolled around, leisurely taking in this scene, he suddenly stiffened in one place, his expression becoming sharp.


    He made himself as quiet as possible as his ears twitched a bit like the antennas of an ant. If someone stood near him, they could see his left ear glowing in an extremely faint blue color.


    ¡°Is that¡­, battle?!¡± His casual expression left his face immediately.


    His augmented ears made him far more sensitive to sound, which has saved his life on various occasions.


    From the feedback that he just got, he deduced that others were here already and a fierce battle was ongoing. The bad thing was that the battle was constantly drawing to his side of the corridor.


    That meant they were heading this way.


    The only good thing was that they were still a fair distance away from his position.


    He went to work immediately, he found that Dickson placed the same note on every door that he met. Through this, he didn¡¯t have to grope blindly in the dark, he accessed his target places immediately.


    Seeing the bomb samples and research data that were left sprawling across, his eyes lit up in greed and desire. ¡°I want it all¡±.


    He started a sweeping mission immediately. Surprisingly, he brought out something that looked like a pouch from his bag.


    This small pouch proved to be a terrifying gadget, accepting all the bombs and everything that was dumped inside like a black hole was inside it.


    About an hour later, the battle finally came to his location.


    Some soldiers entered the room that he was in, but no one saw him as his armor was on stealth. The battle continued outside, leaving his location further after just a few minutes there.


    After everyone left, he finally snuck out of the room still on stealth. He followed the large gathering of battling soldiers forward.


    [I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I felt some zombie movie survivor vibes when writing the first part of the chapter.]

 Chapter 265: war for the bean quadrant enhancer

    Amid the ongoing battle, as soldiers of various countries threw themselves at each other, tearing and biting at each other like savage beasts, King watched quietly from the background.


    The number of soldiers before him was mind-boggling, probably up to a thousand already as they moved like a colony of ants, cramping up all the space in the corridor.


    ¡°How many squads got here actually? This is a little exaggerated¡±. King got more and more shocked as he watched.


    When he first started trailing behind these battling fanatics, his heart was on his throat as he was afraid of being discovered. He did not know what caliber of detection devices that they brought here.


    If he was found out, being torn to pieces would be his only fate. There was no way that he could survive an assault from so many soldiers.


    After 5 minutes of trailing behind them and not being found out, he finally heaved a sigh of relief. He could rejoice a little now, this meant he was safe temporarily.


    As he followed the large gathering of soldiers, he was able to observe a lot of details.


    The first important point that he observed was that the soldiers were not fighting randomly, they were fighting with a purpose.


    Though some of them died occasionally, he could notice that they were consciously trying to reduce the casualties to a bare minimum.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you stop fighting entirely then?¡± The rational thinking of the leaders of these squads left him speechless.


    He also noticed that some specific individuals were receiving special attention in the battle, he deduced that these were probably the soldiers that got some important loot on the way here.


    Despite the allure from the rooms at the sides of the corridor, the soldiers did not even contemplate stopping their battle to loot properly.


    It seems that all of them were drawn to the prospect of getting the main mission target first, all other things could wait till that most important target was secured.


    King felt like chuckling. ¡°If only they knew. Fools, you guys are busy fighting here while 2 clever soldiers are already taking the good things away¡±.


    This boring monotonic battle was clearly not going to come to a halt any time soon. King prepared himself to endure a long, boring, and drawn-out battle with no purpose to it.


    As he predicted, so did it happen. They were already moving across the corridor for 3 hours but the end still seemed far and out of reach, he could feel that the leaders of the soldiers were also feeling frustrated.


    ¡°I curse the architect of this corridor¡±. He muttered a curse softly to cure his boredom.


    The only time that he got to act was if he found another note left behind by Dickson. The soldiers ignored all the notes, probably thinking that they were unimportant things left behind by the Aragan scientists.


    After all this while, he already amassed a sizeable stockpile of his bomb samples. He was able to get his hands on some strange bombs that as knowledgeable as he was, he didn¡¯t know their effects.


    His hands itched to test these new goodies out, he couldn¡¯t wait to use them in a battle to know their effects.


    Now, the only thing that was attracting him to where the main mission target these people were after was stored was the prospect of getting even better bomb samples. He was practically drooling on thinking of it.


    And to check on Clark of course, he would not forget about the chosen one just because of his love for bomb samples.


    As he moved forward mechanically, his mind mostly dreaming about new bomb samples, he suddenly noticed a strange situation. He almost hit a soldier that stood on his front before he pulled to a stop.


    He wiped inexistent sweat from his forehead. ¡°What happened? Did they finally get tired of battling brainlessly?¡±


    He felt relieved as if he was unfortunate enough to hit that soldier, he would have been exposed, which meant immediate death. His back was filled with cold sweat on the thought.


    After getting a grip on his emotions, he finally peeped his head out to see what exactly made the soldiers stop their battle.


    He was pleasantly surprised. ¡°The end of the tunnel¡­, we finally met the end. I thought for a moment there that there was no end, finally!¡±


    Seeing the extremely large door that towered over them like a giant, he felt a lot of anticipation fill his mind. He was completely hyped for this.


    >THE ULTIMATE RESEARCH- EVOLUTION.


    Just like when Clark and Dickson just saw it, all the soldiers that were previously battling stood stunned in one place after seeing this. A lot of thoughts rambling through their minds.


    King didn¡¯t know what the rest were thinking about, but him- ¡°Evolved bombs, I can¡¯t wait to try out evolved bombs¡±.


    The soldiers were intelligent enough to stop their battle after seeing this, coming to a temporary truce.


    5 technical soldiers came out of their midst the next moment as they went closer to the door, brought their tools out, and went to work immediately.


    Unlike Clark who needed an hour to do it, these guys only needed 15 minutes before the door made the familiar booming sound, shaking their perception as they didn¡¯t expect it.


    It made ominous creaking sounds as its opening mechanism kicked in the next moment.


    The soldiers held their breaths, hands grabbing their weapons tight. ¡°It''s opening!¡±


    ¡­


    Dickson was having the time of his life for the past few hours. During this time that he stayed alone in the large research hall, he already took enough loot that left him grinning widely like a fool.


    His bag was already blotted, filled to the brim with loot. As Clark left his bag before teleporting away, he was able to fill the bag to the brim also with loot.


    Though because of the space restraints, he could not take the bigger loot in this hall for himself, these small ones already left him satisfied. He was now practically swimming in Daland credits.


    Though no one was foolish enough to sell any of these loot for money, if he converted them to money value-wise, he felt that he already looted up to over trillions of Daland credits.


    At times, he even felt that trillions were still underestimating the wealth that he just got, quantifying it in zillions would be more apt. That was how outrageously rich in resources this research base was.


    He felt horrified thinking about it, making the 2 bags that were with him seem heavier all of a sudden. He was sure that if others knew that he was with such wealth, 80% of all the mercenaries in the world would go after him.


    Despite getting so much loot already, he was not satisfied yet. He felt angry at himself for not bringing a bag with much more internal storage capacity.


    The loot that he already got was just a drop of water in the ocean of wealth that was in this hall, he wanted more. He could not suppress his yearning so he took on another strategy.


    He quickly started searching through the hall, looking for a convenient place that he could modify and turn into a hiding place to keep more loot.


    He knew that others were coming and they were probably already close, he was even more reluctant to let the loot fall on their hands.


    His eyes lit up in joy as he found a hole that was dug in between 2 large robotic machines. It seemed like a hole where repair tools were kept and the space was perfect for his plan.


    The machines flanked the hole from both sides, slightly obstructing it from view. He wanted to see inside more clearly, so he squeezed himself between the machines to get a good look.


    As he wriggled himself through the small hole, he suddenly felt the ground vibrating slightly.


    ¡°What is that?¡± He stuck his face out.


    Boom!!


    This time, he was almost thrown off his feet as a loud sound echoed across the hall at extremely high decibels.


    His face paled immediately; he was familiar with this sound. ¡°The others are here¡­, the door is opening¡±.


    His emotions became a jumbled mess for a moment as he panicked on how to safeguard his life.


    He was sure that if the others came and saw him inside, they would all focus-attack him first before asking questions and doing anything else.


    He was worried about Clark, how was he right now? What was happening to him? The questions in his mind were too much and the answers were too few.


    As the components that made the huge door slowly unveiled themselves outwards, his panic gradually receded. His eyes flashed as he looked at the hole now before him, conviction filling his heart.


    This hole could act as the best hiding place for him in this place.


    When danger finally came, he no longer cared about loot, all he cared for was his life. Only the living could enjoy luxury, if he died, all the loot would become other¡¯s possession.


    Dragging himself backward, he dropped the 2 heavy bags and his weapons. After taking a deep breath, he exerted force on his hands and started pushing at the heavy machine that was on the left.


    The machine was a heavy beast, refusing to move an inch despite his 2nd rank high-grade soldier strength.


    The door continued making creaking sounds as it opened while he put in even more effort to move the machine, his face was now red with veins curling all over his face.


    Sweat dripped down his face but he had no leisure to wipe it away, he was in a race against time.


    After exerting more effort, the machine finally moved an inch. This shook its foundation, making it no longer as sturdy as before. With a little more effort, he created a space through which he could enter.


    The door opened widely to the limits at this same moment.


    He jumped into the hole immediately while praying that these newcomers were not perceptive enough to detect his presence at this moment, he directed a glance back as he fell down.


    Thud!


    He rolled forward on landing, reducing the sound that was emitted to the barest minimum.


    He quickly picked himself back up and rushed to the entrance of the hole, he peeked out to look. As he did this, he also smoothly retrieved the 2 blotted bags expertly.


    As soon as the hundreds of soldiers entered the large hall, they stood still in awe, admiring the splendor and wealth on display. This did not last though; they finally spotted the main mission target that they were all yearning for.


    Whoosh!!


    A soldier had his head sliced through cleanly by an opponent, this poor fellow¡¯s death heralded the start of the war for the bean quadrant enhancer.


    Gunshots and cold weapon stabs filled the hall with blood closely accompanying it.


    Chaos descended immediately.

 Chapter 266: fusion

    ¡°That¡¯s the cover-up that I used to convince the then Aragan superiors to approve my research, my ambition for the project was much more unbelievable than they were led to know¡±.


    The white-bearded old Professor Granit kept on pouring insights to his much younger new test subject, answering all his queries. Clark was focused, listening with rapt attention.


    ¡°Acute brain dysfunction, pneumatic brain radiation, radical wear and tear of the brain, these and a lot of other brain diseases was the reason that I gave them¡±.


    ¡°They easily believed in my project as those diseases were the main enemies of humanity after the age of exotics and technology began, there was no way that we could avoid it¡±.


    ¡°Though medical technology improved a lot after the discovery of exotics, our exposure to radiations and a lot of other harmful things brought lots of new mutated diseases that haunted us for years¡±.


    ¡°The appearance of the alien led us to a tremendous increase in technological and medical skill, but it also brought us a lot of harm¡±.


    ¡°In the end, no matter how much we augment ourselves, we¡¯ll still remain inherently humans. The human body is too fragile to take on a lot of vigorous activities¡±.


    ¡°Well, let me skip the topic of the eventual doom of humanity¡±.


    ¡°Though I lied to the Aragan superiors, if my research project was successful, it would have still solved most of the disease problems that I listed out if not all. That is how revolutionary my experiment is¡±.


    ¡°For high-grade soldiers like you, you may think that because of the strength that you wield you¡¯ll be vulnerable to diseases. Well, let me break your bubble, that¡¯s a big no¡±.


    ¡°Due to your strength, you may feel that nothing affects you. Now let me tell you this, diseases affect high-grade soldiers the most, it¡¯s just that their evolved genes do much in suppressing it¡±.


    ¡°This is a secret known by the upper echelons of human society, but I¡¯ll still tell you as your fate is already tied to my research results¡±.


    ¡°Your superiors will never tell you, but the truth is that high-grade soldiers can only take 2 life prolongment treatments in their lifetime. Anything apart from that is vanity, your evolved genes neutralize it all¡±.


    ¡°So you see, your strength is as much of a curse as it is a blessing to you¡±.


    ¡°Though this is a great defect for soldiers like you, congrats in advance because that¡¯s what my research project aims to correct¡±.


    ¡°My ultimate ambition was to make Aragan high-grade soldiers take more life prolongment treatments than anyone else, not only that, I literally wanted them to become immortals¡±.


    Sensing Clark¡¯s widening gaze, Professor Granit chuckled.


    ¡°It seems impossible, but that was my lifelong ambition. My greatest regret in life was not fulfilling this ambition. Even if it was fulfilling only 30% of it, I would have been satisfied¡±.


    ¡°You are my last test subject; you are the last eligible soldier that I can get my hands on before the energy reserves of this research base get depleted¡±.


    ¡°Fusing with the bean quadrant enhancer is accompanied by a lot of dangers, but the benefits are completely worth it¡±.


    ¡°Before you say no, I want you to remember that you have no choice here. You are now in my dome, I have the power of a god here, your petty strength can do fart here¡±.


    The Professor¡¯s gaze softened. ¡°Though I can do anything I want to you, I don¡¯t want to force anyone again¡±.


    ¡°I forced lots of soldiers in my heyday and none of them could fuse with it. You¡¯re my last hope to make my ambition a reality, I want this last chance to count, so please I need your cooperation¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though lots of dangers are involved, if it is successful, I dare say that you¡¯ll become the soldier with the most potential in the whole world¡±.


    ¡°In a few years, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say that you¡¯ll become the undisputed strongest soldier in the world¡±.


    ¡°Your brain will basically become a mega supercomputer. I¡¯m not exaggerating, piloting a real mech will be the most basic thing that you can do¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel attracted to mechs, those giant works of technology? With them, you¡¯ll practically have the strength to battle and kill soldiers of a higher rank than you are¡±.


    ¡°If you¡¯re a ranged soldier, your brain would become so impeccable that if the conditions are right, you can snipe a soldier on Earth directly from the faraway Mars¡±.


    ¡°Your speed of advancement through the ranks will become outrageous¡±.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not a technical soldier, your comprehension ability will go off the roof completely. I dare say that if the fuse is successful, you have a chance of becoming the world¡¯s greatest mechanic¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have the dream to be a mech pilot, not just a mech pilot, also becoming the mech designer that will make your own mech¡±.


    ¡°Come on soldier, have a dream!¡±


    Professor Granit finally slowed down after this fervent impassioned speech, his face already red. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    Clark kept quiet, his eyes like those of a puppy¡¯s as he looked at the Professor with an incomprehensible expression on his face. Professor Granit felt a bad premonition immediately.


    ¡°Can I take the bean quadrant enhancer away? I have no intention of fusing with it, it¡¯s my main mission target¡±.


    Clark¡¯s voice tone reduced at a gradually increasing frequency as the Professor kept staring at him, eyes now blazing with what could only be described as fury.


    ¡°Oops!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Professor Granit tried to calm himself by stroking his spear-like beards.


    ¡°Umm, nothing¡±. Click quivered under his piercing gaze.


    ¡°Kid, do you know how old I am?¡±


    ¡°No¡±.


    ¡°Good. I bet you don¡¯t want to know because over the years, this my old brain has learned a lot of methods in which I can make you voluntarily decide to fuse with my baby¡±.


    ¡°This is for your own good kid. If you insist on calling it something mission target again, I¡¯ll just have to discipline you. Don¡¯t worry, I have a lot of experience on that, my kids were not exactly the most pliable¡±.


    ¡°Now for the last time Clark Pendragon¡­¡± The Professor narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you think of my proposal?¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    ¡°¡­I accept¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s much better than letting it fall into another soldier¡¯s hands¡±. Clark consoled his guilty conscience with this, he felt like he just failed his soldiers by doing this.


    He may not even survive the fuse, so why making a fuss?


    The Professor grinned on hearing his reply. ¡°You made a good choice¡±.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Before Clark could barely make a sound through his mouth, his surroundings distorted a bit as the familiar feeling of his head spinning hit him again.


    He felt like he was stranded in a giant washing machine.


    The next moment, when his eyes finally opened and adjusted to his surrounding, he discovered that he was now in a laboratory room, just like the one where he first landed with Dickson.


    The only difference was that, if that one was iron, this one was diamond.


    He was currently strapped to a white bed by thick white rope restraints, holding him firmly to the bed. As he inclined his head to observe more, a voice suddenly spoke out.


    [Test subject has entered the fusion laboratory room.]


    [Initiating preparations for fusion¡­, fusion preparations initiated.]


    [The hatch has been opened; the bean quadrant enhancer has been released. It is now dropping at a speed of 30km/h.]


    Clark felt his body tighten on hearing this familiar alien voice. He felt an urge to shout out for help but in the end, he held himself back.


    His implant already informed him that this dome was the Professor¡¯s ultimate domain, he could hardly resist nor do a thing here.


    As his eyes flickered with various thoughts flashing through his mind, he suddenly saw something dropping slowly inside the laboratory room.


    With white mechanical tentacles submerging it in a defensive effort, the bean quadrant enhancer sat majestically in the middle of this mechanical convergence.


    Seeing it up close, at first Clark felt curiosity, then guilt for trying to horde the mission target, then panic for the words that Professor Granit schooled him with.


    This thing was dangerous to him.


    ¡°Calm down kid¡±. As if seeing his agitated feelings, the Professor¡¯s sage-like voice calmly echoed in his mind.


    ¡°I know that you have a lot of misgivings but please calm your mind. Abandon all fleeting thoughts in your head, that will increase the fusion chances tremendously¡±.


    ¡°Just keep thinking of what you will get if the fuse is successful¡±.


    ¡°Think of a brain that is faster and better than a computer, think of piloting world-destroying mechs, think of a liberated brain that heralds a liberated life¡­, think of immortality!¡±


    Taking advantage of Clark¡¯s temporary distraction, a fluid was quickly injected into his body from the side of the bed. By the time he reacted, the fluid already entered his body.


    He opened his mouth to speak but no words came from his mouth. His vision quickly grew dizzy and hazy, his senses dulling and slowing down to a crawl.


    With a small prick sound, he felt something cut into his head. A surgical knife being operated by a robot cut his head open but he hardly felt a thing, only feeling slight numbness on his forehead.


    Through his hazy vision, he saw the bean quadrant enhancer slowly being dropped down into his head.


    He felt his brain become slightly hot as the biological device was dropped in. Another robot came forward, operating a strange machine as the cut in his head was quickly healed and attached back.


    He heard the familiar voice again but this time it was echoing, making his head seem bigger all of a sudden.


    [Test subject has fused with the bean quadrant enhancer.]


    [Stimulation processes are under the right conditions¡­, engaging the brain liberation process immediately.]


    [Duration: 1- 24 hours.]


    It came slowly at first. Clark felt a slight itch on his forehead, it slowly grew in frequency as the urge to scratch it increased in him.


    He still felt light-headed and dizzy but this itchy feeling was overwhelming his sense organs.


    The next moment, the feeling entered a next level. The itch exploded as he felt like millions of snakes were slithering through his brain, the feeling was traumatic.


    Pain quickly erupted, biting hard at his consciousness. The combination of itching and pain pushed him through the edge as he felt like bashing his head against a rock to stop this suffering.


    This was not all. Hot! Hot!! Hot!!!


    Another feeling of extreme hotness exploded, combining with the other 2 sensations to increase his suffering as he suddenly felt the need to die invading his mind.


    The sensation was too much, his brain felt like it was being pricked by needles, being cooked in a fire, and also a feeling that maggots were squirming and moving in his brain.


    Ah! Ahh!! Ahhh¡­!!!!!!!!!


    [Thanks for reading, here''s the second chapter for today.]

 Chapter 267: complications

    Looking at Clark¡¯s eerily convulsing body, Professor Granit closed his eyes, a lot of complicated emotions flashing through them.


    This was the same bed that his one and only son lied down on, this was the same bed where his only son¡¯s life was slowly snuffed out before his own eyes, this was the same process that led to his only son¡¯s death.


    ¡°Magnus, Rose, I¡¯m sorry¡±. Tears streaked down his face.


    Just a few seconds later, he cleaned the tears from his face, the focused expectant look of a passionate researcher back on them.


    Clark¡¯s body kept convulsing at a rapid frequency as bloodcurdling screams kept on echoing from his mouth, filling the dome in a tense atmosphere of death like those in an execution ground.


    This brought the Professor¡¯s most frequently asked question again. Is this place really a research lab or is it an execution ground?


    He could not think further as Clark¡¯s scream interrupted his thought process.


    Electricity sparks were now flashing across Clark¡¯s body, the sight was horrifying. Only his sturdy physique and tenacious will as a 2nd rank high-grade soldier was helping him to hang on.


    All the hairs on his body were already standing like antennas, making him look more like a fried shrimp than a human.


    At various intervals, injuries opened up on his body, spilling blood everywhere but fluids were quickly injected into his body from the bed, healing the injuries at a visible speed.


    As this happened, the lights in the dome kept on flickering like the energy being supplied to them was on the verge of being exhausted.


    This was why the Professor said that the fusion was only available to one last soldier, the energy expenditure of every single fusion was mind-blowing, it was not an easy feat to sustain the process.


    A worried expression was on his face as he looked at Clark¡¯s still convulsing figure, complicated emotions of guilt, indecisiveness, and even slight confusion flashed through it.


    ¡°Was I wrong?¡± He sighed. ¡°Is it impossible to liberate a soldier¡¯s brains?¡±


    ¡°I hope you can make it, Major Clark. You¡¯re my last and only hope¡±.


    He pulled a chair from the side and sat down; all his attention was now on his possibly last test subject.


    At times, he felt compelled to reveal his research details to the current Aragan Empire, but he didn¡¯t dare.


    Just the record alone that a 4th rank high-grade soldier died to his experiments was enough to make them ban it, there were no hopes of his research living to see the light of day if it left here.


    That was why he was anxious. An experiment that his only son died on, he could not bring himself to let it die down without coming to light.


    Even though he existed just as a barely functioning brain now, he could still see his son¡¯s trust-filled eyes as life was slowly drained away from him by his vampiric project.


    He still remembered vividly when his wife cried and divorced him before committing suicide the next day because of losing her only child.


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m a mad scientist, I¡¯m a bad father, I¡¯m a vampiric husband, I¡¯m a ¡­¡± He punched the virtual wall that was before him.


    He buried his head in his arms as tears flowed freely. ¡°Clark, please liberate my research project¡±.


    ¡°Please¡­, so I can die knowing that it was not all in vain¡±.


    ¡­


    Back in the main hall where the dome-like structures towered above everyone else and the main mission target was stored, the fierce battle was still raging as the soldiers viciously bit at each other with their weapons.


    Hundreds of deaths were already recorded after an hour went past, but the battle hardly stopped as all the squads tried to gain access to the biggest dome-like structure that held the bean quadrant enhancer.


    Blood flowed like a river across the floor of the hall.


    The leaders of the squads that got here were already devising lots of measures, but none of them had succeeded yet in breaking inside the dome.


    They were frustrated. ¡°Which bastard created this damn dome?¡±


    Even as the battle raged on, dozens of technical soldiers already surrounded the dome from every corner, trying various methods to bar it open but none seemed to be working.


    The bean quadrant enhancer was not the only target though, the hall as a whole was lots of loot already.


    The main battle for the enhancer was not the only battle ongoing, other battles raged on at the sides as soldiers rushed enthusiastically to take the loot lying around for themselves.


    In the face of loot worth trillions of credits, no soldier could hold themselves back. They jumped at each other like barbarians, tearing anyone that tried to bar their path to pieces.


    Even as deaths continued, so did the loot in the hall reduced at a visible speed, the efficiency of the soldiers was mind-blowing.


    Another notable fact was that as the first group of soldier squads who arrived fought against themselves, other squads that were late joined at a steady rate, increasing the magnitude of the brawl.


    The king of demolition already blended into the chaotic battlefield since the battle first kickstarted.


    He didn¡¯t use his trade-mark bombs, instead, he fought like regular soldiers, which gave him the perfect disguise to blend into the chaotic battlefield.


    Though this hall was mostly filled with biological and mechanical goods, he was still able to find a sizeable stockpile of rare bombs after fishing cleverly in the chaos.


    His only source of worry was that he could not still see neither Clark nor Dickson. ¡°Where are these guys?¡±


    As he looted, he devoted some of his attention to looking around but his methods proved to be fruitless.


    Well, he would just wait it out. He was sure that Clark was still alive as he secretly placed a detection gadget on him the last time that they met, this alleviated his concern a bit.


    ¡­


    Back in the hole that Dickson tucked himself in, he was extremely quiet since the battle began, only watching the proceedings while planning his next moves like a thief in the dark.


    Just a few moments after King revealed himself on the battlefield, he recognized him. Despite this, he didn¡¯t reveal himself yet, he deduced that this was safer.


    Complicated emotions flashed through his eyes when he saw one of the Daland squads that came for the mission on the battlefield.


    Despite witnessing his fellow country soldiers dying, he still refused to reveal himself. If the soldiers here knew that he came here before everyone else, he would become the number 1 scapegoat.


    To him, this battle was brainless and without purpose.


    Without the A. I appearing these brutes had no chance of entering the large dome-like structure. He could only lament to himself at their ignorance.


    This temporary stalemate continued for a few more minutes before a change happened. The sun hanging above the hall suddenly flickered before being extinguished, it lit up the next moment but kept on flickering like a candle.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± The battling soldiers were alarmed.


    ¡°The bean quadrant enhancer, it¡¯s gone!¡± One of the soldiers suddenly exclaimed in a shocked tone, temporarily bringing the battle to a halt.


    All the soldiers stopped in tandem and inclined their heads upwards. They were stunned, it was indeed gone. While they were fighting here, one of them actually already got the price.


    That person shall not survive!


    Their eyes blazed with fury after coming to this realization, pushing their originally controlled enmity to the limits. The battle entered another level immediately.


    Even the leaders that originally wanted to minimize losses no longer cared.


    If one of them already got the prize, then there was no need to hold back again. ¡°Let us all die here, then we¡¯ll see who will get the prize in the end¡±.


    Boom!!


    The battle erupted again, this time with much more bloodshed and effort being put in as more soldiers died to the unrelenting assault.


    Unlike the other soldiers, when Dickson saw the disappeared bean quadrant enhancer, he felt joy fill his heart. His excitement climbed to a crescendo immediately.


    ¡°Clark did it!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how, he didn¡¯t know the process, he didn¡¯t even know Clark¡¯s current status, but he was happy nonetheless as this meant that Clark was progressing.


    He turned his head to look at the loot beside him, his eyes glittering like the stars of the night sky.


    The battle was now chaotic enough for him to try squeezing in and not drawing attention. If he could regroup with King, he could do a lot more and get more loot than he currently had.


    Taking his time to get the perfect timing, he was finally able to leave his hole and join the ongoing battle without drawing unwanted attention.


    A lot of people had multiple bags to collect more loot, so seeing him with 2 bags was not a sight that would attract attention.


    When the nearest soldier attacked him, he didn¡¯t even bother to retaliate. With his enormous shield, he blocked all the damage and started lumbering his way forward to King¡¯s position.


    When the bomb lover saw him, he recognized him at a glance.


    King could not forget the oversized shield at all. With just a glance, he recognized that this was Dickson.


    Feeling excited, he also bulldozed his way closer to meet him. In just a little more than a minute, they quickly regrouped.


    ¡°What happened?¡± King sent directly through his implant. Though it was energy-intensive, this was the best communication source in this chaotic battlefield.


    Dickson did not waste time as he quickly filled him on everything that happened.


    Hearing that it was Clark that probably retrieved the bean quadrant enhancer, his eyes glowed.


    ¡°He is really the chosen one!¡± His worries were alleviated immediately.


    ¡°Follow me, let¡¯s get more loot. I have a pouch that can house as many as we can get¡±. His eyes gleamed, he could already see himself shooting bombs to submerge this place in a few minutes.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Dickson was also excited.


    [It''s looting time. This current minor arc, I''ve been planning it since January, so I''m a little excited to finally write it down.]

 Chapter 268: a fulfilled dream

    Clark felt like he was captured and trapped in a cage where he was being tortured for a thousand years. His eyes were already leaking blood but the strange healing fluid kept on healing his injuries.


    Being restrained to a bed and having to take so many painful and traumatic sensations was worse than hell.


    To the current him, dying now was better than persevering.


    He already tried various ways to commit suicide but the healing fluid was relentlessly pumping inside his blood, making sure that his body kept functioning optimally.


    His consciousness was already on the verge of shattering numerous times, but another strange liquid pumped inside him kept on stimulating his brain. His adrenal gland was at work, keeping him conscious against his will.


    ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Please, stop!!¡±


    He already yelled this countless times along with his screams but no one seemed to be listening to him. His voice was already hoarse, a sign of what he was currently going through.


    Tears rolled down his eyes but the electric current going through his body zapped him, quickly evaporating it from existence. He was in pain!


    His slightly dark-tone skin was now glowing red like molten lava, now he understood what the A. I meant by calling him a test subject. All Professor Granit said was lies, he was just a test subject to him.


    Though he wanted to die now, at the back of his mind, the urge for revenge for this treatment kept on blazing like fire.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he was suffering this already; his brain was already fried dull. Perhaps, he was here for hours already, days, weeks, or even months, he felt like wailing when he thought of it.


    ¡°Will this suffering have no end? Granit, I curse you!¡±


    Sometime later, he no longer screamed in pain. His body was already numb to the pain, his brain was already turning to toasted meat, now he was only waiting for when death would come.


    This continued for some more time before he finally started feeling a change.


    His originally numb mind started spiking in brain activity again, he started experiencing feeling in his fried and tired muscles again, he started seeing slightly from his blood-red eyes again.


    What was happening? Has the suffering stopped? Was he dying? Was he dead? He didn¡¯t know.


    As this new feeling started growing stronger, he finally started seeing the blue electric currents that were flashing through his body for the first time.


    His red veins stuck out of his skin, lining his muscles like slithering pythons. He felt that his physique improved a bit but he could not pinpoint by how much and what caused it.


    As time went on, he started adapting more to the sensations brought about by the Professor¡¯s experiment. He finally saw the Professor again.


    To his surprise, Professor Granit was not watching him like a crazed scientist. The old man was actually crying, his head was buried in his hands, Clark could now even hear the slight sounds emitted by his crying.


    ¡°What farce is this?¡± Seeing this sight did not bring any complicated emotions to him, only murderous intention filled his heart.


    He didn¡¯t know for how long but as time progressed, he started feeling more strength enter his bones. He could feel his brainpower and brain activity increasing, he felt invisible shackles being broken from his body.


    His bloodshot eyes gradually widened in disbelief; this was the process of breaking through. For the first time since this evil treatment started, he felt excited.


    As his brain activity kept on climbing up, his strength also climbed up.


    He now felt that if given more time and if his power kept on growing, he would be able to break out of his restraints.


    Click!


    At the last moment when his expectations were at the zenith, he suddenly felt something click in his head, making him close his eyes reflexively as the sudden spike in strength left him.


    At this exact moment, the electric current flowing through his body stopped. The restraints that were holding him in place also made a click sound and retracted themselves back, he was now free but his eyes were still closed.


    Clark didn¡¯t know where this was, it felt like a virtual domain but had some differences from the one he knew.


    Inside this strange domain, he saw himself hovering in mid-air just like the way he did in his dreams.


    ¡°Where is this?¡± He was shocked.


    At the farthest side of this domain, a white light suddenly erupted like the explosion of a nuclear bomb, spreading its shockwaves to all corners of the domain.


    He squinted his eyes to avoid the glare. When he did this, a golden substance suddenly flew out from the shockwave and entered his brain.


    He was shocked, he could not react at all, the golden substance already fused with his brain. Thinking that it was something dangerous, he immediately started panicking.


    But what happened next surprised him, unlike what he expected, a fuzzy feeling suddenly enveloped his brain after the substance fused with his brain.


    He felt¡­, strong! That was all he could use to quantify what he felt.


    Blink!


    As he looked on in wonder, his eyes suddenly blinked and he was awake again. The first thing that greeted his eyes was the excited face of the mad scientist, Professor Granit.


    Whoosh!


    He could not control himself, seeing this face that he was dreaming of murdering for the past hour his hands reflexively punched outwards.


    The next moment, he was surprised before coming to a realization.


    The punch went through the Professor harmlessly, he finally remembered that the Professor was only existing as a modified brain and that this was just a projection.


    Noticing that he was no longer strapped to the bed, he shot up immediately and looked at the Professor man to man, his eyes burning with a vengeance as they seemed to bore a hole into the Professor¡¯s face.


    The old man sighed. ¡°I know you¡¯re angry¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m angry!¡±. Clark bellowed, his fists expanding and contracting as his increased heartbeat made blood rush into every part of his body.


    If he could, he would have punched this old man to death right there and now.


    Both of them stood rigidly, looking at each other silently.


    For Clark, only resentment for the suffering that he just passed through blazed through his eyes, while for the old man, complicated feelings flashed through his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±. After an indeterminate time, the Professor finally spoke out.


    Clark kept quiet, glaring at him directly in the eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, it¡¯s desperation to not let my life work die in obscurity, that¡¯s why I went as far as using a 4th rank high-grade soldier for my experiment, even my only son¡±.


    ¡°I have a lot of things to say to you, I have a lot of questions also, but sadly there¡¯s no time¡±.


    Clark frowned a bit, but he still kept his mouth tightly shut.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect such tenacity from you. I didn¡¯t know how you did it, but you succeeded¡±. The Professor seemed to heave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°The only problem is that you depleted almost all the remaining energy reserves in the process, this research base will turn into a real underground ruin in 20 minutes¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I know you¡¯re still angry but think of the bigger picture. I don¡¯t know exactly what happened, but I didn¡¯t lie to you, fusing with my biological device can make you the best soldier in the world¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m not in your head, but I know that you¡¯re probably feeling extremely strong mentally now. It''s just my theory, but I think if the fuse is successful, you¡¯ll feel freedom like you were shackled before¡±.


    ¡°Your perception of your surrounding will improve a lot, the advantages that you have now are numerous if you really fused with the quadrant enhancer¡±.


    ¡°Please, can you tell me how it felt? That way, I¡¯ll know if it was successful¡±. The Professor reduced his voice to a pleading tone.


    Clark badly wanted to keep quiet and glare his resentment away, but he could not as almost everything that the Professor just said about him was correct.


    Still keeping a cold face, he finally said something. He was also curious; he knew that he was stronger somehow. ¡°I felt like I was remolded- like my brain was mysteriously enhanced somehow¡±.


    ¡°The pain disrupted my perception a lot before, but now when I think about it, I feel freedom. It feels like my brain was a car that I was driving before, but now I¡¯m the car¡±.


    Professor Granit was excited. ¡°It worked!¡±


    ¡°That means it worked, Clark. You don¡¯t know what you are now, you¡¯re practically a superhuman already. My gosh, I can¡¯t imagine what the current you can do¡±.


    ¡°All the advantages that I told you about are possible, the possibilities that are available for you to excel are too numerous to quantify¡±.


    The Professor¡¯s enthusiasm-filled words slowly slowed to a stop as he detected that Clark still had a cold look on his face. He finally paused and turned his head to the side, sorrow filling his heart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how exceptional I am right now, what I know is that what I just went through is unforgivable¡±. Clark¡¯s cold voice finally sounded.


    The Professor suppressed his emotions and turned back after a few seconds. ¡°Major Clark, nothing in this world is without a price. To get power, there¡¯s an equivalent price to pay¡±.


    ¡°I never asked for power from you¡±.


    ¡°But you came for my invention!¡± The Professor became agitated.


    ¡°Why are humans so gullible. You expect something good but you don¡¯t want to experience the pain that will lead to it. That¡¯s why humans can never be the best species¡±.


    ¡°When the invasion finally comes, humanity will remember me¡±.


    ¡°Which invasion?¡± Clark frowned again.


    The Professor finally paused. ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get to the equivalent rank, I can¡¯t spill humanity secrets to anybody¡±.


    ¡°Ok, release me, I need to meet my friend¡±.


    ¡°He is alright, you don¡¯t need¡­¡±


    ¡°I said release me¡±. Clark¡¯s tone grew cold.


    ¡°Ok,¡± The Professor relented reluctantly. ¡°But please allow me to give you a medical check-up¡±.


    ¡°No¡±.


    The Professor closed his eyes. A minute later, he opened them again. ¡°What of your power? When I checked the parameters, it indicated that you were about to break through, so why are you still a 2nd rank high-grade soldier?¡±


    Clark hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I also felt it, but at the last moment something yanked me out from that realm¡±.


    ¡°Ok, do you plan to pilot a mech in the future?¡± Sensing Clark¡¯s doubt, the Professor smiled. ¡°I told you that you can now pilot a mech, your brain now has much more power than you ever imagined¡±.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°If you decide to build a mech in the future, please I want you to name it Magnus. I know this is farfetched, but please do it just to honor my experiment, at least it meant that I was not wrong¡±.


    ¡°Who is Magnus?¡±


    ¡°My only son¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Seeing the look on the Professor¡¯s face, Clark understood. He finally turned to walk down the passageway that the Professor just showed him.


    ¡°Thanks, Major Clark.


    Clark did not answer.


    ¡°A little tip for you; there¡¯s a secret passage to the right of this hall. If you take it with your friend, you¡¯ll be able to escape before this place collapses¡±.


    ¡°What of you, what will happen to you?¡± Clark paused his steps and asked.


    ¡°What else? I already fulfilled my life dream; my brain will finally rest in eternal peace. I just hope you utilize my quadrant enhancer to its fullest potential¡±.


    Clark said nothing, he walked out of the laboratory room the next moment.


    [Phew! Finally done.]

 Chapter 269: a single strike

    As Clark walked down the spiraling staircase that the Professor showed him, a lot of things went through his mind at the same time, making his thoughts become a jumbled mess.


    Though he told the Professor so casually like it meant nothing to him, he felt crushed knowing that he just failed a breakthrough.


    ¡°What happened? Is it because of the quadrant enhancer? Do I really have an artificially made biological device apart from my implant on my head now? Did Professor Granit¡¯s son really die to this same fusion?¡±


    The questions in his head were too much, having no one to answer him only intensified his frustration.


    And the Professor said something about an invasion, what did he mean?


    Though thinking of the pain that he was in a moment ago still left a sour taste in his mouth, he tried to forget about it.


    The Professor was right in one thing- that everything had a price. Though he could not finalize his breakthrough after waiting for so many months, he knew that his strength increased by a significant margin.


    ¡°At least, I was the one who got the enhancer in the end¡±. This alleviated his frustration a bit, someone else getting the enhancer would have been the worst outcome of this mission.


    Taking another step down, he missed his step and almost fell down.


    He placed his hand on his head to curb the severe headache that just hit him out of nowhere. He smiled wryly, he expected this to happen.


    No man was a superman, the electric charge that went through his body today did not just leave, they left behind adverse effects.


    This once again reinforced his notion that the Professor¡¯s experiment project was trash, the old man was just an extreme retard.


    As he continued walking down the steps, the headache and weakness striking at him grew stronger which made him worried. From what the Professor said, he already deduced that a battle was probably ongoing outside.


    If he was like this, his chances of escaping from the rivals outside would only get lower. And how was Dickson? Did he survive the assault from so many soldiers, or was he kept alive?


    As these thoughts went through his mind, he rapidly scaled-down the staircase.


    A few minutes later, he came before a circular teleportation portal. He did not linger in one place, after prepping himself for battle, he entered the teleportation portal.


    Warp! Boom!


    As soon as the familiar sound of the air squeezing and shifting sounded, he felt the booming sound of battle battering hard at his fragile ears.


    He didn¡¯t even think, as soon as he appeared at the front of the dome-shaped structure, he went on the run immediately, going in the direction where the Professor said there was a secret passage.


    As the soldiers battled fiercely without a care for the world, one of them suddenly felt the air warping at his side. He dodged immediately, thinking that it was an attack from an enemy.


    When a new soldier appeared from nowhere and started running, he could only stare wide-eyed, clueless, and a little confused by what happened.


    It took him about a few seconds before he understood what just happened, by this time a lot of other soldier¡¯s attention was already drawn there.


    There was no way that Clark could have avoided it. As soon as the soldiers realized what just happened, surprise first took over them, then rage, then panic.


    ¡°The thief is escaping, attack him!¡± No one knew who yelled this, but all the soldiers reacted immediately.


    5 soldiers that were closest to Clark quickly dived at him, baring their weapons with savage expressions on their faces.


    Despite the weakness that was hitting his bones, Clark surprisingly felt calm and confident when facing this assault. His brain went into overdrive immediately as adrenaline pumped through his body.


    He felt like he could see the lines of fate in the air. His brain calculated rapidly at a frightening frequency, he arrived at the right plan to break through this blockade immediately.


    He felt pains due to this, but he was more focused on escaping first.


    Whoosh!


    Zig zagging to the left and right like a comic boxer, his body wriggled past like a slippery monster snail as he left all 5 soldiers picking dust before they could even stabilize their interception stances.


    In the end, the 5 soldiers were left in awkward stances, pointing their weapons at empty air.


    As Clark had none of his weapons with him currently, he could only dodge all the attacks directed at him and focus on escaping. He didn¡¯t even have time to look for Dickson, he could not as soldiers were already swarming after him.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    He didn¡¯t know what came over him, but he felt like he could predict the future. Even before the bullets were shot at him, his instinct already warned, prompting him to react faster.


    It felt like he was performing a step dance as his legs tip tapped across the floor, dodging all the bullets in a shocking effort.


    Even Clark was shocked by the feat that he just achieved. The soldiers who were after him were more than shocked, they were gobsmacked.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Despite their disbelief, the thief was escaping before their very eyes.


    As Clark ran, his eyes sparkled like gems as he felt the unique bean-sized medal that was given to him by the Spartan army resonate.


    This represented nearby allies. Spartan soldiers were here!


    Boom!


    At the same time that he made this realization, his fellow country soldiers erupted, spreading chaos in the formation of soldiers that were going after him.


    Stabbing randomly, shooting randomly, dozens of soldiers died immediately to the unexpected offensive, bringing back the chaos that was temporarily suppressed.


    Some of the stronger soldiers noticed the scheme immediately, they mobilized their soldiers with the motive of snuffing these mischievous traitors but commotion erupted from another side.


    Bombs dropped like falling autumn leaves, inducing eye-numbing booming sounds as the explosion started roasting the nearby soldiers immediately.


    Dozens of soldiers felt their armors rapidly heating up.


    King and Dickson arrived on the battlefield with a bang. As soon as they confirmed that this person was Clark, they no longer idled about, revealing their full strength.


    Dickson placed his enormous shield at the front to block damage, while King rested his huge muzzle launcher on his soldiers as bomb after bomb dropped with little intervals between them.


    The combination of extreme defense and extreme offense could only be described as disgusting.


    As soon as the commotion started, it soon spiraled into another full-fledged war. Only a push was needed to tip these temporary allies, as soon as the push was done, they turned on themselves again.


    The hall was chaos on every part.


    Despite this chaos, the soldiers still paid more than proper attention to Clark, bombarding him with ranged gunshots.


    The intervention of his friend, ally, and fellow countrymen alleviated his trouble a bit, but Clark was still in a pinch. The more he used his abilities, the more exhausted he got.


    He could already see Dickson and King¡¯s figure; they were both too eye-catching to be ignored.


    His armor kept on absorbing kinetic and energy damage from the rapid gunshots impacting it, its ulterior appearance was now a bright red due to all the kinetic force and friction.


    The direction of the battle was being decided by him as practically every soldier still had him in their sights despite the battle they were fighting.


    As the casualty rate kept on climbing, his armor finally succumbed to the fierce firepower that was being directed at it.


    Pop!


    As soon as the armor flickered before popping to pieces, he coughed blood as a high-caliber bullet hit his shoulders, throwing him forward like a kicked football.


    Despite the pain biting at him, he gritted his teeth and rolled to dodge the follow-up shots that were directed at him.


    Panic and despair were now in his eyes again as he saw the hundreds of soldiers lumbering forward in his direction. He survived the damn Professor¡¯s experiment, is this where he was going to die?


    He felt reluctant, but he felt even more reluctant to let his companion die.


    Dodging another high-caliber bullet, he formed a group connection between himself, Dickson, and King before transmitting through his implant. ¡°Dickson, thank you for all your help, I really appreciate it¡±.


    ¡°Now, I have one last favor to ask of you. Take the loot that is with you and escape, run back and please help me make sure Diana makes it back to the Spartan republic safely¡±.


    Dickson wanted to refute immediately, but King tapped him on the shoulders and nodded at him.


    ¡°Go, I¡¯ll protect him¡±.


    Though it felt shady, Dickson could not bring himself to doubt King after everything that he did for them. In the end, he gritted his teeth before turning to escape.


    Before turning to escape, he gave King a gun- Clark¡¯s 2-form gun.


    ¡°Protect Clark, please¡±. He transmitted back though his hopes were already dwindling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I give you my word, nothing will happen to Clark today¡±. King had a solemn expression on his face.


    As soon as Dickson started running away, he finally turned to face the soldiers that were swarming at Clark.


    They all ignored him like he was air despite the destruction that he had wrath already, only the main mission target was their priority.


    He grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll be regretting that soon¡±.


    With a booming sound, his exotic boots suddenly lit up with an extremely bright light before propelling him at a crazy speed above the soldiers.


    When he landed, he was beside Clark. ¡°Take your gun and let¡¯s fight¡±.


    Clark felt a complicated feeling on seeing this stranger that kept on helping him, but he did not reject the offer. He took hold of his precious gun again before focusing back on his pursuers.


    Boom!!


    They both complimented each other while escaping. As Professor Granit said, Clark finally felt it. In all the bullets that he shot out, none of them missed which was frightening.


    King started unveiling the special bombs that he collected.


    Teleportation exile bombs that sent soldiers through space to random places, space destabilization bombs that turned the very air into grinding machines, bombs that rendered any energy protection useless, King became a king on the battlefield.


    Dozens of soldiers died to both of them as they escaped, but so did they also sustain injuries. Clark was the worse, he was practically covered in blood from head to toe.


    Ptui!


    As soon as another bullet embedded itself into his chest, he stiffened and started convulsing in place like a severely ill patient.


    After holding up for so long, the aftereffects of the hour-long torture that the Professor wrath on him finally started acting up.


    King panicked immediately on seeing this. Ignoring his own defense, he shielded Clark with his body while trying to shake him awake, but he was slowly losing him.


    Turning his head to the skies, he bellowed. ¡°Master, he is dying! Aren¡¯t you tired of watching? When are you coming?¡±


    The pursuing soldiers felt weird on hearing this, but that was all. Until they got what they wanted, they were not stopping.


    As they got closer to their incapacitated target with only a few meters separating them, the air suddenly rippled and a figure dressed in all-black appeared.


    Following the appearance of this strange figure was heavy pressure, the soldiers felt like they were being pressed down by thousands of boulders.


    They were shocked, stiffening immediately. ¡°What monster is this?¡±


    ¡°Took you long enough¡±. Seeing this strange figure, King heaved a sigh of relief.


    The figure did not answer, he just went closer to examine Clark. By this time, Clark already lost consciousness but his body was still convulsing.


    Now, the originally chaotic hall was extremely silent like a grave-yard, gulps escaping from the soldiers¡¯ throat.


    ¡°You¡¯ve suffered¡±. The figure finally spoke out. ¡°I¡¯ve observed enough, it¡¯s time to go¡±.


    Before he could take a step, a voice interrupted him. ¡°Who do you think you are to decide to take our main mission target away?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy!¡± King felt like facepalming despite the blood that covered his body.


    The figure finally turned to face the scared soldiers. Seeing his appearance, the soldiers did not know why, they felt even more horrified.


    ¡°You think¡­¡± Before the soldier could continue.


    Whoosh!


    An extremely bright white light suddenly swept through the hall.


    When the light faded out, the figure, Clark, and King were gone. Of the about 800 soldiers that were standing originally, only 200 remained standing.


    When these survivors looked down, over 600 new corpses laid before them, the heads of the soldiers standing before them a moment ago were cleanly sliced through without resistance.


    ¡°In just a single strike!¡± All 200 soldiers fainted immediately.


    [Slightly exaggerated, but I couldn''t think of a better scenario than everyone fainting. I hope you appreciate it though, this chapter took brain cells from me for hours to cook it up. Enjoy!]

 Chapter 270: oblivion

    Among the 200 soldiers that survived, a notable fact was that none of the Spartan soldiers died. They were the only ones who noticed this abnormality though, the others were still kept in the dark.


    ¡°Who is that mysterious figure? How is he acquainted with our comrade?¡±


    Despite the many questions in the Spartan soldiers¡¯ hearts, they were still left standing in a daze in shock.


    All the other 200 soldiers still stood shocked also, looking with disbelief on their faces at the destruction that was just wrath by this mysterious soldier.


    ¡°How strong is that figure, killing over 600 soldiers in one strike? 4th rank high-grade strength? 5th rank? Or even higher strength? What???¡±


    The soldiers freaked out immediately as their thoughts kept on wandering to uncharted territory.


    They couldn¡¯t even confirm if the figure that appeared before them was a human due to the hood that covered his face. Despite his human frame, research already speculated that some aliens had the same shape.


    ¡°What the hell? Did we just meet an alien?¡±


    Putting that aside for the moment, another factor that made them shocked was the pressure that was exuded by the black hooded figure.


    Though their brain found it hard to accept it, they inwardly felt that the pressure which just hit at their consciousness was higher than that of a 5th rank high-grade soldier. What did that mean?


    What just happened burned all the enthusiasm about getting their main mission target from their minds, the loot surrounding them now looked much less attractive to them.


    If their speculation were correct, it meant that¡­


    Boom! Creak! Creak! Creak!


    All the soldiers were rudely drawn out of their dazed state. ¡°What is happening? Is the mysterious figure back?¡± They panicked for a moment.


    As soon as they became focused, they finally started deducing exactly what was happening.


    Low rumbling sounds echoed across the hall like the growling belly of a hungry predator exobeast while blue lines representing energy snaked across the walls of the hall like slithering pythons.


    The floor beneath their feet faintly vibrated like a minor earthquake was imminent, the hall now seemed like a different place entirely.


    ¡°Wait, is this what I think it is¡­?¡± The soldiers widened their eyes.


    One of the leaders of the squads inclined his head upwards. Cracks were already expanding in the exotic metal that plated the ceiling, and dust was slowly dropping down¡­


    Whoosh!


    ¡°Run!¡±


    Even before his voice rang out to the surviving soldiers that were beside him, his legs were already carrying him away at an outrageous speed like the flash incarnate.


    His voice jolted the others awake, they finally understood also. This research base was using its remaining energy reserves to sink and bury itself underground, and they were still here.


    Every surviving soldier turned tail immediately and ran, some even abandoning their hard-earned loot as they escaped for their dear life. This was a situation of life and death.


    If viewed up close, the soldiers¡¯ veins were exposed as they ran with all the strength that their body mass could muster.


    As they ran, the low rumbling sounds soon turned into booming sounds as everywhere was now basically vibrating.


    Not all of them came here through the main entrance. Other hidden entrances were close to the main hall, just like the one Clark and Dickson came through.


    As soon as the first soldier squad rushed into the closest room where the hidden entrance was, the others followed without even thinking.


    Following blindly was better than trying to get to the main entrance. If they were stubborn, there was a 105% chance that they would all die before they got there.


    If this research base sank with them still inside, they had no hopes of their petty armors protecting them.


    With the sheer quality, resilience, and hardness of the exotic metals used to coat this research base, they were pretty sure that they¡¯ll be crushed to bloody pieces even before they could let out a scream.


    ¡°Move! Run faster!¡±


    As the signs of sinking became more evident, the now desperate soldiers started employing more brutal means to remove any obstacle from their way.


    Swords were pulled as any slowpoke was slashed and stabbed to a sieve immediately, letting others pass. Another mini-battle started in the cramped-up room as soldiers scrambled to escape.


    2 minutes later, only about half of the soldiers already entered the secret passageway but the endurance of the research base finally reached its limits.


    Boom!! Boom!!


    The sound was like rolling thunders in a fierce storm as the walls, ceilings, and every part of the research base came crashing down with a mind-blowing force that shook every nearby underground.


    Dozens of unlucky soldiers were directly crushed to meat paste, having no chance at all to let out a sound before dying.


    Others who already entered the secret passageway were either flattened by the pressure, shaken to death by the intense underground vibration, or fried to death by the last vestiges of the malfunctioning electricity in the research base.


    Blood dyed everywhere but no one could see it, the research base buried everything, not letting anything escape.


    Just as the effects of the sink were subsiding¡­


    Boom¡­!!


    Hidden extremely volatile bombs were ignited, taking the remaining parts of the research base by storm as thousand-degrees temperature fire swept across, roasting and cooking everything on sight to ashes.


    This officially ended any hope of excavating anything useful from this buried underground research base, this was the end of the Aragan ruin.


    Sounds of painful screams echoed across as some of the last few survivors were cooked to death before they could celebrate surviving the first onslaught, only a pitiful amount of the soldiers escaped intact.


    The Mountain Everest mission finally came to an end, but with only a few survivors escaping.


    ¡­


    As all the destruction induced by his actions raged, Professor Granit¡¯s projection sat on the highest part of the large dome-like structure.


    He sat on a throne-like chair with his legs crossed like a king, gently sipping at a high-quality wine absentmindedly. He smacked his lips as the spicy taste of the wine went through his throat.


    The noise echoing about entered his ears but he could hardly make out a sound from it. His brain was not here at all, he was focused on another thing entirely.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± He sighed.


    That was all, he didn¡¯t say anything else.


    A white light suddenly filled his vision, encompassing every area of the dome structure but he was hardly phased. He just kept on sipping at the fine wine that was on his hand.


    The throne-like chair was melted by the heat while also evaporating the glass and wine from his hand, but he hardly cared.


    He stood in the air and looked up at an enclosed space at the top of the dome structure. Another one of his successful products- The Enhanced Life Immortality Cabin.


    As soon as the raging fire touched the white circular cabin, it didn¡¯t melt immediately like the other things that were around, showing the quality of its outer coating.


    It took about a minute but a crack finally showed on its smooth exterior surface.


    The crack slowly expanded, before opening up the next moment as the raging fire from the explosion eagerly went inside to spread destruction.


    Professor Granit did not show pain, he did not show sorrow, only a smile outlined his face as he raised his hands in the air.


    ¡°Magnus, Rose, I¡¯m finally coming to meet you guys¡­, to reconcile. I hope that you welcome me¡±.


    Pop!


    His figure suddenly flickered before dissipating in less than a quarter of a second. The Professor was gone!


    Professor Granit was gone for good!


    ¡­


    Back in the hall. As soon as Clark showed him a direction that he should take, Dickson did not hesitate nor did he doubt as he went on the run immediately.


    He already resigned himself for the worst-case scenario.


    Till now, he still felt that he betrayed Clark by abandoning him. At times, he kept on telling himself that he was ready to die for the cause if the need ever came but deep in his heart, he knew that he was reluctant to die now.


    No young man wanted to die young, he wanted to marry, he wanted to have children, retire as a fulfilled General of the Daland army or even as a successful Mercenary, then die as a satisfied old man.


    Like every young man, he wanted to leave his name in history and live to witness his legend. Not die and let others witness it on his behalf.


    Whack! He ruthlessly slapped himself on the cheeks.


    ¡°Dickson focus, this is not the time to think about other things!¡±


    He felt bad, but he already made his decision and he would follow through it to the end. He would escape, get these loots out of here, regroup with Diana, Anna, and the others before making sure that they all leave the Everest safely.


    As he ran, sometimes he looked backward to know Clark¡¯s situation.


    They were of different nationalities. He still didn¡¯t understand it, but he knew that the both of them already established a strange bond of trust.


    Focusing his mind, he continued escaping. It did not take long before he found a secret passage at the same location that Clark showed him.


    Suppressing his curiosity about how Clark knew about this secret passage when the both of them came here together, he stuffed his 2 blotted bags into the tight tunnel before jumping inside.


    He didn¡¯t know how long but he was already crawling for some time.


    When he started hearing the booming sounds and the strange vibrations surrounding him, he deduced what was happening immediately.


    With panic now filling his mind, he pushed his efforts at escape to a new height.


    Like a diligent worker ant that was digging enthusiastically, he pushed his 2 bags forward with his head as he used his hands to propel himself forward at a speed that he originally thought was impossible.


    When the metal walls of the tight tunnel started making creaking sounds and started cracking up, he freaked out immediately.


    He didn¡¯t know what he was doing again. All that was in his mind was to escape, run, crawl faster, and escape again.


    ¡°I cannot die here! I have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders! I cannot let Clark down, I promised him!¡±


    With such focused devotion, his advancing speed continually broke limits as he flashed through the tunnel.


    The metal gradually became tight, pressing him, cutting injuries into his skin, and suffocating him but he hardly gave a damn. Only faster, faster, and faster was on his mind.


    Pop!


    His head finally popped out to see a gloomy sky again.


    He didn¡¯t know when he opened the door, he acted only on his instincts for the past few minutes. But it seems that he was out, he finally came to his senses.


    ¡°I made it!¡±


    The tunnel finally disappeared with a booming sound.


    The ground under him shook, loud sounds battered at his ears as the research base finally succumbed and sank into oblivion.


    It was over.


    [Sorry for the delayed-release for the second chapter, I had a lot going on today.]

 Chapter 271: waking up

    ¡°My head hurts!¡±


    Clark felt like he was in an ocean where his consciousness was repeatedly being hammered by the ocean waves. He couldn¡¯t see anything, everywhere was blank but his head was hurting like bad.


    ¡°Who the hell is playing drums on my head?¡± He fumed but nothing came out of his mouth.


    Actually, he couldn¡¯t even see himself. Everywhere before him was black and blank like the void space, he didn¡¯t even know what he was right now- if he was existing as a human or as another thing entirely.


    ¡°What¡¯s a human?¡± His voice questioned in his mind, sounding confused.


    At the back of his mind, something called a human was ringing bells in him but he just couldn¡¯t get a grasp of it.


    ¡°Weird. Is human food? I¡¯m hungry¡±.


    Though he could not see his stomach, he felt hungry. He also didn¡¯t know what a stomach was, but his brain just felt that it was the right term for what he wanted to express.


    ¡°Where am I? I want to go home; I want to eat. Take me out!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how long he was inside this strange void; he couldn¡¯t even keep track of time so how could he know?


    All he knew was that the faint feeling of weakness that was hitting his consciousness gradually got better and improved as time went away.


    What happened to him? He didn¡¯t know. Why did he feel weak before, and why was he healing up now? He didn¡¯t know. Everything felt strange, weird, and mysterious to him.


    ¡°Am I dreaming?¡±


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with me, why am I spouting nonsense? What on earth is dreaming? What is even earth? I think I¡¯m mad? What¡¯s mad?¡±


    As the questions continued stacking up, his consciousness became more and more unstable before with a flash everything suddenly became tranquil again. His consciousness went dormant.


    Sometime later, he woke up again feeling more confused.


    This became his routine for a long indeterminate time. Consciousness waking up, consciousness spitting out a bunch of crap, consciousness becoming confused, then consciousness being knocked out and becoming dormant again.


    ¡°What am I? Where is my family? Oh man, what is a family?¡± He felt like crying.


    He felt lonely, alone, left out, and abandoned.


    ¡°Where is Sonia?¡± His consciousness''s voice muttered in a sobbing tone.


    He didn¡¯t know why but whenever he mentioned this name, a fuzzy feeling always enveloped his heart, taking away all the confusion for a brief moment. That was the only time he felt liberated.


    Today was another lonely day. As his consciousness drifted alone in this black solitary void, he suddenly stirred, he thought he just heard someone else speak.


    ¡°Who is there?¡± The consciousness emitted nervous physic waves.


    Getting no response, it kept quiet, suppressed its nervousness, and listened.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s over a month already and Clark is not awake yet¡±. A voice that felt faintly familiar yet distant sounded out suddenly in a worried tone.


    ¡°Stop disturbing me Thunder, I already told you that he¡¯s alive. I already did everything that I can to keep his life safe, the rest is now up to him¡±. Another voice, a little apathetic replied.


    ¡°Master, why are you being so nonchalant? He¡¯s the chosen one, you said¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, Thunder. I know¡­, it¡¯s just that getting worried for nothing will not help matters, it¡¯s better to just chill and wait it out¡±.


    As Clark¡¯s consciousness heard this, he felt his memory stirring a bit but he still couldn¡¯t make out what these people meant.


    This didn¡¯t stop him from being shocked though. If he currently had eyes, they would have been widened to the size of burning lanterns already.


    ¡°What is Clark? What is thunder? How can another voice sound here? This is interesting!¡± He still felt confused but curiosity was now in his eyes.


    As he listened more to the 2 voices discussing, his illusory eyes suddenly widened to the limits. He let an audible yelp as the first light since he arrived in this void space broke through the veil of the darkness.


    The light was stagnant at first, but it only took a moment before it started expanding outwards.


    After confirming that he was not damaged by this sudden light, his consciousness poked at it curiously as he observed it like a child who just saw the outside world for the first time.


    Then he heard it¡­


    ¡°Master, he¡¯s waking up!¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°The 2 voices are even clearer, are they food?¡± Clark became excited.


    Then¡­


    Pop!


    The darkness shattered, his vision was now filled with light, and 2 faces held by 2 big heads were directly before him.


    ¡°Yelp!¡±


    This sight freaked the hell out of him. He jumped from the bed immediately, turned, and took a sharp turn to the right before sprinting at an extremely fast speed from these predators.


    Before he could take up to 5 steps forward, one of the pink guys with big heads arrived at his front before pointing a palm at him to calm him down.


    Though he was still confused and panicking, strangely, he understood this gesture.


    ¡°Clark?¡± The big-headed fellow asked hesitantly.


    ¡°What¡¯s Clark?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    King turned to face his Master, a speechless expression on his face. The old man only shrugged at him before turning to go to a corner of the cave.


    After confirming that this thing was not about to eat him, Clark finally let go of his fear. Now, he was curious. He walked closer to the pink thing, sniffed him before walking around him.


    ¡°Why are you like this? Why are you so soft? Why are you pink? Why am I like this? Why are you like me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    King could feel a headache coming immediately. Of all the scenarios that he imagined, he never thought that Clark waking up and suffering from a loss of memory disorder would be the reality.


    He facepalmed. ¡°Reality is playing tricks at me¡±.


    ¡°What¡¯s reality?¡± Clark now almost stuck his face on this pink fellow curiously. ¡°Why is your face creasing? Are you sick? What¡¯s sick if I may ask? What¡¯s¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Hey, stop it, it¡¯s ok¡±. King quickly shoved a hand at Clark¡¯s face to silence him.


    ¡°Follow me, let me explain to you. You understand what¡¯s follow right?¡± King was almost walking away already, but he hesitated and turned before asking.


    ¡°What do you take me for? A fool? Who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s follow?¡± Clark sneered.


    Whack!


    ¡°You¡­, you slapped me?¡± King was stunned.


    Clark smiled and declared proudly. ¡°That¡¯s what you meant right, follow?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy!¡±


    ¡­


    After taking a few hours to patiently explain things to Clark while hoping for the best, King heaved a sigh of relief as a positive reaction was finally made by him.


    The first hour, Clark was mostly unresponsive and just curious. But as time went on, he started contemplating seriously like he was remembering something. Now, his eyes were closed and he was eerily motionless.


    King did not disturb him, he kept quiet and silently accompanied him.


    About 40 agonizing minutes later, Clark finally opened his eyes.


    King detected it immediately, there was a change. Clark¡¯s eyes no longer showed confusion, indecisiveness, and curiosity, they already reverted to the experienced eyes of a military leader.


    Clark now had a solemn look on his face. ¡°King?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Clark. I¡¯m King, you just woke up¡±.


    Clark nodded in silence before looking at the floor in contemplation. A lot seemed to be going through his mind, so King cleverly let him be.


    A few minutes later, Clark spoke again. ¡°How long was I knocked out for?¡±


    ¡°A month, 2 days, and 15 hours¡±.


    Clark¡¯s face scrunched up into a frown. ¡°What happened to Dickson?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I think he escaped. We told him to escape long enough before the underground research base collapsed, so I think that he¡¯s fine¡±.


    ¡°The research base collapsed?¡± Clark¡¯s frown only grew.


    ¡°Yes, let me tell you what happened after you passed out¡±.


    A few minutes later, Clark finally knew everything that happened after he started convulsing and lost consciousness.


    ¡°Did you check up on them? Diana, Anna, Dickson, Josh, how are they? Did they escape already, did anything happen to them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t check up on them, there was no time. You almost died you know. My Master did a lot before your condition finally stabilized; I didn¡¯t have time to go anywhere else for the past month¡±.


    ¡°Damn! Why did you prioritize my life and leave them to fate? You know¡­¡±


    Clark stopped mid-sentence, finally catching up to a word that King just used. ¡°Your Master?¡±


    ¡°And before I forget, why are you so caring to me? It¡¯s strange, what¡¯s your motive?¡± Clark finally composed himself a bit, even taking on a slightly guarded stance.


    King sighed. ¡°Clark, there¡¯s a lot that you have a lot to know. Let me introduce you to my master¡±.


    The old man kept silent as Clark and King went closer to the place where he sat fishing from the small tunnel water that was flowing, his eyes never leaving the water.


    Getting closer, Clark finally took on the full picture of this old man. As he no longer had a hood on, Clark was able to make out a lot about his features.


    First, he was clearly an old man but his face hardly had any shrinks or creases. He looked more like a middle-aged man, only his white hair and white flowing beards said otherwise.


    ¡°But this can be artificially made though¡±. Clark noted.


    He wondered how exceptional a man the extremely strong king of demolition was calling Master would be. ¡°Is he superman?¡±


    ¡°Hey kiddo, welcome back to life¡±. The old man turned his head to smile briefly at him before turning back to focus on his fish.


    Clark¡¯s face twitched. ¡°Do you have to be so pretentious. Now, I¡¯ve lost all the respect I previously had for you¡±.


    As if reading Clark¡¯s thought, King sighed exasperatedly. ¡°Master, stop acting like that before him. Act a little in accordance with your power, it¡¯s sometimes embarrassing to call myself your student when you act like this¡±.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± The old man grunted in reply.


    ¡°Clark, don¡¯t be deceived by what your eyes are showing you. My Master here before you is one of the few elite-grade soldiers of this era, Elite Commander Titus¡±.


    ¡°Elite-grade soldier?¡± Clark had a lot of question marks in his mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, my Master will explain everything to you soon¡±.


    King laughed. ¡°You are right, most of the rumors circulating about my existence are wrong. No Everest spirit saved me, neither am I the favored son of Cold Kong, my Master was the one who saved me after my parents died¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny because Cold King almost killed me some time ago, my Master saved me¡±.


    ¡°Your Master saved you from the legendary Cold Kong?!¡± Now, Clark was astonished.


    He finally turned to give this old man a double-take.


    The old man turned to face him at the same time, smiling. ¡°I finally confirmed it, you¡¯re really the chosen one¡±.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    [Sorry for the late chapter, I''ve been a little busy lately.]

 Chapter 272: operation conspiracy of the elites

    Clark was now feeling confused again. Why was this old man¡¯s every word just weird terms? Why was King acting so differently now? What the hell was an elite-grade soldier, and what was a chosen one?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that this is an illusion too?¡± He felt a bad premonition.


    The old man chuckled before standing up. ¡°This is no illusion, Clark. Follow me, you have a lot to learn today¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­, yes sir¡±.


    As Clark followed the old man, he finally started observing his surrounding a bit. This place was a cave, a pretty primitive one also but he could see that it was slightly altered to be cleaner.


    A notable fact that he observed was that as soon as he jumped up from the bed that he was originally sleeping on, the bed disappeared. It was baffling but not impossible, so he was still calm.


    The cave seemed larger than he imagined as they walked forward a few hundred meters before stopping.


    After taking some turns here and there, they finally arrived at a part of the cave that was altered to look like a modern-day sitting room.


    Most of the things that were usually in modern-day sitting rooms were present, but only one chair was present. It was a huge chair that stood proudly in the middle of the cave sitting room.


    The old man smoothly climbed the chair before casually sitting down.


    Then, click!


    Clark felt it immediately, there was a change in the man¡¯s demeanor. Whereas he previously viewed the man as an old fisherman and retired soldier, he now saw him as an unfathomably terrifying hidden expert.


    The change was extremely drastic.


    The aura surrounding the old man now felt deep and boundless. He exuded a mysterious vibe that gave Clark chills, the old man¡¯s white beards suddenly seemed longer and sharper to him, just like javelins.


    He gulped involuntarily and used his right hand to pinch his skin.


    ¡°Where did you get the tattoo, and when?¡± The old man finally threw out a question.


    Clark rapidly delved into the question, trying to deduce its answer but he could not. He hesitated, ¡°Which tattoo?¡±


    ¡°The one on your backside¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Clark felt blacklines fill his face immediately, but he still tried to keep himself calm. He finally knew why King helped him so much, he felt embarrassed, confused, and relieved at the same time.


    ¡°So it was actually because of that damned tattoo!¡± Cursing softly, he quickly organized his thoughts to prepare an answer.


    ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t really know how I got it but I have a guess¡±. He carefully eyed the old man. Getting no extreme reaction, he heaved a sigh of relief and continued.


    ¡°I was once captured and forced to become a gladiator who fought in a gladiator tournament organized by the Seafarers Alliance¡±.


    ¡°During the tournament, just before my last battle, an old man visited me mysteriously. He had a lot of similarities to you, like the vibe exuded and the sharp beard, *cough*!¡±


    Clark quickly corrected himself. ¡°All I meant is that he had a lot of similarities to you. I didn¡¯t know if he was the one who gave me the tattoo, but that¡¯s my best guess¡±.


    ¡°Arnold¡­, I see!¡± The old man sighed.


    Though Clark wanted to ask who Arnold was, he was wise enough to rein in his curiosity before such a person that gave him so much pressure. He was practically sweating imaginary waterfalls now.


    The old man¡¯s face grew sharp. ¡°Clark, I know that you have a lot of questions, you can ask them all now¡±.


    Clark kept quiet at first. After repeatedly confirming that this was not a trick that would lead to his death, he finally asked cautiously.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Titus, formerly known as Elite Commander Titus. I¡¯m a retired soldier¡±. The old man answered quickly.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Clark was caught off guard for a moment as he didn¡¯t expect his question to be answered so quickly. This boosted his courage a bit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is right, I¡¯m sorry. Forgive me, but I want to know how old you are¡±.


    Seeing the expression on the old man¡¯s face, Clark regretted his decision immediately. He felt like pissing his pants as his brain cooked up dozens of conspiracy theories.


    ¡°No need to be so nervous, Thunder asked the same question first when he finally came of age. I¡¯m 175 years old¡±.


    Bam!


    Clark almost broke his head as his legs slipped up, dropping him ruthlessly in a moment of disbelief and shock. He was still shocked; his mind was too occupied to think of the pain from the fall.


    ¡°175 years. Oh, God! Who am I talking with, a wizard?¡±


    ¡°Your next question kid, I don¡¯t have all day¡±.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I¡¯m sorry sir¡±. Clark quickly composed himself.


    ¡°Please, can I know what an elite-grade soldier is? And the chosen one also, I want to know what it is?¡±


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re finally asking the meaningful questions¡±.


    An impartation session began immediately as the old man adjusted himself on his chair before revealing secrets that Clark¡¯s small brain found hard to comprehend and believe.


    In the end, he was left completely stunned and numb.


    He was sure that the information that he just learned if they were true, had the potential of warping his perception of the world as a whole.


    According to the old man, there was actually another hidden rank after the widely known high-grade soldier rank and only a few soldiers have ever stepped into this mysterious rank.


    The Elite-grade realm was the current limit of humanity¡¯s soldiers.


    According to the old man, he was a prodigy who came from the same era as the famed Helix the Conqueror.


    According to him, Helix the Conqueror was not the first soldier that broke through the high-grade soldier realm but a soldier named Achilles.


    When the big 5 came to power, they purposely distorted the truth to increase the prestige of their soldiers. No one could refute them; they were the leaders Afterall.


    Achilles- The Greek Destroyer, was widely acknowledged by every soldier and country as the strongest and most talented soldier in the era of exotics and technology.


    His legendary deeds are unsurpassed in this era.


    The old man skipped a lot of details but according to him, all elite-grade soldiers that were not from the big 5 organizations were all in hiding.


    According to him, after the appearance of the alien that changed humanity¡¯s perception of the world, exotics were not the only thing that was discovered due to this sudden appearance.


    Humanity discovered something terrifying in space, something horrifying, something that could destroy the human race as a whole if care was not taken.


    This was what actually led to the great battle of supremacy, not just greed for the miraculous properties of exotics.


    Due to the fear brought about by this discovery, human leaders were driven to desperation. After the great battle to unify earth which failed woefully, the new order of the big 5 was finally established.


    As soon as the winners of the great battle emerged, a worldwide hunt for elite-grade soldiers and the primordial exobeasts began.


    This was what prompted these terrifying individuals to go into hiding. The old man said he already crossed swords with Helix countless times due to the unrelenting hunt of the big 5.


    Elite-grade soldiers were not immortals. In this decades-long hunt, some of them succumbed and were either captured or died to the blades of the big 5.


    To protect themselves, the Elites finally formed an alliance.


    They knew that the current development trajectory of the world had an ultimate destination of destruction, so they aimed to change the world and create a new normal.


    After banding together to create an alliance with Achilles as the one and only leader, they finally announced an operation to fight the big 5.


    >Operation Conspiracy of the Elites>


    The fight was already on for decades unknowing to most low-grade and middle-grade countries, only strong middle-grade countries and higher knew of this mind-blowing secret.


    According to the old man, increased strength was not the only feature of elite-grade soldiers.


    According to him, all elite-grade soldiers unlock a special ability after they break through the great divide of the Elites. This was another abnormality that humans have not been able to crack its secrets to date.


    Arnold was the name of the Elite who scouted Clark out in the Seafarers Alliance¡¯s outer headquarters. He was the seer of the Elites alliance; prophecy was his special unlocked ability.


    Clark asked for the old man¡¯s special unlocked ability but the old geezer politely refused to say it.


    According to him, Clark was discovered by Arnold through a gadget that they created- the Elite talent detection device.


    The device would only send a signal when it detected a soldier with the potential to become an elite-grade soldier in the future.


    The one thing that Arnold didn¡¯t expect was to meet the chosen one from his prophecies in the process.


    As the seer of the alliance, Arnold once had a prophesy that an Elite-grade soldier will arise who will become the new leader of the alliance, and who will lead them to victory.


    The tattoo on Clark¡¯s backside was the alliance¡¯s tattoo of respect, only to be held by elite-grade soldiers and the chosen one.


    From the prophecy, Arnold told the alliance that if the chosen one is found, he should be left alone to grow to the stage of Sublimation. That is when an Elite is needed to mentor him.


    And Clark was now in the Sublimation stage.


    According to the old man, that was why he was unable to break through in the research base. Without sublimation, the chosen one had no hope of breaking his bottleneck.


    Now, as the Elite who found Clark during his period of Sublimation, Elite Commander Titus was ready to take him in as his student to help him through his sublimation.


    After everything was said, Clark fell into a shocked, hollow, eerie, and goosebumps-inducing silence.


    His brain was in overdrive, working rapidly with his implant as he tried to compare what he just learned with what he knew before to gauge the truth in this mind-blowing information.


    His perception underwent a huge change inwardly. He felt like scales just fell from his eyes, scales that were blocking his sight and preventing him from knowing the truth of the world before.


    He felt afraid, curious, and excited at the same time.


    ¡°I am ready to be your mentor. Now, are you ready to become my student?¡± The old man finally asked the ultimate question.


    King was standing at the side, nervous and excited as he looked at Clark with a burning gaze. ¡°Finally! I¡¯m about to have a junior brother!¡±


    Clark turned to look at him before turning back to look at the old man. ¡°Before I agree, I want to have an accurate understanding of the current circumstances of my friends and companions¡±.


    The old man thought for a second. ¡°Done!¡±


    ¡°Then, thank you, Master¡±. Clark bowed awkwardly in the teacher greeting Sensei way that he thought was right.


    King twitched his lips. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Good choice, follow me¡±. The old man finally stood up.


    ¡°And, Thunder, go check up on his friends¡±.


    King already expected it but he still pouted. ¡°Yes, Master¡±.


    As they walked inside the cave, Clark hesitated before asking another question. ¡°How strong are you exactly?¡±


    The old man grinned. ¡°Strong enough to defeat a million you with a snap of my fingers!¡±


    [The great reveal is finally here. I hoped you enjoyed it, thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 273: an agonizing wait

    After taking a few strange maneuvers here and there, King finally found himself outside the cave again. Getting outside, the rare aura of a sun peeking through the veils of the stormy clouds poked at his skin.


    Opening his hands to welcome the penetrative sunlight, he inclined his head back to look at the empty space behind him.


    Though it ended very fast and Clark accepted easily, he still couldn¡¯t believe that his Master was now the mentor of the revered chosen one.


    His Master may be outrageously strong, but he was still a human with feelings. And not just any human with feelings, his master was one of a kind.


    He was quite sure that his Master was very excited after Clark said yes, but he probably reined himself in to act the part as a Sensei.


    ¡°Sensei my foot!¡± He spat exaggeratedly.


    Acting all cold and mysterious was just his Master¡¯s strategy to woe Clark. Put aside his strength, then what you will get is a carefree, funny, and bored old man.


    He was extremely grateful to him for saving his life when he was young of course, but now their relationship was more like unconventional friends rather than a teacher and disciple relationship.


    To him, his Master is his only family member in this world so he had a deep attachment to the old man.


    He didn¡¯t exactly know why, but his subconscious told him that his Master will reveal his more jovial side when Clark finally passed through his sublimation stage successfully.


    But for now, he was Sensei and he would act like one.


    Thinking of all the suffering that he went through when he was also a training student, he shook his head and laughed nostalgically.


    ¡°What a bumpy ride!¡±


    ¡°Well, I have an order to obey, no distractions now. King, go! Go!¡±


    Increasing his pace, he started moving swiftly across the boundless range of white rocks and snow.


    Just like he did for Clark, he also placed a detection device on Diana when he directed them to their soldiers who survived.


    He was receiving feedback on their general direction. He just had to follow the signal and he would find them soon.


    This was also the reason why he was able to talk to Clark so carefreely. If all Clark¡¯s friends died, he wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to speak to the Spartan soldier so freely after he woke up.


    ¡­


    The past month has been the hardest for Diana, Anna, and the group of 8 survivor soldiers. It was a month filled with events, worry, and an agonizing wait for good news.


    Through Josh¡¯s help, after they defeated the Mocan squad, they finally continued on their way in search of the nearest shelter.


    There was a lot of injured in their midst, which effectively reduced their overall combat strength by a significant margin, even dragging them down a bit due to the need to take care of the injured.


    Their journey to the nearest shelter could not be said to be the safest either. During the journey, they encountered occasional attacks from lone exobeasts, the most dangerous being from a beast horde.


    A band of Snow Leopards ambushed and attacked them, showing the incredible intelligence of these exobeasts to them once again.


    The battle was a bitter one where Josh¡¯s injuries were further aggravated, but this foreign friend refused to abandon them, accompanying them to battle to the end.


    In the end, they were able to escape without any casualties but the group''s overall strength dropped again because of the aggravated injuries of the injured soldiers.


    They were now anxious, a little worried about their chances, but Josh and Diana took the helm again to calm the others down.


    Just a few hours after the beast horde encounter, they spotted another soldier squad of the Mocan republic, alarming them.


    Because they spotted them first, they were able to avoid and evade this squad after employing a series of clever maneuvers.


    Feeling tense all over after this encounter, they forcibly increased their movement speed despite the dangerous possibilities that were prone to follow.


    Luck seemed to favor them this time. After the lucky encounter with the Mocan squad, they only encountered foolish lone exobeast attacks before they finally located the nearest shelter.


    As soon as they got themselves registered into the large shelter, they immediately admitted Josh and all the injured soldiers to the shelter''s medical care center.


    After doing this, they finally got themselves a nice place to rest their heads after the eventful journey that they went through to get here.


    They were not wrong, getting to a shelter was the best choice.


    As soon as the injured soldiers were admitted and tangible mountain credits were paid, the doctors of the shelter went to work on the soldiers immediately.


    In just 5 days later, Josh became the first soldier who was healed completely despite originally sustaining the most severe injuries.


    His 3rd rank high-grade soldier physique was not just a decoration, a lot of strength and fresh cells were packed under his skin to aid recovery from injuries.


    Just 2 days after he recovered, the other soldiers finally started recovering also. After they all recovered, they finally got back to their peak strength but they still didn¡¯t leave yet, their leaders¡¯ situation was still unknown to them.


    An agonizing wait started.


    To their surprise, just a day after they started waiting, Sergeant Dickson located them to the shelter where they took refuge.


    Apparently, the Sergeant tracked them through a series of guesses, experience, and his familiarity with them.


    When Dickson met them, though he was still alive and kicking, he was bloodily injured.


    Seeing this, a lot of imaginations went through their mind but they knew what was paramount. They didn¡¯t ask about Clark, they quickly welcomed him and got him admitted into the shelter¡¯s medical care center.


    As Dickson recuperated in the hospital, this was when he was finally able to reconvene properly with his fianc¨¦e.


    Anna hugged him tightly with tears of joy and relief flowing down her eyes after they finally got a much-needed alone time together. They had a lot to say to each other, but they just decided to melt in each other¡¯s arms.


    After spending a sizeable amount of time with his fianc¨¦e, Dickson finally called for Diana and Josh.


    When all 3 of them were before him, he finally told them the circumstances and what happened before he escaped.


    He was sure that he saw Diana bite her lips fiercely with the intent of lashing out at him after hearing the story, but in the end, she held herself back.


    Though no one lashed out at him, this did not make him feel better, it only made him feel more guilty and down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Diana¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Clark made his choice¡±. Diana stood up and turned to face the wall, only her back was exposed to the others now.


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Josh finally asked the important question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m waiting¡±. Diana gave her opinion and left the hospital room before anyone could object.


    What could the others do? Nothing. They all decided to wait also while hoping for the best, going back was definitely not an option as that would be just sending themselves to an early grave.


    Unlike the others, Dickson saw exactly what happened in the end.


    He only survived by the skin of his teeth, so how could Clark who he left behind survive? He tried to be optimistic, but his rational thinking could not just agree with the thought process at all.


    So it started, the month-long agonizing wait.


    After one month finally passed, they now felt really hopeless and discouraged. Diana hardly spoke to others, just locking herself in to cry her eyes out.


    Her boyfriend died a month ago, now her boyfriend¡¯s friend. What type of a world is this? Was this a sign from the world that her stay here was overdue? Should she join them to find eternal rest?


    As these illogical thoughts kept on sprouting in her mind, to her shock, the king of demolition came to the shelter the next day.


    Unlike usual, King disguised himself a bit to not draw unnecessary attention but the guards of the shelter still recognized him.


    They respected his decision though. They did their best to make sure nobody recognized him before letting him in.


    He didn¡¯t take any detours; he went straight to the apartment where the Spartan and Daland soldiers recuperated.


    Not in the mood to waste time, he called for a gathering of all the soldiers.


    ¡°The Major is alive?¡± Diana had disbelief and joy written all over her face.


    King took a deep breath. ¡°Yes, Clark is alive?¡±


    ¡°Then where is he? Why is he not with you? We already overstayed our time here, it¡¯s time to go back¡±.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive, but his current condition is a little special¡±.


    Dickson narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you mean by special?¡±


    King sighed; he decided to take the more convincing route.


    ¡°You know what happened to the research base after you escaped right?¡± He directed a glance at Dickson.


    ¡°Yes¡±. Dickson shifted uncomfortably on his chair.


    ¡°It would have been impossible for Clark to survive such a collapse. I saved him, but not after using a lot of valuable stuff to keep his life safe¡±.


    ¡°He was in a coma before, but he woke up just a day ago¡±.


    ¡°He was the one who pleaded with me to look for you guys. He wanted you all to know that he is still alive and kicking, and he also wanted me to congratulate you guys that the main mission target is secured¡±.


    Though King was not the most perceptive, he still detected a change in the soldiers, like a great burden was just lifted off their shoulders.


    ¡°Though he is now awake, he is in no condition to face the outside world for now. His injuries are serious, he needs to recuperate in a special device that I made¡±.


    ¡°When will he be strong enough to move again?¡± Diana asked- her face now with a relieved expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it depends on his recovery speed. Perhaps a month, months, or even a year¡±.


    Diana narrowed her eyes. ¡°Then we want to see him¡±.


    ¡°You can¡¯t, I told you that he is in no condition to face the outside world, visiting him will only bring unwanted complications¡±.


    ¡°How do I know that what you¡¯re saying is the truth?¡±


    King didn¡¯t answer, he just inclined his head to look at Dickson.


    Dickson sighed. ¡°I believe him, I believe he¡¯s saying the truth¡±.


    Diana kept quiet for a second before nodding. ¡°So, what message did he have for us?¡±


    ¡°He said that when the time is right, you all will meet again. But for now, he said that you guys should go back home and spread the good news of your success to the higher-ups¡±.


    That was all the soldiers needed to know, they knew how to fill in the other details themselves.


    That same day, they left the shelter for home.


    [Home, sweet home. Home is the best.]

 Chapter 274: an unforgettable journey

    There was no way that the soldiers could cross all the distance and leave the Everest territory in a single day, so King followed as their escort to safeguard them in the case of any danger.


    He already promised Clark, so he was going to make sure that they were safe before going back.


    From the original combined allied squad of hundreds that came here together for the mission, only 12 soldiers survived and only 11 were now going home, Clark¡¯s status was unknown.


    As they traveled across the snow-filled peaks, Diana frequently looked back as a lot of things went through her mind, making her feel complicated, sad, and even slightly relieved.


    This mission¡­, well, what could she say? It changed her a lot, she learned a lot of things, she experienced a lot of things, she felt the happiness of having nice companions, she also felt the sadness of losing a loved one.


    Though she was now outwardly stable, she knew that deep in her heart, she still had not gotten over Benny¡¯s death.


    She didn¡¯t know what to feel at all, she didn¡¯t know what to do after she got back to the Spartan republic.


    She felt that when her life was finally leaving its monotonic state and becoming a little spicy, the world turned on her, viciously showing her a cruel reality that she was still reluctant to accept.


    From the way that King explained to them, her feminine senses were able to detect that he held back a lot of information from them.


    She didn¡¯t make a fuss though because she detected that he had no hostile intentions. Maybe Clark was really in a coma, maybe he was right, maybe he was wrong, she didn¡¯t know.


    All she knew was that this mission was finally over, and they secured both the main mission target and a mouth-watery amount of loot.


    When Dickson came back, he gave Clark¡¯s bag that was filled with loot to her. She was sure that even if they didn¡¯t get the main mission target, this alone would have made the higher-ups commend them.


    She felt grateful to Dickson for his benevolence and everything.


    In this mission, she made new friends- Dickson, Anna, and even Josh.


    Till now, she still couldn¡¯t predict Josh¡¯s thought process at all. Perhaps, a few months from now if she was told that a revered 3rd rank high-grade soldier could act like this, she would have slapped the person who told her.


    Now...! Not only was Josh extremely easygoing, after getting close to them he revealed his selfless side.


    She always chuckled on remembering their first encounter when he bulldozed into their ranks, spanking the first few soldiers¡¯ unconscious like he was a raging bull.


    When he was finally subdued, his personality change was still so peculiar to her that thinking about it only left her speechless.


    When he told them that he stalked them for over a month only to prove himself to his cousin, Diana was pretty sure that her brain short-circuited for a second. What the hell!


    She felt that it was funny, but she could understand the rationale behind it a bit. She also didn¡¯t think that she could enjoy living in a country where none of her efforts were appreciated.


    Though Anna was the one who indirectly caused the death of her boyfriend, she was not angry at her. As Clark said, Benny made his choice.


    Despite all the experiences, as the only 2 females second in commands of the allied squad, they had a certain affinity towards each other. They were good friends already.


    Before meeting Dickson, Anna, and Josh, she still remembered the unforgettable moments that she spent with Major Clark and Benny.


    The mid-night snack that they had to enjoy themselves when they were stuck in the extremely large cedar tree. The memorable conversations, the jokes; all these flashbacks made her eyes tear up.


    The time that they spent in the forest was probably the most memorable period of this mission journey.


    She always thought of herself as a cold lady, but her cold heart melted for the first time after entering the forest. She got a boyfriend for the first time in her life, and a good superior also.


    Major Clark was the best and most considerate leader that she had ever served under, she would never forget his intelligent decision-making, care for subordinates, and insight.


    For Benny, she was sure that she would never let go of the attachment that she had for him after staying together for so long.


    When she left here, she was not going to get another boyfriend.


    If the only boy that succeeded in melting her heart died in the end, then it meant that she was not made for romantic relationships from the onset.


    When she got back to the Spartan republic, she would remove every distraction and focus on her main career as a soldier.


    After spending time with Benny, she was sure that no other male would be as attractive. They will always seem lacking to her, so she just deleted that spot for romance from her heart.


    As soon as she made this decision, she felt like she just laid down a load.


    She now felt calmer, her thoughts smoother, and she appreciated the cool atmosphere more.


    ¡­


    Dickson and Anna stayed close to each other as they followed the group across the mountain ranges rambling across before them.


    From time to time, Dickson would incline his head to steal a glance at his fianc¨¦e, prompting lots of complicated emotions to bombard his mind.


    He still felt worried about Clark but he believed King, which brought his mind some much-needed peace. Now, he just wanted to focus on his fianc¨¦e and shower her with all the love that he could muster.


    For the first time in his life, he confirmed that the world was bigger than he was. Even when his mother died, he didn¡¯t have this feeling then.


    After getting so close to death and surviving in the end, he learned to cherish his life more. He no longer wanted to delay further, he wanted to tie the knot immediately before he would regret it.


    He already made his decision; he would convene with Anna so that they could both discuss when their marriage ceremony would commence.


    He badly wished for it to be done here and now, but he knew that there were procedures to follow. He didn¡¯t want to marry his love secretly; he wanted the whole world to know about it.


    Feeling the heat emanating from his side, his hands reflexively moved outwards as he hugged Anna closer to his side.


    Anna flashed a smile at him which he reciprocated.


    His world seemed brighter all of a sudden.


    ¡°Life is beautiful!¡±


    ¡­


    Josh had a lot in his mind as he followed this group of companions back. After spending over a few weeks with them, he would be lying to himself if he said that he was not reluctant at this separation.


    This was the first group that he tagged with and helped who actually appreciated him back.


    He felt a fuzzy feeling whenever he remembered Diana thanking him. This was a memory that he would never forget, it was his best moment already since he emerged from his mother¡¯s womb.


    Perhaps, for other soldiers, they craved fame, power, and riches, but for him, he only craved appreciation.


    You don¡¯t know the importance of something until you lack it. Appreciation is something that other soldiers receive daily thereby neglecting it, but to him, it meant the whole world.


    Not once, not twice, he already contemplated the decision of following Diana to her country many times but he knew that it was just fantasy thinking.


    He could decide to retire from the Marianan army and render his citizenship there null, but what should he do after that?


    He was born in Mariana, his root is in Mariana, his childhood friends are in Mariana, his career was born and bred in Mariana, he just didn¡¯t know how life would be without Mariana though it was currently torture to him.


    He wanted to become a Mercenary or even start up a Mercenary group countless times, but at the last moment he chickened out.


    Perhaps, it was cowardice, or even because of an inferiority complex, he just didn¡¯t know. Indecisiveness was a weakness he knew that he had, he just couldn¡¯t improve on it.


    ¡°Well, meeting such nice people is already a blessing for me. I think hoping for more is now greediness, I should be satisfied¡±.


    Deciding to stalk Clark¡¯s squad deep inside the great Himalayan peaks has proved to be his most important decision since he was born, he would enjoy it till the end now that it still lasts.


    Sighing, he increased his pace to keep up with the others.


    ¡­


    King was already feeling bored as he escorted the few survivors to a place safe enough where he could finally be sure that they would get home.


    As an observant soldier, he already noticed the complicated mood that was spread among the soldiers after traveling with them for 2 weeks already.


    He was too lazy to snoop around like a thief, so he didn¡¯t know the specifics.


    All he knew was that this group of 12 was now closer and more cohesive. He was sure that even years from now, these 12 soldiers would still remember themselves and this mission no matter how far they were from each other.


    Putting this aside, the main reason why he was bored was that the journey was not as eventful as he expected.


    Through his guidance, they bypassed all the dangerous animal kingdoms.


    Only some foolish lone exobeasts and a certain horde of beasts attacked them but with him around, these small fish were easily dispatched.


    At a point, they saw another group of soldiers that were returning home like them but were unfortunately entangled in a brawl with the beasts of an animal kingdom.


    The soldiers were horrified as they saw a 3rd rank high-grade soldier get ripped to pieces before their very eyes. The squad was annihilated by the beasts.


    Suppressing their shock, they wisely took a detour to cross this animal kingdom. After 2 weeks and 2 days, they finally scaled-down the Himalayan peaks and touched normal ground again.


    The soldiers were all feeling nostalgic.


    ¡°It¡¯s been an eventful adventure¡±. Dickson took Josh¡¯s handshake. ¡°I will miss you, Captain Josh. We all will, and we are grateful for all the help that you rendered to us¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Captain!¡± Diana, Anna, and the other soldiers saluted him with respectful expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s ok¡±. Josh hastily waved his hand. ¡°I hope that Clark comes back home safely, Good luck¡±.


    He finally turned and walked away. His back was straight but the others could still detect his fluctuating emotions, he soon disappeared from their sight.


    ¡°King, thank you too. Without you, we would have all died in this mountain¡±. Dickson turned to King while extending his right hand for a handshake.


    King smoothly took it. ¡°No worries bro, take care¡±.


    ¡°Please take care of Clark¡±. Diana finally spoke softly.


    ¡°I will¡±. King flashed her a thump up.


    They finally separated, King going his way, Daland soldiers going their way under Dickson¡¯s leadership, while Spartans went their way under Diana¡¯s leadership.


    The journey was finally over.

 Chapter 275: 3 months training it has started

    Huff! Huff!


    Clark was dressed in dirty white clothes, panting heavily as he climbed his way up a slippery slope with a heavy load on his shoulders.


    An extremely long iron rod was on his shoulders, supported by his beefy muscled arms. At both ends of the rod sat 20 heavy exotic metal drums, all 20 drums were filled to the brim with water.


    Clark¡¯s face was strained in a frightening frown as his legs shook fiercely, his face sweating waterfalls. His white clothes were now tightly attached and stuck to his skin due to his sweat.


    His eyes were only facing upwards, his face stern as he tried his best to keep his foot on the slippery slope.


    After exerting all his effort and draining himself of all energy, he finally managed to take another step, and then¡­, he got stuck!


    His legs were now shaking and wobbling at an extremely rapid frequency, his face turning from frightening to most-frightening as his backside shifted backward a bit to stabilize himself but it didn¡¯t help much.


    All his veins sprouted out over his body, his head bulging as he tried hard to stabilize himself but his leg was already moving backward bit by bit.


    His face went white.


    ¡°Ahh¡­!!¡±


    ¡°Ah! F*ck! Master, I hate youuu!!¡±


    Bam!


    His legs slipped backward as his face quickly fell forward and hit the hard glacier-filled slope hard due to the sudden change in his center of gravity.


    Crack! The iron rod fell also and hit his shoulders as sounds of bones snapping and breaking reverberated. Pressed by the rod to the slope, he finally started sliding backward.


    When he hit the leveled ground, his eyes were already seeing stars and pain was all over his body.


    Blood seeped from his body, his face, and everywhere as he lied down with the heavy rod still over him like he was dead.


    A few of his teeth were lying around due to the sheer force with which his face hit the glacier-filled slope, his back seemed crushed by the weight of the rod but no one was coming to his aid.


    The next moment¡­


    [Hello! For hating your Master, you have an extra lap to climb today.]


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s unfair!¡± Forcing the blood down his throat, he forced his head up and quickly protested with his face still bloody.


    [For arguing with your Master, another lap for today.]


    ¡°Shit, f*ck yo¡­, f*ck me¡±.


    [For cursing at your Master, another lap for today.]


    Clark finally fainted.


    [Hello!] [Clark!]


    Getting no response, the voice chuckled a bit.


    [The boy is beat. Thunder, go carry him to the healing pool.]


    [Yes Master!]


    The next moment, a figure appeared out of thin air at where Clark collapsed on. After removing the heavy rod from the pitiful soldier, he aimed at Clark¡¯s leg to drag him away.


    Bam!


    A whirlwind kick suddenly struck outwards at this moment, sweeping his legs from the ground and catching King off guard for a moment but he quickly improvised.


    From how smoothly he reacted, it was clear that this was not the first time that such a scenario happened.


    ¡°I hate you, King, I hate you. Why did you bring me here? I want to go home!¡±


    Shouting angrily, Clark launched himself at King as they started a fierce brawl immediately. A jab, a hook, an uppercut, an overhead kick, a whirlwind kick, fists, and kicks shot out as both soldiers became bloodied.


    In the end, after leaving a few injuries and bumps on King¡¯s face, Clark finally fainted for real, blood seeping out of every orifice in his body.


    Sighing exasperatedly, King grabbed his right leg before dragging him away like a sack of animal bones.


    [He keeps getting stronger and stronger, but he has not broken through yet. In an even battle, I think it¡¯ll take long before I can defeat him now.] King complained in an awed tone through the network.


    [He¡¯s improved a lot but don¡¯t tell him, it¡¯ll only make him unnecessarily proud. He needs pressure to improve and that¡¯s what we should give him, it¡¯s my obligation to make him as powerful as possible.]


    [Until he starts his sublimation process, we cannot praise him.]


    King hesitated. [I hope all these are worth it though. He seems really battered this time; don¡¯t you think this is going too far?]


    [I think this is not even enough, he¡¯s the chosen one. Get him to the healing pool fast, he still has a lot of training to finish today. Until all his attributes get to the legendary 100%, the sublimation cannot occur.]


    [At least, that¡¯s what Arnold prophesied.]


    Dragging Clark into the cave, King found the special blue glowing healing pool before dumping his battered body inside it.


    As soon as Clark¡¯s body touched the water, his skin visibly rippled as the water of the pool started seeping into his skin through the injuries.


    It was slow at first, but the speed gradually increased as his pale face started regaining some color again after just 5 minutes.


    In 10 minutes, his skin started glowing in a blue color as the injuries started sealing themselves up. His white blood cells were stimulated as they worked overtime to clot the injuries.


    Cells died and new ones were produced at a rapid frequency under the influence of the water. From the speed, it was clear that Clark would be completely healed in just 30 minutes.


    This started 3 months ago.


    The same day that King left to go look for Diana and the others, Clark¡¯s new master drafted and arranged a brand-new training schedule for him immediately.


    At first, it was much more restrained so Clark eagerly accepted the plan as he also wanted to improve. After remaining stuck in the 2nd rank high-grade strength for some time, he yearned to break through his bottleneck.


    And he was curious about the strength of an Elite-grade soldier.


    Though he could not get it now, knowing that he had the potential of becoming an elite-grade soldier stirred him up to train more seriously and steadfastly than usual.


    He fell for the bait; he didn¡¯t know that accepting the training plan would dissolve into extremities like this.


    At first, it was normal training, just a little more primitive. He carried weights, trained with his sword, ran laps every day, and climbed this same slope that he fell from a moment ago.


    A month later, it dissolved into a different thing entirely.


    Now, he no longer trained with conventional training resources but resources made from exotic metals.


    Every day, he had to jog hundreds of kilometers with 2 of the large exotic metal drums tied to his back.


    For his muscles, he was assigned to climb the roughest part of the mountain that led upwards for over 80 kilometers up and down every day. He also beefed his muscles with a special exotic metal dumbbell specially crafted for him.


    There was a lot of other specialized training that was made for him, but these were all trivial compared to climbing the slope.


    20 of those exotic metal drums were tied to an even heavier iron rod, and he was asked to climb a slope with that. He was not superman for God¡¯s sake!


    When his Master first listed these training series to him, he thought it was a joke. He kept on asking and asking but his master just smiled back at him, that was when he knew that he was screwed.


    He tried to back out, he no longer wanted it, but did he have the choice? No.


    To be sincere, all the excitement that he had after listening to his Master¡¯s super story was gone.


    All he now felt for the old man was resentment. ¡°How can a grandpa like you be so wicked?¡±


    The old man just smiled. ¡°This is not even my real form, I¡¯m stricter if the needs ever call for it. Ask King, he knows me the best. He¡¯s only lucky that he¡¯s already graduated from my mentorship¡±.


    In the end, Clark could only put up with it and endure.


    It was not without gains though. After doing such extreme training for another 2 months, his physique was now extremely intimidating, just like a giant.


    His muscles were beefier, his shoulders broader, his arms bigger, his legs sturdier, his chest more pronounced, everything about him improved. This included his attributes of course.


    He was now a powerhouse.


    The last time which was yesterday that he checked:


    Attack Power: 100% Attack Speed: 100%


    Endurance: 99% Decision Making: 100%


    Stamina: 100/100


    Health: 100%


    ¡­


    His decision-making directly clocked the legendary 100% after he woke up from his coma due to his fusion with the bean quadrant enhancer, the hellish training schedule helped him to raise the others.


    One day, he overheard his Master telling King that he was the strongest 2nd rank high-grade soldier that he¡¯s ever seen.


    The only problem was that the darn old man would never tell him nor praise him, always being so strict with a stern face.


    According to his Master, he only needed his endurance to get to the 100% boundary before he is ready for sublimation. But the darn endurance just refuses to improve despite all his effort.


    30 minutes later after King placed him in the healing pool, he opened his eyes to see his body already healed.


    He didn¡¯t even get a second to rest before his most loathed voice sounded in his mind, he almost forced himself to fall unconscious again to evade this devilish voice.


    [Ok, Clark, stand up and go back to training. You still have 4 slope climbing laps today, no one will do it for you so get your ass up and go back there.]


    Grumbling in his mind, he stood up angrily and left.


    He didn¡¯t dare slack at all. The day that he did, he experienced his Master¡¯s boundless power first hand. He was just like an ant facing a lion, he was completely squashed without any hopes of resistance.


    Going outside the cave, he looked around for King but didn¡¯t find him. Of course, King didn¡¯t want to get into another brawl with him so he was hiding.


    Shrugging like a goat being led to the slaughter ground, he went back to the glacier-filled slope, used one hand to pick up the heavy rod before supporting it with his other hand into his shoulders.


    He started the never-ending grind again.


    The 1st and 2nd time, he didn¡¯t even reach where he got to previously. Falling and losing some more teeth to the slope, he could only pity himself.


    The 3rd time was even worse.


    For the 4th time, he decided to rest for 5 minutes against the orders of his Master before starting the climb.


    He really wanted to do it this time, he was tired of the never-ending training.


    With eyes blazing with conviction and determination, sweat falling down his skin like rain, he pushed himself forward to continue the climb and break all his previous records.


    He didn¡¯t know if he suddenly got stronger or if it was because of his passion, but the exotic drums suddenly seemed a little lighter.


    Under the shocked gaze of King and his Master, Clark forged forward, broke his previous limits, broke all conventions, and stood at the zenith of the slope.


    Bang!


    The sound was like clapping thunder as he dropped the loathsome heavy rod on the rock, he tried to force his exhaustion back before flashing a grin in the direction of the cave.


    He knew that both bastards were watching him like a movie, he had to show them his worth when he finally did the f*cking feat.


    ¡°I did it, so what now?¡± He asked smugly.


    [Pour the water on the floor and climb back down, you still have one lap remaining.] His Master¡¯s lazy voice sounded over.


    Clark almost choked on his saliva on hearing this. Anger blazed in his eyes, as he was about to lash out, his consciousness suddenly seemed to have switched off.


    Everything went blank.


    He was still standing but his eyes were eerily vacant, making his body seem like an empty vessel without a soul.


    Inside the cave, Elite Commander Titus sprang up from his throne-like chair on seeing this, his eyes gleaming sharply like the sun.


    ¡°It has started!¡±

 Chapter 276: 3 months training it has started

    Huff! Huff!


    Clark was dressed in dirty white clothes, panting heavily as he climbed his way up a slippery slope with a heavy load on his shoulders.


    An extremely long iron rod was on his shoulders, supported by his beefy muscled arms. At both ends of the rod sat 20 heavy exotic metal drums, all 20 drums were filled to the brim with water.


    Clark¡¯s face was strained in a frightening frown as his legs shook fiercely, his face sweating waterfalls. His white clothes were now tightly attached and stuck to his skin due to his sweat.


    His eyes were only facing upwards, his face stern as he tried his best to keep his foot on the slippery slope.


    After exerting all his effort and draining himself of all energy, he finally managed to take another step, and then¡­, he got stuck!


    His legs were now shaking and wobbling at an extremely rapid frequency, his face turning from frightening to most-frightening as his backside shifted backward a bit to stabilize himself but it didn¡¯t help much.


    All his veins sprouted out over his body, his head bulging as he tried hard to stabilize himself but his leg was already moving backward bit by bit.


    His face went white.


    ¡°Ahh¡­!!¡±


    ¡°Ah! F*ck! Master, I hate youuu!!¡±


    Bam!


    His legs slipped backward as his face quickly fell forward and hit the hard glacier-filled slope hard due to the sudden change in his center of gravity.


    Crack! The iron rod fell also and hit his shoulders as sounds of bones snapping and breaking reverberated. Pressed by the rod to the slope, he finally started sliding backward.


    When he hit the leveled ground, his eyes were already seeing stars and pain was all over his body.


    Blood seeped from his body, his face, and everywhere as he lied down with the heavy rod still over him like he was dead.


    A few of his teeth were lying around due to the sheer force with which his face hit the glacier-filled slope, his back seemed crushed by the weight of the rod but no one was coming to his aid.


    The next moment¡­


    [Hello! For hating your Master, you have an extra lap to climb today.]


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s unfair!¡± Forcing the blood down his throat, he forced his head up and quickly protested with his face still bloody.


    [For arguing with your Master, another lap for today.]


    ¡°Shit, f*ck yo¡­, f*ck me¡±.


    [For cursing at your Master, another lap for today.]


    Clark finally fainted.


    [Hello!] [Clark!]


    Getting no response, the voice chuckled a bit.


    [The boy is beat. Thunder, go carry him to the healing pool.]


    [Yes Master!]


    The next moment, a figure appeared out of thin air at where Clark collapsed on. After removing the heavy rod from the pitiful soldier, he aimed at Clark¡¯s leg to drag him away.


    Bam!


    A whirlwind kick suddenly struck outwards at this moment, sweeping his legs from the ground and catching King off guard for a moment but he quickly improvised.


    From how smoothly he reacted, it was clear that this was not the first time that such a scenario happened.


    ¡°I hate you, King, I hate you. Why did you bring me here? I want to go home!¡±


    Shouting angrily, Clark launched himself at King as they started a fierce brawl immediately. A jab, a hook, an uppercut, an overhead kick, a whirlwind kick, fists, and kicks shot out as both soldiers became bloodied.


    In the end, after leaving a few injuries and bumps on King¡¯s face, Clark finally fainted for real, blood seeping out of every orifice in his body.


    Sighing exasperatedly, King grabbed his right leg before dragging him away like a sack of animal bones.


    [He keeps getting stronger and stronger, but he has not broken through yet. In an even battle, I think it¡¯ll take long before I can defeat him now.] King complained in an awed tone through the network.


    [He¡¯s improved a lot but don¡¯t tell him, it¡¯ll only make him unnecessarily proud. He needs pressure to improve and that¡¯s what we should give him, it¡¯s my obligation to make him as powerful as possible.]


    [Until he starts his sublimation process, we cannot praise him.]


    King hesitated. [I hope all these are worth it though. He seems really battered this time; don¡¯t you think this is going too far?]


    [I think this is not even enough, he¡¯s the chosen one. Get him to the healing pool fast, he still has a lot of training to finish today. Until all his attributes get to the legendary 100%, the sublimation cannot occur.]


    [At least, that¡¯s what Arnold prophesied.]


    Dragging Clark into the cave, King found the special blue glowing healing pool before dumping his battered body inside it.


    As soon as Clark¡¯s body touched the water, his skin visibly rippled as the water of the pool started seeping into his skin through the injuries.


    It was slow at first, but the speed gradually increased as his pale face started regaining some color again after just 5 minutes.


    In 10 minutes, his skin started glowing in a blue color as the injuries started sealing themselves up. His white blood cells were stimulated as they worked overtime to clot the injuries.


    Cells died and new ones were produced at a rapid frequency under the influence of the water. From the speed, it was clear that Clark would be completely healed in just 30 minutes.


    This started 3 months ago.


    The same day that King left to go look for Diana and the others, Clark¡¯s new master drafted and arranged a brand-new training schedule for him immediately.


    At first, it was much more restrained so Clark eagerly accepted the plan as he also wanted to improve. After remaining stuck in the 2nd rank high-grade strength for some time, he yearned to break through his bottleneck.


    And he was curious about the strength of an Elite-grade soldier.


    Though he could not get it now, knowing that he had the potential of becoming an elite-grade soldier stirred him up to train more seriously and steadfastly than usual.


    He fell for the bait; he didn¡¯t know that accepting the training plan would dissolve into extremities like this.


    At first, it was normal training, just a little more primitive. He carried weights, trained with his sword, ran laps every day, and climbed this same slope that he fell from a moment ago.


    A month later, it dissolved into a different thing entirely.


    Now, he no longer trained with conventional training resources but resources made from exotic metals.


    Every day, he had to jog hundreds of kilometers with 2 of the large exotic metal drums tied to his back.


    For his muscles, he was assigned to climb the roughest part of the mountain that led upwards for over 80 kilometers up and down every day. He also beefed his muscles with a special exotic metal dumbbell specially crafted for him.


    There was a lot of other specialized training that was made for him, but these were all trivial compared to climbing the slope.


    20 of those exotic metal drums were tied to an even heavier iron rod, and he was asked to climb a slope with that. He was not superman for God¡¯s sake!


    When his Master first listed these training series to him, he thought it was a joke. He kept on asking and asking but his master just smiled back at him, that was when he knew that he was screwed.


    He tried to back out, he no longer wanted it, but did he have the choice? No.


    To be sincere, all the excitement that he had after listening to his Master¡¯s super story was gone.


    All he now felt for the old man was resentment. ¡°How can a grandpa like you be so wicked?¡±


    The old man just smiled. ¡°This is not even my real form, I¡¯m stricter if the needs ever call for it. Ask King, he knows me the best. He¡¯s only lucky that he¡¯s already graduated from my mentorship¡±.


    In the end, Clark could only put up with it and endure.


    It was not without gains though. After doing such extreme training for another 2 months, his physique was now extremely intimidating, just like a giant.


    His muscles were beefier, his shoulders broader, his arms bigger, his legs sturdier, his chest more pronounced, everything about him improved. This included his attributes of course.


    He was now a powerhouse.


    The last time which was yesterday that he checked:


    Attack Power: 100% Attack Speed: 100%


    Endurance: 99% Decision Making: 100%


    Stamina: 100/100


    Health: 100%


    ¡­


    His decision-making directly clocked the legendary 100% after he woke up from his coma due to his fusion with the bean quadrant enhancer, the hellish training schedule helped him to raise the others.


    One day, he overheard his Master telling King that he was the strongest 2nd rank high-grade soldier that he¡¯s ever seen.


    The only problem was that the darn old man would never tell him nor praise him, always being so strict with a stern face.


    According to his Master, he only needed his endurance to get to the 100% boundary before he is ready for sublimation. But the darn endurance just refuses to improve despite all his effort.


    30 minutes later after King placed him in the healing pool, he opened his eyes to see his body already healed.


    He didn¡¯t even get a second to rest before his most loathed voice sounded in his mind, he almost forced himself to fall unconscious again to evade this devilish voice.


    [Ok, Clark, stand up and go back to training. You still have 4 slope climbing laps today, no one will do it for you so get your ass up and go back there.]


    Grumbling in his mind, he stood up angrily and left.


    He didn¡¯t dare slack at all. The day that he did, he experienced his Master¡¯s boundless power first hand. He was just like an ant facing a lion, he was completely squashed without any hopes of resistance.


    Going outside the cave, he looked around for King but didn¡¯t find him. Of course, King didn¡¯t want to get into another brawl with him so he was hiding.


    Shrugging like a goat being led to the slaughter ground, he went back to the glacier-filled slope, used one hand to pick up the heavy rod before supporting it with his other hand into his shoulders.


    He started the never-ending grind again.


    The 1st and 2nd time, he didn¡¯t even reach where he got to previously. Falling and losing some more teeth to the slope, he could only pity himself.


    The 3rd time was even worse.


    For the 4th time, he decided to rest for 5 minutes against the orders of his Master before starting the climb.


    He really wanted to do it this time, he was tired of the never-ending training.


    With eyes blazing with conviction and determination, sweat falling down his skin like rain, he pushed himself forward to continue the climb and break all his previous records.


    He didn¡¯t know if he suddenly got stronger or if it was because of his passion, but the exotic drums suddenly seemed a little lighter.


    Under the shocked gaze of King and his Master, Clark forged forward, broke his previous limits, broke all conventions, and stood at the zenith of the slope.


    Bang!


    The sound was like clapping thunder as he dropped the loathsome heavy rod on the rock, he tried to force his exhaustion back before flashing a grin in the direction of the cave.


    He knew that both bastards were watching him like a movie, he had to show them his worth when he finally did the f*cking feat.


    ¡°I did it, so what now?¡± He asked smugly.


    [Pour the water on the floor and climb back down, you still have one lap remaining.] His Master¡¯s lazy voice sounded over.


    Clark almost choked on his saliva on hearing this. Anger blazed in his eyes, as he was about to lash out, his consciousness suddenly seemed to have switched off.


    Everything went blank.


    He was still standing but his eyes were eerily vacant, making his body seem like an empty vessel without a soul.


    Inside the cave, Elite Commander Titus sprang up from his throne-like chair on seeing this, his eyes gleaming sharply like the sun.


    ¡°It has started!¡±


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 277: sublimation 1

    The next moment after the Elite Commander detected this change, the air rippled and he disappeared. King followed shortly behind; an exciting feeling of anticipation rising in his heart.


    When they arrived at the slope¡¯s peak, Clark was still standing rigidly, his eyes still looking in the direction of the cave.


    The only problem was that no emotion was detected in the eyes, they seemed just like those of a dead man.


    The look on his face was extremely calm like he just entered a wonderland, with a soft goose-bumps-inducing smile lining his face.


    Seeing all this, the Elite Commander confirmed what he said. He now had a solemn expression on his face, he rapidly thought about all the various scenarios that Arnold prophesied.


    ¡°He really made the legendary 100 thresholds for all his attributes! Back then, I thought Arnold was lying, but now I don¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯m speechless¡±.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s the only soldier that has ever achieved such an impossible feat!¡± The old man Titus stroked his chin.


    Though he was awed by Clark¡¯s outrageous improvement speed, he knew that the sublimation was the real trouble.


    According to Arnold, if the chosen one could start the sublimation process, there is more than an 80% chance that he would finish it.


    The only scenario where the chances would be lesser than 80% is if the chosen one brought all his attributes to 100 by sheer luck.


    ¡°F*ck you, Arnold. How the hell am I supposed to know if it is by sheer luck or by hard work and talent?¡± He wanted to strangle the grizzled old man right here and now.


    ¡°You said what?¡± King prodded softly from the side when he noticed his Master muttering words.


    ¡°No, nothing¡±. Elite Commander Titus denied before finally grabbing Clark¡¯s figure, he disappeared from the spot again, this time with Clark¡¯s body.


    When King teleported back to the cave, he saw that his Master already placed Clark on the special healing pool.


    Seeing the questioning look on his face, his Master sighed before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long the sublimation process takes. Arnold never knew, he said that was the extent of his prophecy¡±.


    ¡°I have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, the scenario where the sublimation process takes years¡±.


    King was shocked. ¡°Then how would he survive without food?¡±


    ¡°This!¡± His Master pointed at the pool with a grin. ¡°This is one of my most precious treasures, without the appearance of Clark you wouldn¡¯t have even set your eyes on it¡±.


    King pouted a bit but he still kept his priorities straight. ¡°This pool can keep him alive even if he doesn¡¯t eat for years?¡±


    ¡°Yes! The magical processes of this pool work at a cellular level, it¡¯s a brilliant work of top-notch medical technology. I dare say that some super high-grade countries don¡¯t even have this¡±.


    ¡°Though this pool can sustain his life, surviving is still up to Clark¡±. Elite Commander Titus sighed, all his enthusiasm draining away all of a sudden.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± King frowned.


    ¡°It means that Clark has a high chance of dying in this process!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Why is everywhere so white?¡±


    ¡°This cannot be another research lab, right? No! No, I want out. Professor Granit, you bastard!¡± A croaked voice howled in grief as the owner¡¯s eyes shut close in horror.


    Clark waited and waited but nothing happened, he started having doubts. He was here for so long already, no Professor, no evil fusion machine; he was suspicious, the dubious scientists were not so benevolent.


    From his few encounters with scientists, he already had enough experience to give them the fear that is due to them.


    Counting the seconds in his mind, he waited for 5 minutes but still no one.


    He hesitated before finally opening his eyes again to peek out stealthily. From his short peek, he quickly deduced that this was no research lab.


    And shockingly, the white background that surrounded him on every side before was now gone and he was in a forest. What the hell!


    He noticed that he was sitting on the forest floor without any cushion.


    Scrambling hastily, he quickly stood up and directed a wary glance at his surroundings. He didn¡¯t know where this was but he was prepared for the worst-case scenario, he had to be ready for battle if the need came.


    After doing this, he finally had a complete take on his surroundings.


    His first observation was that this was a smooth surface bamboo forest and not necessarily a rainforest that he originally thought, bamboo trees and bushy grasses filled his sight on every side.


    His second observation was that no threat was currently in his sight, making him heave a much-needed sigh of relief.


    ¡°Where is this? What happened?¡± He finally started expressing his doubts, openly poking at the nearest bamboo.


    He still had all his memories before now. The last thing that he remembered was directing a glare at his Master¡¯s cave due to not being appreciated, he still felt sour about it.


    Cursing softly, he quickly threw that thought aside.


    From the great Himalayan peaks straight to a bamboo forest, what type of voodoo is that? He just couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the facts that were presenting themselves before his eyes.


    Is this another round of training organized by his Master? ¡°F*ck! I always knew that he was to no good. He¡¯s never tired, I think he¡¯s secretly a masochist¡±.


    ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Master, can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Is this another training trick? Please I don¡¯t like the vibe being emitted by this region, I want to go back to finish my last climbing lap. I promise to be more diligent now. Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Is anybody here? If you can hear me, please answer¡±.


    Getting no response after talking for so long, he finally started noticing the strangeness of this forest. He didn¡¯t know where this was but the short stay here was already grating at his nerves.


    ¡°I want to go home! King, Master, you bastards!¡±


    After hauling a few dozen curses at the air but still not getting any response, he finally confirmed that he was alone here.


    There was no way that his Master could take so many curses and still be patient, the old man is a hot-blooded no-nonsense bastard.


    He was now really perplexed and a little frightened. With a serious expression on his face, he leaned against a tree while watching his surroundings alertly before starting a mental brainstorm.


    ¡°What actually happened?¡±


    After thinking for another 5 minutes, he had a few guesses but he was not sure about any of them. He could only put his fear aside; for now, he had to go out to check out this place more.


    ¡°I¡¯m a high-grade soldier for Christ¡¯s sake! No need to be afraid, chill man. If an enemy comes, you just blow them up in the face. That¡¯s the Spartan way, that¡¯s Clark¡¯s way¡±.


    Pumping his confidence a bit with this, he finally took the first step forward to exploring this region.


    Another notable fact that he observed was that he was still in his dirty white clothes, none of his weapons and armor were with him, which brought him much relief.


    He concluded from this that he was not going insane and that he didn¡¯t transmigrate into some shitty fictional world. That would have been a horrifying scenario.


    Thinking of transmigration¡­, ¡°Whoa, man that¡¯s a huge relief! My little brother is still there, I¡¯m still a man¡±.


    Turning to a woman is a frightening scenario that he did not dare think about.


    As he made these little check-ups here and there to confirm that everything was okay with him, he already walked a sizeable distance from the previous location where he just appeared here.


    He was already noticing that the density of bamboo trees was gradually reducing in the direction that he was going in, this made him feel anticipation a bit. This brought hope that not everywhere here was a bamboo forest.


    He suddenly stopped, eyes glittering like stars as he looked into the distance. ¡°Is that a chimney? If it¡¯s a chimney, then that¡¯s a house!¡±


    He was overjoyed, almost throwing himself on the forest floor to celebrate it. Though he was still stable, he was starting to fear the scenario that he was the only human in this forest.


    Increasing his pace, he started going in the direction of the building at a faster speed, making disturbing noises as his feet marched past the dried grasses on the forest floor.


    Snap!


    He reacted extremely fast, diving and rolling forward as he narrowly evaded the vicious bite that was aimed at his head.


    Cold sweat filled his back as he rapidly turned to face this sudden foe. He felt like crying, this forest was not completely free of predators Afterall. He should have known, nowhere was safe in the world.


    After he turned his head, he finally laid eyes upon this animal. ¡°Sheesh! Is that a dinosaur?¡±


    He was completely shocked by the sight before him. ¡°But these things are extinct!¡±


    As he took in the shock, the irritated dinosaur was already re-orienting itself. Clark could not understand dinosaurs, but he could still make out that this big fellow was irritated after missing its prey.


    He felt like crying. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect me to turn myself into a special KFC pack, right?¡±


    He was just like a dwarf in the presence of this predator, he had to raise his head to see its face.


    The next second, Snap!


    This time the speed of the bite was so fast that he opened his eyes wide in shock. He tried jumping to the side at the last second, he escaped death but most of the lower half of his body was eaten away.


    ¡°An exobeast with 4th rank high-grade strength!¡± Now, Clark was horrified.


    Seeing the dinosaur¡¯s enormous maw that was descending for the kill, he was unwilling and shocked. ¡°Is this how I¡¯m going to die?¡±


    Crunch! Crunch!


    With 2 horrifying munching sounds with blood spurting about, Major Clark was turned into a snack by the enormous dinosaur.


    After successfully eating its prey, the dinosaur let out a satisfied roar, turned around before lumbering deeper into the bamboo forest.


    A few seconds later, Ding!


    With a bright light flashing, Clark saw himself falling from the skies. He dropped down to the floor ruthlessly, falling at an awkward angle but he didn¡¯t care about that at the moment.


    Hastily standing up, he looked into the forest with horror now printed on his face like a label.


    He didn¡¯t even try to think about how he was still alive after experiencing going into a dinosaur¡¯s belly, all that was on his mind now was¡­ ¡°Run!!¡±


    Balancing his center of gravity, he picked up speed and ran at a record-breaking speed for as fast as his legs could carry him straight in the direction of the house.


    15 minutes later, he finally got to the house.


    Huff! Huff!


    Breathing rapidly while frequently stealing glances back to see if he was being pursued, he finally raised his head exhaustedly to look at this house.


    He was stunned. ¡°Is this¡­, my ancestral home?¡±

 Chapter 278: sublimation 2

    Clark was once again shocked speechless. He was left standing rigidly like a tree, gawking at this scene in disbelief as the thought that he was going mad started rearing its ugly head.


    If it was not madness, then how on earth did his ancestral home that is still peacefully sitting in the Spartan republic materialize here?


    ¡°Am I high? Did I drink too much? How the hell am I even standing when I was just eaten by a dinosaur?¡±


    He inclined his head to look at the air suspiciously. ¡°Master, is this another prank? Is this an illusion? Let me tell you, it¡¯s not affecting me at all¡±.


    Despite his many attempts to blame what was happening to his master, he already saw a lot of evidence that said otherwise. This only made him feel more shocked, uneasy, and afraid.


    ¡°Or is this a dream?¡± His eyes gleamed in understanding.


    ¡°I once read in a novel that if you¡¯re in a dream that you don¡¯t like, to get out you just have to hit your head against something hard enough. So easy, I¡¯m a genius¡±.


    Bonk! Ouch!


    He rubbed his head painfully as the impact of his head hitting the house¡¯s wall made him dizzy a bit. This did not make him happy, it only left him more hopeless and stranded.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this to me. I¡¯m not even married yet. Hell, I¡¯m still a virgin, please!¡±


    Taking the poor vulnerable fellow route but still not getting any response, he finally suppressed his trepidation, knocked on the door twice before opening it softly.


    He was now too lazy and hopeless to be overly cautious, he poked his head inside the house as soon as the door unlocked easily.


    ¡°Nothing happened?¡±


    Taking this as a good sign, he took the first step into the house. In just one look at the sitting room, he confirmed that he was right, this was his ancestral home.


    Everything was the same, the only difference was that an old man was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the sitting room with his eyes tightly shut close.


    Gulp!


    Seeing this, Clark rapidly gulped down mouthfuls of saliva silently as his thoughts started roaming about.


    ¡°What did this mean? Should I run? His eyes are closed, there¡¯s a high chance that he has not noticed me yet. I think this is the best time to escape!¡±


    He retracted immediately. Extremely carefully, he tip-toed silently back to the door, then a voice stopped him in his tracks.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon!¡±


    ¡°Oh boy!¡±


    Turning reluctantly, he clasped his hands before his chest, bowed his head slightly before shooting out words at the pace of a machine gun.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, it was not my intention to barge into your home. I was foolish to think that it was my ancestral home, have mercy on a poor soul. Please forgive my intrusion, I will be gone before you blink your eyes¡±.


    ¡°Just take me as the wind that has no direction¡±.


    Clark turned before increasing his pace to leave the house, he was too shocked to even think about how this grizzled old man knew his name.


    ¡°This is your ancestral home!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    This time, after stopping in his tracks due to what the old man just said, Clark didn¡¯t know what to think again. Was he really going mad? Is this how madmen¡¯s dreams are?


    Bowing weakly, he asked again. ¡°Sorry for my rudeness sir, but please what do you mean?¡± This was when he noticed that the old man still had his eyes tightly shut closed.


    Hearing his question, the old man finally opened his eyes, wisdom emanating from them tangibly that Clark was stunned again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mistake my words, chosen one. This is your ancestral home, everything that you¡¯re seeing in this world was extracted from your memories¡±.


    ¡°When you were young, you always loved watching dinosaur movies. And you once had a yearning to visit a bamboo forest, you even had the dream of spending your honeymoon there with your future wife¡±.


    Clark blushed a bit. ¡°How did you know all these? Where is this?¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t answer his question, he looked outside the window. ¡°The sublimation has begun!¡±


    Everything finally clicked. Clark was shocked beyond words, a lot of things started going through his mind as he looked at the old man with only amazement reflecting in his eyes.


    ¡°This is the sublimation?¡±


    The old man finally stood up. ¡°The sublimation is not a thing; it is a process. The process is done in your mind, and everything here is extracted from your mind with only a few exceptions¡±.


    Seeing his still questioning eyes, the old man waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t bother yourself with knowing it all. Even if I explain everything to you today, you will still not understand them all¡±.


    ¡°If you survive the process, you will understand everything later in the future when you grow a few more ranks¡±.


    ¡°The process has started already; you only have a year to complete the sublimation. I know that you don¡¯t want to squander your time, so you better be up and moving¡±.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Clark stopped the old man.


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°What happens if I fail? I mean what happens if I fail the sublimation process? Does anything happen to me, anything detrimental?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you die¡±. The old man stated matter-of-factly.


    Gulp!


    ¡­


    Clark was not given any time to question or absorb the new circumstances before being thrown into a new schedule, which was surprisingly studying a book.


    According to the old man, he was just a random consciousness that was created to facilitate the sublimation process.


    Of course, Clark asked who created him but the old man said that he didn¡¯t know, making him even more clueless about his situation.


    The old man didn¡¯t care though, he went inside the house, straight to his parent¡¯s room which prompted an uncomfortable shift from Clark before he returned with a book. A very big book.


    The old man stated imperiously after coming back. ¡°Read this book, comprehend what it entails and create a self-created technique from its boundless knowledge in a year¡±.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have a basic mastery of it in a year, you will die!¡±


    Clark was like. ¡°What the hell? Creating a self-created technique relies a lot on luck, inspiration, enlightenment, you don¡¯t expect me to be lucky all the time right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have this book, it¡¯s for inspiration¡±.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Your time starts now¡±.


    Clark felt a little bummed on being talked down so casually, he wanted to protest but he held himself back in the end.


    He still didn¡¯t understand this world and the so-called sublimation process yet. If he had the choice, he would learn no shit but the problem was that he didn¡¯t want to die.


    Reining his impulses in and suppressing his frustration, he devoted all his attention to understanding the knowledge recorded in the book.


    >The Deity>


    This was the title of the book. Its cover was extremely hard, Clark guessed that it was made from an exotic metal, making him gasp at such lascivious spending of money.


    ¡°Well, maybe this is not even real, the old geezer said everything here is made from my consciousness¡±.


    He didn¡¯t care much about these questions though; he was determined to understand the book¡¯s contents and if possible, get inspiration to create a new self-created technique.


    After he finally accepted his circumstances, he discovered that this process was even to his benefit.


    If he created a new self-created technique, he would become stronger which was a great boon to himself.


    Dragon breaks the ranks- which is still his only self-created technique already saved his life on more than a dozen occasions, creating a new one would only do him good and not bad.


    As he read the book, he didn¡¯t know how but he felt that his comprehension speed increased a lot compared to before. He guessed that this was another benefit of his fusion with the bean quadrant enhancer.


    Despite his vastly increased comprehension speed, to his dismay, he spent a whole month here without being able to comprehend half of the book¡¯s content.


    ¡°Is this a prank? How can an inspiration source to create a self-created technique be so complicated? The last time, I created it just by watching an animated movie¡±.


    Another month later, he already finished reading the book but he was still in the process of comprehending everything that was inside it.


    After reading it for so long, he had to admit that the author of the book was a genius. The book not only incorporated medical theories, but technological, martial art theories, and even mythical theories.


    The combination of so many theories brought together a terrifying combination that despite just comprehending a part of it, he felt that he could wield a world-destroying power by creating something from it.


    By now, he no longer needed the old man¡¯s encouragement, his spirit was ignited as he tried his best to come up with something tangible from this new knowledge that he just learned.


    For the next month, apart from going out to eat, have his bath, and other minor things, he never left the book.


    He no longer even spoke with the old man, he directed all his attention to deciphering the secrets that were hidden in this mysterious book.


    In the 4th month since he started reading the book, he finally experienced a change. He felt like he just understood something that has been trying to evade him for the past few months.


    His heart was filled with joy on this discovery. With his eyes tightly closed, he contemplated what he just comprehended in silence, trying different scenarios in his head.


    An hour later, when his eyes finally opened, they gleamed with a wisdom that was not present there before.


    As soon as his eyes focused, he saw the old man before him.


    ¡°Congratulations, you have successfully crossed the comprehension stage. Your comprehension time is average, you have less than 8 months to complete the last 2 processes¡±.


    ¡°Now, you have entered the experience stage. Get yourself prepared; the second stage will start in 30 minutes¡±.


    Clark nodded absentmindedly, still engrossed in the joyful feeling that he experienced on comprehending all the knowledge stored in the book.


    To his dismay, 30 minutes later, he was rudely drawn out of his joyful mood and dragged directly into the fire.


    ¡°From your memory, I already detected the self-created technique that you are in the process of creating. Now, I will use the completed technique on you till you are familiar with it. Get ready¡±.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    Bam!


    A fist flew at Clark at a mind-blowing speed. Before he could react, his head was hammered with force as he flew to the back of the sitting room.


    His head hurt like hell; pain erupted all over his body but he was not allowed to rest. The old man appeared before him again the next moment, the devilish fist flying at him again.


    His eyes gleamed slightly, he knew that this was the self-created technique that he envisioned, but having to suffer from it still left him uncomfortable.


    He tried to retaliate but¡­


    Bam!


    ¡°I will punch you!¡± Bam!


    ¡°I will kill you!¡± bam!


    ¡°Ahh!!!¡± Bam! Bam! Bam!


    For one month straight, he was subjected to this hellish treatment. He only had breaks to eat, the rest time was him being a punching bag for a technique that he envisioned creating.


    He didn¡¯t even know how he was still alive; he was practically being crushed to meat paste every second of his life.


    At the end of the 5th month, he heard something that made him cry tears of joy and relief.


    ¡°Congratulations, you have successfully crossed the experience stage. You have experienced the feeling of your technique, now all you have to do for the sublimation to be complete is to use it in a battle¡±.


    ¡°You have entered the implementation stage!¡±

 Chapter 279: sublimation 3

    ¡°For this implementation stage, you have only 7 months to complete it. Using the term only seems like an exaggeration, but the implementation stage is the hardest stage of all¡±.


    ¡°For this stage, efficiency is key. You have to scour through the knowledge and experience that you already have about your technique, you need to implement it in a battle¡±.


    ¡°And of course, there are opponents for you. The right opponents¡±.


    ¡°You already had an encounter with one, the dinosaurs. All of them roughly have a power base of 4th rank high-grade soldiers, their children have peak 3rd rank strength but they are always tightly protected by the parents¡±.


    ¡°Do not question the set-up or the weird personality of these predators, it was all created to facilitate your sublimation¡±.


    Hearing all these extreme demands, Clark blew up despite all the trauma that he already experienced at the hands of this old man. ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to kill such exobeasts right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way for you to kill one with your own strength, even the children. The only way is if you grasp and implement your self-created technique. You have to break your limits Clark, or you¡¯re dying here¡±.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Leave¡±. The old man interrupted him and waved; he disappeared the next moment.


    Before Clark could protest again, his sight blackened for a second before lighting up again the next. When his vision finally adjusted, his face became solemn; he was back in the evil bamboo forest.


    He wanted to curse at the old man, but this was when he remembered that he actually didn¡¯t ask for his name despite staying together for 5 good months.


    ¡°What came over me?¡±


    He quickly put that concern aside and ducked, his heart started beating rapidly, he just heard the twig of a bamboo tree being snapped into 2.


    He felt like crying, this was just too fast. At least the first time when he was here, it took a reasonable amount of time before he met the first dinosaur. Did the old geezer rig the set-up?


    He didn¡¯t even have any of his weapons, how was he to fight enemies that were 2 ranks above him?


    Roar!! Thud! Thud!


    In his memory, he didn¡¯t remember dinosaurs having such good eyesight but this old man clearly rigged things again. Seeing the enormous predator that was lumbering in his direction, he picked himself up and went on the run.


    ¡°Stay away you bastard! The old fool tricked you! I¡¯m not food!¡±


    Despite all his yells and curses, the dinosaur did not relent in its pursuit as the distance between the both of them kept on getting closer and closer.


    ¡°F*ck it!¡± He no longer put his hopes on luck as he stopped and kicked at a bamboo tree that stood to his right.


    With one smooth hit, the bamboo was uprooted. He held the back of the bamboo stick with his hand and hit the front with his leg, forming something like a javelin but much cruder.


    Pow!


    He threw his make-shift weapon with all his might at the approaching enemy. It did connect with its face, but the sound of the impact made Clark¡¯s heart sink into the depths of despair.


    Ponk!


    The dinosaur finally closed the distance as its enormous maw aimed at its target. Already experienced with this, Clark leaped backward and rolled swiftly as he created further distance between them.


    Before the beast could reorient itself, he already kicked and uprooted another bamboo stick. He thrust the pointed end at this fellow¡¯s thick hide only to produce another ponk sound, his hands hurt.


    Before he could react, with a much swifter snap, the predator ripped his head off. Clark died¡­, and of course, he fell down from the sky at another part of the bamboo forest the next moment.


    This was what he hated most about this forest. Whereas in the other stages with the old man he just suffered pain, this time, he suffered the pain of dying which was extremely traumatic.


    Though he felt angry, he quickly calmed himself as he started planning for his next encounter with these predators.


    What made humans unique? It was their immense intelligence and cunning. Though that was mostly fart before some exobeasts like Drakonous, humans were still more intelligent.


    This was not something that could be done in a day. According to the old man, he had 7 months and to him, that was more than enough.


    Picking himself up before any of the dinosaurs could find him, he first decided to make a camouflage cloak for himself to better hide from their scrutinizing gaze of death.


    Next, he had to set traps.


    Even if the bamboo trees were mostly to make the background more epic and were more or less useless against the dinosaurs¡¯ thick skin, he could still make use of them in a trap.


    After all these, the only problem was how the hell was he supposed to kill any of these exobeasts with his bare fists. ¡°Damn old man!¡±


    ¡­


    A dinosaur casually moved through the bamboo forest, its long neck enabling it to munch easily at any bamboo that was spreading its tiny leaves to obstruct its path.


    Blood was dripping down this fellow¡¯s neck from a large wound that was inflicted on it just a few minutes ago.


    It just finished a battle with one of its siblings and emerged as the winner. As it was not fond of eating its sibling¡¯s thick flesh, it forfeited the food and decided to hunt for more eatable food.


    As this huge predator lumbered across the bamboo forest, a pair of eyes watched it alertly from a few dozen meters away.


    Clark laid on the forest floor, his eyes watching his target sharply as he made sure that not a movement was made from his direction.


    He was dressed in a make-shift brown and green attire made from the leaves in the forest. Though it was already 5 months since he was here, he always blushed when he saw himself in this barbaric cloth.


    This time, he hardly cared though, his eyes were focused and trained on his new target only.


    After hundreds of encounters with the dinosaurs of the forest and dying hundreds of times, he finally started drafting targeted strategies to aim at the weakness of these predators.


    For the past 4 months, his life could be summarized as hell in a dream.


    As the dinosaur lumbered forward like a truck in his direction, he grasped the 2 bamboo sticks that were in both of his hands tighter.


    He was already planning this attack for over 5 weeks; he did not want to mess it up. It was not easy to get such a nice opportunity, if he missed it, he would surely regret it for a long time.


    The dinosaur was running straight in his direction but he did not move. As soon as the dinosaur¡¯s first leg went past his body, he finally moved.


    With mind-blowing power, he erupted from his position beneath the exobeast as he shifted his upper body back slightly and swung sideways with all his might.


    Boom!!


    The 2 bamboo sticks hit the predator¡¯s second leg with force, making it stagger for a moment. Its eyes blazed with fury as it finally detected the tiny bug that ambushed it.


    With a swift but smooth drop of its head, its sharp teeth bit downward but Clark was gone.


    As soon as they hit, the bamboo sticks broke into fragments so Clark no longer lingered in one place. Running swiftly like the flash, he evaded the bite, rolled forward a bit, and continued his escape.


    The dinosaur turned immediately and went in pursuit.


    After running dozens of times from the pursuit of these bastards, one improvement that was noticeable in him was his speed. He was now extremely fast, just like a rat escaping from a cat.


    He swayed left and right, slipping through the claws of the now frustrated predator as he led it calmly to his predetermined direction.


    Thud!


    The next moment, the dinosaur roared as its enormous mass of a body fell like a 2 storied lorry. The ground shook due to this great fall but Clark stabilized himself quickly.


    He dug a hole in the ground which the dinosaur fell for. One of its legs got stuck in the hole, and this succeeded in bringing down its whole body due to the sheer inertia force.


    As soon as the dinosaur fell, his plan started in earnest.


    A wall of bamboo sticks suddenly jumped out of the ground, their sharp polished tips gleaming as they all dug clumsily into the hide of the dinosaur, pinning it in place.


    Other bamboo sticks were bent by the predator¡¯s force, erupting from the ground with force and using its own weight as a power source to tie its huge legs firmly to the ground.


    Roar!


    The now angry predator roared but Clark was hardly fazed.


    After stalking for 2 weeks, after planning and setting this up for another 3 weeks, all the puzzles finally fell in place and this bastard expects him to be intimidated just by a single roar.


    ¡°You need a doctor buddy!¡±


    Thud! Clark turned to face the dinosaur directly man to beast before sharply stumping on the ground.


    The next moment, the grass on the floor stirred. Carefully modified and shaped bamboo sticks suddenly shot out of the ground all around him, hovering before him like stick-shaped drones.


    ¡°Take this bitch!¡±


    His hands moved extremely fast, leaving only afterimages behind as the bamboo sticks hovering in the air diminished at a visible speed, all of them flying at the dinosaur¡¯s face.


    Due to the force that he applied when throwing, the dinosaur could not react before the bamboo sticks reached its face.


    2 hit its eyes but to Clark¡¯s shock were repelled. Well, if 2 could not do it, dozens would.


    Pu! Pu! Pu!


    It only required another minute before this dinosaur got both its eyes blinded from the bamboo stick throws.


    As it bellowed in rage, thrashing around, Clark was already sprinting closer from its sides with a special bamboo stick in his hand. Unlike the others, the pointed edge of this one was covered by metal.


    Jumping with all his strength, Clark thrust the bamboo stick straight at the injury on the dinosaur¡¯s neck as the metal pointed end finally drilled inside, earning another painful roar from the predator.


    This pain seemed to have stimulated it as the dinosaur abandoned all its fatigue and trampled fiercely, all the traps holding it down snapped into parts in the face of this power.


    Thud! Thud!


    Turning his head to the side, Clark saw 2 other dinosaurs running in his direction to help their sibling. His face became anxious, but he was not ready to retreat.


    This was his best shot so far; he was reluctant to fail.


    Dodging the swift bite of the exobeast, his legs left afterimages behind, dust shooting everywhere in his wake as he ran under the wounded predator.


    No weapon was with him again, only his fists were available to him. But at this moment, he felt that it was enough, he felt a strange energy brewing in his fists and he threw it outwards without hesitation.


    Boom!


    Blinding white light flashed, blood sprayed, the forest shook, bamboo trees were cleaved down, and Clark¡¯s vision darkened.


    ¡°Congratulations¡­¡±


    Clark could not hear this, he was dead.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 280: settling an old debt

    When it finally came to the time to go, Clark was shocked to discover that he already had a lot of attachment to his eccentric Master. He was shockedl. Was he secretly a masochist?


    Since he met his Master, it was pain upon pain and trouble upon trouble, though he also grew a lot in strength.


    ¡°Thank you, Master. For everything during my stay here, I¡¯m grateful. Though you were harsh on me, I knew that it was for my own good. For that, thank you¡­¡±


    Thwack! The old man viciously smacked Clark on the back of his head.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m sorry sir¡±. Clark pouted.


    ¡°But Master, I just graduated from your tutelage. Are you not granting me any special thing, like a special weapon or anything of the sort? You know, to act as a memory¡±.


    Thwack!


    ¡°Ouch, that hurts¡±.


    ¡°Master, your hand is too thick¡±. After complaining fiercely for some minutes, Clark finally relented and stopped.


    ¡°What about the bean quadrant enhancer, what do you think about it?¡±


    The old man smiled nostalgically. ¡°When I was young just like the both of you, my friends and comrades then used to call me a lucky freak due to the privileges that I enjoyed¡±.


    ¡°Then, I agreed with them that they were right. But now I no longer think so, you¡¯re the real lucky freak¡±. The old man smiled, feeling the urge to smack Clark on the back of his head again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the enhancer, I¡¯m not a scientist. I¡¯m a soldier¡±.


    ¡°Though I don¡¯t know much, what I know is that the enhancer is a wonder-technological product. It may seem insignificant, but I¡¯m sure that it helped a lot in your smooth completion of the sublimation process¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re already a dragon, but this enhancer will make you a daddy dragon¡±.


    ¡°You may not know now but you¡¯re a beast Clark. You¡¯re a soldier who already transcends ranks just after breaking through. I feel weird praising you but I just can¡¯t help it this time¡±.


    ¡°King, accompany Clark and make sure that nothing happens to him¡±.


    King had a solemn expression on his face. ¡°He¡¯s stronger than me but I know my worth. I¡¯ll do my best to help him, Master¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±. The old man turned to face Clark. ¡°Take this!¡±


    Clark looked at the small rod-like object on his Master¡¯s hand suspiciously. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    The old man twitched his lips. ¡°Stop looking at it like that you fool! It¡¯s a special teleportation jade rod. Keep it well, it¡¯s a very expensive treasure and it only has a single-use¡±.


    His face became solemn. ¡°When you ever face a situation that you feel that you have zero hopes of surviving, crush it; I¡¯ll be there¡±.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, Master¡±.


    The old man waved his hand. ¡°Now leave my cave, I want to go attend to my fishes. A reminder though, the day that you use that jade rod, expect the spanking of your life from me¡±.


    ¡°I knew it¡±.


    ¡°Get out of my cave!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¡±. Clark laughed as he hastily left the sitting room with King.


    As he walked away, a lot of things went through his mind. Though his Master was somehow of the extreme kind, he would still miss the eccentric old man.


    He already learned about a lot of hidden secrets after this encounter with his Master, he was sure that his view of the world already changed a lot. Most of his future plans were already changing.


    He felt happy though, he was finally going home after fulfilling the mission that he came to this Mountain for.


    He wanted to go back immediately, but no, he still had an old debt to settle.


    ¡°Grey Fur, it¡¯s time for you to pay!¡±


    ¡­


    Boom!


    Explosion ravaged through the snow-filled region as 2 swift figures tyrannically penetrated through the ranks of the beasts, leaving a long trail of blood and animal body parts in their wake.


    King stuck close to Clark with his enormous muzzled gun on his shoulder, shooting out bomb after bomb and wreaking the formation of the beasts.


    Clark had a ferocious expression on his face as his hands swept left and right, leaving only sliced meat behind him. He was like an asura descended as he spread terror on the battlefield.


    None of the beasts could stop him, not even the exobeasts.


    5 minutes ago, when King asked for the strategy, he just laughed and dove carelessly into the horde of beasts. With his current strength, there was no need to waste his brainpower drawing complicated plans.


    In just a few moves, the beasts were left groveling at his feet.


    As Clark started killing his way to the direction of Grey Fur¡¯s abode, he finally saw a few familiar faces.


    The familiar Snow Leopard exobeast, the Himalayan Black Bear, and some other familiar faces growled angrily before rushing at him. He just laughed and welcomed them with open arms.


    With 2 swipes of his arm, 2 of the exobeasts fell down dead, horrifying the others. This was when the arrogant leader finally reacted.


    Roar!! Grey Fur finally showed up.


    Clark didn¡¯t care though, his eyes blazed with the fury of revenge as he pushed all the exobeasts obstructing his path apart like they were grains of rice before lumbering forward at his target.


    Boom!


    The clash stirred fierce shockwaves as the snow underneath their point of clash divided into 2 equal parts, providing them with the perfect battlefield to duck it out.


    No other intruder had the nerves to intervene in their battle, they were just like 2 giants battling it out in the presence of dwarf spectators.


    Being of the same rank now, Clark finally confirmed the power base of this exobeast that caused him the most damage in his mission to the great Himalayan peaks.


    Compared to King, Grey Fur was on a whole other level entirely.


    The beast was strong but he could still handle it. He still needed more practice to be able to perform his new self-created technique carefreely, but he didn¡¯t need it. He had one before.


    Dragon breaks the ranks!


    His spear turned into a red meteor, streaking forward fiercely with a blood-red shade accompanying it as it dug harshly into the hide of the unsuspecting exobeast.


    Roar!


    Grey Fur roared in pain. This sound made Clark grin bloodthirstily, this was music to his ears.


    Taking advantage of the fact that he drew first blood, his strikes became faster and with more force accompanying them as he strived to deal more damage to the flustered exobeast.


    Grey Fur continually growled in pain and confusion; it still couldn¡¯t understand how this was happening but it wasn¡¯t expected to understand in the first place.


    Ptui!


    Clark¡¯s spear dug viciously into its left hindlimb, making the fierce predator growl again in pain as it lashed out in a desperate struggle to retaliate against this puny human.


    Clark grinned. Compared to the dinosaurs that he died to hundreds of times; Grey Fur was just like a kid.


    He smoothly bent his body to the side, dodging Grey Fur¡¯s claw attack while at the same time dragging his spear forward. Ripping upwards, the spear tore a path of red through the exobeast¡¯s belly from its legs.


    Grey Fur¡¯s bowels were exposed as it staggered weakly due to this.


    Clark took complete advantage of this. His spear swiped backward extremely fast, removing the already damaged left leg completely from the barely struggling exobeast.


    The ape roared loudly in anguish as it launched itself up, its fists tightly clenched together before bringing it down for an earth-shattering strike.


    Clark did not even flinch, dodging smoothly to the side his spear drew an arch across the ape¡¯s exposed belly before it could react. The opening widened as blood and gore dropped out of the wailing ape¡¯s abdomen.


    It tried a few more desperate tricks but Clark¡¯s cold but calculated maneuvers ensured that he nullified every single threat.


    In the end, 10 minutes later, Grey Fur was left lying on the floor helplessly in a pool of its own blood. Its originally dreaded thick skin was lacerated at various angles, rendering it a pitiful sight.


    Its eyes were squinted in anguish as it kept on growling in pain, Clark was still stabbing at its huge body.


    Its 2 hind limbs were already cut off, leaving it amputated. Its enormous arms were still intact, but Clark made sure that he left them in a state that the ape wished they were not there.


    The battle that was originally raging between King and the other beasts already came to an abrupt stop.


    Seeing their originally invisible alpha get trashed by this puny human, over 70% of the beasts already ran for their dear life. This sight was probably so shocking that their brain short-circuited immediately.


    The others that stayed were too shocked to react.


    Grey Fur has reigned for too long as an undefeatable tyrant of this region. He was the devourer; he was never devoured. Seeing such a strange sight today reprogrammed the thought process of these poor beasts.


    Ignoring the beasts that were still gawking disbelieving at him like he was an alien, Clark stabbed his spear into the defeated ape¡¯s enormous shoulders before turning to drag it away.


    Despite all the sufferings and pain that it was suffering, Grey Fur stubbornly refused to let out a single whimper.


    Even in defeat, it still preserved its pride. It only growled aggressively as Clark dragged its enormous body roughly through the exposed rocks. It didn¡¯t crave forgiveness to be spared; it craved a glorious death in battle.


    And that was exactly what Clark intended to give to it.


    Under the scrutinizing gaze of the stunned beasts and the awed King, Clark dragged Grey Fur¡¯s body all the way to the tunnel that Josh drilled when they escaped a few months ago.


    He left his spear on the ape¡¯s body at the entrance of the tunnel before jumping inside.


    Inside the tunnel, he saw his friend¡¯s 2-form gun, torn piece of cloth, and his solidified blood. He didn¡¯t cry though; he just went closer and took hold of the 2-form gun and the piece of cloth.


    He climbed back up with these 2 objects.


    There was nothing that he could do, his friend was dead forever. He could not bring him back to life, but he could give him the best gift to let his soul rest in peace.


    After a few jury-rigging, he brought the originally jammed gun back to life.


    ¡°Benny, I¡¯ve done it for you. You died for Anna and I made sure she is safe, now I¡¯m about to kill the one who took you away from me. I hope this is enough to let your soul rest in peace¡±.


    He stuck the gun to Grey Fur¡¯s face in its machine gun configuration and pulled the trigger.


    Blood sprayed all over his body. The ape convulsed fiercely for 5 minutes before it finally became still, Grey Fur was dead!


    Leaving the gun to remain stuck in the exobeast¡¯s face, Clark turned and walked away with his friend¡¯s torn cloth.


    That is his last gift to his dead friend! That is his tribute to Benny!


    Soldiers die, but soldiers are never forgotten.

 Chapter 281: returning home

    ¡°Clark!¡± Josh was shocked on seeing the person that stood before him. He could not control himself, he rushed to hug him immediately. ¡°You came back?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I came back Captain¡±. Clark laughed heartily and returned the hug.


    Josh didn¡¯t know what he should feel right now, all he knew was that he was surprisingly all over the moon on seeing Clark hale and hearty after being separated for so long. He felt relieved.


    When his cousin reported to him that 2 men were looking for him, he was left slightly confused. Who was so foolish that he would come looking for him after his boss blacklisted him?


    Well, Clark and King were the people. Both of them obviously didn¡¯t give a damn about his boss, he somehow felt a cushy feeling in his heart describing these 2 guys like this.


    ¡°Hey! Why only him, am I not a person too?¡± King finally butted in when the hug was becoming too long and passionate, making the 2 others erupt laughing.


    This is when Josh finally remembered that they were standing outside. ¡°Oops! Sorry, my bad. Please come inside, friends like you shouldn¡¯t stay outside in weather like this¡±.


    ¡°No need¡±. Clark waved his hands in dismissal. ¡°Want to become free?¡±


    Josh froze before frowning. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What else did you think? Becoming free of course, as in resigning from your country as a soldier and following me to mine. I¡¯m ready to take you along, are you not willing?¡±


    Hearing this, Josh was stunned as he quickly stole a few glances at his back to confirm that no one was there listening. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I already thought about it extensively bro. I know exactly what I¡¯m saying¡±. Clark patted his chest for emphasis.


    Josh¡¯s shoulders slanted. ¡°I don¡¯t know bro. You know that no country will easily accept a 3rd rank high-grade soldier like me, they¡¯ll be more inclined to believe that I¡¯m a spy¡±.


    ¡°In the end, it¡¯ll just be the same. I¡¯ll receive the same treatment that I¡¯m currently receiving here, so I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s worth it¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t intend to recruit you into my country¡¯s army¡±.


    ¡°Then what?¡± Josh was puzzled.


    ¡°I have a mercenary organization. It already has a few dozen members before I went for this mission and I¡¯m sure that it would have expanded by now, we have a bright future¡±.


    ¡°And besides, I¡¯m a 3rd rank high-grade soldier now¡±. Clark smiled.


    ¡°Woah! You broke through?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re freakishly talented bro. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a soldier who improves at the pace that you do, you¡¯re really a beast¡±. Josh meant it which was evident from his tone and expression.


    ¡°So, are you interested?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! Wait let me go tell my cousin, I¡¯ll have to go through a lot of procedures¡±. Josh turned to sprint away the next moment.


    ¡°No probs, I can wait¡±. Clark yelled out at him before smiling and leading King to the corner to chill. He already expected such an answer from Josh, so he was not anxious in the slightest when he came here.


    He still felt that it was unreal despite seeing and experiencing it with his own eyes. Josh was a stranger to him a few months back, but this guy already earned his trust in so little time and was about to follow him back.


    He smiled; this phrase would never get old. ¡°Life is complicated man, it¡¯s full of ups and downs¡±.


    2 hours later, Josh was back with a skinny nerdy boy with golden hair trailing alongside him. The boy looked at them curiously while cowering behind his much bigger companion.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± Clark had question marks all over his face.


    ¡°He¡¯s my cousin¡±. Josh grinned. ¡°He¡¯s a supercomputer wizard so don¡¯t worry; he¡¯ll be super useful¡±.


    ¡°Hi, good day sir¡±. The boy waved shyly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s not as respectful and shy as he seems¡±. Josh exposed the boy ruthlessly. ¡°When he gets close to you, you¡¯ll regret ever getting close to him¡±.


    ¡°He¡¯s an annoying nerdy bastard with an even more bastardly mouth¡±.


    ¡°Hahaha, what¡¯s his name?¡± Clark laughed before asking.


    ¡°Jonah¡±. Josh also laughed.


    ¡°Are you done? Can we go now?¡± King finally asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m done¡±.


    ¡°Great!¡±


    All 4 of them finally left the Marianan military outpost, moving a few meters into the distance. At a sizeable distance away, cars were parked there and a group of people was beside the cars.


    ¡°2nd Invisible sir, you¡¯re finally back¡±. One man among the group of people standing with the cars suddenly marched out while addressing in a respectful tone.


    Clark sighed. ¡°Jason, I already told you to stop addressing me that way¡±.


    ¡°Sir, I can¡¯t. Your knowledge is too encompassing for me to address you like an equal, that will be the greatest blasphemy of the decade. Forgive my impertinence, you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok¡±. Clark waved his hands impatiently. ¡°Get in the car, we¡¯re leaving. I can¡¯t wait to drop you with your so-called 1st Invisible sir¡±.


    Jason¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°We¡¯ll be meeting Invisible sir?¡±


    Clark facepalmed while King and Josh burst out laughing. In such a harmonious atmosphere, they boarded the cars and they were soon on the road cruising away.


    To Clark, this was the best possible ending to his mission.


    ¡­


    In the Spartan republic, at the border defense area. Soldiers stood, as usual, manning this most important entry point into the elite areas of the Spartan republic territory.


    The Spartan republic had 3 strategic defense areas. This was the one in the North, another one is in the South, and the last one is the strategic port that rested on the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.


    Captain Dan was the current leader of this outpost. With a few dozen decades of experience under his belt, he had the mettle to take over leadership of this very important entry point.


    This time, he was not in his office as usual but was standing at the most vantage point of the defense perimeter, looking into the distance like the normal scouts.


    If looked at thoroughly, it could be seen that the average number of scout soldiers that were currently in the base was more than could be considered normal.


    For the Captain, this was indeed not a normal period as an order came from the upper echelons a few months ago that he personally watches for somebody, a Spartan soldier just like him.


    What made him more shocked was that the order was directed to him by no one else but Commander Rashford himself, shocking him to the bone.


    Getting an order directly from such an august figure, he did not dare slack at all. This led to a situation where for the past few months, he devoted himself to becoming a scout like the regular soldiers.


    For something so important, he was not okay leaving it to his subordinates.


    ¡°Who is this soldier exactly? Why is so much importance attached to his return?¡± He already asked himself this question lots of times, but he still couldn¡¯t get a definite answer.


    Of course, he already researched Clark¡¯s background but he still could not understand how a soldier like Commander Rashford will be so interested in a 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    Just like most soldiers, he didn¡¯t know about the expedition''s mission into the Everest. He was left in the dark, which was the main reason why he had so many questions.


    ¡°Sir, a fleet of 10 cars are coming our way¡±. One of his subordinates reported.


    ¡°Which brand of cars? Scan inside them and show me footage of inside the car, and a detailed report too¡±. He smoothly gave orders.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The young soldier went to work immediately.


    A few seconds later, the soldier rushed back into the vantage point that he was watching from, looking all flustered. The captain frowned but he held his peace and listened.


    ¡°Sir, we found the target!¡±


    ¡°What? Take me there!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey, is this how your country treats a soldier coming back from a mission victoriously?¡± King asked, curling his lips as dozens of soldiers surrounded their cars in seconds.


    Clark was completely calm, he already expected this so he was not flustered at all. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll be back in a moment¡±. He directed at the others.


    Smoothly opening the door, he stepped out of the door. After climbing down the Himalayan peaks, he already changed from his rough climbing clothes to something more presentable.


    He was currently dressed in a casual pair of blue jean trousers, a red polo shirt, and a pair of outing boots.


    ¡°Hi, looking for me?¡± He smiled and waved at the soldiers.


    A middle-aged soldier with a stern face walked out of the dozens of soldiers, he faced him directly. ¡°You¡¯re Clark Pendragon?¡±


    Captain Dan wanted to take a not too friendly approach before since this was a soldier a rank lower than he was, but on getting close enough to Clark he was stunned speechless.


    ¡°This guy already broke through¡­, at such a young age!¡± He was shocked.


    His brain whirred swiftly, a lot of things going through his mind. He finally concluded. ¡°So this guy is a genius that the republic is paying special attention to¡±.


    ¡°If he can even draw the attention of the great Commander Rashford, I need to be more polite¡±. His tone became a lot softer and more harmonious immediately.


    Before Clark could answer his first question, he already changed gears. ¡°Clark Pendragon, welcome back to the Spartan republic¡±. He smiled and extended a hand out to shake the young prodigy.


    ¡°Thanks¡±. Clark firmly took the much older fellow¡¯s hand smilingly.


    In such a setting, Captain Dan suddenly felt a little awkward. The last time that he checked, this soldier was only 21 whereas he was already over 70 years old.


    ¡°Well, who cares?¡± He could do with some shamelessness at times.


    He said a lot of other per functionary words to make Clark feel close and at home, before saying what made him come out here.


    ¡°The upper echelons ordered me to lead you to the Presidential villa as soon as you come back. I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your journey, but I hope that you can cooperate¡±.


    Captain Dan had an apologetic look on his face.


    ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll be back in a moment¡±. Clark turned back to go inform his companions.


    He already expected this, but he was still surprised that he was being taken to the Presidential villa directly. The upper echelons really meant business.


    He knew that once Diana gave a military report of the proceedings of their mission, he would be asked for immediately when he returns.


    ¡°Call Rose, she will direct you guys to my mansion, ok?¡±


    ¡°Is she your wife?¡± King hesitated.


    Clark was now speechless; what the heck! ¡°Just go, I don¡¯t have a wife yet¡±. He shooed him away.


    ¡°Ok, you can go finish your report. If anything happens, remember to just ping me. I¡¯ll try to be there in a jiffy¡±. King replied casually.


    ¡°Ok, bye guys¡±.


    After waving at his companions, Clark finally turned to follow Captain Dan into a military vehicle. They drove off the next moment.


    [Sorry for the late release.]

 Chapter 282: military report

    Clark felt his heart palpitating rapidly but he did a good job in concealing it as the entourage of vehicles drove into the Presidential villa. To his shock, this was actually his first time visiting this place.


    He was surprised that throughout all these years as a soldier, he had not visited the Spartan Presidential villa before, not even once.


    The Presidential villa was just like the headquarters of the Spartan army, the only difference was that the former had a more militaristic vibe while the villa was more luxurious.


    >The Federal Republic of Sparta>


    Even before the entourage of cars got close enough, Clark was already seeing this from afar. It was stylishly drawn boldly in an extremely tall stale, proudly displaying the majesty of the Spartan republic.


    Clark savored the sight ravenously like a hungry wolf, taking his time to admire it before the cars drove close enough to obstruct his view.


    He finally looked down to see the villa¡¯s gate. Taking his sight away from the luxurious oversized gate that led inside the villa, his eyes came before a feast of majestic buildings rambling across.


    Everywhere and everything before him was in a red and white theme.


    Red and white buildings, red and white cars, guards dressed in red and white, everything about the Presidential villa was practically screaming these 2 colors, forming an astonishing sight to the beholder who was Clark.


    There were a lot of details that he was excited to look into, but he was not given the time as the car that he was in drove inside after undergoing a thorough check by the villa guards.


    As they drove deeper, Clark observed that the number of luxuriously styled buildings grew fewer while buildings with a more militaristic background took over his vision.


    The most prominent of these buildings had various tags to indicate their use.


    He saw the war strategy planning building, the virtual conference building, and a lot of other buildings before his eyes looked upon the President¡¯s building.


    Surprisingly, the building that was assigned to the President was much smaller than the other prominent buildings surrounding it. Despite this, it was still a structure designed from peak Spartan architectural design.


    The building was shaped like an ancient Spartan helmet relic.


    At the bottom of the helmet where the wearer''s neck is supposed to be was the door, the place for the 2 openings of the wearer¡¯s eyes stood 2 enormous windows looking like things made from alien technology.


    Overall, to Clark it looked plain, it was just a helmet Afterall but it had a certain majesty to it that he could not pinpoint at the moment.


    ¡°Major Clark, we¡¯ve arrived¡±. Captain Dan spoke while turning to face his much younger counterpart with a bright smile on his face.


    ¡°Thanks for the company Captain, I really appreciate it¡±. Clark reciprocated with a smile of his own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention¡±. The Captain waved his hands. ¡°It¡¯s not every day that I get to enter this revered Presidential villa, it¡¯s even more of an honor to come in with a soldier as talented as you¡±.


    ¡°I dare not keep you waiting, go on now. The President is waiting for you!¡±


    Clark didn¡¯t know why, but hearing this made goosebumps erupt all over him, creeping all over his skin like slithering zombie snakes.


    It was a normal reaction though.


    Getting the chance to meet the one and only President of the Spartan republic who was sitting on that seat since the very inception of the republic, it was hard to remain calm.


    Though Clark still felt awe about the legendary Leonidas, it was much lesser than before. Since he met his Master, his awe for soldiers lower than the elite-grade realm diminished a bit.


    This did not matter much though; he was still a Spartan citizen through and through. Leonidas was his childhood idol and he still was, meeting him physically was a dream come through.


    Coming down from the car, he waved Captain Dan goodbye before marching forward with a stern face to meet the villa guards that were waiting before him.


    ¡°Welcome, Major Clark. This way¡±. The one who seemed to be the leader of the guards greeted briefly before escorting him through the opening in the helmet-shaped building.


    Inside the building was like a teleportation portal to Clark. All around him was filled with blue color tinged with white sparkling lights like stars, the corridor seemed fantastical.


    Unlike what he expected, he didn¡¯t have to go far. The guards just led him to a large computer before stopping.


    ¡°Danik A19, take this soldier to the conference room¡±. The leader of the guard spoke in the direction of the computer.


    ¡°Input received, Guard Captain Dariel¡±. An A. I¡¯s voice sounded out. The next moment, Clark felt the familiar feeling of a scanner flashing through his body.


    ¡°Major Clark, welcome to the President¡¯s building. Initializing transportation to the conference room in 2 seconds¡±.


    Warp! Clark disappeared.


    When his eyes cleared up and his orientation became normal again, he immediately deduced that he was now in a hall of sorts. 3 throne-like chairs were before him and in the chairs sat 3 hegemons of the Spartan republic.


    Clark straightened his back; standing at attention, he saluted solemnly at the 2 figures sitting before him that he recognized. He did not recognize the last person, so he held back his salute.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon¡±. The President¡¯s voice sounded gentle, far more gentle than Clark expected of the legendary Leonidas who singlehandedly led the Spartan republic to where it is today.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. President. I¡¯m at your service sir¡±. Clark maintained his strictly respectful attitude, still standing at attention.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well, I read of the achievements that you accomplished in the Everest from the military report given by your second in command. Well done, soldier¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, sir, it¡¯s an honor to serve the republic under your rule sir¡±.


    ¡°Commander, take over¡±. The President waved his hands casually, a cool expression on his face.


    Though Clark felt giddy on meeting his idol, even more excited about receiving his praise, he did not let his excitement get to his head. This was the President of the Spartan republic, as a soldier of the republic he had to be formal.


    ¡°Clark, you didn¡¯t disappoint my expectations¡±. The man sitting to the right of the President finally spoke after keeping quiet for so long.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor, Commander¡±. Clark saluted again.


    ¡°Ok, Clark, we already know most of the details so I won¡¯t go into many details. I want you to give me a more comprehensive report as the leader of your squad, and about the bean quadrant enhancer of course¡±.


    Hearing this, Clark¡¯s face did not betray a flinch. With a solemn expression, he laid down a detailed report of everything that transpired in the mission, of course, he excluded the parts involving his Master.


    After listening to everything that he said, all 3 upper echelon¡¯s faces became strange, going deep in contemplation.


    The 3rd upper echelon that Clark did not recognize finally asked, a frown now on his face. ¡°What do you mean by you fused with the bean quadrant enhancer?¡±


    ¡°Clark, this is General Armstrong. He is the one in charge of the republic¡¯s foreign relations¡±. Commander Rashford introduced.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, General¡±. Clark finally saluted at him.


    ¡°Explain what you mean to me¡±. The General had no change in his expression.


    Clark still had a calm face despite all these. He broke his report down further, telling them everything about Professor Granit and his crazy experiment.


    ¡°How do we verify what you just said?¡± The General asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know sir¡±.


    ¡°Good, and you f*cking expect me to believe you¡±. As the General wanted to explode, Leonidas raised a hand.


    ¡°Can the enhancer be removed from your head?¡± The President asked calmly.


    ¡°I have no idea, sir¡±. Clark flinched a bit but he still answered truthfully.


    ¡°Ok¡±. The President waved a hand as a corner of the room rippled before a machine appeared. ¡°Enter that machine¡±.


    Clark finally hesitated a bit.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not willing?¡± The General now had a ferocious expression on his face.


    Clark¡¯s face finally steeled a bit. ¡°Mr. President, a man that I encountered in the Everest told me that before you work on me, I should show you this¡±.


    He brought a parchment out of his pocket. On the front of the parchment was written a bold E in red font color.


    The other 2 had no change in their expression on seeing the parchment, but President Leonidas¡¯s face changed immediately on seeing it. It took more than a second before he finally calmed down.


    He directed an interesting glance at Clark. ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry, you can enter the machine¡±.


    Clark no longer hesitated. Keeping the parchment back into his pocket, he went closer to the pulsing machine. An opening appeared before him which he smoothly entered through.


    The machine quickly closed itself up before being consumed by blue light, current was visibly drawn from the building¡¯s reserves.


    ¡°What¡¯s that parchment?¡± The General asked while turning to face the President as soon as Clark entered the machine.


    ¡°Watch your tongue Armstrong, you¡¯re speaking to your President¡±. Rashford frowned while chastising the General.


    Leonidas was calm. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know, it¡¯s a confidential secret¡±.


    The General frowned, in the end, he just kept quiet.


    A few months back, one of his subordinates told him that a young soldier was stirring trouble. He didn¡¯t even look then, he just fulfilled his subordinate¡¯s request and filled Clark¡¯s name among those going for the Everest mission.


    Though he and his subordinates could not oppose Leonidas completely, they were competent enough to punish any other soldier who thought he was clever and more patriotic than them.


    What he didn¡¯t expect though was Clark fulfilling the mission, and even retrieving the main mission target.


    The President suddenly interrupted his thoughts. ¡°The scan is complete. The enhancer cannot be retrieved from the soldier unless we butcher him, but that¡¯s not an option¡±.


    ¡°I second your motion¡±. Rashford added. ¡°Clark has the potential to be in hold of such an enhancer, this may be an investment that will give us another Commander in the future¡±.


    ¡°What? You guys are not planning to let him leave with such a valuable device right? I have better soldiers under me, I have 4th rank high-grade soldiers¡±. The General protested immediately.


    ¡°Me taking it is even better. With it, I may have the chance of becoming another Commander who will take the republic to higher heights¡±.


    Leonidas finally narrowed his eyes. ¡°Armstrong, know your boundaries!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m not seeing your actions, the only reason why I¡¯m tolerating you is because of your importance to the growth of the republic. Remember that the prosperity of the republic should be placed above all personal gains¡±.


    ¡°The day that you forget this, I¡¯ll get extreme with you and I believe you don¡¯t want to see me go extreme¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. President¡±. The General cowered back under the President¡¯s deep tone before finally relenting, ¡°but¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough! This discussion ends here, Clark Pendragon takes the bean quadrant enhancer. Rashford, work the other minor details¡±.


    ¡°From today, Clark¡¯s evaluation will be raised from a rising prodigy to a prodigy of the highest tier. Grant him all the privileges that follow, I don¡¯t want to wake up one day to hear that we¡¯ve lost him¡±.


    Leonidas directed a fierce gaze at the General.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. President¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±. With one step out of his throne-like chair, he disappeared.

 Chapter 283: current situation

    As soon as the military report was given and the President left, Rashford finally ended the short convergence conference.


    After General Armstrong left, he also stood up to go after making sure that Clark was teleported back by the building¡¯s A. I to be led away by his escort.


    He didn¡¯t leave the President¡¯s building though, after leaving the conference room he teleported to another part of the building before taking a spiraling staircase upwards.


    It took him 2 minutes to get to the end of the staircase. When he reached the end, he arrived before an open sky.


    This was the roof of the helmet-shaped building.


    On the roof, there were a swimming pool, a small garden, a small zoo that was filled with creatures and exobeasts of various species, and a small bar at the side that was dominated by drinks.


    President Leonidas was currently seated inside the bar, leisurely sipping from a bottle of enhanced treated water. Seeing Commander Rashford, he smiled like he was expecting him.


    ¡°You were expecting me?¡± Rashford laughed.


    ¡°Yes, I knew that you would not be able to curb your curiosity. That¡¯s one of your weaknesses that you never bother to improve on, it can be used to lay a trap for you one day¡±.


    ¡°Hahaha, let them try, I¡¯ll bulldoze through all their traps with brute power¡±. Rashford flexed his muscles, prompting a chuckle from the President.


    ¡°How much do you know about the Elites?¡± The President suddenly asked.


    Rashford paused. ¡°You mean the Elite Commanders of legends?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I think I know fairly much about them compared to others. They are the soldiers with the strongest individual strength in the world, they have abilities that science cannot explain¡±.


    ¡°Lots of stuff like that, their description is too much to finish in a sitting. Why did you bring this up, is it related to the parchment that the kid showed us?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±. The President smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why you came right? You want to know what the parchment meant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t understand a thing. I just kept quiet to maintain my dignity before a junior, a soldier has to have prestige you know. You thought me that¡±.


    Rashford shrugged before plopping down on a chair beside the President, he already snatched a bottle of chilled drink for himself.


    President Leonidas chuckled, leaned back on his chair before speaking, his tone nostalgic. ¡°The E written in the parchment, that is an ancient communication technique that I¡¯ve not seen in centuries¡±.


    ¡°Holy moly!¡± Rashford was shocked. ¡°You serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m dead serious¡±. The President relished the feeling of making his younger companion shocked, he always loved feeling more knowledgeable than others.


    ¡°To be sincere, when I first saw the kid bring out the parchment, it took all my willpower to hold myself back from cursing out loud. Like, seeing something that you last saw over a century ago will startle anyone¡±.


    Rashford threw his head back and roared in laughter. ¡°If you lost your cool, then poor Clark¡¯s perception of the cool and aloof President would have been brutally shattered¡±.


    ¡°Ok, jokes aside. Tell me more about the parchment¡±. He finally demanded with a tinge of expectation in his tone.


    ¡°The E on the parchment, it was written with the extracted blood of a high-tier exobeast. This was a strange method that the Elite Commanders used in communicating over a century ago¡±.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the last time that I saw it being used¡±.


    ¡°Back when they were still known by some upper echelons of countries, some Elite Commanders gave this parchment to the soldiers that they fancied, which acted as a layer of protection to those few lucky freaks¡±.


    Rashford finally caught to the point, eyes widening. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know how but somehow, not only did this Clark have the chance of meeting an Elite Commander, he also attracted the latter¡¯s attention¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is pure dumb luck or as a result of his talent, but either of the scenarios is a great win for the Spartan republic¡±.


    The President sighed. ¡°Armstrong thought that they were sending him to his death, but now see. The world is really mysterious, I think this is the legendary fortune from misfortune scenario¡±.


    Rashford became serious a bit. ¡°If this is true, then Clark Pendragon is a soldier with an enormous potential than we evaluated. We have to give him proper attention and take care of him¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I raised his attention level to the highest level received by young prodigies. But this may all be speculation too, so we can¡¯t really be sure¡±. The President clicked his tongue.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know, but helping him hurts no one¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡±.


    The President suddenly sighed. ¡°Even in this my age, I have only heard about Elite Commanders but the small kid already had an encounter with one. Is this fate?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Well, forget about those things, and let¡¯s focus on more important matters¡±. Rashford waved his hands casually.


    The President suddenly turned to face him. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel anything? I originally wanted to give the bean quadrant enhancer to you when I heard that Clark retrieved it¡±.


    Rashford paused for a moment before replying. ¡°I don¡¯t really need it to fulfill my potential, it¡¯s better utilized by Clark. And besides, I don¡¯t want to anger an Elite. I still love my life and my wife¡±.


    Bursting into a pearl of laughter, the President downed his water in one gulp before taking a bottle of chilled drink from the cabinet before him.


    They both sat, enjoying the sensation of the sun heating their skin, and drinking to their heart¡¯s content, while leisurely bringing up matters of discussion to kill the time.


    ¡°What is your opinion about the infamous Professor Granit?¡± Rashford suddenly asked; his face now an epitome of curious laziness.


    ¡°I have to say that Clark is really a lucky bastard. Not only did he meet an Elite Commander in one mission, he also had the chance to meet a freak like Professor Granit¡±.


    ¡°From the history that I learned, though that guy was a freak, he was still a legend of humanity when it comes to the medical sector. Who thought that he was actually still living as a brain after so long, what the heck?¡±


    The President shuddered a bit on hearing the Professor¡¯s name, a sight which seemed alien to Rashford.


    ¡°Did you know him?¡± Rashford was curious.


    ¡°Yes, I met him for some time¡±.


    ¡°Woah! You never told me that! How is his personality? Is it as the rumors say?¡±


    ¡°That guy¡­, that guy is a maniac scientist!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Major Clark, I guess our time together ends here¡±. Captain Dan extended a hand for another handshake with his younger counterpart. ¡°It¡¯s been nice knowing you¡±.


    ¡°Same here, Captain. Thanks for the nice reception, and yeah, the eventful journey too. When we have time, let¡¯s meet up again in the future¡±. Clark smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a wonderful idea¡±.


    After exchanging a few more words of pleasantries to act the part, both soldiers finally separated.


    Captain Dan went back inside his military vehicle with his subordinates to return to his post, while Clark entered another military vehicle that was parked at the side.


    The military vehicle was provided temporarily for him to facilitate his transportation, it¡¯s A. I would steer it back after its new assignment was accomplished.


    Waving one last time, the captain finally drove off.


    Seeing this, Clark smiled and waved back. As soon as the captain left, he did not ignite the car¡¯s engine immediately, he leaned back on the chair to think a bit.


    Before he was invited here, he already predicted what would happen so before returning from the Everest, he asked his master for help and guidance to avoid stories that touch.


    In the end, he was right. He was not sure but his subconscious told him that without the parchment provided by his master, the upper echelons would have used more forceful measures on him.


    At first, when his master just gave him the parchment and explained its history to him, he immediately complained that none of the Spartan upper echelons would recognize such an ancient technique.


    His master just waved his protest away though.


    According to the old man, the others may not recognize it but President Leonidas would.


    According to him, the Spartan President was ranked 10th in a list of prospect soldiers that they listed decades ago who originally had the potential to reach the famed Elite-grade realm.


    They reached out to him then but the contact was very subtle.


    To be sincere, when Clark heard that his President had the potential of becoming an Elite, he was giddy with joy.


    His master doused his excitement soon after though. The old man said that Leonidas already went past his age of rapid growth spurt, that for him to break through at this age required immense luck.


    Though that was disheartening, Clark was still happy.


    When he noticed the change in his President¡¯s expression after seeing the parchment on his hand, he was even happier rather than worried about his situation.


    Every other thing played out as his master predicted, nothing happened to him and he left with the bean quadrant enhancer much to his shock.


    Thinking of the fact that so many soldiers fought, persevered, and died just to get this mission target, even his friend, and in the end, he took it selfishly to himself left him feeling guilty.


    He could only console himself with the fact that he didn¡¯t ask for it, the damned Professor decided on his behalf.


    In this short meeting with the leaders of the Spartan republic, another notable fact that Clark went home with was General Armstrong who was in charge of public relations.


    He was not sure but from his little encounter with the General, he suspected that this man was the one responsible and in charge of the darker sides of the Spartan republic.


    He suspected that General Armstrong was the leader of the hidden powers spreading mischief from the dark.


    His only doubt was that if he could suspect this just from one encounter, there was no way that the Spartan President would still be kept in the dark. So why has he not acted to nab this unstable element down yet?


    Well, he was still just too small now to know such secrets of the republic, so he was kept in the dark.


    Before he left, Commander Rashford also asked him if he was ready for his rank promotion ceremony but he rejected the Commander this time.


    He didn¡¯t want a high-profile ceremony again, getting his new rank silently was ok with him.


    Since he learned of the hidden powers of the republic who were even strong enough to manipulate him against his will, most of his enthusiasm for such matters diminished.


    Why make his promotion high profile when some hidden powers could easily manipulate him from the dark? To him, it didn¡¯t make sense.


    Till he was strong enough to shrug off the influence of these powers, he no longer fancied any high-profile military ceremony.


    And as the Everest mission was extremely confidential, their award and compensation for accomplishing the mission would also be done far from the public¡¯s eye.


    The award presentation was scheduled to be 2 weeks from now.


    After going through all these, his mind finally relaxed. Switching on the military vehicle, he drove off immediately from the Presidential villa.


    He was not going back to his mansion yet; he was going to visit his best friend- Leo. He had to explain what happened on the Everest to his friend, he wanted to announce Benny¡¯s death to Leo himself.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 284: back to the beginning

    Clark already knew of his best friend¡¯s mansion before he went for his latest mission in the Everest, but he was not going there. Today was a Thursday, he was pretty sure that Leo was in his military division base.


    Thinking of the fact that Leo was already an old veteran in the Python military division, he chuckled amusedly to himself.


    As soon as he drove past the enormous gate that led inside the Presidential Villa, he leaned back on his chair, added pressure to the car¡¯s gas pedal before speeding off straight to the highway.


    With a calm face, he accepted the fresh atmosphere of the highway.


    ¡­


    A few hours later when it was already getting late, he finally arrived at the familiar roads of Delhi city. His speed slowed considerably as he expertly drove down from the highway and into the boisterous road.


    The wide road was filled with vehicles going back and forth, spreading optimism in the air. As the road leading to the city¡¯s only military division, it was not weird for it to be like this.


    Though no one recognized Clark here, seeing the military vehicle that was cruising across the road was enough for the other casual drivers to steer away in respect.


    Seeing the familiar road, the familiar layout of streets and buildings, the familiar atmosphere of Delhi citizens, Clark¡¯s face lit up into a smile with a nostalgic feeling engulfing his heart.


    This was where he started his career as a soldier.


    After over 4 years, he was finally back, he was back to the beginning. Feeling the respect emanating from everyone that saw his car only made his heart warmer.


    ¡°I missed this feeling¡±. He muttered; his eyes enchanted in delight.


    As soon as a clear path was made for him by the other drivers on the road, he horned appreciatively at them before stepping hard on the gas pedal, prompting the car to speed across.


    For the next 15 minutes before he arrived at the Python military division base, he was assaulted with a lot of sights that evoked countless nostalgic feelings in his heart.


    What shocked him most was that he saw a large signboard with a picture of himself on it. He was completely stunned. ¡°This advertisement board is still here?¡±


    This board was made by the well-known broadcasting station, STA [Spartan Television Authority] when he raided and disbanded Haaland¡¯s security company owned by the traitor, Tim Haaland 4 years ago.


    As the board was made then to highlight his status as a rising star of the Python military division, he thought that it would have been removed by now but he was clearly wrong.


    He suddenly felt smug. Hell men, he had the right to be proud of himself a bit. Then as the best graduating cadet of his batch, he was damn popular.


    Thinking of the good old days, he smiled.


    With a large zooming sound from him revving his car¡¯s engine, he announced his arrival to the soldiers who were manning the gate of the military base.


    A soldier came out to meet him. Before the young man could even speak out, he wound down the car glass and stuck his hand out, his military badge sparkling under the illumination of the sun.


    The poor soldier stiffened before hastily saluting. ¡°Major!¡±


    Clark nodded with a reassuring smile which made the soldier heave a sigh of relief as he hastily asked for the gates to be opened.


    When he drove inside the military base, he noticed some new changes that were not here 4 years back. He was not surprised; he would have been even surprised if nothing changed.


    After parking the military car at the garage, as soon as he came out of the car, he saw a soldier walking in his direction. ¡°That was fast¡±.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The soldier waved at him. ¡°Do you still remember me?¡±


    Clark was stunned as he did a double-take on this soldier. ¡°Sergeant Adam?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me¡±. The soldier visibly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Major. I thought you wouldn¡¯t recognize me again¡±.


    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re my buddy¡±. Clark laughed loudly before giving the soldier a bear hug, he was pretty surprised by this unexpected encounter.


    Sergeant Adam was among the few high-grade soldiers that he met in the military division back then when he just came with Leo and Benny. He felt warm meeting old friends.


    After taking jabs at each other to relive the old days, the Sergeant finally started escorting Clark away. According to him, Captain Daniel asked for Clark as soon as the news of his arrival reached his desk.


    Though the Sergeant originally acted restrained around him, with just a few words Clark was able to make him feel free to express himself again.


    It could not be helped really. After 4 years, Adam was still a Sergeant which was a normal scenario, but his abnormal comrade already leaped a few ranks straight to the rank of a Major.


    At times, he felt that they were living in different worlds. If not so, why would the difference between them be so vast?


    Clark felt weird meeting his superior of 4 years ago again, but he shrugged the feeling of.


    As soon as he entered the captain¡¯s apartment in the military base, he was greeted with the stern man¡¯s deep voice again.


    ¡°Clark! You came?¡± Captain Daniel had a rare smile on his face.


    ¡°Yes, Captain¡±. Clark replied respectfully.


    Forget about the fact that he was now a 3rd rank high-grade soldier also, respect is reciprocal. He was conscious of the fact that this man was once his superior and had guided him.


    ¡°I came to meet my friend after coming back from my mission¡±.


    ¡°Oh, I heard it from Leo that you went for some confidential mission. Well, sorry, Leo is not here now, he¡¯s celebrating his wife¡¯s pregnancy at home¡±.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Clark was shocked, which foreign terms are these? His friend, a wife, pregnancy, none of these words correlated at all to him, the contrast was too much.


    Captain Daniel just smiled before telling him a fairy tale that was hard to believe. Yes, he felt that this was a fairy tale.


    After just 4 months of him not being around, not only did his best friend marry his fianc¨¦e, Leo was now about to become a father, a term that seemed alien to him despite all the facts laid down.


    ¡°The drunken hands is about to become a father?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Captain Daniel looked at him.


    ¡°Oh, nothing, I was singing¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The truth was that he was completely stunned. He found it a little unbelievable, Leo was now a married man!


    After he digested this truth, only happiness filled his heart for his best friend. Now, he could not wait to see his married friend. Did Leo become a different Leo after becoming a husband?


    That bastard was really fierce. He still couldn¡¯t believe that he won Kate¡¯s heart in such a short time frame; since when did Leo become so skilled with the other sex?


    Suppressing the feeling in his heart, he finally turned to speak with his Captain again. They exchanged a few more words before he stood up to go.


    During this time that he stayed, 3 other soldiers came in to meet him. Of the soldiers that he stayed with in the military division, including Sergeant Adam and Leo, only 5 of them were still here.


    Of course, he enjoyed some nostalgic moments with them but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t stay with them more. He also broke the news of Benny¡¯s death to them, which was completely shocking to them.


    Captain Daniel was calm though. ¡°He died as a real soldier, he died doing something good for the republic. It¡¯s a glorious thing, not something to be sad about¡±.


    ¡°Thanks for this moment Captain, I think it¡¯s time that I go¡±.


    This was when Captain Daniel broke the shell. ¡°When did you break through?¡±


    Clark was stunned and rendered speechless for a moment.


    The other soldiers were even more confused at first but when the realization of the question that was just asked came to them, they practically fainted immediately.


    Sergeant Adam had imaginary tears and snots all over his face. ¡°Clark, you¡¯re now a 3rd rank high-grade soldier?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­, yeah¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After they got over their shock, they congratulated him, using this to offset the sadness caused by the news of Benny¡¯s death.


    They escorted him out, all except the Captain, of course. They wished him well before allowing him to go.


    Driving out of the military division base, Clark felt his heart become warmer. He didn¡¯t know why, but spending time with soldiers that were close to Benny alleviated his suffering about the latter¡¯s death a bit.


    Before he left, some soldiers who knew him already heard about his arrival. They gathered together at the gate, waving at him vigorously as he drove out of the base.


    This brought another smile to his face.


    ¡­


    As Benny¡¯s mansion was built not too far from the military division base, Clark was able to get there just after 10 minutes of driving.


    As soon as the gatekeeper opened the gem-laced gate, he drove inside smoothly before parking the car at the mansion¡¯s garage. He finally laid his eyes on the recently wedded couple.


    ¡°Clark? You¡¯re back?¡± Leo was surprised.


    When he first saw the military vehicle, his first guess was that a soldier from the Python military division visited him. He did not expect to see Clark at all.


    Thwack!


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Leo whined as soon as Clark¡¯s hand smacked his head.


    ¡°You actually have the guts to get married without me being there? It seems that a girl has brainwashed you, I will reprogram your brain today¡±.


    As the 2 best friends enjoyed their reunion in a well, peculiar way, a voice suddenly reverberated out, making the both of them stiffen.


    ¡°Leave my husband alone!¡±


    ¡°Oh boy!¡± Clark almost fainted.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯s not medically advisable to scream like that. You¡¯re a doctor Kate, how can you not know something so simple? Do you want to bring harm to our baby?¡± Clark improvised on the spot.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡±.


    Husband and wife went silent for a moment before they erupted laughing the next moment. Leo finally hosted his best friend properly with his wife, making sure to give him a memorable time.


    During dinner, they took their time to discuss the good old days, poking jokes at each other. When Kate retreated for the night, Clark finally broke the sad news to his best friend.


    To Clark¡¯s surprise, Leo took the news more calmly than he thought.


    He sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve grown up¡±.


    He agreed with Leo. They were soldiers, and Benny made his choice. Being sad over it was ok, but being depressed was a no.


    Benny died serving the Spartan republic, the best they could do for him as friends is to give him a burial befitting a Sergeant.


    They also decided to visit Benny¡¯s parents the next day. No matter how sad the news was, they still had to inform their friend¡¯s parents. It was their right to know of their son¡¯s death.


    To Clark, avenging his friend¡¯s death was enough. As Dickson said, life moves on.


    [Here''s the second chapter for today, sorry for the late release.]

 Chapter 285: devastated parents

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it, Benny¡¯s dead?¡± Kate asked again for the umpteenth time, making Leo even more worried for his wife¡¯s health as they ate their breakfast.


    The night before today, after taking Clark to the guest room to rest, when he went to his room, he found that his wife was not asleep yet.


    He could only sigh, he knew that Kate pretended to leave just to give him some personal space and time with his best friend. He was grateful for it but he equally dreaded what would follow.


    As he predicted, after welcoming him, she hugged him on their bed before asking for a sneak peek of any interesting thing that Clark said.


    In the end, he told her. Benny was a friend that she knew and was close to, he didn¡¯t feel nice withholding such information from her.


    He already expected it when he revealed the news to her, but still seeing how enormously she was affected made him reject his choice.


    This morning, he was helpless on how to make her forget about it. As he tried without much success to persuade his wife to let go of the news, Clark helped him out. ¡°That¡¯s life, Kate¡±.


    ¡°Umm?¡±


    Clark put down his spoon. ¡°There is a day of birth, and there is a day of death Kate. We should be grateful that Benny didn¡¯t die a terrorist, that would have been really bad¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honorable death to die serving your country. Wherever he is right now, I¡¯m pretty sure that he didn¡¯t regret his choice. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s even proud of himself¡±.


    ¡°Won¡¯t his parents feel devastated?¡± She had a pained expression on her face.


    ¡°Yes, they will. They¡¯ll just have to accept it, that¡¯s life. When it just happened, I was also devastated. It took the intervention of an ally before I recovered my nerves¡±.


    ¡°A lesson that I learned from it is that life will keep on throwing things that will bring sorrow at us. The most important thing is how well we cope with it, that¡¯s what distinguishes regulars from successful legends¡±.


    ¡°Ok, guys, let¡¯s eat up¡±. Leo finally intervened.


    40 minutes later, both Leo and Clark were dressed in black suits. After waving goodbye at Kate, they finally left the compound on the military vehicle driven here by Clark.


    They didn¡¯t plan for anything before going, they would react according to the circumstances that present themselves to them.


    After becoming an established soldier in the Python military division, Benny allocated some money to buy a house here in Delhi city for his parents just for him to stay close to them.


    Due to this, Clark only needed 15 minutes before he maneuvered his way to the direction described by Leo.


    The house was a small duplex that was surrounded by a tall fence. The house was very compact, a perfect fit for a couple who were already at the age of retirement.


    Though the duplex looked plain when looked at superficially, Clark and Leo observed enough details to know that it was a fortress in its own right.


    It was heavily fortified with various defensive measures, clearly showing the amount of money that Benny spent on it. This sight only made them feel sadder, but they still went ahead in the end.


    Parking the car at the front of the gate to the building, they both came out before going closer to knock.


    ¡°Coming!¡± As soon as they knocked, the voice of a woman echoed out to them in reply the next moment. They stood and waited.


    About a minute later, the gate finally jerked a bit before a slightly aged woman¡¯s head poked out of the opening. ¡°Yes, who is it?¡±


    Seeing this face, both Clark and Leo stiffened. This woman with a cheerful expression on her face was Benny¡¯s mom. Though this was his first time seeing the woman, Clark connected the dots immediately due to the uncanny resemblance.


    Benny was practically just a carbon copy of his mom.


    The fairly aged woman had her hair tied into a neat bun, making the slight wrinkles on her face to be exaggeratedly highlighted.


    She had a creased forehead, a short nose, and blue eyeballs. Though this was already an aging woman, Clark could still make out from the little clues that she was pretty stylish in her youth.


    Before he could observe further, the woman spoke. ¡°Oh, did Benny send you? He¡¯s not visited in a while, why didn¡¯t he come himself?¡±


    As soon as she saw the military vehicle that was parked at the side, she quickly connected it with her son. As she inquired of these 2 strangers, she already opened the gate to allow them in.


    ¡°Good morning, ma. We¡¯re his friends¡±. Clark finally replied.


    The woman paused a bit on hearing this, looking at them more intently. ¡°You¡¯re¡­, Clark and Leonard?¡±


    ¡°Umm, yes¡±.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re welcome sons. Benny has told me a lot about the both of you, he said that you helped him a lot. I finally have the chance to meet and thank you both, please come in¡±.


    Clark and Leo could not reject the aged woman¡¯s invitation so they just nodded and entered, now feeling even more hesitant about their decision to break the news to her.


    This was when they finally saw her in full.


    Benny¡¯s mother was dressed in a slight apron cloth that was stained with dirt. From the gloves on her hand, they quickly deduced that she was working in her garden that was at the side of the house.


    The woman abandoned all her work immediately, inviting them inside the house as she apologized before going to change her clothes.


    ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± Coming back, she asked with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, ma, but we¡¯ve eaten already¡±. Clark and Leo answered, more or less in unison.


    ¡°No need to be polite sons, this is your home. How do you like a dandelion pizza and some soft drinks?¡± She smiled wider at them.


    ¡°Ok, thank you ma¡±. Clark and Leo eventually relented.


    ¡°Make yourself at home. Benny¡¯s father would be back in a jiffy, he went out to get mushrooms to make a special meal. Why is Benny not here with you, is he busy?¡±


    ¡°Ah, umm, yes¡±.


    ¡°Ok. Just wait, the food will be ready in a moment¡±.


    Now, both soldiers were faced with a conundrum. They didn¡¯t know why but after staying with their friend¡¯s mom for only a few minutes, they were having second thoughts about revealing the bitter truth to her.


    Facing a scenario where the cheerful aging woman would become devasted because of the news of her son¡¯s death, they felt their heart being crushed.


    They preferred her not knowing at all to be sincere, they were now conflicted.


    They could only rein their uneasiness in and go along with her cheerful mood, the woman was clearly elated on getting to meet them. This feeling alone left them feeling warm but worried also.


    As soon as the food was served, they both dug in despite eating just a moment ago to make themselves occupied and evade the woman¡¯s overflowing love for a few minutes.


    They tried their best to evade all the aging woman¡¯s questions that were related to her son, trying hard to stir the conversations in other directions.


    40 minutes later like this, Benny¡¯s father, Mr. John Hart finally came back from the market with a bag filled with mushrooms.


    The man had even more of an exaggerated response than his wife when he finally knew their identity, repeatedly gushing on about how much Benny described them to him.


    Clark and Leo felt like blushing at the praise but they could not, the uncertainty and guilt in their heart were already intensifying.


    Despite all their argument that they were full already, Mrs. Hart ignored all their pleas and went into the kitchen again to prepare a mushroom chicken soup for them.


    They were left alone to weather the aging man¡¯s praise.


    A few minutes later, Mrs. Hart finally came out of the kitchen with a bowl of mushroom chicken soup. She and her husband took their spoons cheerfully but both soldiers could not, they could not take it again.


    ¡°Sir, ma, we want to tell you something¡±. Clark finally decided to spill the beans, a pained and guilty expression on his face.


    Both parents felt the change in his demeanor immediately as soon as he spoke. They became worried, their parent¡¯s instinct already ringing alarm bells but they kept quiet and listened.


    ¡°It¡¯s about Benny¡±.


    Seeing how attentive and silent they both were despite hearing this, Clark felt himself panicking a bit which was now a rare emotion to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to put this; Benny and I went for the mission together. It was an extremely dangerous mission; we encountered a lot of dangers and most of us were not able to make it¡±.


    Mr. Hart¡¯s heart dropped. ¡°Did anything happen to my son?¡±


    Clark steeled his heart; he didn¡¯t know if he broke the news the right way but he just did. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, sir, I didn¡¯t protect him well as the leader of my squad¡±.


    I¡¯m sorry sir. Benny served his country to the best of his ability, but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t make it¡±.


    ¡°Oh, no, no¡­!¡± Mrs. Hart broke down immediately.


    Slumping down into her chair, the aging woman broke down into tears as she clung hard to a pillow to stabilize her wobbling body.


    She said nothing else, only saying no repeatedly as she cried her heart out. Seeing how Clark was beating around the bush, she already suspected it but refused to believe it. Having it confirmed completely crushed her heart.


    Mr. Hart did not utter a word. He ground his teeth, his aging fists shook like a dementia patient¡¯s, he was reduced to tears also but he didn¡¯t utter a single word.


    He just turned around to hug his wife, buried her head on his chest before patting her back to console her.


    Seeing all this, Clark and Leo were reduced to silence. They felt crushed inwardly, they didn¡¯t know what to say so they just kept quiet, looked at the floor, and directed their sorrow at the ground.


    About 20 minutes later, Mrs. Hart¡¯s sobbing sounds were already subsiding but her shaking figure showed that she was still suffering a lot from the sad news.


    What Mr. Hart said next stunned the 2 soldiers. ¡°Thank you for personally breaking the news to us Clark. I know that it¡¯s not your fault, you are good soldiers, Benny told us so¡±.


    ¡°It¡­, it¡¯s just painful¡±. The aged man gritted his teeth but he still stuttered and let out a sob.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir¡±. Clark and Leo said in unison.


    It took about another 30 minutes before the couple finally took in the news completely. This was when Clark gave the piece of Benny¡¯s uniform that he retrieved to them. This was what was left of their son.


    After doing this, he consoled them further with Leo before they stood up to go.


    Before they left, Clark turned to face them. ¡°Sir, please inform me about the day of the burial ceremony. I sent you some money to facilitate it¡±.


    ¡°No need¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sir, that¡¯s an obligation that I enforced on myself to fulfill¡±.


    They both finally left the compound feeling heavy and sad, but they also felt a huge sense of relief.


    ¡­


    A few hours after both soldiers left and his wife cried herself to sleep, Mr. Hart with red eyes finally took hold of his phone.


    [You have received an alert of 1,000,000 Spartan credits. Sender: Major Clark.]


    [You have received an alert of 200,000 Spartan credits. Sender: Sergeant II Leonard.]


    The man broke down in tears.


    [Sob! I felt sat writing this chapter.]

 Chapter 286: diana the lone mercenary

    A few minutes later, Clark finally drove back to his friend¡¯s mansion. Throughout the journey, none of them spoke as they digested everything that happened in the past hour.


    Leaving 2 aging parents devastated was not an experience that Clark wanted to remember, but he knew that what he did was necessary.


    Perhaps, because his parents died when he was young, he could not comprehend how the couple felt but he knew that it was painful to lose a loved one.


    The money that he sent to the aged couple was an outrageous amount of money for a burial, but he didn¡¯t send the money to them for that.


    Seeing how devastated they were, he took it as a responsibility upon himself that he would never live to see the both of them lack anything.


    Benny was their one and all, their only child that they directed all their love to. His death was traumatizing enough, he did not want any other suffering to befall the aging couple.


    At least, with a million Spartan credits, they could live lavishly for the rest of their lives. Even if that was not enough, he could just hack their accounts and send another one in.


    Another reason that prompted him to do this was to make up for his lack of ability then. It was because of his lack of power that enabled Grey Fur to murder his friend, he felt that compensating with money was the best that he could do.


    He silently vowed to himself not to ever lose a close one again due to a lack of power. He was a soldier, his friends dying when he was alive was just an abnormality that he was reluctant to accept.


    Now, he was sure that this vow was not baseless.


    Not only did he have the magical bean quadrant enhancer, he was now a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, and he also had the new self-created technique that he comprehended during his sublimation.


    He had not confirmed it yet, but his instinct told him that his new self-created technique had an enormous potential that he could not exhaust in years. He just had to continue getting better with it.


    He was sure that with all these, he could protect himself from most dangers. But most was not enough, this was why he was fired up to go to even more extreme means to increase his power base.


    When he became a 4th rank high-grade soldier, that would be good, becoming a 5th rank high-grade soldier would be better, but his ultimate goal was to aim for the best which was the Elite-grade realm.


    He yearned for the power wielded by Elite Commanders.


    With such power, he could right any injustice that he came across. With such power, no one would dare touch his friends. With such power, things would finally be in the hollow of his palms.


    He finally turned to face his friend. Leo felt his gaze, so he turned too.


    ¡°Greet your wife for me¡±.


    ¡°Ok, bro. Take care¡±. Leo came down from the car.


    ¡°And¡­, I want to see a little Leo the next time that we meet¡±.


    As soon as he said that, Clark added pressure to the car¡¯s gas pedal and sped away. Despite the sound made by the car, he could still hear Leo¡¯s chuckle from the background.


    He smiled before increasing his speed further.


    As soon as he hit the highway, his implant notified him of an incoming call. He smiled on seeing the caller. ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Clark, it¡¯s really you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I survived¡±. He laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up. I¡¯m in Delhi city also, give me a sec to send across the location. Done!¡±


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be there in a moment¡±.


    ¡­


    15 minutes later, Clark drove his car into the Delhi city central airport. As soon as he drove into the airport, he saw who he was looking for. The lady stood at a distance waving at him.


    The breeze blowing across the airport blew at her green hair, allowing it to sway left and right wavily to form a stunning sight.


    She was dressed in a black vest, tight skinny trousers, black boots, black eyeglasses, and a small black bag that clung to her back. Her green hair was the only contrast to this color combination.


    Clark steered the car in her direction after noticing her, he stopped beside her a moment later. Coming down from the car, he went to her side with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Hey, Diana! What¡¯s with the outfit and why did you dye your hair? Are you traveling?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±. Diana waved back while also smiling. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m traveling¡±.


    After a separation of over 4 months where he was constantly worried about her safety, seeing her safe, sound, and healthy brought a relieving feeling to Clark.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sit down and talk¡±. She suggested.


    Clark agreed so they quickly left the open space to a more covered place- the airport restaurant that was nearby to get some time to talk.


    After sitting down and ordering a drink, Clark initiated the conversation. ¡°What happened after King came to meet you guys? He told me but it was still vague, I want to hear from the horse¡¯s mouth¡±.


    Diana smiled. ¡°We survived¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I know that you survived or you wouldn¡¯t be here. You know what I mean, I need details¡±. Clark laughed.


    ¡°Ok, if that¡¯s what you want¡±.


    Diana first switched on a jamming device to render any listening or spying device useless. After doing this, she finally opened her mouth to speak.


    She started directly from when they got separated after they found the Aragan ruin. She told him all their experiences with exobeasts, the horde of beasts, and the Mocan soldiers.


    She told him about all the casualties from the mission, making Clark wince a bit before she entered the part after King left them.


    According to her, after they separated with King and Josh, they didn¡¯t leave immediately but decided to contact the Spartan republic first to get instructions.


    From the call, the republic knew of their plight and sent a retrieval squad to come help and escort them back. Through that, they were able to return home without suffering any further injuries.


    After getting to the republic, they didn¡¯t get to rest as they were all escorted to the Spartan army headquarters that same day.


    After giving a full account of everything that happened during the duration of the mission, and presenting the mission target loot that they came back with, they were finally allowed to rest.


    Because of the confidentiality of the mission, they didn¡¯t receive any medals or acknowledgment for their efforts but every member of the squad received mouth watery compensation in terms of money and resources.


    As a second in command, she received much more than the others but she didn¡¯t go into details about the compensation that she received.


    After that, she bid goodbye to the other soldiers of their squad who survived before they went their various ways.


    From there, she went back to visit her hometown as she wanted to rest and forget all the stress induced by the horrors of the great Himalayan peaks. This was a mission that she badly wanted to forget.


    Just in a span of a few months, she fell in love for the first time and also lost a loved one for the first time. The experience was traumatic.


    She said she was keeping a constant tab on any information that was related to him, that was why she was able to discover that he was back.


    ¡°You¡¯ve suffered a lot, I¡¯m sorry¡±. Clark apologized, feeling guilty again.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Clark, I already got over everything. When I got information that you were back, I contacted the other survivors immediately. We organized a special military honor burial for our dead comrades, and the date is next week¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I understand¡±. Clark sipped his drink.


    ¡°So¡­, you, what happened?¡± Diana shifted to sit at a more comfortable angle on her chair before asking.


    Seeing Clark¡¯s confused gaze, she repeated for emphasis. ¡°What happened? King said that you were in a coma, the explanations were much but I didn¡¯t believe a thing that he said¡±.


    ¡°Oh, about that, it¡¯s a long story¡±. Clark cleared his throat before he continued.


    ¡°I would have loved to tell you all, but Diana I¡¯m sorry. I encountered a situation that I cannot tell anyone else about, I hope that you understand¡±.


    Diana looked on at him in silence for 10 seconds before replying. ¡°I understand¡±.


    ¡°And by the way, I finally broke through. I¡¯m now a high-grade soldier¡±.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great¡±. She sighed. ¡°If only it happened a few months earlier¡±.


    Clark kept quiet and slowly allowed her to recover herself. They spent the next few minutes discussing a lot of things before their drinks were finally drained to the last drop.


    ¡°You said that you are traveling; won¡¯t you be attending the special honor burial that you organized for our dead comrades?¡± Recalling this, Clark suddenly asked.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be there physically; I will attend as a holographic projection though¡±.


    ¡°After I went back to my hometown, I spent a lot of my time thinking about my next course of action. During this time, I made a decision. I¡¯m no longer a Spartan soldier, I¡¯m now a lone mercenary¡±.


    Clark kept quiet for a moment to digest this shocking information; his face serious. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. I thought through it extensively before coming to my decision so don¡¯t try to convince me otherwise¡±.


    Clark sighed. ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous Diana. Do you think that Benny would be happy seeing this? He would¡­¡±


    ¡°His opinion no longer matters, Clark. I¡¯ve been thought the hard way to face reality. We¡¯re not in a fantasy world Clark, this is the real world, a world that is ruled by the realistic laws of nature¡±.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Clark, don¡¯t waste your strength. Yes, I was in love with Benny, but he is dead. This is a show by nature that I was not designed to love a man, I even think that I indirectly caused his death¡±.


    ¡°To free myself, I want to now embrace my destiny of solitude. Thanks for your concern Clark but it won¡¯t change me, I¡¯ve made my mind¡±.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Clark finally replied. ¡°I respect your decision¡±.


    ¡°Thanks¡±. Diana finally smiled again.


    ¡°Just know that if you ever need help, I¡¯m always here to lend it to you. Don¡¯t ever hesitate to call me no matter how busy you think I am; I made a vow to Benny that I would protect you till I die¡±.


    ¡°At least, allow me to fulfill this vow¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    After engaging in that intense conversation, they both felt drained mentally. They sat on their chairs to rest for a few minutes before they stood up to go.


    Diana entered the next airplane verified for take-off. As soon as she left, Clark turned back in the direction of the military car. It was time to go back to his mansion, it was time to go back to Vatican City.


    [She''s going solo.]

 Chapter 287: a familiar scene

    None of the airplanes in the Delhi City airport were verified to take off to Vatican City and as he didn¡¯t want to impose his authority on any civilians, Clark took the road.


    As soon as he arrived back at the highway, he pressed hard on the accelerator to the maximum as the car basically started flying across the road.


    At such a high speed, this was when he finally knew how badass this military vehicle that he was given was. He didn¡¯t know the correct specifications, but he suspected that this car was of a higher level than his exotic car.


    Upgrading his exotic car was one of the priorities that were on his agenda as soon as he got back, so he was in no rush to get a new car.


    At an average speed of 600km/h, he sped across the highway like the flash. Of course, red flags were raised and the road safety officials were alerted but as soon as they knew that it was a military vehicle, they retreated.


    This was one of the joys, freedom, and privilege of being a soldier. Though this was cool, the punishment for losing control of your car and causing an accident was even cooler.


    That is when the notion of ¡®all lives matter¡¯ will be firmly ingrained in your brain by the military.


    Clark didn¡¯t lose control though. As he was an expert and a Major to boot, losing control of a car was just embarrassing.


    Especially now that he fused with such a wonderful resource as the bean quadrant enhancer, he felt that he could go up to 1000km/h but sadly the car¡¯s maximum load was not up to that.


    A thousand kilometers per hour seemed outrageous, but that was nothing compared to feats that were already established by higher-ranked soldiers.


    It was recorded in the legends of the Spartan army that when President Leonidas was still active during the period of the great battle of supremacy, he could go for speeds as high as 12,000km/h.


    So for the current Clark, he still had a long way to go.


    It took him 3 whole hours, but he finally got back to his home city- Vatican City. Coming back victoriously from a mission was always his best part of being a soldier, he always felt nostalgic on returning.


    After he drove down from the highway, smoothly maneuvering across the road filled with vehicles, he penetrated the roads of the city in the direction of his mansion.


    His military car drew a lot of attention but that was all. If his identity was revealed, he was pretty sure that he would have been swarmed by a horde of excited Vatican citizens already.


    After expertly driving forward a few dozen meters across the familiar road, he finally saw the silhouette of his mansion in the distance.


    Seeing this made him heave a sigh of relief.


    It may seem like an overreaction but as he drove through the road, he was actually afraid of seeing something that would have indicated an attack on the city.


    His worry was not without basis. When he was yanked out of his comfort zone to participate in the Everest mission without his consent, he left a lot of troubles behind for the city¡¯s counselors.


    Not seeing any signs of an attack showed that the counselors managed the city well in his absence, and most especially this meant that the Persian tigers organization did not attack again.


    Thinking of the state of his city when he left, he could not help but feel burning anger for the hidden powers that pulled the strings from the dark.


    ¡°Just wait, in a few years I¡¯ll get you all¡±.


    As he drove closer to his mansion, another notable fact that he observed was that this district was far more developed than he recalled.


    Seeing the luxurious buildings that were rambling across his vision and their tips that were touching the sky, he confirmed that a rapid expansion occurred here during his absence.


    He was happy, this meant that the city was still developing despite his absence.


    As soon as the car drove to the front of his mansion¡¯s towering gate, the gate opened automatically by itself. As the owner of the mansion, of course, it¡¯s A. I could recognize him from a distance.


    The sudden opening of the mansion¡¯s gate to a stranger¡¯s military vehicle clearly alarmed the people in the mansion as the security and a few others came to the entrance to inquire.


    Clark sighed, suddenly feeling the urge to facepalm. ¡°It¡¯s me¡±.


    ¡°Who¡¯s me?¡± The gatekeeper questioned harshly. ¡°This is Major Clark¡¯s mansion sir. Whoever you are, this act is disrespecting the esteemed Major by trying to barge inside the mansion without permission¡±.


    Clark was amused, this guy that was originally so timid when Rose hired him was now so bold that he even confronts Spartan military cars. ¡°That¡¯s some improvement there!¡±


    As he inwardly gave a thump up to the gatekeeper¡¯s performance, he finally heard a familiar voice. ¡°Boss, is that you?¡±


    Clark¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Even you don¡¯t recognize my voice again?¡±


    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s the boss, quickly clear the way¡±.


    ¡°The boss?¡± The gatekeeper and his fellow confronters were shocked to the bone as they hastily evacuated the way to allow the boss in.


    Even as Clark already drove inside, they were still shocked speechless. After not seeing their boss for months, they did not expect him to come so abruptly without any prior prompt.


    Their only saving grace was that the last time that they remembered, their boss was a benevolent one.


    Heaving a sigh of relief, the gatekeeper finally realized the significance of this news. ¡°The boss is back!¡± He yelled.


    ¡°The boss is back!¡± ¡°The boss is back!¡±


    As the workers rejoiced excitedly among themselves about the return of their boss, Rose held the back of her head after being smacked, with a begrudging look on her face as she escorted her boss inside the house.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re finally back¡±.


    ¡°No, can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m still in your village?¡±


    Rose twitched her lips. ¡°Boss is still the same, you¡¯ll never change¡±.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡±. She denied, an innocent expression on her face.


    ¡°Good for you¡±. Clark was too lazy to argue with her. He just plopped down leisurely on his chair to rest, indulging himself in this feeling of luxury again after staying in a snow-filled region for so long.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you at least ping me to prepare for your arrival, a welcome party would have been the best¡±. After settling down, Rose finally said.


    ¡°No need for that, you know that I¡¯m not the party type¡±.


    ¡°Ok, boss. Now that you¡¯re finally back, do you want a report of how the mansion has been managed since your absence?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have the strength for that. You¡¯re already here to take care of that, why do you expect me to go through it again? That¡¯s your problem¡±.


    Rose beamed happily. ¡°I know that you¡¯re the best boss¡±.


    Clark¡¯s eyes flashed on hearing this term. ¡°I hope you did not squander my money, or else!¡±


    Rose winced slightly on hearing that tone. ¡°I¡­, I did not squander money¡±.


    Laughing at that, Clark let himself enjoy the cushiness of his luxurious chair to the fullest, leaving a glowering Rose in his wake. As his eyes were about to close shut¡­


    ¡°Uncle!!¡±


    ¡°Uncle is back!¡±


    Clark¡¯s eyes shot open, widening in amazement as a group of children rushed in his direction before throwing themselves at him.


    He was speechless. He directed a confused glance at the children before directing a questioning gaze at Rose.


    His assistant shrugged. ¡°You said your relatives are allowed here?¡±


    ¡°When did I say that?¡±


    ¡°The day of your inauguration ceremony¡±.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Clark finally remembered. He could feel a headache coming immediately. Directing a glare at his assistant, he patted the children on the head before cleverly excusing himself.


    ¡°Clark, you¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°Shit! Why is everybody coming at such bad timing, I f*cking want to rest?¡± This time, he turned a fierce glare at King who had an innocent expression on his face like he did nothing.


    ¡°Forget it, wake me up in 3 hours King. I¡¯m off to sleep¡±.


    When he got to his room, he was gratified that Rose did a good job in making sure that the room was as perfect as it was when he just left.


    He gave her a thump up in his head before¡­


    ¡°Plop!¡± He was asleep.


    ¡­


    When he woke up, the time was already advanced. It was already 4:00 pm, which meant that he slept for an additional hour. ¡°I f*cking told him to wake me up¡±.


    ¡°I tried; you just didn¡¯t wake up¡±.


    Clark jumped in fright on hearing his fellow student¡¯s voice. ¡°King, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. Don¡¯t give me that face, you also go to my room frequently when you were still training under Master¡±.


    Clark was shocked, he hastily whispered. ¡°Lower your voice. How can you talk about Master so loudly, what if someone is listening?¡±


    King had a nonchalant expression on his face. ¡°They won¡¯t understand a thing. They¡¯ll just think that we¡¯ve gone nuts, that¡¯s all¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After taking time to complain for a few more minutes about King badging into his room, he finally started asking him about how he¡¯s gelled in with his new environment here in the Spartan republic.


    ¡°It¡¯s fairly average, to be honest, it¡¯s much less backward than I expected¡±.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Chuckling to himself, King took a snack from a small bag in his hand before chomping down leisurely as Clark went to the bathroom to have his bath.


    As soon as Clark came back from the bathroom, he asked for Jason and his clique¡¯s whereabout.


    ¡°That strange guy already took his friends out to explore the town. After being in an extreme region like the Everest for so long, I bet they can¡¯t wait to do some mischievous things¡±.


    ¡°They better don¡¯t, this is my city¡±.


    ¡°You better tell them then. Because by the way I saw them when they left, those freaks may have already found a few chicks to hang around with¡±.


    ¡°Is that what you call mischievous things?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±. King chomped down on another chocolate.


    Clark¡¯s chest rapidly heaved up and down but he calmed himself in the end. After staying with King for months, he already understood his personality but he was still damn annoying when he wanted.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going out together soon¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going out; I have no such tendencies¡±.


    ¡°I told you that I¡¯m the leader of this city, I have to go take a look at the things that commenced during my disappearance¡±.


    ¡°I intend to go visit my counselors; they are the ones who were in charge during my absence. I just want you beside me, please¡±. Clark finally used the golden word while hiding a smirk.


    ¡°Hmm, ok. As you said please, I can help you¡±.


    In a jiffy, he quickly dressed up and went out with King.


    After so long of separation, he felt nostalgic, he was finally having a reunion with his exotic car. He almost forgot the feel of holding his baby¡¯s steering wheel already, he had to make up for this.


    Zoom! He drove out of the mansion the next moment.

 Chapter 288: meeting with the commissioners

    ¡°Is it true?¡±


    Commissioner Martian quickly stood up to face his companion while asking, a surprised but excited look on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just received the news this morning from my secretary, so I informed all of you¡±. Commissioner Crook answered with a helpless expression on his face as his 3 companions surrounded him enthusiastically.


    He felt like cursing. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any dignity as old as you guys are?¡±


    Though this was what he thought in his heart, he could not say it out. Still, seeing a bunch of old geezers surrounding him and throwing questions at him gave him a headache.


    Calming himself down, he patiently answered their queries, even to ridiculous questions like if he was in the bathroom when his secretary brought the news to him.


    They justified themselves by saying that for such important information, his secretary could barge into anyplace just to let him know at the fastest time possible.


    For that, he answered but was left speechless in his mind. He was not a do the secretary when she does not have anything doing superior, he was a civilized old man.


    As they were discussing energetically, they suddenly paused as the gate opened up, following which a luxurious car that stood out from the others suddenly drove into the government building majestically.


    Seeing this, they all heaved sighs of relief. The head commissioner was here.


    As soon as the car was parked, something bizarre happened. The commissioners were left shocked, gawking in disbelief. The originally charismatic head commissioner seemed to have experienced a huge change overnight.


    Unlike usual, the old man did not wait for his driver to open the car¡¯s door for him. As soon as the car was parked, he became a jumping cat immediately, hopping from the car and rushing in the direction of the honorable building.


    In just a few minutes, he scaled the elevator which took him to the upper-most point of the building immediately.


    By the time that he was scanned and the door opened for him, the other 4 commissioners were still felt gawking outside in the direction of his car, still yet to comprehend what just happened.


    ¡°Did the sun rise from the west today?¡± They asked themselves in unison.


    ¡°Ahem, what is so interesting outside that you are all looking at?¡±


    Head commissioner Patrick finally spoke out with a weird expression on his face after barely suppressing his surprise at seeing these old geezers acting so captivated.


    ¡°Haha, good afternoon head. Nice to meet you too¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As soon as all 4 commissioners improvised and said that simultaneously, silence descended. The atmosphere became a bit awkward as they finally realized what they just said, their face beginning to turn red.


    Seeing their reaction even left the head commissioner more puzzled. Waving this irregularity away, he finally went forward to sit down on the chair that was at the head of the round table.


    ¡°Maybe, they are still shocked by the news. Hell, I¡¯m even still shocked so that¡¯s normal¡±. He thought intelligently.


    After the others sat down, he finally spoke. ¡°It¡¯s confirmed, the leader is back. And from my sources, he is already on his way here¡±.


    ¡°Thank God¡±. The other commissioners exulted excitedly.


    ¡°The leader is really fierce; he actually survived a mission that was organized to target him. He is a real prodigy¡±.


    The head commissioner had a serious expression on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourselves. You know the situation of the city when he left, and you also knew the measures that we took to curb the problem¡±.


    ¡°The leader is a hot-headed fellow, there is a high chance that he would angrily criticize us a lot when we finally tell him of the truth. Perhaps, he may even decide to demote us¡±.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡±. The other commissioners deflated, sighing ruefully.


    Clark was taken away from them at a time that Vatican City was very vulnerable. They made a lot of controversial decisions just to make the situation stable again, they were ready to be criticized by their leader.


    ¡°Crook¡±.


    ¡°Yes, head¡±.


    ¡°Go and fill in the details of the meeting that would commence in a few minutes. We have to present our report in the best possible way, perhaps that will lessen the leader¡¯s rage a bit¡±.


    Head commissioner Patrick assigned the other commissioners with tasks to prepare for the report meeting before he leaned on his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.


    It felt weird for old men of their age to be so reverent of a man who was barely in his 20s, but this was the age of exotics. That is the way of life of this era; soldiers first, every other person second.


    Unlike what would have been expected of an old geezer with lots of governing experience like him, he was happy to have a leader like Clark.


    The cities bordering and rivaling Vatican City craved to have a leader like Major Clark, but they don¡¯t. Vatican City having him was a blessing, and he was extremely grateful for it.


    Clark surviving this mission against all odds shocked him to the bone. This further reinforced his belief in the still budding soldier, he would remain loyal to the Major till his death.


    He believed that under Clark, Vatican City would develop and soar above all their immediate rivals.


    Sighing nostalgically, he stood up from the chair that was in the middle of the round table. He already occupied it for too long, it was no longer his chair.


    This was the leader¡¯s chair; this was Major Clark¡¯s chair.


    ¡­


    ¡°Welcome back, leader¡±. The 5 commissioners greeted in a respectful tone as Clark walked into the conference hall with a confident vibe in his steps.


    As soon as he heard their greeting, Clark smiled at them. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time already, it¡¯s nice to meet you guys again¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Major¡±.


    As the 5 commissioners directed the Major to his rightful seat at the center of the round table, they could not help but direct glances at the soldier that followed him in.


    As soon as King entered the hall, he waved at them before finding a chair to sit down. He didn¡¯t speak, he just observed from the background with a neutral expression on his face.


    Clark noticed their puzzled gazes, so he cleared their doubt after sitting down. ¡°That¡¯s a close acquaintance of mine, you can trust him with anything that you can trust me with¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡± The commissioners directed a more scrutinizing gaze at this soldier, a curious gleam now on their eyes but King was unfazed, looking back at them calmly like an unfeeling zombie.


    It was creepy, the old men retracted their gazes after just a few seconds.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± As soon as Clark cleared his throat, the attention of the 5 commissioners finally came back to him.


    Though the commissioners had a lot that they wanted to say, they kept quiet for their leader to speak first. About his mission, they didn¡¯t dare ask as they knew that it was a confidential mission.


    Seeing these 5 old men again after so many months of being separated, Clark felt a peculiar feeling engulf his heart. From their faces, he knew that they were really happy that he was back.


    This made him feel guilty a bit. He wanted to follow the more formal format of speech that he planned before, but this made him change his mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you all, commissioners¡±.


    ¡°No worries¡­¡±


    Clark stopped them with a raise of his palm. ¡°I know that you feel reluctant to reprimand me, so I will apologize. Just please don¡¯t stop me¡±.


    ¡°First, I want to apologize for my rash decisions that led to this current scenario. I should have thought thoroughly over my decisions first, I hope the damages caused by my actions were not too much¡±.


    The 5 commissioners were left stunned to silence in their seats, carefully absolving what they just heard into their brain.


    The head commissioner was the one who spoke to break the silence. ¡°Major, you don¡¯t have to apologize at all. You being here is the best gift that Vatican City could ever hope to have¡±.


    He hesitated but still continued. ¡°No one is born perfect in this world. It¡¯s our ability to learn from mistakes that make us excellent. As far as you take on that spirit of excellence, then you have absolutely nothing to apologize about¡±.


    As soon as head commissioner Patrick said this, he felt a load being lifted from his shoulders.


    Just like the others, he was stunned by what Clark said. When he thought back to his worries of a few minutes ago and the actual reality before him, he felt like he was the luckiest commissioner on earth.


    ¡°Which other head commissioner can boast of having a leader as nice as mine? None!¡±


    As the head commissioner had these thoughts in his head, Clark also kept quiet to absorb what he was just told.


    At first, he thought that the commissioners would just brush his apology off. But the head commissioner¡¯s reply made him feel appreciated, accepting his apology meant that they valued him.


    Removing those errant thoughts from his mind, his face finally became serious. ¡°Give me a report of all that happened after I left¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Major¡±. Commissioner Crook replied and stood up.


    He brought out a record notepad before speaking. After going through all the formal contents recorded in the notepad, he dropped it and continued.


    ¡°Sir, before you left, the city was already in an unstable position due to the sudden terrorist attack by the Persian tigers organization¡±.


    ¡°Though the unrest reduced a bit after you annihilated the terrorist base and gave a speech to the citizens, this increased again after you left¡±.


    ¡°After you left, we got together in a meeting to discuss our next course of action. In this meeting, we deduced that the best course of action was to try our best to hide your leaving for as much as possible¡±.


    ¡°Though the citizens became more agitated after not getting another address from you during the city¡¯s recovery process, they still held their nerves due to respect for you¡±.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we were able to hide your absence for only 2 weeks¡±.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know how it happened, it felt more like an inside leek of information to us. Just in the 3rd week after you left, the news of your disappearance became known everywhere¡±.


    ¡°Though no details were given, everyone was inclined to believe that this was the truth¡±.


    ¡°What worsened matters was that just the next day after the news circulated, the Persian tigers claimed that they would raze the city to ashes very soon¡±.


    ¡°This brought panic among the citizens, which quickly snowballed to chaos. Before the opponents even came, we were already suffering from an internal breakdown¡±.


    ¡°Of course, we sought intervention from the Spartan army. They replied positively but we were not given a specific time when they would come¡±.


    ¡°The terrorists came a week after, turning Vatican City into a river of blood again. We already experienced this before, and we vowed not to experience it again¡±.


    ¡°To avoid the then ongoing massacre, we made a lot of harmful decisions¡±.


    ¡°We sought immediate help from our neighbor cities. We asked for both money and military reinforcement, we bled of course from this action due to their high demands to take advantage of our desperation¡±.


    ¡°In the end, after our reinforcement came, the terrorists retreated when the resistance became too strong. The Spartan army was not able to make it here to help us¡±.


    ¡°After the battle, we were able to sustain the economy through the millions of Spartan credits that we borrowed but the city is currently in a large amount of debt¡±.


    ¡°According to the clause that we signed, if we can¡¯t pay the money borrowed in another 2 months, Vatican City will be no more. The other cities agreed to tear us up and absolve us¡±.


    Commissioner Crook paused after saying this. Silence reigned as all 5 commissioners stole nervous glances at their Major.


    The Head commissioner finally spoke out. ¡°Sir, we¡¯re sorry for any mistakes that we may have made in our decisions. We were driven to desperation, so we had to resort to desperate measures to pull through¡±.


    Clark took a deep breath. ¡°Forget about that, do you have footage of the battle?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¡±.


    ¡°Show me¡±.


    ¡°Sir, but¡­¡±


    Clark directed a glare at the commissioner, Crook relented immediately on feeling the glare prick his skin. ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    Clark steeled his face before turning to look at the screen that was just projected in the middle of the hall. A lot of things went through his mind but he cleared them all to focus on this.


    What he saw will impact his decisions by a large margin.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 289: the black week

    >THE BLACK WEEK>


    This flashed on the holographic screen as a series of edited opening scenes quickly followed in rapid succession. A lot of edited graphics took the screen for about a minute before the real footage started.


    The screen background took on a blood-red tone, making Clark stiffen as his nerves became stretched taut. Then it started¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Sir, the terrorists stayed through to their claim. There have been reported attacks in 7 vantage points, the city¡¯s emergency security guards are already stretched thin¡±.


    ¡°By your orders, we intend to send reinforcements immediately¡±. Sergeant Maria had a distressed but serious expression on her face.


    ¡°Have you contacted the commissioners?¡± Corporal Cinnabar also had a serious expression on his face, his tone now deeper than ever.


    ¡°No, sir. We were waiting for your input¡±.


    ¡°Ok, call them now¡±.


    After an intense section of discussion through virtual projections with the city¡¯s commissioners, the Corporal taking the helm of the Dragon military division finally made his decision.


    ¡°Maria, Daniel, Dave, mobilize all the soldiers of the military division excluding only those that will stay to safeguard the division base headquarters¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. Saluting, all 3 Sergeants quickly stormed out of their superior¡¯s office to go and implement his orders.


    10 minutes later, the whole Dragon military division of Vatican City was aroused and riled up for battle. Under the leadership of their Corporal, the raging soldiers went out to vent their anger on their archenemies.


    Hundreds of military armored vehicles, ultra-long ranged cannoneer military vehicles, skirmishing exotic bikes, artillery exotic vehicles of the hard-puncher baseline, exotic tanks, and lots of other military utilities were brought out for this decisive battle.


    The military base woke up like an enraged beast.


    They didn¡¯t need a speech from their Corporal. Just a battle cry was what was needed to completely rile up all the soldiers, they stormed out of the military base the next moment.


    ¡­


    ¡°South-west Vatican City, Chandelier Residential District, 2 company of terrorist soldiers have attacked from the flanks. A battalion just arrived; our defense is crumbling! We need reinforcements!¡±


    A soldier¡¯s voice sounded in the background amid rapid breaths and gunshot sounds. Red was the dominant color as explosions were already rocking the battlefield.


    ¡°We are losing soldiers; our defense is being stretched thin. Some terrorists already broke through our defense line, the civilians are already under attack¡±.


    ¡°We need reinforcements now!¡±


    As the Sergeant leading the Chandelier district kept on asking for reinforcements, they were still steadily holding their defensive line against the battering attacks of the terrorists.


    Blood flowed like a river; their comrades died every second but none of them flinched. This was what they trained for all these years; they were ready to give their all to safeguard the lives of the vulnerable civilians.


    As the terrorists kept on butchering into their ranks and the defense kept on dwindling like a dying candle flame, hope came.


    ¡°Our reinforcements are here!¡± ¡°Reinforcement is here!¡±


    ¡°For Sparta! For Vatican City! For Major Clark!¡±


    Despite shouting such chants energetically in an aggressive tone, the leading Sergeant was still able to keep every soldier under control till the reinforcement got to their position.


    His face was now relieved a bit. He could see that the reinforcement was from the Dragon military division, and their number was up to a battalion.


    ¡°This is Sergeant Maria of the Dragon military division; I¡¯ve been ordered to take charge from here¡±. As soon as she arrived, Maria put down her foot to establish her authority which the acting Sergeant did not protest against.


    As soon as she got the overall authority that she wanted, she started barking out orders at the pace of a machine gun.


    ¡°Tom, take the exotic blockade platoon forward to hinder the forward push of the terrorists. Form the turtle shell formation and stand your ground!¡±


    ¡°Daniel, take your machine gun platoon and set up the perfect shooting line range, make sure you petter the beasts with your rounds. I want to see some blood; I need them bleeding fast!¡±


    ¡°Raden, you know the drill. This is war, we don¡¯t need to preserve resources. Set up the exotic bomb impassable domain immediately!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sergeant¡±. As these soldiers pointed at went out to fulfill the orders, Sergeant Maria continued barking orders to her soldiers to rally and organize them for the decisive push.


    ¡°Let¡¯s teach these beasts the lesson of a lifetime. We are the ¡®II Dragon Battalion¡¯, we do not flinch at the sound of a gunshot, we charge at it. We crave blood when we hear blood¡±.


    ¡°Soldiers, charge with me!¡±


    Sergeant Maria was not content with staying behind walls to command. As soon as she gave the basic command to stabilize the situation, she charged out with her battalion of soldiers.


    The force of 800 soldiers all armed to the teeth charging out was extremely intimidating visually, but this did not deter the Persian tigers terrorists.


    The terrorists who had an overwhelming advantage of superior numbers and experts rushed fearlessly outwards to collide with their prey.


    With a booming sound like that of clapping thunders, the 2 battalions collided in a very eye-catching manner. After the collision came battle, the melee soldiers of both sides went berserk immediately.


    Gunshot sounds filled the battle, accompanying the sounds of energy shields popping, and swords stabbing flesh to form a chaotic cacophony of noise.


    Sergeant Maria was like a demon goddess on the battlefield. She was not content with fighting the minor battles with her soldiers, she sought out the leading executioner of the terrorists.


    With a bloodthirsty gleam on her face, she carved a forbidden path of blood and body parts to locate her opponent.


    When they finally met, the battle was legendary!


    The defending side became sturdier after Sergeant Maria¡¯s arrival with reinforcements, but the fact was still there that the terrorists came with significantly more soldiers than them.


    As the battle kept on dragging out under the rain of explosions, gunshots, cold weapon stabs, and death, more and more terrorists started slipping through the defense line to access the civilians being protected inside.


    A massacre was already going on inside, but Maria could not order her soldiers to stop and go back to help.


    If she did that, it could quickly lead to a breakdown of their battle formation which could quickly escalate and snowball to a complete wipe-out of both the defending soldiers and civilians.


    The battle dragged on for 2 days without any rest as more reinforcements kept on joining both sides, taking the scale of the battle to increasing heights.


    During these 2 days, hundreds if not thousands of civilians already died to the tyranny of the terrorists. The visual effect was traumatizing, dead children, couples, old men, and women, the sight was pitifully bloody.


    Sergeant Maria already adjusted her tactics following the increasing tide of death. She compacted her defense perimeter every 2 hours, but the terrorists were still overwhelming them.


    This was her best. She felt inadequate at such a moment seeing so many innocents die, she felt angry at herself for not being a superhuman.


    She already requested reinforcements countless times back to the Dragon military division headquarters, but she always received a negative reply.


    The Chandelier Residential District was not the only district that was under attack, every single area of Vatican City was under attack. The situation here was even among the better ones.


    Even the government building where the commissioners of the city took refuge was under attack, this only showed how pessimistic the city¡¯s chances of survival were.


    The terrorists really came with vengeance, they intended to use the death of hundreds of thousands to pay for the death of their Commander who died to the loathsome Major Clark.


    Though Sergeant Maria¡¯s defense battle was intense, it was far less intense compared to what was going on in the government building where the commissioners took refuge.


    Corporal Cinnabar was already battling for 3 days straight with his soldiers. Of course, he was exhausted but his eyes never showed that. Only the burning will to inflict more damage on the opponents blazed in his eyes.


    With the elite combat brigade of the Dragon military division behind him, the fire of battle burning in his eyes never got extinguished.


    He was not the one giving orders though, he was the one leading the charge. His second in command, Corporal Damn was the one who stood behind the army, leading the combat brigade behind the scenes.


    The task of leading and regulating over 8000 soldiers in a fast-paced defense battle was daunting in the 21st century, but the introduction of implants in this era simplified the task a lot.


    Despite the hundreds of feedbacks being sent to him every minute, Corporal Damn was able to sort everything out and to make sure that the government building defense did not fall apart.


    Of course, there were casualties, but casualties are always in every battle.


    Despite the tenacious will of the soldiers, after weathering the offensive of the terrorists for 4 days straight, their defense power started waning.


    More deaths began being recorded, more civilian deaths started reaching the upper echelons, internal disorder and chaos started threatening to destroy everything from the inside.


    The stress was too much, the 5 commissioners could not take it anymore.


    Head Commissioner Patrick had a weary look on his face, he hardly slept for the past 5 days. ¡°Make the call¡±. He said wearily to his assistant.


    This order was all that was needed. The neighboring cities that were watching this patiently, waiting to harvest benefits jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of the Vaticans.


    After negotiations, reinforcement in terms of money and soldiers finally arrived from the neighboring cities.


    The resistance became much harder, pushing the terrorists back. To cut down on their losses, the Persian tigers made a last offensive push for another 2 days, reaping thousands of lives before they retreated.


    The battle was over, but Vatican City became just a ghost shell of its former self.


    The deed was already done, there was nothing that could be done again. The commissioners just decided to dive in deeper, they borrowed more money to assist in the fast recovery of the city.


    This large pump of money led to the misguiding situation that Clark saw on returning.


    At the end of everything, the casualties were an outrageous 465,000 dead civilians and 19,000 dead soldiers.


    >THE BLACK WEEK>


    With this as a closing flashback remark, the recorded footage of the battle finally came to an end.


    ¡­


    For over 15 minutes, Clark just kept quiet staring in a daze after the projected video ended. He knew that his actions had repercussions, but never in his dreams did he expect so many casualties.


    He felt angry at himself. He felt angry at the laidback, uncaring, and exploitive attitude of the neighboring cities at such a delicate moment.


    For the Spartan army, he didn¡¯t know what to feel. He knew that the army couldn''t react to every military situation across the whole republic. If it was so, the Mocans could easily take advantage of it to attack.


    Despite knowing this, he still felt angered.


    ¡°Major¡±. The head commissioner finally gathered his nerves and called out softly after the eerie silence of the past 15 minutes.


    Clark took a deep breath and stood up. ¡°Prepare for a counterattack!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The commissioners were shocked, becoming distressed immediately.


    ¡°I understand your reactions, but this is not an impulsive decision. I¡¯ve always dreamed of the day when Vatican City will be completely free of terrorists, and I think the day is near¡±.


    ¡°Just focus on mobilizing the city¡¯s normal soldiers and police force, I¡¯ll handle the Dragon military division. You¡¯ll receive the details later¡±.


    ¡°For the borrowed money and the economic situation, leave it to me¡±.


    A dangerous gleam flashed past his eyes. ¡°I think these cities will have a rethink when a Captain speaks with them¡±.


    ¡°A Captain?¡±


    The commissioners were shocked, they turned to ask but Clark was gone.

 Chapter 290: an unprecedented decisionplan

    After entering his car, Clark did not take a single glance back as he drove out of the government building the next moment. As he drove his veins throbbed repeatedly, making his face seem older but he didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    As soon as he stormed out of the conference hall, King quickly followed after him. At such a delicate moment, King was sensitive enough not to irritate him.


    Though he was not a Spartan citizen nor a Vatican, watching the recorded footage was still enough to rile him up, making him have strong hatred on sight against the so-called Persian tigers.


    If he felt like this and he was unrelated to the casualties, he just could not imagine how Clark felt.


    Seeing children being butchered brutally like pigs, old men being kicked to death like stray dogs, couples being shot to death like they mean nothing, he felt a wave of simmering anger engulf his heart.


    How can humans be so cruel?


    Yes, he was a soldier but such cruelty still exceeded his tolerance range. Of course, he¡¯s also killed a lot. But almost all his kills were exobeasts, only a few were fellow humans and definitely not children.


    Holding his anger back to himself, he started thinking about Clark. Stealing a glance at him, his face dropped as he saw how Clark¡¯s face was extremely tightened like he was wrestling an opponent.


    Clark¡¯s hand was already frighteningly tight, almost turning to fists like he was wrestling with the steering wheel. He was already starting to turn the steering wheel disorderly.


    ¡°Clark¡±. King called softly but he got no response.


    [Ding! Master, your emotions have been detected to be in an extremely disorderly and riled-up state. Advice from experts is that you stop and take a deep breath to rest.]


    Clark still did not answer, his emotions became even more unstable.


    [Ding! Wrong handling of car has been detected. Master should change the car¡¯s configuration to autopilot or¡­]


    Ahh!!


    Clark finally got fed up with the notifications. Screaming, he swiped the car¡¯s steering wheel to the right without much thought as he shimmered with rage.


    [Ding! Autopilot has taken effect.]


    Even before the car could respond to his reckless steering, it¡¯s A. I took charge immediately as it took over control from him, making it stable again before pressing on the brakes to stop the car.


    As soon as the car came to a stop, Clark came down from the car. Slamming the door shut, he stormed off into the distance.


    His only saving grace was that this was a fairly deserted road that was surrounded by a small forest reserve, or he would have been surrounded by a mob of excited civilians immediately if they saw their leader.


    Despite all the suffering that they experienced, the Vatican citizens still acknowledged the help and convenience that his leadership brought.


    Before Clark could storm off completely in rage, King reacted fast. Getting to his side in seconds, he held his hand to stop him.


    A fist quickly flew at his face but he already expected it, he ducked and shifted his body to escape Clark¡¯s range.


    He glowered. ¡°You¡¯ll beat me too now?¡±


    ¡°Why did you hold me?¡± Clark raged.


    ¡°You have to calm down. You made a decision in front of your commissioners, telling them that you thought about it but is this really thinking about it. Be realistic with yourself¡±.


    Clark was tongue-tied but his fists still tightened aggressively. ¡°Stop it or I¡¯ll punch your face¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Master if you do that, it seems that you¡¯ve forgotten the rules that he set before we left. I¡¯m the senior student, you have no right to hit me¡±.


    ¡°Do you want me to call him?¡± King raised his Master¡¯s special communication device threateningly.


    Clark glowered, but he deflated the next moment. ¡°Fine!¡±


    Turning his head angrily, he stormed back to the position of his exotic car before leaning on it. A tear dropped from his eye, but it only made him angrier.


    Cleaning it from his face, he punched hard on his car¡¯s exotic skin, making pain waves to assault his fist. He did not shout painfully though; he just retrieved his fist silently.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Clark¡±. King finally came back to his side. Feeling Clark¡¯s glare pricking his skin after saying this, he improvised and changed his words.


    ¡°It may be your fault¡±.


    ¡°But you know, as your head commissioner said, it¡¯s our ability to learn from mistakes that make us excellent. For me, I think you should just try to make yourself excellent and everything will fall back in place¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked that did you think about the decision that you made in front of your commissioners¡±.


    Clark bit his lips; he finally calmed his mind after a few minutes of putting effort. ¡°I did, King. I really thought about it, but I¡¯m just confused by rage now after seeing the number of people that died because of my actions¡±.


    ¡°Good! Clark, forget about all those. If you thought about it as you said, then you just have to make the decision that seems right for you¡±.


    Clark hesitated. ¡°King, do you think that I¡¯m not fit to be a leader?¡±


    King was stunned for a moment, but after understanding, he sighed. ¡°Clark, you¡¯re a good leader. Even your soldiers testified about that in your last mission, give yourself some credit¡±.


    ¡°But almost all of them died because of me¡±.


    ¡°Not all of them, Clark. You did your best, that¡¯s all that matters¡±.


    Clark sniffed, trying hard to hide his embarrassment. ¡°Thanks¡±.


    ¡°Welcome, any time bro¡±. King bumped fists with him before finally entering the exotic car again.


    Clark did not enter immediately; he wiped his face with his hands before resting all his weight on the car with his face facing the sky to think with his eyes shut close.


    ¡°484,000 people died because of my actions¡±. He muttered to himself.


    He already read about books where high-grade soldier¡¯s actions decided the fate of a whole nation. Then, he always wondered how it felt, but experiencing it for the first time brought a whole new awful feeling.


    Then, he made the decision that he thought was right without thinking about the consequences that may follow. Not that he expected that he would leave for the great Himalayan peaks though.


    He wanted to justify his conscience but it just wasn¡¯t working. He was too bothered by the projection footage, it left him feeling stressed out.


    He wanted to blame the hidden powers of the Spartan republic who pushed for him to participate in the Everest mission, he wanted to blame the terrorists, he wanted to blame the cities bordering Vatican City.


    He wanted to blame a lot of things and people, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe that.


    In the end, he just chuckled to himself mirthfully. It all birthed down to the same problem that he¡¯s faced since the first day that he graduated to become a soldier, he just didn¡¯t have enough power.


    If he had enough power, no one would have the authority to include him in a mission without his consent and the terrorists would not have the guts to attack his city also.


    This time though, he was right that he didn¡¯t make that decision on impulse. He made it after thinking through the plan, the repercussions, and the procedures extensively.


    This time, he would show the whole Spartan republic and the Persian tigers organization that he was no longer the bulliable Clark of yesterday.


    Now, he was a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. He had a mercenary group under his name, he had an Elite Commander as his teacher. He fused with the bean quadrant enhancer, and he already went through his sublimation.


    This time, he would make sure that the sky rained terrorist blood.


    This time, he would make sure that hundreds of thousands of terrorist¡¯s soldier¡¯s blood are spilled to make up for the ones that they took.


    This time, he would make sure that Vatican City became terrorist-free. Even if he had to bulldoze his way through impossible obstacles, he would do it to make up for the dead children.


    This time, he was ready to break conventions.


    After making his conviction, he no longer fretted with the guilt that was aroused after watching the footage.


    Quickly entering his car again, he switched on the ignition and sped away at the maximum speed manageable by his exotic car.


    ¡­


    Back in the conference hall in the main Vatican government building, Head commissioner Patrick and the other commissioners were still left shocked despite Clark already leaving for a few minutes.


    The head commissioner turned to face his companions; mouth wide opened in incomprehension. ¡°Did the leader just say that he is now a Captain, or did I hear wrong?¡±


    ¡°He just said that a Captain will speak, he did not say that he is now a Captain¡±. Commissioner Crook could not help but comment.


    The others commented also as the 5 of them started the work of a detective, trying to analyze what their leader said to search for any loopholes.


    Despite all their analysis, they didn¡¯t actually care, they knew that their brain already agreed with the notion of their leader now being a 3rd rank high-grade soldier.


    ¡°If the leader really broke through¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a freak!¡± The head commissioner exclaimed before Crook could complete his sentence. ¡°He¡¯s a f*cking freak, hahaha!¡±


    The old man became mad with excitement as he got carried away by his belief. He was genuinely shocked and excited, the possibilities that could become available due to having a leader who was a Captain just made him feel giddy.


    ¡°We¡¯re blessed! Vatican City is blessed!¡±


    Though the other commissioners still had some doubts, seeing how excited their head was made them reluctantly follow along to please him.


    After enjoying the euphoria brought by this big news, they finally calmed down and started analyzing the pros and cons of the decision that their leader made a moment ago.


    Commissioner Crook hesitated. ¡°Even if the leader is now a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, his decision still seems a little immature. The Persian tigers is not any petty terrorist organization¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡±. Head commissioner Patrick finally deflated. ¡°We have to see his plan first. If it is not feasible, we should just bite the bullet and reject his proposal vehemently¡±.


    As they discussed, the A. I of the government building suddenly shimmered before materializing to existence. It presented them with the detailed documents that Clark just sent across.


    They took a few minutes before they were able to go through it all, and for the umpteenth time, they were left shocked.


    ¡°The leader wants to uproot every sign of terrorist from the city¡­, is that even possible?¡± Of course, the always-talking Crook was the one who said this.


    ¡°The plan is not too unrealistic; I think we should put more trust in the leader this time¡±. The head commissioner finally spoke. ¡°According to him, all we have to do is to organize every matter related to the local policing¡±.


    ¡°And he said the plan¡¯s implementation will start in exactly a month from today. Instead of arguing, let¡¯s go prepare appropriately¡±.


    ¡°This time, I feel that something unprecedented is going to happen¡±.


    [It seems unreal, but here we are, just a few chapters to get to chapter 300. I''m so excited, and yeah I''m feeling fulfilled.]

 Chapter 291: nabbing the thief

    After Clark made up his mind, his conscience became free again. Enjoying the feeling of freedom from guilt, he continued speeding across the road, straight in the direction of the highway.


    The forest reserve surrounding this road was among the smallest sized in the city, despite this it was still a few kilometers big. This meant that the road going through it was also long, over 2 kilometers.


    Clark estimated that he would get to the highway in just a few minutes so he was currently relaxed, listening to the music that was blasting from his car¡¯s hidden sound amplifiers.


    As the song played, this was when he deduced that it was a long time ago since he last listened to a piece of music. He was stunned by this discovery, was he so cut off from society now?


    ¡°Hey! Who is the trending musician now?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± King turned to him with a lazy expression on his face as he chewed on a pack of chocolate.


    ¡°I asked who the current trending musician was¡±.


    ¡°How would I know?¡± King shrugged, feeling a little irritated at being asked such a pointless question by his younger mate.


    As he turned his head back to his chocolate, his eyes briefly caught sight of something on the road. He ignored it at first, focusing back on his chocolate but his brain clicked after a few seconds.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He raised his head.


    ¡°What?¡± Clark also had a lazy expression on his face as payback. To his surprise, King did not answer immediately.


    The car was moving at an extremely fast speed so they were closing the distance to the black object upfront very fast but King was still quiet, a small frown on his face like he was contemplating something.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you? That¡¯s just a trash bottle¡±. Clark was puzzled.


    When they were only a few meters from the black substance that looked like a littered bottle, King suddenly yelled. ¡°Hit the brakes, now! Enemy attack!¡±


    Clark was shocked but he was able to comprehend what King meant immediately, smashing hard on the brakes as the car suddenly started drifting to a stop, the sudden change in inertia hitting him inside hard.


    This was when he saw it clearly. The black substance was just a square-shaped object, the only irregularity was that a barely visible rope was tied to it which was now facing the car directly.


    Just a meter forward and the rope would have caught them.


    ¡°Reverse immediately, that¡¯s a pressure-filled bomb¡±.


    ¡°A bomb?¡± Clark was shocked.


    Forgetting about the fact why someone would have the guts to attack him on his turf, he quickly changed gears and attempted to reverse. He was fast but whoever the person was that was in the shadows was faster.


    Only the irritating sound of something like gas being released by a giggling baby sounded. Clark almost covered his nose on instinct after hearing the sound, but the bullet moved faster than he did.


    Its sound was barely audible as it cut through the barely visible rope like a hot knife cutting through butter, then¡­


    Boom!


    With the eruption of the bomb, all the energy that was compressed and stored inside was released energetically, visibly pushing the air as ripples spread everywhere.


    The area around where Clark¡¯s car stopped became engulfed in something like a fierce artificial windstorm immediately, the exotic car was picked up from the ground in just a few seconds after the pressure was released.


    The air howled at extremely high decibels as the compressed pressure release made the originally harmless air become a sharp weapon, attempting to compress and squeeze the exotic car.


    Somersaulting at rapid frequencies, the car was thrown harshly to the side, rotating dozens of times in the air before being dropped down heavily with a ruthless crash sound accompanying it.


    During the process that all these happened, inside the car was already chaotic and spinning like the insides of an actively operating watching machine.


    Despite the rapid swings and chaotic spins, Clark¡¯s eyes still shone like lanterns without being affected as a lot of calculations quickly went through his mind to deduce the situation.


    After he fused with the bean quadrant enhancer, in the few battle experiences that he had, he already noticed the tangible increase in any ability related to his mental prowess.


    Though King suffered much more from distorted orientation than Clark, the little that he saw were able to make his eyes gleam in excitement. ¡°What a high-tier bomb! I bet one of this is worth millions of your country¡¯s currencies!¡±


    The pressure was so strong that a few parts of the exotic car were wrenched and pulled out, dismembering it and rendering it partly damaged to Clark¡¯s astonished gaze.


    It was like the fierce wrap, twist, and squeeze pressure exerted by a python attempting to suffocate its prey.


    Damage notifications kept being sent to Clark but he hardly paid attention to them, all his attention was focused on observing to analyze his situation and how to react appropriately.


    He was now a little worried. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    The car already fell on the floor heavily, spreading shockwaves that made the road cave-in but the aftereffects of the fierce wind were still making it somersault across without pause like a rolling football.


    It took more than 2 minutes before the car¡¯s forward momentum died down. At the same time that it stopped, Clark and King heard the footsteps of a person rushing forward in their direction.


    From the rhythmic footsteps, the steady pace, and well-kept speed, they easily deduced that it was either a soldier or a mercenary. And to their surprise, their opponent seemed to be one person.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring any of my alternative weapons, and I don¡¯t want to use my bombs here¡±. King whispered to Clark after re-orienting himself.


    ¡°Me too, I only have an exotic dagger with me¡±. Clark replied- a serious expression now on his face.


    ¡°Ok, take the lead¡±.


    Bam! Clark quickly kicked the door of the car open, his heads poked out before quickly being followed by his body the next moment as his eyes started rapidly scanning the area around him.


    As soon as he rushed out, his armor also activated as flickering blue energy surrounded him before solidifying the next moment.


    Whoosh!


    As soon as his face showed up, he felt a cold wind brushing past his face followed by brief wind pressure. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a figure that was dressed in black clothes and hood like a ninja.


    Though this was an urgent situation, he still cursed. ¡°Bro, do you think this is some child¡¯s play? A ninja costume! Really?¡±


    He ducked swiftly as the spear stabbed past his head, leaving his long hair flying. Before the owner of the spear could retrieve it for a follow-up attack, his left hand swept upward to contend for ownership.


    The black-dressed stranger wanted to retaliate but with a well-placed jab and body shove, Clark easily made him lose his weapon. This was when he confirmed that this opponent was just a 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    ¡°Which witch bewitched this guy and gave him the guts to attack me?¡± Clark was now even more puzzled, feeling the urge to spank whoever this kid was.


    This discovery doused his excitement by a lot but he was still not letting the mischievous fellow leave so easily.


    Extending his left hand forward, he aimed to grab the fellow on the head but to his surprise a blue glow erupted from his ninja costume, visibly adding more energy output to it as he now felt a completely different vibe from the fellow.


    ¡°Take that!¡± The fellow yelled before lunging at him again.


    As he attacked, another spear appeared on his hand, gun ports opened up in his ninja costume, saws emerged out of his black boots, and spikes erupted- surrounding his body from every possible angle.


    Bam! Bam!


    Clark was shocked by this sudden transformation, causing him to lag in reaction by a few minutes as the convergence of so many weapons overpowered his armor, throwing him back.


    He quickly did a roll in mid-air and landed on his feet. Turning his head back to look at his opponent who was obviously a young man, a scene started reemerging back inside his head.


    A scene of a young man who frustrated him with higher tier gadgets, a scene of a young man with that expensive-looking bike, a scene of a young man who kept on irritating him.


    ¡°You¡¯re the thief!¡± He suddenly demanded explosively.


    ¡°Oops! I¡¯m busted, but we still have to fight today to see the strongest¡±.


    Hearing this familiar voice made Clark¡¯s fists tighten in glee. This was a young man that frustrated him for weeks, he always craved the day he would spank him and it seems that it was today.


    ¡°Good! I was always worried that I would not see you again, but it seems that you¡¯re foolish enough to come yourself¡±.


    Cracking his neck left and right, he kept his exotic dagger back inside his armor¡¯s storage port before cracking his knuckles audibly. ¡°Bring it on!¡±


    Bam! Ouch!


    The young thief reeled back from the force of the punch that just impacted his head, his head suddenly becoming heavy as stars started revolving around his brain.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± He didn¡¯t know.


    Bam!


    Dodging his lunging kick, Clark grabbed him like a rag doll with one hand. Took hold of his spear and threw it away before launching a ruthless sideways kick at the thief¡¯s abdomen.


    Despite the protection from his armor, the sheer kinetic force went through.


    The audible sound of ribs being broken and vomit reverberated but Clark did not relent. As the young thief grabbed his abdomen painfully, his leg already kicked hard at the fellow¡¯s legs.


    He always timed his attacks in ways that they avoided the spikes shooting out of the young thief¡¯s costume.


    The dozens of gadgets and the guns attached to the fellow¡¯s ninja costume kept on working at maximum efficiency as their owner was being bullied and battered like he was a real thief.


    Clark dodged over 80% of the gunshots directed at him, he was too lazy so he left the remaining 20% for his armor to absolve.


    After making sure that he already wrecked the thief completely on every part of his body, his 2 palms finally separated before closing back with a loud banging sound at the fellow¡¯s ears.


    The thief staggered like a drunk thief; his vision blurred as Clark became thousands of Clarks before his eyes. He fell down the next moment.


    Seeing the annoying opponent that bugged him for weeks before his feet, Clark felt a proud feeling engulf his heart. His chest shot out a little exaggeratedly, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    Clap! Clap!


    Clark turned his head to see who it was only to see King sitting comfortably on top of his partly wrecked car. The expression on his face was like he just watched the best blockbuster movie.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome, Clark!¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 292: albert the billionaire son

    ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t know who this guy is?¡± King asked as he curiously examined the so-called thief¡¯s face.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard of him¡±. Clark had an exasperated expression on his face. ¡°I think he¡¯s a foreigner, I would have recognized someone like him if he was from these environs¡±.


    ¡°I envy him¡±.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Are you deaf? I said I envy him¡±. King looked up with a real expression of envy on his face. ¡°To use so many top-notch gadgets of high-grade country standards, it means that his father is a freaking billionaire¡±.


    ¡°Oh, what I would sacrifice to be born to a billionaire dad! Then, I will have access to all the bombs that I want¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s even little. If I want, I can spend billions lavishly just to build a bomb research base, and spend even more billions to hire the best of the best experts to help me cook out all the bombs of my dreams¡±.


    Clark had an aghast expression on his face; he shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not serious¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never understand Clark, it¡¯s only natural that you don¡¯t understand now. When you grow big enough, you¡¯ll understand then¡±. King had a sage-like look on his face.


    Suppressing his irritation at seeing the look on this dickhead¡¯s face, Clark asked curiously. ¡°Is Master not rich enough for you? From the little that I know about him, there¡¯s no way that he can be poor¡±.


    King scoffed. ¡°That old man, he¡¯s freakishly rich but he¡¯s just too much of a stingy bastard to spend it on his first student¡±.


    ¡°You just insulted Master, you have no right to threaten me again for some time, or else I can just send a message now if you want¡±. Clark smiled, raising the special communication device.


    King waved his hands like he already expected it. ¡°Fine¡±.


    ¡°Oh! He¡¯s waking up! Boss, he¡¯s waking up!¡±


    ¡°Yikes, Rose! Must you make such a fuss over something so trivial?¡± Clark turned to face his assistant with an irritated expression on his face.


    ¡°Ah! Sorry boss, I¡¯m sorry, but he¡¯s waking up!¡± Rose had an innocent expression on her face as she exclaimed, her round eyes blinking repeatedly.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t startle me next time¡±. Clark relented on seeing this face, he already knew that she did this on purpose but he couldn¡¯t help it every time.


    After knowing and relating with him for so long, despite their brief separation of a few months Rose already knew him to a textbook level. She could now even deduce his thoughts from just one gesture that he made.


    ¡°Ugh! Shit, my back hurts!¡±


    Hearing this, every eye in the room turned to face the person who made the sound. The young man stiffened as soon as he felt the stares on him, his head rapidly recalling everything that transpired till now.


    Suppressing the pain waves that just hit him, he shot up from the floor where he laid down and knelt on his knees immediately.


    He raised both his hands to the air in surrender before spouting out a bunch of absolute nonsense.


    ¡°Major Clark, the great leader of Vatican, the terror of all terrorist Commanders, please have mercy on this useless soul. Forgive my foolishness for not recognizing a lion when I am a mere dog¡±.


    ¡°I overstepped my boundaries. I deserve death, but mercy Major! Mercy!¡±


    As soon as this was said, silence descended immediately. Rose almost choked on her saliva, the look on King¡¯s face was like he just saw a ghost, Clark had a peculiar expression on his face.


    Simultaneously, they thought. ¡°What the hell!¡±


    Clark recovered himself after a few minutes of being stunned, he finally asked. ¡°You¡¯re the thief, right?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken, sir¡±.


    Thwack!


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the thief!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Clark didn¡¯t know if he should cry or laugh, Rose was the one who actually slapped the young man on the back of his head and she was now looking at him with a smug look on her face.


    A look that said, ¡°I did right, now pat me and give me a reward¡±.


    He really wanted to smack her on her head too. ¡°Do you know that this young man can end your life in a second?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here beside me, so he can¡¯t¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As the boss and assistant faced themselves, engaging in a baffling staring contest at such a moment, King finally stepped forward to face the young man.


    ¡°Young man, can you please remove your suit so we can have a proper gentleman conversation?¡±


    The young man hesitated. ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t kill me immediately, I still have a long life to enjoy on this earth you know¡±.


    It felt shocking but despite trying all the measures that they had, Clark and King were unable to hack into the ninja-like outfit of the young man to bring him out of his cocoon.


    This was once again another tangible proof that this young bastard was freakishly rich, they were both sincerely left speechless.


    The only reason why they could see and speak with the young man was that the black suit became transparent after he passed out, but it was still diligently protecting him.


    During the few minutes since they returned, the suit was constantly pumping healing meds into the young man¡¯s blood and he was now more or less healed completely.


    Both soldiers could only guess how outrageously expensive such a suit would be, they felt complicated seeing this.


    After glancing at Clark to get reassurance, King finally turned to face the young man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Be at rest and open up, I assure you that nothing will happen to you¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I believe you¡±.


    Before Clark, King, and Rose¡¯s astonished gazes, the ninja suit flickered before disappearing out of existence.


    Suppressing the urge to ask the technology that was just used much to the disappointment of the young man, Clark opened his mouth to speak but Rose beat him to it.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the young man who¡¯s been terrorizing the city? Now you¡¯re finally under custody, do you know how much depression you caused my boss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­, that¡¯s enough¡±. Clark clasped her mouth before she could continue embarrassing him.


    He turned to face the young man. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Thief¡±.


    Clark¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I want your real name, you don¡¯t want to piss me off¡±. His tone deepened threateningly.


    The young man gulped. ¡°My name is Albert¡±.


    Hearing this, Clark secretly gave himself a thump up inwardly. He was finally improving a lot in his imposing and interrogation techniques.


    ¡°Which country did you come from?¡±


    ¡°The Vladimir republic¡±.


    ¡°Hell! Who the f*ck gives the name of his country so easily?¡±. Clark cursed softly to himself before hardening his gaze. ¡°Are you lying to me?¡±


    ¡°I swear to my ancestors, Major, I¡¯m saying the truth¡±.


    Scoffing, Clark turned to look at King who smiled at him while raising a device. ¡°He¡¯s saying the truth¡±.


    Cursing softly again, he turned to face the young man. His tone deepened further this time, making the atmosphere tense up all of a sudden. ¡°What is your purpose?¡±


    The young man was stunned by the sudden change in tone. Coughing a bit, he twisted his head left and right, cleared his throat before whispering.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Major. Please don¡¯t be offended, I just can¡¯t hold it in. Are all Spartan soldiers so awful at interrogation or is it just you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hihihi¡±. Rose clasped her mouth on feeling the burning gaze of her boss.


    Clark turned back to look at the young boy. ¡°You think this is funny right? You really need a beating¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Thwack!


    ¡°Please!¡± Thwack!


    Thwack!


    ¡°I¡¯ll say everything now, I promise¡±.


    ¡°Good!¡±.


    ¡­


    After having a taste of Clark¡¯s palms, the young man finally became pliable and diligently answered all other questions that Clark asked.


    After an intense 30 minutes section of question and answer where King was already yawning and Rose was already lying on the couch lazily, Clark finally ended his interrogation with a satisfied look on his face.


    It was boring, yeah, but he got every single piece of information that he needed.


    He didn¡¯t know if the boy was just foolish or because he was too young- just 18 years old, but the bastard answered all his questions truthfully.


    He now had a comprehensive compilation about the boy¡¯s identity.


    Yeah, King was right, the boy was the only son of a freaking billionaire. Being the last born and only son in a billionaire family of 8 girls, and being just 18, the young bastard had the leisure to do anything he liked.


    Unlike in the 21st century where billionaire sons loved living lazy lives, in this era, every kid longed to be a soldier and a really good one too.


    Albert, being the lucky bastard that he was, not only was he from a billionaire family, he was also talented as a soldier. He was still 18 but he was already a 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    After doing a little research on the spot, Clark finally knew where the Vladimir republic was.


    Albert was the son of the famous billionaire mineral mining don, Maxim Alexander. The man was a billionaire who was a don in the mining industry, he mined exotics for a living.


    As for why Albert came to the Spartan republic, Clark already guessed the answer even before the boy said it, it was just to catch some cruise and spend his father¡¯s money traveling all around the world.


    Clark could only blush in shame when the boy laid down his story.


    As old as he was, apart from the Spartan republic and a few neighboring countries, he had not visited anywhere. But a young boy of 18 dwarfed him, having visited 122 different countries already.


    When he asked what made him travel so much. The boy was like. ¡°To find beautiful places of course, to explore the world, find and spar with experts, and of course to find beautiful girls¡±.


    Clark didn¡¯t know why, but Rose blushed so much on hearing this that she stormed out of the room after ditching a harsh slap to the boy¡¯s face.


    The sorry thing was that the boy didn¡¯t seem to care about the slap, he still smiled foolishly as though he enjoyed it.


    With the lots of other minor information that Albert released, Clark and King now had a comprehensive understanding of this young man.


    ¡°Ok, so where are the Spartan resources that you looted?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they are safely kept in my warehouse¡±.


    Clark¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You even have a warehouse here already, and why the hell are you behaving like this is your home? You¡¯re my captive!¡±


    ¡°When did you break through?¡± Ignoring what Clark said, the boy suddenly asked, his eyes sparkling like stars.


    Clark got distracted a bit. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my hero, Major Clark. I¡¯ve visited a lot of countries, even some super high-grade organizations but I can beat my chest and say that you¡¯re the best soldier of your rank that I¡¯ve ever met¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re my role model, sir. Before, I wanted to spar with you, but you¡¯re ahead already. Please can you be my master?¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, please stop. Are you insane? Who chooses a master so casually?¡±


    ¡°I can accept being insane just to become your student. I want to be as strong as you are, I promise to be loyal¡±.


    An intense discussion began immediately where King became an amused spectator. Clark was even shocked at himself but surprisingly after another 15 minutes, he was now someone¡¯s master.


    He felt like he was hallucinating.


    Putting this thought aside, for now, he finally asked something that he¡¯s always been curious about. ¡°How much is this your ninja suit?¡±


    The boy started calculating with his fingers. ¡°If converted to Spartan credits, I think that¡¯s 328 million credits¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± Clark almost fainted immediately.


    King stood up, went to the boy¡¯s side, and placed a hand over his shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if Clark does not want, I can be your teacher you know. Do you have any bomb samples?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Clark was speechless.


    [Sorry for the late chapter release, I''ve been a little busy.]

 Chapter 293: war preparation

    Albert was having the time of his life since 2 days ago when he made the abrupt decision to accept Clark as his teacher. It was abrupt but he didn¡¯t regret it in the slightest, he was happy that he made the decision.


    Though after he made up with Clark and he returned the resources that he stole to get his attention, he still didn¡¯t get much of Clark¡¯s attention, he was compensated in ways that he did not expect.


    ¡°Where will you find a bunch of unemployed and unengaged high-grade soldiers to train and spar with? The answer is Major Clark¡¯s mansion¡±.


    Since 18 years ago when he just came to this world through his mom¡¯s womb, this was the first time that he was seeing so many high-grade soldiers with such free time.


    With Captain Josh around, Jason and his clique of subordinates, even King, he was not bored at all. His training and improvement efficiency already increased by a lot after sparing so many times with these experts, he felt on top of the world.


    Normally, high-grade soldiers are always busy as they wanted to improve and get more strength, money also.


    They either become soldiers serving under a country to achieve this goal or they become mercenaries, either lone mercenaries or they decide to set up their own mercenary organization.


    Because of this, it was hard to see a high-grade soldier being free unless he/she just decided to go on a vacation, which was even more rare.


    This was the norm across the world, but in Clark¡¯s mansion, it was different. Since they arrived in the Spartan republic, Clark was busy with a lot of things so the soldiers that came back with him were idle for the time being.


    He made some promises to them, but this would only be fulfilled after he was free again.


    This did not make them dissatisfied though, they loved it here. After staying in regions where they had to bear some terrifying conditions, facing normalcy again brought them a feeling that they could not describe.


    2 days ago, when they came back to the mansion after an eventful day out and heard that Clark took on a student, they were all surprised.


    Driven by curiosity, they all sought out this student.


    After meeting Albert for the first time, they all fell in love with the young man. He was just too cute to hate, his mannerisms, sense of humor, everything about him resonated with them.


    Since then, whenever he asked for spars, they all diligently fought with him to hone his skills.


    After just these few days, they already became good friends. It felt unreal, but some people were just so socially good. It was a talent that could not be replicated.


    ¡°Albert, what do you think? Want to go bike racing?¡± Josh winked as he asked the billionaire boy with a smile that was not a smile.


    Yeah, it could not be forgotten that their new friend had a billionaire dad also. When they went to his warehouse to retrieve the Vatican City resources that he stole, they were blinded by luxury.


    If not because of shame, they would have all agreed to let him become the boss and they would gladly be his followers.


    The only problem was that Albert complained that his dad froze his account because he¡¯s not visited home for the past 2 months. Like, how can his dad expect him to visit home every month when he was so far away from home?


    Despite his frozen account, he was still a rich boy in his own right.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to take permission from Master first before going out¡±. Albert smiled at the others.


    Getting to meet these guys was an experience that he cherished. Since he was small, he had always received the best of everything due to the influence of his dad.


    His dad wanted to enroll him to take the course that could make him become a soldier of Araga, but he refused despite being only 15 then.


    Instead of being a soldier who was confined to specific locations, he loved being an explorer more. Not a mercenary, just an explorer. He dreamed of getting to every nook and crook of the earth one day.


    When he was younger, the 4th rank high-grade soldier that he had the privilege of learning from once told him that he had a special power, which was charisma.


    He didn¡¯t understand then, but now he understood.


    He still didn¡¯t know everything, but he was sure that the special ability was what made other people ease up to him far more easily than they would have done to others.


    He also guessed that this was why Clark accepted him so easily as his student.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a jiffy, let me meet master¡±. As he left, the others smiled and waved at him.


    ¡­


    Clark stood at a vantage point in his mansion, looking over the whole territory with a complicated look in his eyes.


    It started 3 and a half years ago when he just graduated as a soldier with his parent¡¯s ancestral home as his only net worth. Now, he was a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, the owner of 3 mansions, and the leader of the whole Vatican City.


    From when he started, he already grew a lot. He was now a largely successful soldier, far more than most of his peers.


    A bright smile lit his face as he looked on at the workers working energetically below, the smiling gatekeeper, the soldiers who came back with him from the Everest, and of course the new Albert- his student.


    The word still sounded alien to him a few months back.


    Perhaps, it was because he also had a teacher that was why he accepted Albert¡¯s proposal so easily. He didn¡¯t know why, he just felt that the kid was pleasing to the eye.


    He was not old yet, but he could see the 18-year-old him in the boy.


    Pleasing to the eye was in a different concept though. He still remembered a few months ago when he locked himself in, depressed just because of this same annoying young man.


    As he looked on, the door leading to the balcony where he stood suddenly swung open. He was not surprised; he saw Albert when he started coming upwards.


    Before Albert could speak, he spoke first without turning back. ¡°Call everyone to the sitting room¡±.


    ¡°Umm, master?¡± Not getting any response, the kid sighed. ¡°Should I call Mr. King also?¡±


    ¡°Yes, tell them that I want to have a talk with them¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. He skipped away the next moment.


    Seeing this, Clark still felt that it was a dream. When he saw his student¡¯s warehouse, he finally knew the real definition of money.


    The warehouse was not only fortified like a military base, it was filled to the brim with gadgets upon gadgets, hundreds of machines, military cars, bikes, and lots of other things.


    Perhaps, this was the real reason why he accepted the bastard as his student. But he doubted it, he knew his heart.


    As soon as he saw Josh and the others responding to his summon, he took a deep breath and left the balcony, going back inside the house.


    10 minutes later, the sound of the door being shut close reverberated as King entered the sitting room with a lazy expression on his face. Everyone else already came here before him.


    As soon as he sat down, Clark activated a jamming device, turned to face Josh and the others before smiling. ¡°How¡¯s your stay here going? I hope Vatican City did not disappoint your expectations¡±.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s better than the Everest though¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too developed but the atmosphere here is very harmonious, which is something that I love. So for me, it¡¯s amazing¡±. Josh replied first.


    The others responded shortly after, relaying their various views and experiences of staying in Vatican City.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t call us here just to waste our time and ask this right?¡± King finally got fed up with all the talks.


    ¡°Of course not. You already heard of what I want to say, but I just want you to be here to receive the details with the others¡±.


    ¡°Guys, we¡¯ll be getting set for battle very soon¡±.


    ¡°Really?¡± Josh was surprised.


    ¡°Yes, our opponent is the Persian tigers organization. As you¡¯ve stayed here for a few days already, I believe that you already heard of the Persian tigers so I won¡¯t say much about them¡±.


    ¡°They declared war and attacked my city when I was not around, now I want to strike back¡±.


    ¡°I gave you guys the past few days to relax yourselves from all the stress of your previous region, now is the time for you all to know¡±.


    ¡°My plan is very ambitious, and I need a lot of helping hands to make sure that it works. I¡¯ll send the digital copy of my drafted plan to your implants in a moment, please go through it¡±.


    ¡°This attack would be in a month, so you have a lot of preparation time¡±.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things to look out for. If you have any questions, you can ask my assistant about it. The plan was drawn out with Rose¡¯s help, so she can answer all your queries as much as I can do¡±.


    ¡°Though she¡¯s not a soldier, she is a competent assistant who received special training in the Spartan army¡±.


    After the copy of the plan was sent to their implants, they all kept quiet as they went through the information. 2 minutes later, they all opened their eyes with solemn expressions lacing their faces.


    King narrowed his eyes. ¡°Your proposed plan is a complete wipe-out of the terrorists. Vatican City is big, it¡¯s not possible to detect and attack all the hidden terrorist bases at the same time without sustaining substantial damage¡±.


    ¡°The quality and quantity of your soldiers are not enough to wipe out the terrorists even if we¡¯re added, it¡¯s just not feasible¡±.


    ¡°And your city already suffered too much in such a short time frame, pushing for another attack now is not advisable by me. I already thought into the plan after you told it to your commissioners¡±.


    Clark grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the problem of soldiers. I already told you guys that I need a lot of help to make my plans a success, you guys are not my only reinforcement¡±.


    He waved his hand in the air as a picture got projected in mid-air. ¡°Let me introduce you all to Corporal Emily¡±.


    ¡°She¡¯s the temporary Commander of the Pendragon Mercenary group, which she jointly created with me. She¡¯s a friend, and she¡¯s just one of the reinforcements that I have in mind¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I want you to start your preparation now. In a few weeks, all the puzzles will come together to form a whole¡±.


    After saying a few more words and answering a few more questions, he finally dismissed everyone.


    King was right; it was not easy to wipe out the terrorists but he was determined. After watching the video that his commissioners showed him, he was determined now more than ever to wipe the terrorists out.


    He would achieve that by all means, no matter what it takes. He was ready to declare war on the terrorists.


    As he stood up, intending to go back to his room, he was surprised as he felt his military pocket phone vibrating slightly.


    He was receiving an incoming call which surprised him as most of his communication was done directly through his implant.


    The name of the caller even surprised him more. ¡°Captain Briggs?¡±


    [Let''s have relive the good old days first.]

 Chapter 294: captain clark

    Seeing the name of the caller that was flashing on his military phone¡¯s screen, Clark became dazed for a moment as memories got jumbled up and hit his brain at a rapid frequency.


    After so long being separated, he already mostly forgot about this Captain. But now just by merely seeing his name, he felt like he went back in time.


    Apart from Captain Spoky who was still till today the captain that had the most impact in his life, the next was Captain Briggs. They may have only met once in a mission, but that mission changed his life.


    Captain Briggs was the leader of his squad during the operation Spartan¡¯s Rage mission, there was no way that he could forget the man.


    As he smiled with a reminiscing expression on his face, his phone suddenly vibrated. ¡°Phone call will be terminated in 20 seconds¡±.


    ¡°Shit!¡± He quickly answered the phone call before it could be terminated.


    After answering the call, he kept quiet and listened. The other side also kept quiet for about a minute, hearing nothing he finally spoke out. ¡°Hello, is this Major Clark¡±.


    ¡°Yes, is this Captain Briggs?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±. The captain laughed audibly from the other end of the phone.


    Getting this confirmation brought a feeling that he could not describe to Clark, he felt happy, nostalgic, excited, melancholic, and the most baffling was that he felt nervous.


    ¡°How are you doing, Clark?¡± The captain finally calmed down and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Captain. It¡¯s been a long time since we met already, I really missed you. Forgive me for not making out time to call you throughout the years, life has not been calm for me at all¡±.


    ¡°No worries, I understand the life of a soldier perfectly¡±.


    ¡°Thanks, Captain¡±.


    ¡°So, are you at home right now?¡±


    Clark was surprised at this question but he still answered truthfully. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m at home. Why did you ask, are you perhaps here in Vatican City?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here. Precisely, I¡¯m currently staying just a few blocks from your mansion. I hope you don¡¯t mind me coming¡±.


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re here? That¡¯s awesome, I¡¯ll be coming out to usher you in right now¡±. Clark was pleasantly surprised on hearing this news, he faintly wondered what happened.


    For years they¡¯ve not contacted, Captain Briggs contacting him now may mean that something happened.


    Rushing downstairs, he called Rose to organize the mansion cooks to prepare something nice. As soon as he got outside his mansion, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in casual jean trousers and a polo shirt walking in his direction.


    He recognized the man immediately by his iconic bald hair, despite how rich he was it seems that he remained faithful to keeping himself natural. Only a little money and surgery could take care of his hair.


    Meeting up, Clark didn¡¯t know how he should welcome the man who was once his superior. It later played out that he didn¡¯t need to think, Captain Briggs hugged him even before he could say a thing.


    After exchanging a few words as a welcome greeting, Clark finally took the captain inside his mansion.


    After entering the sitting room, he diligently ordered the house¡¯s A. I to lock the door and to demote King and the other¡¯s authority over the mansion till he was done.


    He knew that seeing him escort a soldier in will definitely arouse curiosity, he didn¡¯t want any curious soldier barging in to disrupt the harmonious atmosphere between him and the captain. Only Rose was allowed in.


    As soon as the captain sat down, he engaged Clark in reminiscing conversations while admiring the house.


    They spent a significant amount of time reliving the old days when they were comrades. Their glorious days when they barged into the Mocan republic, and their most glorious moment when they assassinated a Mocan Governor.


    Everything felt like it was just yesterday, but no, a few years already passed. Memories were gold; it was a privilege to go through such circumstances and survive to relive the experiences.


    After spending a significant amount of time going back through the years, they finally relaxed to enjoy themselves. They started feasting on the food prepared by the chef.


    Captain Briggs started another conversation after they started eating. ¡°Captain Clark, you¡¯re a bigshot now¡±.


    Clark was surprised. ¡°You already know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had to sacrifice a lot of authority and influence just to know¡±. He gave Clark a deep look. ¡°To be sincere, somethings, looking at your achievement makes me feel contempt for every other soldier, including myself¡±.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t flatter me Captain¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, that¡¯s the truth. The speed of your rise is something that can already be qualified to be called a myth, it¡¯s mysterious and unbelievable¡±.


    ¡°Then, you were just a recently bred 1st rank high-grade soldier subordinate, but in just a little over 3 years which is just a blink of an eye to soldiers you already caught up to me. If that¡¯s not unbelievable, then what is?¡±


    Clark just laughed, feeling a little bashful at being praised so blatantly. He tried to change the topic of discussion.


    ¡°How about the other survivors, how are they doing?¡± He asked, rubbing a finger through his long hair.


    ¡°They¡¯re all fine, that¡¯s why I came today to meet you. Some of them already retired to live a more free life after the mission. It is already the best achievement in their resume so they felt it was better they live to enjoy it¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Clark raised an eyebrow but he didn¡¯t speak, waiting for the captain to continue.


    ¡°Of all the survivors who came back alive from that mission, everyone is fine except Sonia. I¡¯m sorry, I noticed the special relationship that you had with her then¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok¡±. Clark waved his hands, suddenly feeling a little sour after what the captain just said.


    Captain Briggs seemed to have noticed it, he continued though. ¡°Back then, after we came back from the mission, we organized a special funeral to honor our dead squad mates¡±.


    ¡°We want to honor their graves again next week, and we decided to invite you also to be there since you are a part of us survivors. Being survivors grants us a unique identity, an identity that we resonate with¡±.


    ¡°Oh, ok¡±. Clark finally understood what prompted the captain to call him. ¡°It¡¯s ok with me, tell the others that I will be there. Where¡¯s the location, and what time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Spartan army outer military cemetery, the time is 10:00 am¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be expecting you. It¡¯s been really nice knowing you, Clark¡±. The captain finally stood up to leave.


    After Clark escorted him away, a lot of thoughts went through his mind as he thought about the reunion that just ended.


    Captain Briggs tried to downplay it, but the moment he started their conversation with memories of their glory days he understood his motive for coming immediately.


    It may seem like the captain came just to inform him about their plan to honor their dead companions, but he was able to deduce more.


    This meeting was more than just to honor their dead companions, he was able to make out that it was probably more to find a place to network than honoring the dead.


    It seemed shameful, but that¡¯s the reality of being a soldier.


    To remain on top as a high-grade soldier, you must have friends and companions of the same level. Influence! That is a great divide that cannot be easily breached among high-grade soldiers.


    A soldier with influence had more punching power than an isolated one.


    He as a soldier was fairly influential. He was only 21 but he already knew geniuses like Dickson, Albert, and even strong versatile soldiers like Josh, and King who were all freaks in their own right.


    Not everyone was as good or influential as him, so it was only reasonable that they organize such events to network among themselves.


    Perhaps, if he was still a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, he would not have been invited personally by Captain Briggs. But he guessed that he was invited because of his current power and influence, nobody hated having rich and powerful friends.


    He didn¡¯t feel anyway negative after knowing this truth though, he embraced it even. He was influential, yes, but having more powerful friends was a bonus that he would never reject.


    Smiling, he returned to his sitting-room.


    As soon as he got back there, he was not surprised to see a curious Albert and King already waiting for him there.


    He already prepared for them, so he answered their questions even before they could speak out. He left them the next moment, rushing to his room before they could bug him with silly questions.


    Admiring his luxurious room, he nodded to himself. He had to admit that Captain Briggs was right, sometimes the speed of his rise also left him pinching himself to confirm that he was not dreaming.


    It was not normal at all to see a soldier breaking through 3 ranks in less than 4 years, it was unheard of as far as he knew.


    Patting himself on the back, he plopped down on his luxurious king-sized bed. Before he could close his eyes to rest, his implant sent him a notification that sent his eyes wide open.


    [Ding! A message has been sent to you from the Spartan army.]


    ¡°Finally!¡± He exclaimed exaggeratedly; he was already waiting impatiently for this notification for the past few days. He needed it before he could further his plans.


    The first message was congratulating him on breaking through, and that his rank promotion procedures were finally completed. He was now officially a Captain.


    The promotion ceremony would be in 40 days from now, but he already told them that he was not attending so they made his new rank official before the ceremony.


    The second message was the one that he paid more attention to, the reward for his efforts and achievements in the just-concluded mission into the dreaded frontier.


    He already expected to receive biased treatment after proving his competence in the just-concluded mission, and after he showed the parchment given to him by his Master, but he was still shocked speechless.


    The base mission reward alone given to him was an astonishing 500 million Spartan credits. He felt light-headed reading it, he was a big shot now but such an amount of money still blew his mind.


    Though it was nothing compared to the loot that Diana brought back on his behalf from the great Himalayan peaks, it was still a huge amount of money.


    Another thing that surprised him was that his military authority was directly increased from 2 stars to 4 stars, which was equivalent to what 4th rank high-grade soldiers were entitled to.


    He received a lot of other rewards which were all material resources, but the last item that he saw on the batch shocked him.


    ¡°Arcanite Metal!¡±


    [And..., sorry for the late release, I fell asleep.]

 Chapter 295: a new road

    Clark was left feeling completely astonished after going through everything that he just received through his implant. It seems that he may have still underestimated the influence of his Master a bit.


    This was just too exaggeratedly outrageous.


    He expected to receive a lot after all the efforts that he put in and the surprising results that he got, but still, this was mind-blowing.


    Putting aside the shocking amount of the base money reward and the loads of material resources that he got, his increase in authority and the tons of Arcanite metal allocated to him was the most shocking.


    These 2 were something that could not be bought with money at all, that¡¯s how valuable they were. Unless you had the required influence and connections, you can just forget about getting any of these 2.


    An increase in authority was not just something that could be done or achieved easily, it was stuff that was exclusive to the big shots of Spartan society.


    For a double increase like the one that he just achieved, not only did he need the signature of the Commander of the Spartan army for it, he also needed the signature of the President.


    Now, those requirements alone were enough to make it an achievement of legends. Which normal soldier has the requirements to attract the attention of the President? None.


    Only an abnormal soldier like Clark could achieve such an impossible feat.


    Then for the Arcanite metal, no other adjective is needed to modify it to prove its importance than the fact that it was an exotic metal of high-grade country standards.


    With a mind-blowing allocation of 10,000kg of the metal, he didn¡¯t know what he could do with the leftover after using it to craft all the weapons of his dreams.


    When he just completed his mission back in the Mediterranean Sea with Captain Oxford, after he got back to the republic, he did not hide his love for the metal but then everyone ignored him.


    Now, he didn¡¯t even need to ask, it was given to him without any bargain. This alone validated his pursuit of more strength.


    It was pretty ironic and even slightly sad, but that¡¯s the reality of soldiers. You¡¯re not strong, they cheat you. You are not a billionaire¡¯s son, they cheat you. You don¡¯t have influence, they cheat you.


    Now he really believed the quote that said, pursue excellence, and success will pursue you. He just had to work hard on improving, and all his needs will be met without him even opening his mouth.


    Now, all he had to do was go to the Spartan army to get his reward. He couldn¡¯t send someone there as his signature was needed before he could claim the goods.


    He was not rushing though; he would take them next week during the same time that he would go to the Spartan army to honor his dead squadmates of over 3 years.


    He suddenly sprang up from his bed, energy now pumping tangibly through him in waves.


    After receiving such an uplifting message, all signs of sleep already left his eyes. Now he wanted to pursue more excellence, he wanted to pursue more strength to get more privileges like this.


    Who gave him the right to sleep when he had not gone through any training for today? He felt like slapping himself on the face, he¡¯s been going complacent.


    Another notable fact that brought him much-needed relief was that as a Captain of the Spartan republic, a lot of exclusive benefits that lower-ranked soldiers could not enjoy were now open to him.


    In the Spartan constitution, it was written that when soldiers successfully get to the captain military rank, they¡¯re more or less now grown-ups who could take care of themselves.


    The tangible benefits that follow it are most times not something that could be quantified with money, it already transcended money.


    Not only will they experience an upsurge in monthly allowance from the Spartan army or their military division, but they will also have access to more restricted resources due to their increased authority.


    These 2 were the less spicy ones though, the juiciest of them all was that they were now allowed to leave the republic outside for adventures without suffering repercussions.


    Due to the experience that the Spartan republic had in the form of President Leonidas, the constitution had a privilege that reduced the restrictions of soldiers of the 3rd rank and above by a significant margin.


    From the history lessons that every soldier knew from their learning years, it was already drilled into their heads that their President would not have become the legendary soldier he was today if he was confined to one region.


    It was already proven and tested that confining a soldier to one region stagnates their growth, high-grade soldiers are made for the vast world rather than a single country.


    President Leonidas in his heydays traveled around the whole world, competing in a tournament organized by the big 5 organizations was just one of the many occasions where he made his name known to the world.


    Through this unrelenting grinding, the never-ending traveling, the non-stop sparing, and the never-yielding spirit, these were what forged and crafted the legendary slaughterer.


    It was a well-known fact that without the power of Leonidas, the Spartan republic¡¯s chances of being a middle-grade country were low after the great battle of supremacy due to their lesser technological background.


    The President tipped this delicate balance, which was the last fitting puzzle that the big 5 needed to approve their status as a middle-grade country.


    All these achievements boiled down back to the ultimate truth of all soldiers, freedom of movement and expression.


    It was a choice though, so Clark could still decide to serve diligently here in the Spartan army, just like Captain Oxford.


    Even if they were free, not every soldier would leave because not everybody was Leonidas. The chances of succeeding outside the republic were lesser than when in the republic, this was the belief of many soldiers.


    Clark had not made his decision yet, he still wanted to think more about it. This was a decision that could impact his road as a soldier by a lot, he didn¡¯t want to make an impulsive decision.


    Despite this, he was more inclined to forge his path and make his name known outside the Spartan republic. His Master already encouraged him on this path, so it was only normal that he had more bias for it now.


    Due to a series of well-thought rules that were laid down by the republic, 3rd rank and above soldiers leaving did not mean that they were no longer Spartan soldiers.


    When they decide to leave, they¡¯ll no longer remain as conventional soldiers, they¡¯ll be more like soldier ambassadors of the Spartan republic.


    Clark didn¡¯t know if it was a rumor as he couldn¡¯t confirm before due to his low authority, but he once heard that the Spartan republic had more than 3 Commanders.


    According to the rumor, not only the President, Commander Arthur, and Commander Rashford were the 5th rank high-grade soldiers. There was the 4th Commander, he was just more mysterious and elusive than the others.


    He is the most active pioneer of the soldiers who took on the ambassador path. He hardly comes back to visit the republic, only traveling and looking for ways to improve himself.


    It was said that only when the existence of the republic is threatened would this mysterious soldier, who was the second Commander directly behind the President show up.


    Clark made a mental note to confirm if his current authority could let him get information about this Commander, he wanted to study his path if he was real before making his decision.


    Apart from the joy brought by this sudden message from the Spartan army, he still remembered his situation after Captain Briggs left.


    Though he tried to ignore it, he knew that the captain¡¯s remark about Sonia was still bugging him. Where was she currently? Was she even still alive?


    Sometimes, he felt that he was foolish. How can he decide to wait on a girl whose fate and current status were unknown when a bunch of other beautiful girls was enthusiastically waiting in a cue before him?


    He didn¡¯t know why, but knowing that Leo was already married and about to become a father gave him pressure that he did not know was there before.


    He was not blind. To date, he could still see Rose¡¯s affection for him. Even if he decided to ignore the bunch of local Vatican celebrities that lusted after him, he knew that Emily was also a girl that genuinely had affection for him.


    He felt like hitting his head at a rock at times. Why did he have to be so exceptional and attract so many beautiful girls, in the end, he couldn¡¯t get anyone of them?


    He knew that they were ready to take it further with him even if he didn¡¯t promise to marry them, but it just didn¡¯t resonate with his spirit. ¡°Hell! He was still a virgin!¡±


    He knew lots of soldiers who would have taken advantage of his current popularity with ladies to satisfy their lust, even his student, Albert was a perfect example of that.


    He was just 18 but he talks about girls like a veteran, he could only blush in shame when the mischievous boy starts babbling on.


    Putting that aside, he was really worried about Sonia. After so long, though the chance of it happening was large, he just didn¡¯t want to entertain the thought of hearing that she was dead.


    He didn¡¯t know what happened in that month that made him so spellbound to the lady, but he knew his heart was already charmed completely by her.


    If he heard of her death, he didn¡¯t know what he would do then. He was afraid, she just meant too much to him despite their brief time meeting.


    He could still see her black flowing hair when she unleashed her battle art and they both started fighting their way through Mocan soldiers. He could still see the sweat lining her face when they hid in trenches to avoid the Mocan¡¯s pursuit.


    He could still see her exhausted face when she laid tiredly in his arms, he could still see the determination to survive in her eyes, he could see the love and care radiating from her eyes.


    He still saw the unwillingness and fear in her eyes when he decided to save her first, then he was also afraid.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± He punched his chair. ¡°Life, you¡¯re cruel!¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to get angry or frustrated, but he knew that his mental state was already affected.


    He decided that he would bite the bullet; after he fulfilled his war plan against the terrorists, he was locating Sonia¡¯s father no matter what happened. He just couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    He no longer felt any motivation to sleep so he just channeled all his rage and frustration at his training facilities.


    Going to his training room, he exhausted all his energy reserves for the next 3 hours before falling asleep. He worked himself so much that he fell asleep in the training room.


    This was his way of fighting depression. He was Captain Clark but he was no superman, bursts of depression like this were normal to any human.

 Chapter 296: an evolved pendragon mercenary group

    In the Terran Federation, a group of mercenaries was currently residing in a large hotel apartment. The hotel was taken by them exclusively for their duration of stay here so no other person was there with them.


    The atmosphere in the hotel was boisterous as the mercenaries walked about, lifting heavy machines and loading them into the big military vehicles that were parked at the side.


    Some of them carried boxes housing guns and bullets, others were busy dismantling heavy exotic turrets and A. I controlled artillery guns, while the remaining mercenaries did a myriad of other things.


    From the mechanical manner in which they loaded their goods without an exception into the pick-truck military vehicles, it could be deduced that they were planning to leave this hotel after staying here for the past few days.


    Just taking a glance around the hotel ground, hundreds of mercenaries could be seen who were all hard at work.


    This hotel was the hired temporary base of the Pendragon mercenary group.


    The mercenaries were originally prepared to stay here for a few more days after completing their recent mission, but an order came directly from their temporary Commander a day ago that they were leaving.


    This was an order from above so none of them complained, setting out immediately to prepare on how they would move.


    As all the bustle and hustle of the mercenaries¡¯ movements continued unabashedly, a female mercenary stood on a balcony at the vantage point of the hotel building, looking down at this scene calmly.


    From time to time, the mercenaries working below would greet her, prompting her to nod politely back at them in acknowledgment.


    Emily felt like she was in a fantasy dream. It started just a few months ago, just because of an encounter with some mischievous mercenaries she decided to jump into the mercenary business.


    When she just decided to create the Pendragon mercenary group, she was not really confident in herself but she was sure that the mercenary group would go places with Clark as the Commander.


    From that time till now, apart from the first few months after it was created Clark barely had any other impact on the mercenary group but its growth was still out of the world.


    From the first month of its creation when it had only about a dozen mercenaries, it already snowballed to an organization of over 1400 mercenaries and this was just in a few months.


    Not only did the mercenary organization had an increase in quantity, but it also had a slight increase in quality.


    Now, apart from herself, the organization had 12 high-grade mercenaries. Though they were all just 1st rank high-grade mercenaries except Jack, the growth was still substantial.


    Then, they didn¡¯t even have their own transportation vessel.


    Now, not only did they have dozens of military vehicles, but they also had lots of exotic gadgets that aided them a lot in all of the recent missions that they took on.


    The Pendragon mercenary group was now renowned among the big-name mercenary groups. Their power, fame, and appeal for mercenaries were now on a completely different level compared to when they started.


    About a week ago, Emily got a call from her sister who informed her about Clark¡¯s return.


    Hearing the name Clark again, she felt complicated. She wanted to call him as soon as she heard but in the end, she held herself back, she knew that Clark would contact her due to the series of happenings during his absence.


    When Vatican City was attacked by the Persian tigers terrorists, it was not hidden. Almost every part of the Spartan republic knew of it, and she also heard of it.


    She wanted to help then, but after thinking about it more she hesitated and stopped herself.


    The Pendragon mercenary group was not what it was again during its inception, it was now a big organization sheltering thousands of mercenary lives.


    The mercenaries were not her property, she could not throw their lives away without reason. They were humans with intellect, they could think and of course, they could evaluate the feasibility of the plans taken by the organization.


    Despite the mercenary group¡¯s rapid growth, it was still in a juvenile state. No real loyalty and brotherhood was bred among the mercenaries yet, most of them were here entirely because of the money.


    To build a military doctrine and a sense of camaraderie in them, it needs years and lots of effort on her part.


    Yesterday evening, Clark finally called her. When he told her of his reason for calling, she badly wanted to argue but stopped herself at the last moment. She didn¡¯t know why; she just had an unconditional soft spot for Clark.


    After all the experiences that she had with Clark, he was already kind of like an idol in her heart. She loved him, she admired him, she respected him, she practically felt every good emotion towards him.


    Her only heartache was that she could never get as close as she wanted to him. Well, she already got over this though so it was much less painful now.


    Even though Clark did not elaborate much on his message, she knew that this summon was likely related to the terrorist¡¯s attack on Vatican City.


    As all these went through her mind, the sound of a door opening suddenly reverberated, jolting her from her dazed state.


    Footsteps coming towards her position sounded before she felt a body enveloping her from behind, with a pair of hands wrapping around her abdomen.


    She blushed a bit on feeling this as she hastily pressed a button that made a one-way screen cover the balcony, removing them from the sight of the mercenaries who were working below.


    She finally tried to turn but the person behind her held her in place.


    ¡°Jack, we¡¯re in a public place¡±. She moaned and protested softly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you¡¯ve brought down the screen already. And who cares, if you want, I can shout it out to the whole world that you¡¯re mine¡±. Jack grinned before planting a soft kiss on her neck.


    Noting that Jack was not in the mood of stopping, she finally relented, letting all her mass rest on the masculine frame that was supporting her from behind.


    Yes, she and Jack were now engaged.


    After being there when the annoying Leo and her sister had a public display of affection in front of her, she finally felt the last resistance enabling her to wait patiently for Clark to shatter.


    This was when reality finally hit her fully, Clark had no love interest in her. She was just wasting her time. Of course, it was a harsh realization that crushed her heart but this was what opened her heart to others.


    After that day, she decided to take a more casual approach to other boys to see if another person would get her attention.


    To her surprise, she didn¡¯t have to wait long. In just a month, the spark was lit up between herself and Jack. After he broke through to become a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, his charisma seemed to have experienced an increase.


    As the only 2 current vice-commanders of the mercenary group, they spent a lot of time together which acted as the catalyst to drive their relationship forward.


    In just a few months into their relationship, they did it and to her shock she got pregnant. She only knew of this 2 weeks ago after going to have a medical check-up due to having experienced some strange signs.


    As soon as Jack heard of the news, he no longer hesitated and proposed to her on the same day. Boom! That¡¯s it, they were now fianc¨¦es.


    After cuddling in each other¡¯s arms for a few minutes, they finally separated and sat opposite each other on the chairs that were provided on the balcony.


    ¡°Are you prepared to meet the Commander?¡± Emily finally asked while flashing a bright smile at her fianc¨¦e.


    This question made Jack frown a bit. ¡°I hate to break it to you, but I¡¯m baffled why you take Major Clark to such a high pedestal. He¡¯s hardly done a thing for the mercenary group yet you praise him like he¡¯s our savior¡±.


    ¡°To be sincere, if it¡¯s possible, I don¡¯t want to meet him at all. He¡¯s a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, the same rank as I am, so what makes him so special?¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not as strong as him currently, but it¡¯ll only take a matter of time before I surpass him¡±.


    Emily sighed. ¡°Stop this, Jack. We¡¯ve already had this conversation¡±.


    ¡°If you want, I can stop it. I just want you to know that I¡¯m not happy with it, and so are most of the mercenaries here¡±. Jack raised his hands as a sign of surrender.


    Emily curled her lips, shook her head, and stood up before turning to face outside the balcony, down at the working mercenaries.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know Clark, Jack. He means a lot to me; I don¡¯t know how I should phrase this before you can get it. Without him, I don¡¯t think I would have been alive to meet you¡±.


    ¡°I know that what I¡¯m saying has some bias in it, but he also brings a lot of importance to the mercenary group¡±.


    ¡°Perhaps, he may not have done any significant thing for now but I know what he¡¯s capable of. With him staying with us, I believe that no matter the situation will find ourselves, we¡¯ll always find a breakthrough¡±.


    ¡°Here you go again!¡±


    Emily didn¡¯t stop despite the interruption. ¡°He¡¯s someone that miracles follow everywhere he goes, Jack. I¡¯m not sure but my intuition tells me that when we meet him later in the day, we¡¯ll probably hear about another miracle¡±.


    Jack finally commented again. ¡°You know the reason why he¡¯s calling us right? You promised the mercenaries that you will safeguard their lives when they joined us, is this safeguarding their lives now?¡±


    ¡°You know as much as I do how strong the Persian tigers terrorists are. If we go to battle with him, we¡¯ll probably lose a significant portion of the mercenaries who we painstakingly invited to join us¡±.


    As Emily wanted to say something, a knock sounded from the door.


    ¡°Good morning vice-commanders, we are ready to move¡±. A young mercenary¡¯s voice sounded out.


    ¡°Good! Tell the others to prepare, we¡¯ll be there in a moment¡±.


    Emily turned to her fianc¨¦e again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. If the plan is too unfavorable for us, I promise you that I¡¯ll reject him¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    Jack finally stood up as they both went down the next moment.


    After getting down, the hotel experienced a huge stir again. With them in the lead, the other military vehicles in the hotel compound ignited their engines and followed after them.


    After a few months of staying far away, the mercenary group was finally returning to its home where it was created.


    The entourage of vehicles first went to the airport where they booked a mega-sized jet for themselves. After they loaded all their vehicles into the jet, they finally took off to the Spartan republic.


    [Thanks for reading, here''s the second chapter for today.]

 Chapter 297: the mercenaries are in

    ¡°Master, they¡¯re here!¡± Albert¡¯s voice sounded into the training room amid chewing sounds.


    Raising his head from the bent position that it was, Clark wiped the sweat from his forehead. He cooled his sore muscles with some ice before laying his eyes on his student.


    Albert¡¯s small round head poked into the training room, hyper activeness flashing in his eyes as he munched furiously on the chocolate that was on his hand.


    To Clark¡¯s amusement, his mischievous student looked like a chipmunk to him but he did not focus on this at the moment. Seeing the chocolate that was gradually reducing in size before his face, his eyes darkened.


    ¡°How many times did I tell you to train your discipline and self-control by toning down on your appetite?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°And I thought I instructed you to forfeit eating chocolate for the next 2 months, you¡¯re not a baby for God¡¯s sake! Since you¡¯re proving to be stubborn, go and jog a hundred kilometers as punishment¡±.


    ¡°I¡­, but Master!¡± Albert was shocked as his bloated mouth that was filled with chocolate opened wide, exposing the contents that were inside much to Clark¡¯s disgust.


    ¡°200 kilometers¡±.


    ¡°Ahh¡­, fine!¡± The young man finally stormed out of the training room.


    As soon as he confirmed that he was gone, Clark dropped his fa?ade and chuckled. Doing this was now a delight to him, he now knew why his Master enjoyed reprimanding him so much.


    After Albert settled in for a few more days, the bastard started revealing his real character. Sometimes he felt that he took on a little demon as his student, only the almighty power of punishments saved him at times.


    He would have loved to relax right now and relish this feeling but no, he had visitors. Standing up, he quickly submerged himself in the cleaning pool that was at the side of the training room.


    2 minutes later after a few underwater magical scrubs and cleaning, all signs of him having undergone a rigorous training session were gone.


    His skin was now clean and as smooth as jade, it even sparkled a bit under the illumination of the light. Every part of his body was sparkly clean, his nails, toes, and everywhere imaginable.


    He could feel the chilly cold seeping into his bone, delighting him to no end. He had to admit that living a life without luxury was not always the best choice, having some luxury helped to spice up life a bit.


    Rose added this to his monthly expenditure budget for this week after he came back. He wanted to argue against it at first, but a single-use was all that was required to silence him.


    It was fast, efficient, effective, and of course plenty enjoyable.


    Standing up from the cleaning pool, he quickly dried the water off his skin, allowed the make-up bot to do some work on his face before he started dressing up.


    After so many months of not wearing it, he was finally donning his golden Spartan army uniform again.


    Yes, this was what he wanted to be dressed on when welcoming Emily¡¯s group. He already did some research and knew about the swift growth of the Pendragon mercenary group, he had to prepare.


    During his years as a soldier, one thing that he learned was that everything and person in this world were subject to change. He knew the Pendragon mercenary group of a few months ago, but he was not sure if he still knew this one.


    After dressing up and making sure that his new medal was donned conspicuously on the shoulders of his uniform, he walked out of the room.


    On the way, he met a sharp-looking Rose who was dressed in an office suit and a serious-faced Josh who was dressed in a grey combat uniform. They both followed him out.


    Getting outside through the door of his mansion, Clark kept a cool face despite the jaw-dropping sight that was before him.


    Dozens of military cars, artillery vehicles, exotic cars with various abilities, and the most visually impactful of all was the over a thousand mercenaries that stood before him with 2 familiar faces at their front.


    He did some research of course but it seems that the internet was still a little behind on the current size and power of the Pendragon mercenary group.


    Despite the enormous size of the people and resources before him, he was grateful that the enormous open field inside his mansion was able to take them all in without becoming cramped.


    ¡°Commander!¡± Emily and Jack saluted after his walking came to a stop.


    ¡°COMMANDER!¡± The over one thousand mercenaries behind the 2 of them followed shortly behind them, their voices sounding like the roar of dragons.


    As they saluted solemnly, most of them had a curious look on their eyes. Despite being in the mercenary group for some time already, this was the first time that they were laying eyes on their commander.


    Clark stood at attention and saluted back. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to my humble abode, it¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you all again¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll love to spend more time right now with you guys, but I have to speak with your vice commanders, Emily and Jack first. For the time being, please follow my assistant here, Rose. She¡¯ll lead you all to a nice place to rest¡±.


    ¡°Yes, commander¡±.


    As the over a thousand mercenaries followed Rose away, Clark finally turned to his 2 vice commanders. ¡°This way, please¡±.


    As he turned to lead them in the direction of his mansion building, Emily kept silent but a lot of thoughts went through her mind at a rapid frequency.


    Others may not have noticed, but as someone extremely close to Clark she noticed a few irregularities as she expected. The new unknown friend that stood beside Clark, and of course the change in his military badge.


    Her mind felt boggled up; if she was not wrong that badge represented the captain rank in the Spartan republic.


    She wanted to shout- I said it, but she held herself back due to the need for decency. She was right After all, Clark never changed and he was not in the trend of change at all, he was still a miracle vendor.


    After they got inside the sitting room and the main door shut closed, Clark finally turned and flashed a bright smile at his companion who stayed with him for a long time.


    ¡°Welcome, Emily. How have you been?¡± As he asked this, he already closed the distance between them again to hug her.


    Emily was stunned for a moment but she did not resist. As soon as Clark hugged her, she scoffed and spoke back. ¡°You finally decided to come back, huh?¡±


    Clark did not answer her, only forgetting himself in the joy of reuniting with a close friend who¡¯s passed through a lot with him. After a minute of doing this, he finally turned to his second vice commander.


    ¡°Welcome, Jack. How does it feel being a vice-commander?¡±


    Jack just smiled stiffly before replying in a gruff tone. ¡°It¡¯s a new experience, Commander¡±.


    Despite the change being subtle, Clark was able to capture everything that occurred when this was said perfectly, even up to the shift in eyebrows and change in facial outlook due to the help of his implant.


    From the short survey, he got the answer that he needed so he no longer beat around the bush and offered them to sit on the luxurious chairs.


    The always prepared chefs of the mansion were diligent as always as they brought a mouth-watery delicacy the next moment after the mercenaries settled down, it was a glorious feast.


    As they ate, the conversation finally started and it was anchored by Emily. ¡°Clark¡±.


    ¡°Hmm¡±.


    ¡°Do you care to explain your new badge?¡±


    Clark smiled, he expected Emily to be the one who noticed first. ¡°It¡¯s as you¡¯re seeing. I¡¯m now a Captain, I broke through during my last mission¡±.


    Bam!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was an oversight on my part¡±.


    Jack apologized immediately, picked up his knife that fell down without caring if it already got attached with microscopic dirt on the floor before hurrying to stuff his mouth full to avoid the gazes coming his way.


    Feeling the situation become embarrassing, he cursed quietly but did not dare raise his head at all.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Emily finally replied in an exclamative tone. ¡°Congratulations, Clark. You¡¯re still the beast that I know, the stranded dragon was never tamed¡±.


    Clark almost choked on his food. ¡°You still remember that nickname?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Emily laughed.


    ¡°And¡­, please can we know who the new companion here is? I think this is my face time seeing this face¡±. She turned to face Josh. ¡°Good morning, sir¡±.


    ¡°Good morning¡±. Josh nodded back at her.


    ¡°Yeah, you 2 need to know. This man beside me will be the 3rd vice commander of the Pendragon mercenary group soon, I believe you have the experience with the paperwork already¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Emily raised an eyebrow, examining this fellow more thoroughly.


    Clark continued. ¡°His name is Captain Josh¡±.


    Bam!


    ¡°Ouch! Sorry!¡±


    Feeling the stares that were pricking at his skin again, Jack felt his face burn again prompting him to stuff more food into his mouth.


    He felt like crying. He didn¡¯t know why but he felt like this meeting was cooked up by Clark to humiliate him, what on earth did he do to this man?


    This time though, even Emily was stunned. She had to confirm because this was too unreal. ¡°Are you for real, Clark? A genuine 3rd rank high-grade soldier?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why would I lie to you?¡±


    She shot up from her chair the next moment. ¡°Captain, welcome to the Pendragon mercenary group. I¡¯m sorry for my previous manners, I hope you did not take them to heart¡±.


    Josh¡¯s poker face cracked, now he was helplessly speechless. ¡°No worries,¡± he waved his hand.


    After Emily sat down, she no longer took the initiative to ask again, she was now just too shocked, even a little afraid that asking more would unveil more mind-blowing information that would make her brain short circuit.


    Seeing her go silent, Clark finally took the initiative. ¡°For my reason of summoning you guys here, I believe you already guessed it. Yes, I want to attack the Persian tigers organization¡±.


    Hearing this, Emily finally snapped out of her daze, her expression becoming serious. ¡°Clark, I hope you know the daunting task that you¡¯re taking on?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know¡±.


    ¡°Ok, but please I¡¯m sorry. As you can see, the mercenary group is now too big for me to make impulsive decisions. Can you please lay down your plan in detail for me before I can decide on behalf of the others?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Clark sat straighter on his chair as Rose entered the sitting room the next moment. He finally laid bare every detail of his plans to both vice commanders.


    30 minutes later, Emily and Jack finally knew every single detail about the plan to wipe out the terrorists. They were shocked but knowing Clark, Emily did not think it was impossible.


    She hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Clark. I believe in your plan; I created this mercenary group partly to help you also but I cannot guarantee if my mercenaries will be ok to fight such a battle without any tangible reward¡±.


    ¡°Their reward is Captain Josh¡±.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°I said their reward is Captain Josh¡±. Clark smiled.


    Emily¡¯s brain finally clicked, getting the point. ¡°Ok, Commander. I assure you that we will be ready to battle with you in a moment¡±.


    ¡°Good!¡±

 Chapter 298: anticipation

    ¡°You now have a fianc¨¦e?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we got engaged 2 weeks ago after my pregnancy was confirmed¡±. As she said this, Emily stealthily stole a few glances at Clark¡¯s face to detect any change.


    There was a change as she expected, Clark was not as unfeeling as he acted on the surface. The only problem was that the change was not exactly what she wanted, but she expected it though.


    After hearing what she said, she noticed that Clark visibly shifted uncomfortably before trying to give her the needed distance that should be given to an engaged woman.


    She noticed his facial expressions change subtlety though he tried but failed to hide it. First, his eyes became complicated, they showed slight regret and surprisingly reflected anxiousness a bit, this did not last though.


    The previous emotions only lasted but a moment before Clark¡¯s eyes became focused again, a visible gleam of determination shining from its depths.


    This shattered the last hope in her heart. She knew that it was selfish on her part and cruel to Jack, but at the back of her heart, she still hoped before to detect a change in Clark¡¯s feelings after hearing her.


    To her disappointment, this only brought Clark down a bit before making his determination for the one and only girl who caught his eye to blaze fiercer.


    Yes, the determination was still flickering and unstable but she knew that Clark¡¯s heart had no place for any other lady.


    She finally succumbed to fate. ¡°It seems that the myth of soulmates is real After all, I guess I¡¯m not his soulmate¡±.


    This once again brought another curiosity that she¡¯s been trying to hide throughout all these months, she wanted to meet Sonia physically. She¡¯s seen her pictures but that was no longer sufficient for her, she wanted to see the real thing.


    She wanted to see what made her so different that Clark remained so spellbound despite having so many beautiful girls around him.


    ¡°How¡¯s he? I mean, he treats you well, right?¡± After taking hold of his emotions, Clark coughed before asking.


    Emily had an amused expression on her face, she already got over her disappointment in this short time. ¡°He treats me well. Even if he wants, he does not dare to treat me badly when you¡¯re here¡±.


    Clark laughed, prompting her to also laugh as they both took in the joy of this rare moment together.


    After calming down, Clark spoke again. ¡°When you guys just came, I noticed that he doesn¡¯t seem to like me. I don¡¯t know what I did wrong, but I hope it¡¯s not causing the both of you any trouble¡±.


    ¡°Not at all¡±. Emily smiled but she didn¡¯t go further about it, so Clark also decided to ignore that topic.


    Clark turned back to sit down on his chair. Sighing, he looked down the balcony. His enormous compound was reflected in his eyes, shoving his success back at his face.


    He turned to face Emily. ¡°Since the mercenary group started, it¡¯s grown by a lot under your leadership. Do you think it¡¯s right that I remain the Commander when I¡¯ve barely done a thing?¡±


    Emily feigned a hurt expression. ¡°After everything that we passed through, after finally developing the mercenary group to this level, now you want to leave everything to me. You¡¯re cruel¡±.


    ¡°No¡­, no that¡¯s not what I meant. I mean¡­¡±


    Emily laughed. ¡°I know, I already noticed the concern but I promise you that everything is under my control. Most especially now that you¡¯re a Captain, and also with the inclusion of Captain Josh into our ranks¡±.


    ¡°Ah! Before I forget, how did you meet Captain Josh? I already noticed that the both of you have a peculiar relationship, and you¡¯ve also not told me your experiences in the Everest¡±.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot too¡±.


    Activating his jamming device, Clarks settled down on a more comfortable position on his chair before filling her on all his experiences in the Everest.


    She was left exclaiming excitedly throughout the story, at times feeling goosebumps from listening to the fantasy-like descriptions, she wished she was there when Clark experienced all these.


    Throughout the story, the atmosphere was harmonious, it only became a little sad when Clark got to where Benny died to the exobeast, Grey Fur.


    It was the ugliest part of the story, but it could not be skipped.


    Like Clark and the others, Emily also had a good relationship with Benny after knowing him. When she heard of his death from her sister, the pain was there she just didn¡¯t express it outwards.


    Now that Clark described the process, they were both plunged into a sad mood. As they both became silent, Clark suddenly said something that startled her.


    ¡°I miss Henry¡±.


    Getting no response from her, he continued. ¡°His death was painful but I didn¡¯t feel it much then, probably because I was also fighting for my life¡±.


    ¡°After losing Benny, that¡¯s when I started appreciating life more. Losing friends to the tentacles of death really makes me feel sad, lost, and incompetent; it¡¯s traumatizing¡±.


    ¡°Yeah¡±. Emily wiped a tear from her face.


    She had a storm of emotions rolling through her mind, she just didn¡¯t know how to express them. In the end, she summarized it all in a single sentence. ¡°I¡¯ve lost too much, Clark. I hope I don¡¯t lose you too¡±.


    Clark smiled. ¡°Even if death is staring at me in the face, don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll remember the promise I¡¯m about to make to you today. I promise to never succumb to death when you and my other friends are still here¡±.


    Both of them locked their fingers to make a pinky promise. It looked silly but not to them though, this was from their heart.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to go give the mercenaries a speech, Commander¡±. Emily suddenly said while grinning.


    Clark stood up, smiling in an amused manner at the way she phrased her words. ¡°Let¡¯s go give them the speech that they want. In a few weeks, it¡¯ll be needed to hammer hard at the terrorists¡±.


    ¡°And please eat well and let your baby develop fast, I want to see a little Emily running around soon¡±.


    Emily laughed and bumped his chest with her fists. They both turned to go down the next moment, a hall of mercenaries was waiting for them.


    Getting to the hall in the mansion where Rose led the mercenaries, the place was quiet and organized. All the mercenaries were already waiting for them.


    Clark¡¯s speech was epic like usual. Emily didn¡¯t know how he practiced becoming so good at it, no matter how she did it she always failed to grab all the mercenary¡¯s attention during her speeches the way Clark did.


    After giving a passionate speech that left every mercenary pumping with energy, Clark finally ended his speech.


    The mercenaries were not staying here though, he assigned them to go to his other mansion. Since he got the mansion, he¡¯s not found the perfect use for it yet. Using it as a base for the mercenaries was not a bad idea.


    He would think more about that later, for now, he had to let the mercenaries settle down in a nice place in preparation for the upcoming battle.


    As they left with their arsenal of military vehicles, Clark had a complicated expression on his face. Little drops of water really make a mighty ocean.


    From the mercenary juvenile group of only about a dozen soldiers, Emily already expanded it to a dragon mercenary group of over 1,400 soldiers despite his absence during that period.


    It was nice to see something grow; it was even nicer when that thing was created by you.


    Sighing nostalgically, he turned and went back straight in the direction of his room. As the new vice commander of the mercenary group, Captain Josh followed them away of course.


    Now, only the mischievous Jason and his clique were left for him to send to their rightful places. And before he forgot, he had not contacted Dickson since they returned from the mission.


    He placed that at the back of his mind to join with the other things in his scale of preference of things-to-do list.


    ¡­


    ¡°You both took your time¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, we just took the opportunity to reminisce about our past together. I hope you have no problem with that¡±. Emily turned to face her fianc¨¦e before answering.


    ¡°No¡±. Jack bit his lips, he hesitated but in the end, kept quiet and turned away.


    Emily sighed in her heart on seeing this. Since their relationship started, she knew this would always be a problem until they grew to the stage where they had absolute trust in each other.


    Jack may seem meddlesome, but she didn¡¯t blame him a single bit. She would also feel insecure if her fianc¨¦e was previously madly in love with her Commander.


    Before the spark of their relationship started, every mercenary under her knew that she had a crush on the Commander. That was one of the main reasons why they never complained about Clark¡¯s months-long absence.


    Jack having the courage to fall in love with her under such circumstances was already commendable, she didn¡¯t want to add to his problems.


    Her words were now even more delicate when she spoke to him.


    She knew that after they started their relationship, though Jack never said it, he had a silent ambition to replace Clark¡¯s place in her heart completely.


    This was not just in terms of love, but strength, influence, and a lot of other things. She already expected something surprising so she took it more calmly, but she knew that the sudden news of Clark now being a Captain shook Jack to his core.


    Despite the many defects and worrying situations, she was not too worried though. They were soldiers, such trivialities were not enough to knock them down.


    Taking her mind from this, she finally started thinking more about the new mercenary who just joined them today, Captain Josh.


    After hearing Clark¡¯s story about the captain, she was left completely speechless. Though Josh was not like typical 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, he very much had the strength.


    Compared to his personality, she cared much more about his strength.


    She knew that the inclusion of 2 Captains would take the Pendragon mercenary groups to heights that she only dared to dream of before.


    It was hard to see a 3rd rank high-grade soldier working as a mercenary, most of them were already poached by their countries. Mercenary groups with 3rd rank high-grade soldiers were the cream of the top ones.


    With the inclusion of Captain Josh, she knew that an even more rapid period of growth was coming.


    That¡¯s why Clark said that this was his payment for the upcoming battle. Mercenaries joined them because of benefits, and the benefits that a soldier like Josh could bring cannot be quantified with money.


    To her, this was the best payment that they could ever ask for.


    She now even anticipated the day that the battle would start; she was also fed up with the terrorists despite not being a Spartan citizen.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 299: leaving for the spartan army headquarters

    Thud!


    A soft sound reverberated as Clark shut the door to his room after entering inside, but he didn¡¯t move immediately. He leaned and rested his back on the door before closing his eyes.


    He took steady and rhythmic breaths as his chest heaved up and down, repeating this cycle in silence.


    His mind was not a complete total mess yet but it was in a disorderly state. It was slightly chaotic, worried, and concerned. Lots of thoughts battered his brain, making him feel more depressed.


    ¡°Where are you, Sonia?¡±


    The more he thought of this, the more he felt like banging his head against a rock. He already spent millions secretly to fund a search team, but all these efforts were slowly proving to be ineffective.


    Even though so many years have gone by, not a single trace of Sonia has been seen. Was she really dead? Or was her father hiding her? Nothing seemed to make sense to him.


    Though he always thought of this daily, hearing that Emily was now also engaged prompted him to make haste now that he still could.


    He was happy for Emily; he sincerely was but he still felt something prick his heart when he heard it from her mouth. In his heart, Sonia was the one that he loved, but it was pretty hard to resist beautiful ladies despite this.


    He had always hesitated on the choice if he should just forget about Sonia whose status was unknown and take Emily who was available, his consciousness just didn¡¯t register with that.


    Though he didn¡¯t register with that, hearing that the choice was no longer in his hands and that Emily already moved on hurt him a bit.


    This was selfishness, he knew that but he just couldn¡¯t help it.


    As the thoughts battering his mind started becoming too much, he began to develop a headache. He decided to just abandon everything and sleep, which always did the magic of resetting his brain.


    Taking a step forward, he intended to go directly to his king-sized bed and enjoy a long sleep but his steps took him in front of the mirror instead.


    He looked at his reflection through the mirror, a dull expression on his face.


    His Spartan army uniform glowed a bright golden color from the mirror¡¯s reflection. His still growing beards were already granting him the real vibes of a man, not a boy anymore.


    His skin was still slightly dark-toned, and his long hair was still all-black.


    He was still the same but his friends were already changing by a lot. Leo would be a father soon, now Emily would be a mother too. Of them all, he was the only f*cking single.


    He cursed at himself.


    In his life, his career and everything seemed to be moving in the right way that leads to success. Only his love life was still bitching around, proving itself as the stubborn goat in the herd.


    He brought his hand up to punish himself by pinching his chest, before he could do this a sound reverberated from the door.


    Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Come in¡±. He already guessed who was there.


    He was right, Rose walked into the room the next moment. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her but he refused to turn his head to look, something was different today.


    Rose was dressed in a loose white slightly transparent gown, and she was only on slippers which was a dressing code that he¡¯s seen on her for the first time.


    He heard her footsteps echo in the soft floor of the room as she came in his direction. As this happened, he didn¡¯t know why but he started panicking in his heart.


    ¡°Boss, are you ok?¡± She placed a hand on his shoulders, her full frame now fully reflecting in his eyes through the mirror.


    It took him a moment to answer. ¡°Yeah¡­, I¡¯m ok¡±.


    ¡°You know, if you have anything bothering you, I¡¯m always here for you to talk to¡±. Rose offered generously, making Clark grow dazed for a moment.


    Before he could react, he felt himself being turned around and a soft figure enveloping him in a hug. He wanted to resist but to his shock, he found that all his defenses seemed to have disappeared.


    He melted in Rose¡¯s arms, becoming completely vulnerable.


    In his heart, he wanted to resist and push her away but his body was not willing at all. In the end, the body won, he remained in her embrace as he let himself relax on it.


    Perhaps, he was already at his breaking point before now and this small push was what tipped him to the other side.


    For years, apart from his cadet training days where he had Leo¡¯s shoulders to lean on when he was distressed. He¡¯s found out that in recent years, he had only himself to rely on.


    Now, having somebody other than himself to take refuge in made all his defenses fade away completely like the wind.


    It seems that the hug was not about to be interrupted any time soon. Unlike the hug that he had with Emily, he could feel that there was a difference in this one. There was something more to it.


    It started slowly at first but it soon started dominating his thoughts.


    His heartbeat increased, pumping blood rapidly through his body. He felt his temperature experience a slight increase, giving him an impulse to vent his unrest somewhere.


    Then it happened, he felt a lip enveloping his.


    He could not resist at all, his body now even dragging him in against his will. He lost track of time, he lost perception of space, barely understanding what was going on at this moment.


    Not until he felt a soft hand touching his chest did all sensations return to him. To his shock, his military uniform was gone and his inner shirt was in the process of being unbuttoned.


    His breath was rapid, that of the person opposite him was rapid also.


    This was when the realization of everything that was happening hit him. Shocked, he pulled out of Rose¡¯s embrace immediately. Not waiting for her reaction, he stormed out of the room with his shirt still half unbuttoned.


    Ignoring the secret gazes directed at him by workers, he went outside, located his pool in the middle of the mansion before plunging himself in immediately.


    He dove deeper until he was at the very bottom of the pool. That was when he stopped, brought his body mass lower, and made himself sit down on the floor below the water.


    For about 30 minutes, he stayed there, holding his breath.


    When his veins were already sprouting out like bamboo shoots and his face was red, this was when he finally swam back to the surface.


    Out of breath, he laid down on the side of the pool and let the sun heat him.


    His hyperactive brain finally settled down. He felt peace returning to him, and this was when the memory of what just happened also came to him.


    Thinking of Rose, he felt slight regret at leaving her there so abruptly. At that moment, he knew that his body was ready to go the extra mile but his heart was not just made up.


    If something happened then, he knew that it would have built up guilt in his heart which would have disrupted his peace of mind more.


    If others knew about this, they may call him a virgin fool who knew nothing but he was fine with that. So long as his mind had peace, he was satisfied with his current status.


    Though he was satisfied with this, the previous encounter also made him long for Sonia more. he just hoped that the days could run faster. After the attack on the terrorists, visiting Mr. Calibri would be his first move.


    He no longer stood up again, he just fell asleep there beside the pool.


    ¡­


    It was a Tuesday morning as the golden glow of the sun showcased its brilliance down on the masses below. The early birds were already up and chirping, announcing the start of a new day.


    Activities went on in Clark¡¯s mansion as usual as the workers took care of their daily chores, making sure that the mansion looked as sparkly and neat as new.


    After waiting agonizingly for a few days which seemed like years to Clark while training, a week finally elapsed. It was finally time for him to leave for the Spartan army headquarters.


    Just yesterday evening, Captain Briggs sent him a reminder message about their appointment today.


    During the past few days when he was at home, he already used the opportunity to make sure that a lot of things pending to be done by him were accomplished.


    Under the leadership of the commissioners, Vatican City already started extensive preparations for the offensive that would start in a few weeks.


    Among the soldiers, only a few knew about what was brewing in the dark, despite this as soldiers they were still able to detect through their intuition that something was about to happen.


    They felt that a black veil was covering their heads, the only problem was that they could not detect the information that the veil was hiding.


    For the Pendragon mercenaries, with Emily and Josh there, they were all able to settle down in Clark¡¯s mansion without arousing a lot of suspicion among the commoners.


    During this time, Clark already refined his skills and power base further. Though it was not much, it was still something.


    And he also contacted Dickson during this period. They already made an agreement, so he was not anxious on that part.


    The only thing that gave him a headache for the past few days was his relationship with his assistant. After that incident a few days ago, though they never mentioned it their relationship with each other became a little odd.


    They were still in their relationship of a boss and assistant, but it was much less casual now. The conversations became so stiff, practically everything between them was now exaggeratedly stiff like a stick.


    Currently, he was in his room with Rose.


    He was already dressed up in black velvet trousers, a thick black overcoat, a black wristwatch, and other accessories, and a black outing boot.


    He was making the final touches on his dressing using the mirror as Rose mechanically read his schedule for the day to him. He felt helpless about his assistant, he said nothing throughout as she read to him.


    After she was done, he thanked her politely, took hold of every other thing that he needed before going out of the mansion.


    He quickly located his exotic car at the garage, ignited the engine before smoothly cruising out of the mansion.


    Through the side mirror, he could see Rose standing at the distance looking on at his car as he drove away.


    He sighed; this world was just too complicated.


    Putting the sight behind him, he focused on what was before him. Today had the potential of being his busiest day since he returned from his latest mission, it was a day filled with activities for him.


    He stepped harder on the accelerator; the car growled like a beast before releasing the expected reaction. It flew across the road like a thrown javelin.


    [Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 300: paying respects to the fallen brethren

    Getting to the headquarters of the Spartan army again after years left Clark smiling nostalgically. To his surprise, he no longer felt as much awe and amazement that he felt on his first time coming here.


    Yes, the headquarters was still big and boisterous like a mechanically fortified city but it now just felt so-so to him. He knew exactly what caused this but he still let himself indulge in this feeling.


    After years of eventful missions and encounters, he already experienced so much that the Spartan army no longer seemed as iconic and indomitable as he felt before.


    Perhaps, this was because of his recent breakthrough in strength but he was pretty sure that his encounters influenced it too.


    How many 3rd rank high-grade soldiers could boast of not only entering the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance, entering a lost research base of the Aragan Empire, but most of all getting to meet an Elite Commander.


    If not for confidentiality reasons, he felt compelled at times to show all these achievements to the whole world. Then, he was sure that he could become a celebrity soldier immediately.


    Putting such errant thoughts aside, he stepped on the brakes as the soldiers guarding the gate made a halt sign at his vehicle.


    As soon as one of them came closer, he brought his badge out and showed him. The private immediately saluted him before ordering his companions to open the gate.


    Clark smiled at them before driving inside the next moment.


    As he was no longer enchanted by the incredible layout of buildings rambling across the headquarters, he did no tour and drove forward directly in the direction of his mansion.


    Of his 3 mansions, this was the one that he paid less attention to because it was pretty far from his hometown. Though he was not there, his workers still kept the mansion in optimum condition.


    Getting to the mansion, he was treated to a sight that made him smile.


    Already aware that he was coming, his workers organized a special welcome party for their boss. It was small but it touched deep into Clark¡¯s heart.


    Before he could be escorted inside, a military vehicle sporting the emblem of the Spartan army drove to the front of the mansion¡¯s gate the next moment.


    The emblem of the Spartan army was a huge tower shield with 3 exotic swords hovering above it like guardians.


    The tower shield symbolized the President, one of the swords symbolized the Commanders of the republic, while the other 2 swords symbolized the national motto of the republic- No retreat, no surrender.


    Clark directed a curious gaze at the car, trying to guess who it was but this didn¡¯t last a quarter of a second as a voice spoke to him through implant connection.


    ¡°Clark, you¡¯re back¡±.


    ¡°Captain Oxford¡±. Clark was pleasantly surprised on recognizing the voice as he gave a mental order for the gate to open.


    As soon as Captain Oxford parked his car inside the mansion, they both finally stood before each other. They stood still, looking at each other intently. The next moment, they erupted laughing and hugged each other.


    Clark led him inside to have a better environment for discussion.


    After not meeting for so long, they had a lot to catch up on. They joked, reminisced about their first encounter, talked about their experiences in the Mediterranean Sea, the topics of discussion were numerous.


    Though Clark would have been happy to spend the whole day with the easy-going Captain, he expressed his regret that he came here for an appointment. Only 5 minutes were remaining before the gathering started.


    Captain Oxford finally excused himself. After taking time to heap praises that left Clark blushing and congratulating him on his new rank, he left on his exotic car.


    As soon as the captain left, Clark did not waste time as he also left on his exotic car. Before he left, he made sure to thank Rose¡¯s helper here who was taking care of the mansion on her behalf.


    The Spartan army headquarters was as big as a city, and so was most of its layout too. The military cemetery was located at the end of the city and that was Clark¡¯s destination.


    Due to his recent increase in authority, a lot of privileges were also opened to him. One of them whose effect was in the Spartan army was that he now had access to a lot of exclusive benefits, such as the road exclusive to the higher-ups of the army.


    Unlike the normal road across the headquarters that was paved with treated bitumen and some few exotics, this one was paved entirely with exotics.


    It was gray and not too eye-catching but its quality was the real deal.


    Clark¡¯s exotic car automatically switched gears smoothly on entering the road as it plied across like a fantasy bowling ball. Because few people took the road, he arrived at his destination in just 2 minutes.


    His evaluation of the ride was smooth and easy.


    Getting to the cemetery, he discovered that quite a few people were already here before him. 7 luxurious cars were parked at the side, their fine contours gleaming like the edge of a knife under the light of the sun.


    Saying quite a few people was wrong, everybody was here. He just remembered that 8 soldiers survived from his squad during that mission, with Sonia missing now they were 7.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone¡±. Clark greeted politely, which they responded in the same manner.


    ¡°Clark, you¡¯re here¡±. Captain Briggs finally spoke out.


    ¡°Yeah, I promised you that I¡¯ll be here¡±.


    Every one of the soldiers was dressed in black from head to toe, painting a scenery of doom and gloom when it was combined with the deathly atmosphere of the cemetery.


    Clark recognized only a few of the soldiers before him, his impression of the others was mild, especially now that most of them have grown bigger and more mature.


    Among the few people that he recognized was Corporal Mark. Despite all these years, the fellow was still stuck as a 2nd rank high-grade soldier. Clark pitied him a bit.


    Unlike Leo and a few other soldiers who remained loyal to the Python military division, this guy and most of the high-grade soldiers who served there with Clark already left to other military divisions.


    Noticing his gaze, the Corporal smiled and waved at him.


    Clark reciprocated the smile. After doing a silent reunion between themselves, their expressions became solemn as they turned to face Captain Briggs who was still their default leader.


    The captain steeled his face. ¡°Let¡¯s go pay our respect to our fallen brethren¡±.


    They finally set out to go deeper into the cemetery. The territory allocated for the cemetery was quite big, it was a few kilometers long and a large metallic fence surrounded it.


    Unlike the normal cemeteries of the 21st century, here in the Spartan army cemetery, small dome-like structures were erected for each group of soldiers that died.


    The structures at the front close to the entrance of the cemetery housed the grave of the lower-ranked soldiers. To get those of a higher rank, they had to move into the deeper parts of the cemetery.


    It was at the 54th row of dome structures that they finally saw some of their companions¡¯ graves. The dug grave was still neat and orderly, which served as a testament to the hard work of the grave keepers.


    7 familiar names were written on the dome structure, these 7 soldiers were all 1st ranked high-grade soldiers. At the bottom of their names, a tribute was written to acknowledge the work that they did for the republic.


    >Sergeant Dani, Sergeant Riper, Sergeant Coke, Sergeant Dandelion, Sergeant Nancy, Sergeant Leroy, Sergeant Choke>


    [All 7 Sergeants died in the famous Spartan¡¯s Rage operation; they served their mother nation to the best of their ability and died as heroes of the republic.]


    Though Clark mostly came for this gathering with an ulterior motive in mind, seeing this still made his heart stir. The small memories that he had with these 7 started resurfacing, he felt a deep respect for them.


    They all bent down the next moment and dropped what they came with. Most of them including Clark dropped laser pistols, Captain Briggs dropped an ancient Sergeant¡¯s helm.


    They stood straight and saluted.


    After this, they finally continued forward. They walked forward for a few more minutes until they got to the 181st row, that was where their remaining squad-mates were laid to rest.


    2 of them were 1st rank high-grade soldiers who had previous military achievements before joining the mission, while the other 2 were the unfortunate 2nd rank high-grade soldiers who died.


    >Staff Sergeant Stone, SFC John, Corporal Denice, Warrant Officer Antonia>


    [All 4 soldiers died in the famous Spartan¡¯s Rage operation; they served their mother nation to the best of their ability and died as heroes of the republic.]


    Seeing this left Clark feeling even more complicated. The others had just a relationship of squad-mates with him, but back then Sonia was close to Warrant Officer Antonia.


    Through Sonia, he also got close to the officer.


    She was a no-nonsense woman of course, but she had a vibe of a true soldier that Clark could not help but recall. This woman was gone, Sonia was missing too, soldiers really lived eventful lives.


    In a more solemn atmosphere this time, they bent down, paid their respects before dropping what they came with.


    Clark intended to drop a laser pistol again but seeing the Warrant officer¡¯s name, he changed his mind at the last moment and instead dropped the exotic sword that was with him.


    When she was alive, she used a sword so he dropped that as his last tribute to her. He was not there when she was buried, but he hoped that this could make up for his absence.


    Standing straight again, they all saluted solemnly.


    Captain Briggs gave a tribute speech to highlight their meritorious deeds for the last time before they turned to go away. They didn¡¯t go their separate ways immediately though; it was networking time!


    With a broad smile on his face, Captain Briggs suggested that they find a restaurant and spend some more time together. Of course, none of them said no.


    After they got to the restaurant, that was when they finally re-introduced themselves to each other properly. Led by Captain Briggs, their conversation took on a route that could benefit all of them.


    Some of them asked for help, though it was awkward at first, the ones in a position that can help did.


    In this atmosphere of present your problem, someone may have a solution, Clark finally made his first plea for help. He asked all of them for help in his upcoming attack against the terrorists.


    When they heard that it was against the Persian tigers terrorists, most of them tried to chicken out but after revealing that he was now a Captain, they agreed before their brains could process the information.


    After everyone got what they wanted, the gathering finally came to an end.


    As Clark left, practically all of his previous squad-mates stole glances at him. They already agreed to help him, but the shock of the news was still affecting them.


    ¡°Genius!¡±


    [We''ve reached 300 chapters, wow! I''m blown away, I never knew I could make it this far. For following me and reading this far, I take a bow to you. Take my respect guys, you''re the best!]

 Chapter 301: meeting the professor again

    As Clark drove away, a broad smile outlined his face. The past hour and thirty minutes were well spent to him, he had a chance to reunite with his old squad-mates and he also got the help that he wanted.


    He had to thank Captain Briggs for that. The fact that the captain didn¡¯t tell them before now only made the sudden revelation that he was now a 3rd rank high-grade soldier more effective.


    Despite this fact, he was still surprised that every single one of them agreed to help him. He suspected that Captain Briggs did something behind his back, soldiers of their ranks were not so gullible.


    He sighed after deducing this, it seems that he already owed Captain Briggs a favor. Though this was done behind him, he still appreciated it. He loved results more than effort, that was his creed.


    Though seeing Warrant Officer Antonia¡¯s grave dampened his mood a bit, he was able to recover pretty fast.


    Death was not a pleasant thing, but as ingrained in him during his cadet training years, dying in battle for the republic was an honorable act, not something that should bring sadness.


    Though after growing up now, he already recognized those words as indoctrination tactics used by their superiors to solidify their loyalty to the republic, he still believed them.


    At least to him, dying in battle was far better than dying due to an illness. The only death that would be better for him was dying as an old man in a luxurious bed, surrounded by children and grandchildren.


    Well, his brain was thinking too far. He finally brought himself back to reality.


    Knowing that he already cleared one from his long list of to-do activities, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    For the special honor burial that he and the survivors of his squad were organizing for their dead comrades in the just concluded Everest mission, it would take place 3 days from today.


    It was on the same day that the Spartan army would organize the general military burial also. After the military finished all the procedures and the other soldiers left, they would then do their own.


    Of course, every need for the burial was being funded by the Spartan army. But still, as the comrades who accompanied the dead soldiers, they had a certain decision-making power in how it would be organized.


    Not only their dead comrades would be buried that day. The other squads that went for the mission already returned, most of them returned empty and with a lot of casualties.


    Some other unfortunate squads were wiped out.


    The great Himalayan ranges were referred to as the dreaded frontier for a reason. Clark and his squad encountered a lot during their time there, but that was just a fraction of the horrors of the Everest.


    Some squads met the more extreme horrifying scenarios, they were wiped out even before they could take the first step in completing the mission.


    When Clark went through the military report, that was when he knew how lucky he and his squad were.


    Luck was an intangible factor, he didn¡¯t believe in it nor did he know if it was there before but after going through the report, his inner man was convinced that he had luck.


    The burial of his friend, Benny, that was being organized by his parents would take place in 5 days. And the location was in Benny¡¯s ancestral home city, not here in the Capital.


    Though the body was in the custody of the Spartan army and they would bury it in their cemetery, the parents were satisfied with burying the strap of cloth that Clark came back with.


    That was the ways of the army and the parents both knew before now so they didn¡¯t kick up a fuss, not that it would have mattered though.


    With all of these things happening in the span of a week, the only conclusion was that the whole week was filled with activities for Clark. He¡¯s already compacted his time usage by a lot but it was proving to be still inefficient.


    Well, he could not kill himself. He would take them one at a time as they came. The ones that he couldn¡¯t do, he would just bite the bullet and leave them.


    For today, he was already done with the first thing that brought him here. For the second and most important reason why he came here, he was already driving there.


    As he already visited there once, he still recognized where Monkey Hand¡¯s huge workshop was.


    Yes, he was going to meet the army¡¯s weapon specialist. As a Captain now, he was not satisfied with using the weapons that were available in the market anymore. He wanted a custom-made weapon.


    He had the materials that were required to make what he wanted, he just had to meet the mechanic, who would be Monkey Hands.


    ¡­


    15 minutes later, after practically driving round the whole headquarters, he finally located the enormous mechanic workshop.


    The cemetery and the workshop were on opposite ends of the headquarters, which made his journey pretty long and boring. After his identity was verified by the gate, he finally drove inside the workshop.


    The perimeter of the workshop practically took over a whole street.


    Entering through the big gate that was at the front, he was greeted with a sight of mechanic workshops built everywhere, both on his right and on his left.


    He already came here before but he was still fascinated by the sight.


    The workshops were each built in iconic shapes. Some were built in a lion shape, others like a dragon¡¯s head shape, others took a lot of other peculiar shapes, the one that attracted his attention the most took on a cobra¡¯s shape.


    The building looked pretty nasty and menacing. With a cobra¡¯s fang looking at you in the face, it could very much scare customers away.


    The only reason why that mechanic had to guts to shape his workshop like that was that this was military ground. Even if the soldiers were irritated, they would not be scared.


    Clark was the only one who was driving a car inside this place. There was a rule enforced by Monkey Hands that no one below the captain rank was allowed to bring a car inside his domain.


    Seeing him drive-in, the mechanics and people on the road cleared up a path for him respectfully.


    Driving through a clear road, his passage time was significantly shortened. As he drove forward, he noticed that there were some slight differences here that were not there the last time he visited.


    These sights did not linger in his mind though as he finally came before what brought him here, Monkey Hand¡¯s personal workshop.


    With it standing there like a giant, the other workshops suddenly felt like dwarves. The enormous workshop was built in the shape of a giant hammer, with the hammer¡¯s head being at the top.


    Comparing its size with houses, Clark deduced that the workshop was as tall as a 10-story building.


    After parking his exotic car at the designated garage, he came down and went into the workshop on foot. Of course, he went through a lot of security checks before he was let in.


    At the place that was supposed to be the door inside the workshop, in its place was a black wall with white stripes. He already went through it before so he knew its mechanisms.


    Trying hard to suppress the disgust that was showing on his face, he entered an enclosed space that was at the side. As soon as he entered, a white circular bowl came out of the wall before him.


    He cursed before bringing his hands down to unzip his pants. Bringing his little thing out, he peed on the bowl.


    [Ding! Please, wait. Matching urine¡­, verified.] A green light flashed.


    [Your identity has been verified according to the parameters set up by my legendary Master. Welcome, Captain Clark Pendragon! The door to my Master¡¯s kingdom is now open to you, you may now take a step inside¡­]


    ¡°F*ck you!¡±


    Clark did not wait for the A. I to finish spouting its nonsense before he stormed off. Going back to where the black wall is, he saw that it was no longer as hard as a wall.


    The white stripes on it squirmed a bit, making it look gel-like all of a sudden. He already passed through all these, so he knew what to do.


    He went straight ahead and entered it. It pulsed a bit while changing like it was absolving him, he felt like he was being sucked by a vacuum tube and his vision was now dark.


    When his vision was restored, he was no longer outside but he was now in a mechanic workshop that was filled with activities.


    Compared to the other workshops, very few customers were here. Despite this, the mechanics that were in here were working furiously like there was no tomorrow.


    Under the appeal of wanting to please their big boss, they all worked their asses off. It was not today news that any mechanic that drew the attention of the boss and received tutorials from him became a genius overnight.


    Who didn¡¯t want to become a genius? Their boss was not a soldier but even the revered Commander Rashford respected him. To them, f*ck being a soldier, Monkey Hands was the real epitome of power.


    To them, mechanics was the real occupation chosen by God, the others were just man-made products that kept on spreading violence without any purpose in life but to kill, kill, and kill again.


    None of them paid attention to the person that just invaded their workplace. Clark did not feel offended though nor did he feel shocked, his shock was reserved for his first time coming here.


    Blue light shone down from the ceiling, brightly illuminating the workshop and giving it a science fiction vibe. This place felt more like it was inside the belly of a beast than a mechanic workshop.


    Machines that towered up to the sky were being worked on by both mechanics and machines controlled by A.Is.


    Spare parts filled the whole place as special carrier bots kept on transporting metal parts back and forth. Some of the mechanics worked on cars, others on weapons, others on energy-intensive gadgets. The place was boisterous.


    The few customers that were here, though Clark did not know them he already guessed that they were bigshots like him. They were being escorted around by apprentice mechanics assigned to them.


    He already came here before, so he didn¡¯t stand in one place to admire like an enchanted birthday boy. Walking forward, one of the apprentice mechanics quickly came to meet him.


    ¡°Welcome to the Monkey feet workshop Captain Clark, my Master is waiting for you¡±.


    Clark raised an eyebrow. ¡°He¡¯s changed the name of the workshop again, why didn¡¯t he choose monkey-shit this time?¡±


    The apprentice coughed. ¡°Sir, I can¡¯t answer that. Please don¡¯t make things hard for me¡±.


    Clark chuckled. ¡°Ok, lead the way¡±.


    They had to pass through the antics of the mad Professor again. They peed on another bowl which opened a teleportation door for them. Going through it, they finally arrived at the Master¡¯s personal domain.


    Professor Monkey Hands was dressed in a blue flowing gown with a black vest underneath. He had a grease-stained hand glove on, he was currently working on a 2-handed sword.


    Clark wondered who the sword belonged to.


    Hearing the sound behind him, the Professor dropped his working tools and turned back with a bright smile on his face.


    ¡°Welcome back, Clark. You¡¯re still alive?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Thanks for reading, you guys are the best!]

 Chapter 302: custommade weapons

    ¡°You know I¡¯m a Captain now, right? Why can¡¯t you give me some respect? I still had to pass through that shitty entry mechanism. Don¡¯t let anyone deceive you, you¡¯re a real pervert¡±.


    Ignoring the out-of-place question that the Professor asked on seeing him, Clark lashed out about the treatment that he had to pass through before getting here.


    Professor M.H smiled. ¡°Just a 3rd rank high-grade soldier and you see yourself as a bigshot already. Who are you when even the Commander has to bend to my will in my domain?¡±


    ¡°Wha, what? Even the Commander has to do that¡­, Uhm, that thing?¡± Clark stuttered, his face an expression of shock.


    ¡°Kid, this is my Monkey feet workshop, not some dueling arena or a battleground. In here, I make the rules¡±. The Professor smiled brighter on seeing the shocked expression on Clark¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s get to business. What brought you here?¡±


    Clark did not answer, instead, he turned his head to take a better look at the workshop while trying to hide the shock on his face.


    He thought he already knew this man, but it seemed that he only touched the periphery of the weird personality of the great Monkey Hands. Not only did he give himself a weird name, but his personality was also even weirder.


    ¡°You made some changes here?¡± Clark was a little surprised. He only intended to hide his awkwardness by looking around, he didn¡¯t expect to detect changes here.


    ¡°Yeah, the army recently increased my monthly research budget¡±.


    Hiding his envy at that, Clark observed the changes intently. It seems that the Professor was right because the change was vast compared to his first time here.


    Compared to the other mechanic¡¯s workshops, Monkey Hand¡¯s was smaller and more compact, but its quality was significantly higher than all the others combined.


    Very few spare parts could be seen, most of the things occupying the space in the workshop were already finished products.


    At the very end of the workshop, Clark saw 2 exotic military scout speedboats. Both speedboats had an extremely streamlined appearance, making them seem like a giant pointed arrow.


    Only 2 chairs were built in each of them for scouts, with loads of control modules in front of them to drive the boats.


    2 kinetic energy-powered engines and a shield generator were attached to their backsides. At the front stood the big guns, an elongated kinetic particle launcher stood menacingly at its tip.


    At the sides of the boat sat rotating exotic spears. They were arranged in a way that as the boat was moving, they would be rotating and slicing opponents to bits if there was one.


    These were the only outside modules. Though Clark could not see inside it, he guessed that even more weapon armaments were stuffed in its streamlined frame.


    These 2 speedboats looked stunning but they were not the most eye-catching construct in the workshop.


    Clark was shocked to see an incomplete exotic car that was still under construction. Compared to a speedboat or weapon, the complications in creating an exotic car were on a whole other level.


    ¡°Was the Monkey bastard already so competent?¡±


    Suppressing his shock at seeing this, he took a sweeping glance at the other constructs in the workshop. Of course, most of the things in the workshop were exotic weapons that were more normal to him.


    At another corner of the room, he saw exotic bikes like the one Albert used against him a few months ago. After doing this short tour, he finally turned his face back to the Professor.


    ¡°Are you done admiring my genius work?¡± The Professor smirked.


    Clark did not retort this time. ¡°You can create an exotic car now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I recently mastered the technique around it after practicing for decades. I¡¯m currently working and creating a brand-new set of harassing gadgets for the republic¡¯s use in battle situations¡±.


    ¡°The army is strong in heavy battles because we have the machines to engage in such battles, but our glaring weakness for years has always been our stagnancy when it comes to swift machines for harassing strategies¡±.


    ¡°Through the new budget signed to me, I plan on creating a brand-new line of swift machines. Exotic cars, bikes, speedboats, name it, they are all part of my ambition¡±.


    ¡°I call it, the Cheetah set!¡±


    That was shameless, it was cool but pretty much just shameless boasting. Clark did not care about that at this moment though. ¡°Please, I¡¯m placing my exotic car in your hands¡±.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You advised me some time ago to upgrade my car, I¡¯m ready to do it now. I intended to go outside the republic to look for the perfect place before, but now I think you can do it¡±. Clark looked on hopefully.


    ¡°Oh! Is that what brought you here?¡±


    ¡°Mostly yes, but I still have a lot of other reasons¡±.


    The Professor finally removed the gloves from his hands, motioned for the mechanical chair nearby to hover next to him. After getting close enough, he plopped down on the chair.


    Placing his right hand on his chin, he looked at Clark intently. ¡°If you want the best quality upgrade that your car can handle, it¡¯s expensive¡±.


    Clark slowed down a bit. ¡°Very expensive?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and no. I don¡¯t know what very expensive means in your dictionary¡±. Professor M.H shrugged.


    ¡°Ok, how much are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Approximately 50 million Spartan credits¡±. The Professor raised 5 fingers, showing them with a smile on his face.


    Hearing the outrageous amount that was just called, Clark almost coughed blood. After calming himself, he asked softly. ¡°Can¡¯t it be any lower?¡±


    The Professor sneered. ¡°You¡¯re too petty, take it or leave it¡±.


    Clark held back his urge to haul a punch at the Professor. ¡°Ok, should I send the money now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not sending the money to me. I¡¯ll give you a list, then you go to the weapons specialist town that I showed you to get the materials needed for the upgrade¡±.


    Clark frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t you do everything?¡±


    ¡°If you say so, yes I can, but the money requirements will experience a slight increase that way¡±.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°The total will now be 55 million Spartan credits, cheap right?¡±


    ¡°F*ck yo¡­, me. That¡¯s a scam, what will you do that validates a whole 5 million jump? That¡¯s absolutely fraud-stick!¡±


    ¡°What will I do?¡± The Professor smiled.


    ¡°If you go there alone, they may scam you with substandard parts. If I go there on your behalf, I can get a bargain for you, get even higher quality parts than intended, I can even make your car look like a new one for you¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s the difference between you and me. You¡¯re a soldier, I¡¯m a mechanic. Kid, give my profession some respect¡±.


    After having a fierce mental struggle, Clark finally deflated. ¡°Fine!¡±


    ¡°Good! You made a good choice. Is that all? You said other things brought you here, what are they kid?¡± The Professor¡¯s tone was now abnormally soft, sounding weird to Clark.


    Shrugging the feeling of, Clark replied. ¡°I just want to get some custom-made weapons. I hope you¡¯re not too occupied with other matters¡±.


    ¡°Not at all; do you have an exotic metal with you or do I need to purchase that too?¡±


    Hearing this, a genuine smile finally planted Clark¡¯s face for the first time since he came here. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I have more than enough exotic metal to cover all my needs¡±.


    20 seconds later.


    ¡°Holy shit! Kid, where did you steal so much Arcanite metal from?¡±


    Seeing the Professor shocked, a triumphant feeling filled Clark¡¯s heart. He replied nonchalantly. ¡°None of your business¡±.


    The Professor suddenly smirked. ¡°Do you think I really don¡¯t know? Do you think any exotic leaves the reserves of the army without my knowledge?¡±


    ¡°Stop acting so full of yourself with the bonus gift given to you due to the success of your last mission. I was the one who approved it, or you would have been given something much more substandard than that¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± Now Clark was hurt for real.


    For the next few minutes, he became a good boy, only answering questions without retorting like a meek boy which was a contrast to his usual personality.


    From the look on the Professor¡¯s face, he was enjoying this but Clark was just too hurt to lash out at him. He felt imaginary tears streaking down his cheeks, which bastard gave this mad man so much authority in the army?


    After 10 minutes of question and answers session, the Professor finally laid down a list of what he could do with all the Arcanite metal.


    ¡°With this kilogram of the metal, I can create 20 different weapons for you. Before you give me the face, compare what I said with what other mechanics can promise you. I¡¯m already giving you my best here¡±.


    ¡°And if you decide to choose a gun, it will take 2 slots from the 20 available¡±.


    The Professor was just overthinking, Clark had no other thought for this evaluation but amazement. 20 different weapons, and all of high-grade country standards.


    Damn, he was satisfied.


    ¡°Choose what you want fast, I have a lot of things to do kid¡±.


    ¡°Ok, please give me a moment¡±.


    Under the guidance of the Professor, Clark finally gave down a list of 20 weapons that he wanted.


    He decided on a pair of exotic spears, a pair of swords, a pair of 2-form guns, a pair of sniper rifles, a box of magnetically controlled throwing knives, an exotic armguard with spikes, an exotic axe, 2 ultra-sharp long daggers, a multi-purpose pistol, and an electric kneepad.


    ¡°I can create them for you, but as you know, the only limitation is money¡±.


    Clark waved his hands. ¡°You already scammed me once, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t do it again. Forget about it, I¡¯ll pay¡±.


    He hesitated a bit before continuing. ¡°And, please can you create them all in 2 weeks. I need them urgently¡±.


    ¡°That will increase the cost by another 20 million¡±.


    ¡°F*ck!!¡±


    Clark felt his chest heave up and down. ¡°Fine!¡±


    In another 10 minutes, everything that was needed was finally extracted from him. As he turned to go, he remembered something. Turning, he asked the Professor hesitantly.


    ¡°Professor, do you know any mechanic who can create a mech?¡±


    ¡°What do you need a mech for?¡±


    ¡°Never mind!¡± He left before the Professor could say more.


    The diligent apprentice mechanic who stood rigidly and kept quiet like a statue throughout their conversation finally stirred after Clark moved. He led Clark back to the exit of the workshop.


    Getting out, Clark noticed that his exotic car was already towed inside the workshop. Now he had to take public transport back home.


    As he set out on his way home, he thought back to his encounter with the Professor. Though Professor M.H acted crazy at times, his ability as a genius was evident to everyone.


    He was not wrong when he said Commander Rashford had to bend to his will inside his workshop, that was how revered he was in the army.


    During his first encounter with the Professor, he didn¡¯t notice it then but during the past few minutes, he noticed it. He¡¯s not met the Professor anywhere else before, but the man was showing clear favoritism to him.


    It was a known fact in the army that the Professor selects who gets to meet him. When he was leaving the workshop, he recognized one of the soldiers who was being attended to by the subordinate mechanics.


    To his shock, he recognized one of them as a General.


    If the Professor felt too big to host a General personally, then what did he find in him that made him welcome him personally even during the first time that he visited the workshop.


    He felt suspicious but, in the end, he attributed it to his luck.


    [Sorry for the late release. I don''t have any excuse to give today. I admit it, I''ve been distracted lately.]

 Chapter 303: a visit to the dragon military division headquarters

    Clark took public transport back to Vatican City. Since his parents¡¯ death years ago, this was his first time entering a train.


    Because of a lot of coincidences that were induced by his special identity as a soldier, he hardly stays in the country. For the few times when he stayed, he always had other better modes of transportation.


    Casually activating his camouflage device before entering the train, he was able to make himself look like a gangster teenager, making the other passengers feel repulsed at his presence.


    In recent years, he hardly noticed it but he was now a celebrity. In Vatican City, he was practically the hero of every citizen. They looked up to him as a leader and as the one to give them comfort.


    He didn¡¯t hate being treated and looked at like that, but experiencing repulse from people now became a new special experience to him. He basked in this feeling.


    By the time the train got filled with passengers and started moving, it was already towards the late afternoon. Another day was almost over for him, the days were now counting very fast.


    Though the day was fast, he was satisfied as he already fulfilled almost all his plans for coming here to the Spartan army today.


    The only unfinished plan was the quest to look for a mechanic who could design and build mechs. He knew that asking that would make the Professor look weirdly at him but he still bit the bullet and asked.


    From the reaction of the Professor, he could not detect if he didn¡¯t know or he did know but he couldn¡¯t stay behind. He was not ready to receive his long boring lectures again, or his weird antics.


    It felt weird and funny at the same time. Most soldiers of the Spartan army were unable to talk to the Professor casually due to respect, but after taking a bath in his weird antics, he spoke as casually as possible with him.


    ¡°Monkey Hands!¡±


    Till today, the Professor¡¯s real identity was hidden from him. Who the f*ck was he? He didn¡¯t know, but one thing he knew was that the Professor was not Spartan-born.


    Taking his mind from that, he turned his attention to his preparation for the upcoming battle. During his time in his mansion, he has not rested for a bit, he always engaged diligently in his daily practices.


    During his training sessions, he took some time to also delve into virtual mech piloting.


    Compared to the last time when he did it with Emily and his then other teammates, he noticed a change but he was not sure if it was because of the bean quadrant enhancer.


    He already fused with the enhancer but still, there were a lot of secrets hidden within it that he could not understand yet.


    He was just groping blindly in the dark without direction, that¡¯s why he wanted to get a new mech by all means. At least, with the real thing, he could finally confirm if Professor Granit scammed him or he was for real.


    For his new self-created technique, he still needed a lot of practice to have basic mastery over it. Compared to his Dragon breaks the ranks, this was on a whole other level of its own.


    He had a lot of room to improve before the battle, he just wasn¡¯t sure how much he would improve. Nothing was predictable, a complication may arise suddenly without notice.


    With the combination of his current personal strength and the batch of custom-made weapons that were being created for his use, he was confident of inflicting damage on the terrorists that they would never forget.


    Thinking of the custom-made weapons, his hands itched.


    When he finally got his hands on those little devils, he was sure to wreak mischief with them. In the end, money was still the answer to almost every problem faced by a soldier.


    After going through his plans again, he finally rested his head on the wall of the train. He already did a lot today, he wanted to use this opportunity to rest his brain.


    As his eyes gradually became heavy, falling under the influence of sleep, he suddenly felt a jolt in his brain.


    Opening his eyes wide, he exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve not met with the Dragon military division yet!¡±


    Irritated eyes turned to his direction immediately, directing hostile gazes at him. Feeling the stares pricking at his skin, he coughed awkwardly and tucked his head in the cover of his seat.


    As soon as the stabbing stares retracted, he finally returned to what made him exclaim. He felt like giving himself a harsh slap to the face right now.


    The last time that he had a meeting with his commissioners, he told them to focus on the local military forces that he would inform the Dragon military division himself.


    Since then, till now, he¡¯s completely forgotten about it. He could not blame himself too much though, the past few days have been super hectic for him.


    After coming to this realization, he altered his plans immediately. The Dragon military division was a crucial pivot in his plan, they had to know about the attack as early as possible for them to implement their best preparation.


    Though he was feeling a little lazy right now, he noted consciously in his mind that he would visit the military division headquarters immediately after returning to the Spartan republic.


    After taking note of this, he tried to search his mind to know if he was missing any other thing. After confirming that everything was ok, he finally rested his head again and fell into the sweet embrace of sleep.


    ¡­


    Blink!


    With the boisterous sound of activities sounding around him, Clark quickly deduced that he was now in a city. Blinking his eyes open from his sleep, he recognized this region of Vatican City immediately.


    To his surprise, almost all the passengers were down already and none of them deemed it right to inform him.


    He felt like choking. ¡°Was his current appearance so bad?¡±


    Seeing that he was up, some of the passengers secretly pointed hands at him while gossiping among themselves.


    ¡°That ruffian! He¡¯s supposed to be in the sewers, I don¡¯t know why the officials allowed a gangster like him into the same speed train as us¡±.


    ¡°See his hair standing like daggers, do you think he¡¯s nuts?¡±


    ¡°Shhh! Lower your voices, maybe he¡¯s the train driver¡¯s bastard son. Can¡¯t you see the slight resemblance?¡±


    Clark felt like crying at this moment, most of these gossipers did not even see it decent to lower their voices. Ignoring their intense gazes, he quickly slipped out from among them and blended with the crowd.


    After confirming that no eyes were on him, the first thing that he did was to change his appearance again.


    This time, he changed into a handsome teenager with short golden hair. As soon as he implemented this change, he felt goosebumps as a few female faces turned in his direction immediately.


    ¡°Are you guys¡¯ f*cking all-seeing?¡±


    Before anyone could make a move, he slipped away again.


    As he walked casually, a dilemma presented itself before him. Though it was without his consent, Rose already bought some luxurious non-exotic cars in his mansion to reflect his current status.


    He complained to her on seeing them, but secretly he loved the sleek appearance of the machines.


    Now, he was in the dilemma of whether to return to his mansion and take one of those cars or to take a taxi. Surprisingly, none of these options clicked with his brain at this moment.


    He decided to do something that he secretly dreamed of when he was younger. He decided to act a little gangster-like, some people already saw him as one a few minutes ago so why not indulge himself?


    Bam!


    The poor teenage boy and girl fell unconscious immediately after a slight tap on the neck by Clark. After searching for 2 minutes, he choose these 2 mischievous teenagers that were doing weird things in a corner.


    Before choosing, he already made sure that he evaded the city¡¯s surveillance system. He didn¡¯t want to see tomorrow¡¯s news headline being like- Captain Clark turned thief.


    Smoothly retrieving the bike key from the young man¡¯s pockets, Clark donned the helmet before placing himself comfortably on the bike.


    Before he left, he easily hacked the young teenager¡¯s account and sent 100,000 Spartan credits in. At least, with that, the young man would be grateful for this encounter rather than be resentful about it.


    He went into the corner as a pedestrian, he came out as the ghost rider.


    With his superhuman reflexes, he flexed the poor bike in a way that it has not experienced before since it came to existence.


    With a loud revving sound of an overstressed engine, he practically flew into the road, overtaking cars and other bikes alike like they were turtles while he was the cheetah.


    As he cruised across the road, he felt his head become loose and carefree again, relieving him of the stress of the past few days.


    The feeling of freedom surprised him; this was a new experience. He secretly noted down in his head to at least be taking a few hours from his schedule to do things like this, they help a lot. This was what he deduced now.


    Of course, the road safety officials went after him due to his over-the-limit speed but he quickly left them behind like the snow pokes they were.


    Though he enjoyed this, seeing the road safety officials drive so clumsily made him dissatisfied. Vatican City was not up to the level that he dreamed of yet, the city still needed to develop in a lot of ways.


    If road safety officials had bikes and cars of such low quality, then a lot of criminals could easily escape pursuit so long as they had better quality machines.


    Albert was a perfect example of this scenario.


    He made a note to improve on all these after he¡¯s dealt with the terrorists. He would place this as a city trend to the 5 commissioners during the next leaders'' meeting. Well, that was as far as he could go.


    Putting all these thoughts aside, he pushed the bike a little further to the limit, prompting it to jerk and emit fire from the exhaust before raging and sliding across the smooth road at a faster speed.


    4 minutes later, he arrived at the headquarters of the Dragon military division. He didn¡¯t go in immediately, he waited patiently until the road safety officials arrived.


    As soon as the first one came to meet him with a glower on his face, he showed him his badge, causing the poor fellow to freeze in place.


    ¡°Leader!¡± The middle-aged man saluted immediately, quickly followed by the others.


    Clark clapped the fellow on the shoulders. ¡°You guys were good, but you need to brush up on your skills. You¡¯ll get better rides soon; I hope you have the required skill to handle them then¡±.


    ¡°Good luck¡±. He turned and walked in the direction of the military division the next moment.


    The road safety officials were left stunned in place, joy practically vibrating from their uniforms.


    The fellow who came out first had a dreamy expression on his face.


    ¡°He touched me!¡±

 Chapter 304: the dragon military division is in

    As Clark walked in the direction of the huge gate, he deactivated his camouflage device, bringing out his original look. He felt that it was strange how the road safety officials believed his identity so easily after seeing his badge.


    Heck! He was looking like a teenager then!


    It seemed that the Vatican citizens really held him with high esteem now, the road officials were so sure that no one had the guts to impersonate him.


    He only hoped that something like this would not be used to plan a scheme against the city in the future, it would be awful.


    Putting that aside, he looked on at the wide territory before him and the giant gate that announced the majesty of the military division.


    Standing proudly at the center of the huge gate was a giant emblem of the Dragon military division. It was of a red dragon soaring through the sky with red fire revolving between its extremely long and sharp spear-like teeth.


    Ironically, this was Clark¡¯s first time coming here too. He had to admit that the emblem was iconic though, the designer did a perfect job.


    He already saw the headquarters of the military division in a virtual form before, but the physical form gave a different vibe entirely.


    As he walked forward, 2 military vehicles were already coming out in his direction. Even before he got there, the scanning devices of the military division already sorted out his identity.


    As soon as the 2 cars stopped, Corporal Cinnabar who Clark was already familiar with, and 3 other soldiers came out to meet him.


    ¡°Welcome to our base, sir¡±. All 3 soldiers saluted.


    ¡°Thanks¡±. Clark stopped and took a good look at the territory occupied by the military division. ¡°You¡¯ve got a beast of a connected construct in here¡±.


    ¡°We still have a lot of ways to improve, sir¡±. The Corporal smiled.


    The conversation was stiff, but it was effective. After complimenting them for a few more minutes, Clark was finally led inside the military division by the entourage of 3 soldiers.


    Inside the military division was full of activities, bringing some nostalgic memories back to him. Some soldiers were already returning from their various outposts, making the atmosphere inside more boisterous.


    In just a look, he deduced the basic layout of the division base.


    Some soldiers were currently walking in the direction of the mechanics¡¯ workshop to get their weapons fixed, others engaged in different leisure activities, while some sparred in an arena that was built at a corner of the military base.


    Overall, the military division was currently a hub of activities. Hardly could a soldier be seen who was idle, they were just like a colony of ants, working tirelessly.


    As the car that he sat on drove forward, due to his inquire, Corporal Cinnabar was currently giving him a deeper and more professional overview of the military division base.


    Compared to the Python military division where he served a few years ago, this was lacking in many ways. It could not be helped; Beiger City was far more developed than the current Vatican City.


    The Dragon military division lacked both in the area of territory, the overall number of soldiers, and the overall number of high-grade soldiers. They also lacked in almost every other minor statistic.


    Compared to the Python military division during Clark¡¯s time there that housed 20+ high-grade soldiers, the Dragon military division had only 13 high-grade soldiers.


    It was much when compared to other private military organizations, but this was a military division owned by the government. It was pretty inadequate to safeguard a whole city.


    After taking part in a small tour throughout the military division base with his entourage of 3 military cars, Clark was led to the biggest building in the base.


    As soon as the Corporal took him to his office, Clark asked him to call for all the high-grade soldiers of the military division. It seems that they already knew of his arrival as everyone arrived in less than 2 minutes.


    He didn¡¯t beat around the bush. After everyone arrived, he told them his reason for coming here. Unlike what he expected, they were not very surprised.


    The Corporal cleared his throat before speaking. ¡°Sir, we already suspected it to be honest. With the kind of tension now in the city, it is hard to not suspect that something was being brewed in the dark¡±.


    ¡°But this was just one of our conjectures, we never knew that it was true until you just confirmed it¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡± That was the only exclamation that Clark made. ¡°If you guys already knew, then that simplifies things by a lot¡±.


    He threw a bunch of papers on the table. ¡°This is my battle plan, go through the papers and give me your answer. I would have loved to give you more time to contemplate your next action, but we don¡¯t have much time¡±.


    Unlike the local military forces that were controlled by the city, military divisions took orders only from the Spartan army.


    Clark could not order them around. If they saw that the battle plan was not feasible, they could decide to not participate and there was nothing that he could do about it.


    Despite all these limitations, he was confident though that they would accept. That was their job in the first place, protecting the city was what they were assigned to do.


    It only took a few minutes before Corporal Cinnabar dropped the papers back on the diamond-plated table.


    He took a deep breath to digest what he just read before speaking. ¡°Sir, this is a really comprehensive and well-thought-out plan. If you really have so many reinforcements, then I have no basis to chicken out¡±.


    ¡°The Persian tigers organization has always been our nemesis, any opportunity to wipe their forces from the face of the earth and teach them a lesson is welcome to me¡±.


    He stood up. ¡°The Dragon military division is with you, sir¡±.


    Seeing the serious expression on the Corporal¡¯s face, Clark smiled. ¡°Good! I promise that you will not regret it, and besides, that¡¯s not all the reinforcement that we¡¯ll be getting¡±.


    He didn¡¯t explain further, leaving them with the benefit of the doubt and over-thinking. This was a strategy that he already mastered.


    After completing what he came here for, he finally stood up to leave. This time, the military division provided him with a car to leave which was driven by a young soldier.


    By the time that he got back to his mansion, the day was already dark and the time was 8:05 pm. He spent a lot of time outside today, but he did not regret any of his movements by a bit.


    The day was well spent.


    As soon as he took the first step into the mansion, he saw King and Albert coming in his direction. These 2 guys have grown unimaginably close in just a few days after knowing each other, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.


    He could feel it, a headache was coming. His danger sense was ringing.


    Before the 2 smiling devils could reach his position, he took a sharp turn before they could react and bolted into the building. He rushed directly to his room and locked himself in.


    Plopping down on his bed, he exclaimed. ¡°I escaped!¡±


    ¡°What a day!¡±


    ¡­


    Clark slept straight to the next day before waking up. Waking up to a bright new day after having a goodnight¡¯s rest left him feeling energized, he felt that he could do anything right then and now.


    Despite the energy coursing through his veins, he reined himself in. For the first time in years, he had a normal schedule for his day.


    Slipping down from his bed, he went to the bathroom to have a nice bath. After being subjected to the cozy luxuries of his bathroom, he came out feeling even more refreshed.


    As he got himself dressed up in casual clothes, he heard a knock on the door. He didn¡¯t even have to think to know who it was. After sliding his trousers in, he opened the door.


    With the diligent Rose by his side, his day went much more smoothly.


    Following all her advice for the first time, he left the room the next moment to have the nice dishes prepared by the mansion¡¯s shelves.


    After filling his stomach to the brim, he caught up with King and the others to spend the time a little. They discussed their history together, a story that never got old.


    As soon as he got bored by the conversation, he slipped away. Feeling guilty all of a sudden that he was a bad teacher, he sought out his student to have his first proper teacher to student lecture with the kid.


    Of course, it was super awkward but it was efficient too. What mattered was that he successfully passed knowledge across.


    He was still in the process of coming to terms with his new status as a soldier¡¯s teacher, but he knew the drill which made it much easy- act like it and you will soon become it.


    After sending the kid off to train which Albert was grateful for, he also took hold of his training kits and went to his special training room.


    He recently ordered a fresh batch of custom-made weapons, some that he hasn¡¯t even used before, he needed to practice to get in tune with those types of weapons before the real ones came.


    Rose already got substitutes for him to train with after she heard of the custom-made weapons, making things much easier for him. As soon as he entered his special training room, he started the never-ending grind again.


    As a Sergeant, he did it. As a Corporal, he did it. As a Captain now, he was still doing it. He knew that also in the future even if he became a Commander, he would still do it.


    Scholars said learning never ends, but for them soldiers, training never ends. Only the relentless trainers become the peerless experts.


    After hours of rigorous training that left him all exhausted and lying down like a bag of bones, Rose came to visit him. After she helped him with his post-training recovery, she placed another necessity in his schedule before him.


    Though he felt tempted to ignore the schedule written by her and focus on his training, he stopped himself. He knew that the schedule was the best for his current situation.


    He already got a lot of reinforcements for the upcoming attack, but he was not satisfied yet. He wanted more reinforcements, the plan needed more fleshing out, and a strategy to keep the commoners safe needed to be drafted.


    He had a lot of things in his mind to do, he just didn¡¯t have the luxury to rest for a moment.


    Under Rose¡¯s guidance, he contacted his commissioners to discuss the plans further. With King giving him valuable input, he tried to make the plan more perfect and impeccable.


    This became his schedule for the next few days; sleep, wake up, take a bath, eat, teach, train, delve more into the attack plan, then sleep again.


    In such a manner, days rolled past like the pages of an eBook. It seemed far away before, but it was now the day that Clark was waiting for.


    Today was the day that Benny¡¯s strap of cloth would be laid to rest by the Spartan army. Today was the day that all the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the last mission would be laid to rest.


    It was a day of honor! It was a day of remembrance!


    [Guys, I''m sorry for the super late chapter. I''m justified this time though, yesterday was my birthday, so I had to enjoy my day. I literally had to write this chapter in the middle of the night, I''m sorry for any glaring mistakes.]

 Chapter 305: setting out

    ¡°Arrange the tie to be a little tighter and to the right¡±.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡±.


    The female fashion designer gave her apprentice instructions as they worked on Clark under Rose¡¯s supervision. Though this was not her profession, as a trained assistant she knew a little about everything.


    The Spartan army did not spend so many years training her to be the assistant of a bigshot just to have skills that could be described as just so-so, she was the real deal.


    Clark who was under the expert hands of the 2 female designers was currently dressed in a black custom-made suit.


    After seeing him get custom-made weapons, Rose suggested that he start wearing custom-made clothes too to match his status as the sovereign of a city in the republic.


    In such a setting with a useful argument supporting her, Clark knew that he could not win any verbal argument so he just kept quiet and accepted.


    It may seem like Rose was imposing rules on him, but no. If they were unrealistic arguments that she was making, he still had the masculinity in him to put a foot down and shun her.


    After all, he was the boss, not her.


    Apart from his custom-made suit, all the other accessories in his body were also custom-made and black. A luxurious thick enhanced leather boot, a black electronic wristwatch, and of course his military badge in a gleaming golden color.


    All of this combination made him seem subdued but unfathomable, the color combination was not too eye-catching but it still demanded respect.


    Today that his friend was being laid to rest finally, he deemed it right to dress on all black as a sign of mourning, but he also deemed it right to make it a little luxurious to honor his friend¡¯s status when he was still alive.


    Even his face was not spared from the deft hands of the fashion designers, they made him look vibrant but subdued. Everything about him currently screamed mysteriously.


    ¡°Thank you, sir, for this opportunity. It¡¯s an honor¡±.


    After bowing a little to appreciate Clark for this opportunity to work on him which would undoubtedly boost her resume, the fashion designer finally left with her 2 apprentices whose joy could not be hidden.


    ¡°I¡¯m set, anything else?¡± Clark finally stood up and turned to face Rose.


    He didn¡¯t even look at the mirror, he knew without looking that the designers did a good job. And at such a day like today, he was not inclined to be looking at mirrors when his friend would be laid back to dust.


    ¡°No¡±. Rose curled her lips to prevent a smile from coming from her mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go if you don¡¯t have anything else¡±.


    Clark was looking unimaginably handsome; she knew it but she didn¡¯t have the guts to compliment him in such an atmosphere. She didn¡¯t know how Clark would react; she knew how much he cherished his friends.


    When she just heard of Benny¡¯s death, Clark¡¯s mental health was the first thing that came to her mind. Only heavens knew how relieved she felt on seeing that he was ok.


    Just like Clark, she was dressed in all black. As someone who underwent training for years in the Spartan republic, she had the authority to attend the military funeral.


    After she confirmed that they could go, Clark turned around and started walking out of the room.


    She followed shortly behind as they quickly disappeared after the room¡¯s door automatically locked itself. Getting outside the room, she could feel it, a sad atmosphere was in the mansion.


    Though most people did not know about it due to the confidentiality of the Everest mission, Clark¡¯s workers knew that he lost a friend and this was the day for the funeral.


    They may have known Clark for only some time and may have a relationship of boss and servant with him, but they still respected him and wished him good.


    It was rare to find such a good boss. They¡¯ve served elsewhere before settling here, so they could appreciate something good when they found it.


    They wished their boss¡¯s sorrow could be exchanged for their happiness; they were happy with the swap no matter the consequences so long as their boss remained happy.


    It was a pity that was not possible. Humanity has evolved a lot since the 21st century, most science fiction scenarios were now real, but fantasy¡­, that was still an uncrackable bastard.


    Feeling the sadness of his workers, Clark felt twisted in his heart. ¡°Was this how people would feel one day after he died? The way Benny died so abruptly; would he also die without notice like that?¡±


    These questions in his mind did not show on his face though as he left the next moment. He already concluded to live his days to the fullest, if he survives till tomorrow then he can plan for it.


    As soon as he went outside, he saw 2 figures standing together in the distance- King, and Emily.


    Both were dressed in all black just like him. Though their experience with Benny was much smaller than his, they still knew him and they wanted to give him their last respect also.


    Due to their insistence to go, he had to pull some strings with his new authority before their entry was finally approved.


    As warriors who were not soldiers of the Spartan army, it required much from him before they were finally allowed to follow him. Despite what he had to pay; he was happy after receiving heartfelt gratitude from both of them.


    After both parties got close to each other, they finally exchanged greetings. With their eyes, they quickly communicated and deduced how they would go.


    Rose left Clark¡¯s side and paired with Emily while King paired with Clark. In such a way, they turned and made their way to the garage.


    A luxurious garage!


    This was the best definition of Clark¡¯s garage. 6 luxurious sleek sports cars were parked in the middle of the garage, though they were not purely made with exotic materials, exotic metals were used to make some of their parts.


    Each of these cars cost 800,000 Spartan credits, totaling a whopping amount of 3,200,000 credits. It was an outrageous amount of money for luxurious cars but these were what matched Clark¡¯s current status.


    Rose meticulously decided on the model of the cars and their colors.


    Though Clark did not give much attention to trivial matters like the color of things, it was still a fact that he loved black things more. So 3 of the cars were all black, one was red, another was blue, and the last was yellow.


    All of them were masterpieces of technology. Their contours like the sharp blade of an edge gleamed despite the not too bright lighting of the garage, they were machines!


    Clark did not hesitate as he walked forward towards the closest car, of course, it was a black one. King went after him as they quickly got to the car¡¯s position.


    As they got close, the car stirred. ¡°Welcome aboard the ghost rider, it¡¯s advisable that you drive below the safety limits. I wish¡­¡±


    As the A. I of the car rambled on, its body was already transforming. Its corners opened up, extending a miniature cushion out as the doors at the side slowly raised up to expose the inside of the car.


    Inside the car was mostly in a red theme, forming a sharp contrast to its black outlook. 4 cars were inside which was the typical arrangement of normal cars, the only difference was their luxuriousness and how cushy they looked.


    With one movement, Clark entered the driver¡¯s seat. King entered through the other side before the car¡¯s ignition finally revved to life.


    On the other side, Emily was already walking in the direction of another one of the black cars. Unlike the one that Clark entered, this one was more compact and sport-like.


    Rose would have loved for them to take the yellow one, but considering the occasion that they were going for she relented.


    With easy movements, Emily operated the car like a maestro, cruising after Clark who was already driving out at the front.


    As soon as the mansion gate automatically shot close behind them, they stepped harder on the gas pedal, prompting the 2 sleek cars to fly across the road like cheetahs in the jungle.


    They were not going straight to Northern Sparta yet; they were picking some friends up on the way.


    With the help of a lot of coincidences making everything pliable for them on the road, they got to Leo¡¯s mansion in less than an hour.


    Before they got there, the couple was already waiting for them. Leo was dressed in a black suit just like Clark while his wife, Kate, was dressed in a black flowing gown that was laced with gems.


    They did not engage in any conversation after meeting up. Greeting themselves with a nod of the head, the couple separated.


    Leo entered the car that was being piloted by Clark, while his wife entered the car that was being piloted by her sister.


    Before they could move out, a car suddenly sped from the road in their direction before making a loud screeching noise in the road as it slowed down to a stop just before them.


    Clark glowered despite the solemnity of this situation; he already knew the bastard even before he showed up.


    ¡°Hey, wait for me!¡± Smartman ran in their direction, his tie jingling left and right making his dressing look comical.


    He didn¡¯t wait for the others to react; opening the door at the back of the car, he plopped down on the back seat while panting. ¡°I hate you guys, you almost left me!¡±


    Clark turned his head, trying hard to restrain his hands from striking. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that you were coming, I didn¡¯t reserve a spot for you¡±.


    The young brat picked his nose. ¡°You¡¯re a bigshot already, if you were the one who died, do you think Benny would hesitate to get a slot for me to attend your burial?¡±


    That joke¡­, was dark and unexpected.


    ¡°Fine!¡± Clark turned his head, trying hard to hide the expression that was now on his face.


    He didn¡¯t notice it at first, but Smartman just made him confirm it. Almost all of them here were not really sad any longer, they already mourned long enough.


    Today, what they were doing was paying respects to their friend.


    It was an inevitable fact that everyone would die someday, not only soldiers, and definitely not only Benny. Death was not sad; it was how you died that would determine if it is sad.


    Well, for the way that Benny died, he died in battle which was the greatest achievement in the Spartan republic.


    With all doubts cleared from his mind, Clark stepped on the gas pedal again with a different mindset entirely about the funeral.


    The journey was long but just a few minutes after an hour, they finally got to the Spartan army headquarters. The first thing that became evident to them on getting there was the boisterousness.


    The headquarters was booming with activity!

 Chapter 306: funeral

    Despite arriving at the Spartan army headquarters by over thirty minutes early, Clark and his clique were not the first to arrive. Hundreds of others already came before them.


    Clark was not too surprised by this though; he would have been even more surprised if he did not meet such a scenario.


    When he said honoring the dead was something that the Spartan republic placed great priority on, he was not lying. It was one of the most solemn creeds of the republic that had never been taken lightly.


    President Leonidas once said just after his coronation as President of the republic years ago that, a good leader is known by how much he protects his subordinates, but a great leader is known by that and also by how much respect he gives to his fallen subordinates.


    If they had the choice, no soldier wanted to die. That courage alone to remain fighting on despite the real chance of death was commendable, that¡¯s why they must be honored after their death.


    The Spartan republic may have a lot of flaws, but this was a tradition that they¡¯ve never slacked on.


    As Clark drove in with Emily trailing directly behind him, he was treated to a feast of money. Luxurious cars with more unique perks than the one he was riding in drove into the headquarters continuously.


    Hundreds of luxurious cars going in the same direction were not something that could be seen every day, it was a rare event.


    Of the many military outposts where soldier squads manned, most of them were trimmed today because of this funeral. Of course, others had to stay there to make sure that the republic does not fall into chaos during this period.


    The boisterous city-like vibe of the headquarters was subdued today, almost all the activities going on were concentrated in the direction of the cemetery.


    Through his new increased authority, Clark finally broke off from the others and drove into the road exclusive to the army higher-ups. Emily followed too through his influence.


    Going into this special road, the feeling like he was trapped in a horde of beasts of an animal kingdom finally disappeared.


    Few cars drove in the road, making him experience a feeling of sanity again. He lowered his speed and cruised forward in his destination at a leisure pace.


    Despite his slow driving speed, none of the friends with him in the car complained. Every one of them was silent, it even seemed slightly eerie but Clark tried to ignore the feeling.


    About 15 minutes later, he finally arrived at the cemetery again.


    Compared to the last time that he came here, some changes were already here. The layout of the cemetery was still the same, the large fence was still there, the dome-like structures were still there also.


    The difference was that another make-shift fence was erected, dividing the front of the cemetery into 2 parts. The inner part was smaller while the outside was broader.


    At the foot of the large gate that led through the fence was a huge erected banner. On it was a picture of 3 soldiers, from the insignia on their uniforms they were all Captains.


    Below these 3 soldiers were another group of 51 soldiers, then below these were just names- hundreds of names.


    Clark was not allowed to park his car anywhere close to the cemetery. He was directed to a garage a few meters away, where he had to pay to have his car checked in there.


    After parking his car, he did not go back to the cemetery ground immediately. He located a newly set-up bar at the side before going inside with his friends.


    In there, they finally got all the information that they needed.


    Clark already received detailed information about the funeral before now, he just wanted to confirm it again at a small information vendor like this.


    In the just-concluded mission, of the initial 1000 soldiers that set out for the mission, only 268 returned alive which was a saddening figure.


    Three 3rd rank high-grade soldiers died which further strengthened Clark¡¯s dread for that region. Five 2nd rank high-grade soldiers died, and forty-one 1st rank high-grade soldiers died.


    The rest were all normal soldiers.


    The reason why the front of the cemetery was demarcated into 2 unequal parts was to separate the soldiers that came for the funeral.


    Only 3rd rank and above soldiers were allowed into the inner part, where the real funeral would take place. Friends and family of the deceased soldiers were also allowed in there.


    The bigger outwards part was where the masses who came to honor their fallen comrades would stay at.


    These soldiers didn¡¯t have any special relationship with the deceased, only the camaraderie as Spartan soldiers brought them together.


    By the time that Clark explained everything to King and the others, a few minutes already passed. It did not take much longer before the funeral officially started, this was not before the arrival of the Commander though.


    Commander Rashford attending this funeral took its solemnity to another realm entirely.


    One thing that became evident to Clark as he stood up to go was that he could not detect any sadness among the people present, only a solemn atmosphere of respect reigned in the air.


    Basking in this aura, he stood up and went into the inner part where the real funeral would take place with Leo and Smartman accompanying him.


    The 3 of them were the only ones that were approved to enter the inner part, the other''s relationship with Benny was deemed as too shallow to allow them entry by the officials.


    There were no chairs for anyone to sit down on, all the soldiers and the civilian family members of the fallen soldiers stood rigidly at attention.


    Unlike the funeral ceremonies of most countries, that of the Spartan republic was more iconic but less complicated.


    To kickstart the funeral, a General of the Spartan army came out to lead the national anthem. Though few Captains attended the funeral and even more so for Generals, some still attended.


    After the anthem was sung by all the soldiers in a solemn atmosphere to acknowledge the republic and the President, the procedures finally started.


    First, a group of mechanics was led into the cemetery ground by an entourage of soldiers who donned the golden military uniform of the Spartan army.


    After they turned to salute Commander Rashford who had a poker expression on his face since the funeral began, they finally turned and went to work.


    Seeing 732 mechanics enter the cemetery, the expressions on most of the soldiers¡¯ faces turned more solemn.


    They were left in the dark on the mission that caused all these deaths, but they didn¡¯t ask also. Still, from the number of mechanics that just entered the field, they deduced the number of their comrades that died.


    They were shocked, 732 soldiers dying in a mission was not unprecedented but it was extremely rare.


    As soon as the 732 mechanics took their place in the cemetery, they started working together to erect structures on the spot. These structures were the dome-like structures.


    As this went on, the General took to the stage again and started giving an introductory honor message about all the dead soldiers.


    As he spoke a holographic screen was already on the air that showed the soldier that he was talking about at a specific moment in time.


    ¡°Captain Maria, she was the strongest soldier who died in this mission. I¡¯m deeply regretful that I cannot show her heroic deeds for the advancement of the republic today, she already established her status as a legend¡±.


    ¡°She was the leader of the Phalanx Battalion of the Dani military division. She already led the battalion to a lot of legendary victories before she set out on this mission to improve her contribution to the republic¡±.


    ¡°Some of her most memorable victories was when she crushed the invading army of the Mocan republic 2 decades ago, leading to a complete wipe of the enemies and recording one of the best battle wins in the history of the republic¡±.


    ¡°She will also be remembered in the landslide catastrophe, where she fought off a horde of invading beasts led by extremely strong exobeasts with her battalion¡±.


    ¡°Despite the odds that were severely against her, she stood her ground and fought till reinforcement came, thereby saving over 1,200,000 civilians¡±.


    ¡°Her heroics against the Persian tigers organization cannot be forgotten also. Even in death, she will still be remembered forever as a legend of the Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°Captain Jude, although it''s sad that we lost such a fine soldier, we should be grateful that he died gloriously in battle¡±.


    ¡°Through his great sacrifice, he made sure that more than a little below half of the soldiers who followed him into battle made it back alive. His selfless sacrifice will always remain in our hearts¡±.


    ¡°Some of his memorable moments¡­¡±


    ¡°Captain Cain¡­¡±


    ¡°Sergeant Loki¡­¡±


    ¡°Corporal Nineveh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sergeant Benny¡­¡±


    ¡°Private Daniel¡­¡±


    By the time the captain finished the most notable names that were on the list on his hand, an hour already passed but none of the soldiers showed impatience. They were all solemn.


    As soon as he finished, the sound of boots stamping hard at the ground started reverberating from the side.


    A battalion of soldiers started matching from the side to the direction of the cemetery. All the soldiers had poker expressions on their faces, and 732 coffins were in their hands.


    Seeing the blood-red uniform color of these soldiers and the iconic emblem on it, Clark gasped.


    These were the personal battalion followers of Commander Rashford. At the very front of the matching battalion stood their leader, Major General Melkor Orion.


    The cemetery became quieter. All sound faded off, allowing the thudding sounds of the boots to reverberate in all their glory. A few minutes later, the battalion of soldiers entered the cemetery.


    After getting to their positions, they laid down the coffins in the already dug graves. Saluting at Commander Rashford, they matched backward under the leadership of their Major General and settled down at a corner.


    This was when the Commander finally took the stage.


    He didn¡¯t say much, he just gave a speech to emphasize again the heroics of the dead soldiers and how much they would be remembered by the republic.


    Though it was not much, every single soldier in the field absolved his words solemnly like they were the words of the gods.


    Under his command, the soldiers finally laid the 732 coffins below the soil to rest. As the grave started being filled, the Commander¡¯s personal battalion cocked their guns and unleashed a run of bullets at the air.


    Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Boom!


    This was the last respect that a Spartan soldier receives on his death. They fought with the weapon, they died with the weapon still in their hand, and they would be sent to rest with a weapon also.


    This was when the emotions of some people were let out.


    From a position far away from where he stood, Clark saw Mr. and Mrs. John Hart at the distance crying their hearts out. They already digested the news since, but the reality that their son was gone was still painful.


    Under such an emotional atmosphere, the funeral finally came to an end.


    One by one, the soldiers and family members of the deceased started leaving the cemetery. It took a sizeable number of minutes, but the cemetery finally became deserted a bit.


    Not everyone left though, Clark and a small group of soldiers stayed behind. Seeing this group of people again, Clark smiled, emotions flooding back to him.


    ¡°Squad leader!¡±

 Chapter 307: last parting gift

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me guys¡±. Though it was not a question that they asked, Clark felt it was right that he announced to them again that he was fine and well.


    Diana already told them that he survived and was back, but hearing it from his mouth was much more convincing. People could disguise his face, but they could not speak to them in the same way that they were familiar with.


    As soon as he spoke to them, he saw them fidgeting a bit, some of them even stealing glances at him which left him confused.


    At a moment, he even felt that he saw one of the female soldiers take a step forward to hug him. He didn¡¯t know why, but seeing this made him feel goosebumps immediately.


    ¡°Umm, where is Diana?¡± He tried to change the topic.


    ¡°I¡¯m here¡±.


    Clark was startled, turning his head to the side. There, he saw a projection slowly turning visible. It took only a few minutes before Diana¡¯s projection stabilized, she turned and flashed them a smile.


    Seeing her appear, Clark heaved a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t know if it was because it¡¯s been long since he saw them, but the brief reunion a moment ago was hellishly awkward.


    He finally calmed down after some time before looking at her curiously. ¡°You are just coming; you didn¡¯t stay for the funeral at all?¡±


    ¡°I paid to have access to it through a virtual connection¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    After that, no one said a thing again, making the atmosphere awkward again. And once again, it was Diana that came to the rescue.


    ¡°Do you guys have anything doing? If not, let¡¯s finish what we gathered for¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I don¡¯t have anything in my schedule right now¡±.


    As soon as Clark agreed, the others consented and they turned to go inside the cemetery together.


    Walking with these soldiers again after months was a new feeling to Clark. Here, they had a much carefree attitude which he was sure was the reason that caused all the awkwardness.


    Back in the Everest, they were always tense, alert, and on the lookout for any danger so they didn¡¯t have the leisure to think about something intangible like awkwardness.


    Now that their brains were already detecting that they were calm and not in danger, it revealed its casual side.


    It felt weird but Clark was glad that they were like this, staying in the Everest was a traumatic experience that, if possible, he wanted to be deleted completely from his memory.


    That was if he was just a normal person though. But no, he was not normal, he was a soldier. It was hard for soldiers to live normal lives; their lives changed the same day that they decided on their careers.


    Experiences such as what happened in the Everest mission were what defined his identity as a soldier.


    As all these went through his mind, it did not take long before they came before one of the dome-shaped structures. At the top of this one, a word was imprinted in bold.


    >SQUAD 06>


    This was the dome structure that was dedicated to Clark¡¯s squad. In the surrounding of the structure under the ground slept the coffins of their comrades. Some of the coffins were empty, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    Man was made from dust, and to dust will a man go back. The human body was just a shell to house the energy that defined us, losing the body does not mean that the human was lost.


    That is why humans gave names, to identify.


    Even if the corpse of their comrades were not there, the name alone imprinted on the coffin was more than enough representation for them to acknowledge it.


    The name of the dead soldiers of the squad was written in a downward spiraling manner, and it was done according to their respective rank, contribution, and authority in the squad.


    At the very front stood Benny¡¯s name.


    >Sergeant Benny Hart>


    - Second in command of the 6th squad. He died heroically in battle so that his leader and comrades could escape. He is a legend of the republic, the perfect example of the ideal soldier.


    >Private Lan Quiver>


    - A soldier of the 6th squad. He listened to the orders of his leader despite how much damage they may cause to him, and in the end sacrificed his life heroically. A legend that cannot be forgotten.


    >Sergeant Terry Tom>


    - A soldier of the 6th squad. Being one of the few high-grade soldiers in his squad, instead of saving his own life he laid it down so that the mission could be fulfilled and his comrades could escape. A legend.


    >Sergeant Adam Top>


    >Sergeant Kuvira Lambo>


    >Private Leonard Tifer>


    ¡­


    Clark and the others came here with a relaxed expression on their faces, but by the time they read through the dome-shaped structure, their expressions were solemn and betrayed a little sadness.


    Diana turned her face away and wiped a tear from her eyes.


    Clark had a stony expression on his face as he looked down again at his friend¡¯s name. He tried hard not to cry, he was not going to mourn again, he just had to move on.


    That was the best tribute that he could give to Benny.


    Standing there, he could almost see the years rolling back. Back to when he just met the young energetic soldier who graduated in the same set as he was.


    ¡°My name is Clark, what¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Benny, it''s nice to meet you¡±.


    ¡­


    ¡°We want to use our week of leave to go on a tour, will you follow us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you approve, I¡¯ll love to¡±.


    ¡­


    So it started, their journey as friends. He remembered when they visited Vatican City, Leo¡¯s City and when they played football, when the terrorist Commander attacked them, almost leading to his death.


    Clark felt nostalgic, it still felt like yesterday when he bought an exotic shield for Benny because he didn¡¯t have enough money to get it.


    What a journey it had been!


    ¡°We¡¯ll miss you, Benny¡±. Diana finally spoke out and dropped something like petals on the structure. ¡°We¡¯ll miss you, Lan, Terry, Kuvira, we¡¯ll miss you all¡±.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll miss you all¡±.


    The other soldiers echoed after her before bending down to place what they came with down. Most of them dropped farewell letters, only 2 of them dropped exotic swords.


    After they dropped what they came with, they all turned to look at Clark. Feeling their stares, Clark smiled and bent down.


    Opening a hidden pocket in his suit trousers, he pulled and a 2-form gun came out with him.


    He squatted beside the grave while holding the 2-form gun, tears flowed from his eyes but as the others were behind him, they could not see it.


    This weapon was Benny¡¯s best gun, the Chaos series 2-form gun.


    Its mechanisms fit his battle art a lot, so he fell in love with it on sight. Since day one, Benny was a lover and great patronage of the Chaos series weapons producing company.


    Stroking the fine contours of the gun, Clark let his tears flow.


    This was what he came with to spend his last parting time with his friend physically, but he already arranged something better in his mind.


    Like he vowed, as long as he lived Mr. and Mrs. John Hart would never lack. That was his real parting gift to Benny.


    He knew how Benny cherished his parents when they stayed together, so he figured that helping the old couple till their death was the best gift that he could ever give as a friend.


    He stroked the dome-shaped structure with a smile now on his face.


    ¡°Buddy¡­, rest in peace. I¡¯ll miss you forever!¡±


    He dropped the 2-form gun and stood up. In the process of standing up, he expertly wiped the tears away from his face so that the others could not see him doing that.


    Even if the signs were still there, he was satisfied with just wiping it off.


    After they left the cemetery, they didn¡¯t leave immediately. Following Clark¡¯s suggestion, they went to a restaurant at the side where they spent a nice time together.


    This was the best way to wind up all the activities of today, but this was not all though. Of course, Clark had an ulterior motive for gathering them here.


    As they ate, some of the soldiers joked about their time back on the Everest.


    ¡°Squad leader, you changed a lot after coming back¡±.


    Clark raised an eyebrow. ¡°How?¡±


    The soldier laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to describe it, but I think you became much gentler and more easygoing. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s me, I think you also grew more handsome¡±.


    Clark felt blacklines crawling his face. ¡°What the f*ck Lander, I never knew you were such a pervert. So you were pretending throughout the whole time during the mission¡±.


    The others laughed at that, but one of the female soldiers could not help but comment at this moment.


    ¡°To be sincere, I think he¡¯s right Captain. Then, you seldom spoke to us so casually like now. You were always frowning, always reprimanding us to be alert, always yelling at us to peel our eyes open¡±.


    ¡°Hell! You even locked us for over 2 days in a dark hole inside a tree¡±.


    ¡°Uhm, that?¡± Clark was now speechless.


    The soldier laughed at seeing him like that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we understand why you did all that but it now seems so comical when thinking back to it¡±.


    ¡°And I agree with Lander, now that you smile more often, you look much more handsome. I always thought you were an ugly superior because of the dirt and everything that always covered you back in the Everest¡±.


    Clark turned to face Diana. ¡°Can you hear that?¡±


    Diana shrugged. ¡°You really looked hellishly ugly back in the Everest¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your always messy hair, messy climbing uniform, in fact, everything about you then was ugly and messy¡±.


    ¡°Ugh, not you too!¡± Clark palmed his face.


    The others laughed.


    Though they were engaging in loud conversations, none of the other soldiers sitting close to them could hear them due to the jamming device and the sound dampening device that they activated.


    After discussing for a few more minutes, Clark finally changed the topic and told them his upcoming plan and his need for helpers.


    Hearing that he wanted to purge the Persian tigers organization from his city, the soldiers were a little surprised but that was all. They were already used to the antics of their leader.


    They trusted Clark so after hearing the details of his plan, they agreed to help him but surprisingly Diana was the one to object.


    ¡°Clark, I told you that I¡¯m a lone mercenary now. Time is money to me, to get my help you need to dangle a catch before me that can attract my attention¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Clark was caught off-guard there.


    In the end, he had to negotiate with Diana before she agreed to render her services. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, he was not dissatisfied at all. He was glad that Diana finally found her footsteps again.


    To him, well what could he say? Another largely successful day.


    In just less than an hour that he stayed at the restaurant with his old subordinates, he already got a force of one 2nd rank high-grade soldier and eight 1st rank high-grade soldiers.


    The reinforcement for his plan just kept on stacking on each other.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 308: bone city

    It did not take long before all the soldiers bid their farewell and left the restaurant, leaving only Clark and Diana behind.


    As soon as they left, Diana turned to face Clark. ¡°I guess that¡¯s all for today, we¡¯ll meet in 2 weeks then¡±.


    Clark intended to wave his hand in a gesture that she was free to go, but he paused on seeing a familiar face enter the restaurant. After entering the restaurant, Leo walked directly in his best friend¡¯s direction.


    Getting to their table, Leo ignored his friend and turned to the girl. He extended his hand for a shake. ¡°Hey! My name is Leonard, I was a good friend of Benny¡±.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Diana took the hand politely before directing a questioning gaze at Clark.


    ¡°He¡¯s my friend¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    She finally turned back to face Leo with a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you¡±.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too¡±.


    As soon as Leo sat down, the door to the restaurant opened again and a group of people came in this time. King, Smartman, Emily, and Kate all came in at the same time, forming a rare spectacle.


    Following the same format, they all went to meet Diana, introduced themselves to her before forcing Clark to further introduce them more intimately.


    Only King smiled helplessly behind them like he was forced to come here.


    Seeing all these strange people except King who she was familiar with coming in all of a sudden while giving her such special attention, she was puzzled at first but the next word they said revealed everything to her.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry about your loss¡±.


    She didn¡¯t even have the energy to reply to them, she instead devoted it to direct a glare at Clark who flinched back on her fierce stare.


    In the end, she had to thank them and also reassured them that she was fine and already got over it before they let her go.


    As soon as she got the small window of opportunity that she wanted, she excused herself before disappearing from the restaurant with a pop sound. Her projected figure dissipated into the air.


    When her eyes focused again, her perception was finally back to her body. She could still hear the sound of the speed train moving across, which reassured her that nothing happened when her perception was projected far away.


    Yes, she was currently on a train and was leaving the Spartan republic.


    After making her decision to become a lone mercenary, she decided to start her new occupation far away from home. There, she was sure that her potential would be fully exploited.


    The Spartan republic was just among one of the hundreds of countries in the world, there were a lot of places with bright prospects for her growth.


    Maybe if things worked as she was dreaming about, she may become a bigshot in the future too, just like Clark.


    Attending her boyfriend¡¯s burial brought a lot of hidden emotions back to her mind, but she commended herself for suppressing them back so perfectly.


    She missed Clark and her squadmates, even her family back in her city but she was determined to leave.


    Maybe, one day, if she found what she was looking for, she would return to the Spartan republic.


    ¡­


    ¡°She¡¯s changed a lot¡±. King turned to face Clark as soon as Diana left.


    ¡°Yes¡±. Clark stood up. ¡°Not only her, but we all also changed a lot¡±.


    ¡°Are we going back now?¡± Emily asked on seeing him stand up.


    ¡°You guys can go, but I¡¯m not going back to Vatican City yet. I have somewhere else to go with Leo first before going back home¡±.


    Kate turned to look at her husband. ¡°Where are you going? Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important¡±.


    ¡°Tell me!¡±


    Clark answered on his best friend¡¯s behalf. ¡°We¡¯re going for the burial ceremony being organized by Benny¡¯s parents¡±.


    Before any of them could recover from the shock of this sudden news, Clark held his friend and dragged him outside.


    Zoom!


    The sound of the sports car¡¯s engines revving loudly and its tires screeching as it sped across the road was what brought them back to reality.


    Kate was stunned. ¡°How many funerals do they intend to attend?¡±


    No one answered her, they just shrugged.


    ¡°I wish I had friends like the both of them¡±. Emily spoke dreamily. ¡°Perhaps, then death would not be so scary knowing that they had my back¡±.


    Suppressing the complicated feeling that was in their hearts, they turned to leave. Going outside, they picked up Rose on the way who went to greet her old friends after the funeral.


    After confirming their identity again, their sports car was finally allowed to leave the army headquarters.


    After a long eventful day, the military funeral was finally over.


    ¡­


    Driving out of the headquarters, Clark set his car¡¯s nose in the direction of the highway immediately.


    Though in a sense he didn¡¯t do anything throughout the day but just attending a funeral, he was already feeling weak mentally. Staying in such a rowdy atmosphere was draining to the brain.


    He and Leo already planned their schedule for today with Rose, so before even coming for the military funeral they already decided to leave before the time clocked 2:00 pm.


    They didn¡¯t have anything for today again, but tomorrow was the day that Benny¡¯s parents decided on doing their local burial ceremony to commemorate the memories left behind by their son.


    Though they cried a lot today during the military burial, their relatives that came with them were still able to take the both of them back home in preparation for the next day.


    The burial being organized by the old couple was a very small one, and it would be very brief that is why Clark and Leo decided to go there a day before it is officially done.


    They already did their best to honor their deceased friend, but they still saw it as a priority to attend this last ceremony in remembrance of him.


    Benny¡¯s ancestral city, Bone City was one of the least developed cities in the whole of Southern Sparta. It was even more backward than Leo¡¯s home city, which just showed how awful it was.


    From here to Bone City was a long journey, this was another reason why both of them decided to go there early, but this was still not the ultimate reason.


    The ultimate reason was security.


    In such a backward city, it was almost certain that the insecurity problems there would be numerous. Clark already made a silent vow to protect the couples, he was not going to go back on his words now.


    This time, they took off by air which was faster.


    By the time that they got to Bone City, only 30 minutes has passed. Driving the sports car down the airplane, they took to the streets yet again.


    Another 15 minutes was quickly depleted before they found themselves in Benny¡¯s ancestral home. Mr. John Hart as a father was proud of himself to have erected a building where countless other parents failed.


    Though it was just a bone of a building before, it was still a shelter that could shield him, his wife, and his child from the horrors of the world.


    When his son finally made it as a soldier, Benny took it upon himself to renovate the building. He didn¡¯t make it bigger; he didn¡¯t expand it; he just changed some essential things to make it look more modern and nicer to the eyes.


    As a child who lived and grew there for more than half his life, he knew all the nook and crooks of the house.


    Under his guidance and instructions, a perfect renovation that kept most of its former look in place was done.


    Looking at the building, Clark and Leo could practically see the imprints of their friend all over it. As roommates when they just started their career, they knew almost all of Benny¡¯s antics and preferences.


    Most preparations for the burial ceremony were already done, so only a few superficial things were being perfected.


    They both didn¡¯t see the old couple; they were probably cajoled to sleep to help them forget about the pain of today.


    After making sure that nothing was wrong here, they both finally left and located the only nice hotel in the region to have a proper rest.


    They woke up in the evening.


    After getting themselves some much-needed dinner, which replenished their exhausted mental reserves, they both stood up and went on a foot tour around their friend¡¯s city.


    For the first time, they were finally able to see most of the things that Benny told them about during their discussions physically.


    They visited the internet caf¨¦ that was Benny¡¯s best playground when he was younger. They visited his best restaurant, indulged themselves in the local food, did a lot of other things before they finally retreated for the night.


    Getting back to the hotel, they spent the night peacefully.


    The next morning, they both got dressed in a pair of black casual jean trousers and a black polo shirt before going out.


    By the time that they got to the building, the burial ceremony already started. Clark was right, the strap of cloth that he brought back was the substitute for their son that the parents buried.


    Surprisingly, though the emotions ran high like expected, the old couple no longer cried. From their expressions, they were in pain but tears did not fall from their eyes.


    After getting the consent of the father, 2 of the relatives around finally started filling the grave amid a song of mourning being sung by another of the relatives.


    What shocked Clark was that a security breach was detected.


    He thanked his God for being present. Before the group of thugs could act, he shot them dead from a distance while Leo sneaked closer and stealthily dispatched their bodies.


    That way, the burial ceremony was not interrupted and everything continued.


    Because of this occurrence though, Clark noted to himself that he would make sure that the old couple leaves the city. They could not stay here at all when the city was like this.


    The ceremony only lasted for 30 minutes before coming to an end.


    Before leaving with his best friend, Clark put a call through to the Sergeant who was the leader of the city¡¯s military division.


    Unlike other military divisions that he was familiar with, this one was much smaller and so also was the bar of entry to become its leader.


    When the Sergeant confirmed that a genuine Captain was the one talking to him, he practically fainted in shock and delight.


    He thanked Clark, promised him that no harm would befall the couple, and also promised him that he would make sure they leave the city in a week.


    Clark was satisfied with that, so he finally turned to leave.


    The past few weeks since he returned from the great Himalayan peaks were extremely eventful. From this to that, he never had the opportunity to rest.


    After fulfilling all these, now he finally had the time to focus on his training and his upcoming attack against the Persian tigers organization.


    It was time to move on.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 309: 2 weeks to the dday

    A few hours later, in the afternoon, both friends finally got back to Vatican City. They decided to come here as everyone was practically waiting for them here, including Leo¡¯s wife.


    Detecting the car from afar, the electronically controlled gate opened after Clark drove close enough to it.


    Having received the signal of the gate opening already, Rose led her troupe of female companions down to meet the 2 mischievous men who left them unceremoniously the previous day.


    Leo brazed himself for the reprimanding words that would come his way soon, to Clark¡¯s amazement, but to his shock, Kate said nothing to him after she came down with the other 2 ladies.


    ¡°Umm, is something wrong?¡±


    Kate snorted. ¡°You expected me to talk at you, right? I¡¯m decent enough to recognize that you went out with your friend for a good cause¡±.


    ¡°Oh, ok¡±. Leo nodded his head.


    ¡°So, how was it?¡± Emily came forward and asked.


    ¡°It was a pretty down-to-earth burial ceremony, but it was ok overall¡±. Clark replied while scratching his nose.


    Though the ladies had the urge to ask further due to the instinct built in them, they suppressed the urge. Though Clark and Leo looked fine, they suspected that they both had to go through a lot during this period.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, guys¡± Emily tried to comfort them. ¡°Friends never die, they live in your heart¡±.


    Clark turned to face her. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Seeing the look on his face, Emily became embarrassed. She angrily punched him on the chest before turning away to hide her blush. ¡°You¡¯re an unfeeling bastard, no wonder you¡¯re still single¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡± That hurt.


    The silence only lasted for a moment before Rose made the atmosphere lively again with her words.


    So there stood the 5 of them, talking baseless topics like they had all the time in the world. By the time that they finished talking and finally separated to go their various ways, 30 minutes already passed.


    Clark suddenly held his best friend¡¯s hand before he could leave, he looked into Leo¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll come to help me, right? For my upcoming plan¡±.


    ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± Leo had an ¡®are you serious¡¯ expression on his face? ¡°Chill bro, of course, I¡¯ll be there to help. That¡¯s after dropping my wife though, I¡¯ll be back¡±.


    ¡°Ok, thanks¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention bro¡±. Leo waved his hands.


    ¡°You know, I really want to set a precedence in my city. It seems absurd, but the actual reason why I¡¯m looking for so many reinforcements is to wipe out the terrorists without a single casualty on my side¡±.


    Leo had no change in his expression. ¡°I¡¯ve known you for a long-time bro. In all the years, one thing I observed was that when you¡¯re involved, nothing is impossible¡±.


    ¡°Thanks, you can take one of my cars¡±.


    Leo had an exasperated expression on his face. ¡°How many times will I tell you that no need for thanks? I mean it, bro¡±.


    Clark only smiled back in return, allowing his friend to go back home with his wife. As soon as Leo drove outside the mansion¡¯s walls, he finally turned back to go inside.


    This was when Rose came to his side. ¡°Boss, you have a visitor¡±.


    ¡°A visitor? Who?¡±


    ¡°He said his name is Corporal Dame Dickson, he said he¡¯s a close friend of yours¡±. Rose looked at his boss curiously. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you mention him before¡±.


    Clark did not pay attention to her; his face had an expression of excitement as soon as he heard the name that was called. ¡°The turtle dickshit is back!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rose and Emily were shocked. ¡°Who¡¯s dickshit?¡±


    ¡°Never mind¡±.


    Ignoring the strange gazes that they directed at him, he picked up the pace and sprinted in the direction of his building, opening the door and diving straight into the sitting room.


    There he saw the fellow with the big muscles. ¡°There you are, dick¡­¡±


    ¡°Clark¡­, not this again!¡± Dickson had a helpless expression on his face as he secretly gestured at the workers in the sitting room, and back at Clark to lower his voice.


    Clark did not mind his gestures. ¡°You¡¯re ashamed of me now? After all that we went through?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts, welcome dickshit¡±.


    ¡°Ok, Pendragonshit¡±.


    Standing up, he hauled himself at Clark and they finally hugged like the buddies that they were. In their circle, f*ck formalities, making each other embarrassed was the sign of their love for each other.


    Standing at the door, Emily and Rose opened their mouth agape in shock. ¡°Did I just hear Pendragonshit?¡±


    ¡­


    After spending a few minutes to have a proper reunion that was filled with peculiar words and exchanges, Clark and Dickson finally separated from each other, still panting like exhausted lions.


    Throughout the exchange, Rose and Emily stood still at the door, their mouths wide open in a geometrical circle shape.


    Finally noticing them, Dickson turned to face Clark. ¡°Are these your chicks?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That¡­, left Clark sincerely speechless. He had to cough, choke on his saliva, and even release some gas before his internal regulation finally stabilized.


    Hurrying to clarify the situation, he stole subtle glances at the 2 females whose faces already took on a poker tone after that remark.


    The look on their faces only made him want to strangle Dickson more. He did not expect someone with a fianc¨¦e already to be so vulgar. ¡°What a shameless and vulgar bastard, I¡¯ll tell Anna on his behalf¡±.


    As if sensing his thought, Dickson hurriedly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you know, it was a slip of the tongue. I think I¡¯m drunk¡±.


    All eyes in the sitting room turned to the table, even the workers reacted, only to see bottled water on the table. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re drunk¡±.


    Dickson choked. ¡°Cough¡­, that, why is the house so hot all of a sudden?¡±


    Ignoring the weird man, Rose and Emily finally walked forward to sit down on one of the luxurious chairs. Clark keenly noticed that they both tried to act dignified now, he felt a headache coming.


    Then came the introduction part, Clark coughed awkwardly. ¡°Emily, don¡¯t you recognize Dickson?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t at first but after you came back, I finally put the puzzles together. I recognize him, he¡¯s the one that we trashed back in the Mediterranean Sea, right?¡±


    ¡°Umm, that¡¯s correct¡±. Clark smiled awkwardly.


    Dickson was shocked, he sat straighter and took a second look at this lady, trying to match her picture with all the ladies that he had seen before. She seemed familiar but the image was blurry.


    Emily crossed her legs. ¡°What¡¯s the name of their team Captain then who died to you? Yes, I remember, his ring name was World Dominator if my memory doesn¡¯t fail me¡±.


    ¡°And this sidekick, I think he¡¯ll be the Great Defender¡±.


    Now, Dickson was the one whose mouth was opened into a big circle shape. His eyes were practically bulging. ¡°The Flexible Master?¡±


    ¡°Yep¡±. Emily answered matter-of-factly.


    Dickson felt like kicking himself on the face, how on earth did he forget this face? He apologized again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sincerely sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No need¡±. Emily waved her hands, a nonchalant expression on her face.


    Clark could not stand the stiff atmosphere again, he intervened. After putting in considerable effort, he finally managed to bring the atmosphere in the sitting room back to normal.


    Despite Clark¡¯s intervention, Dickson still wanted to clarify himself. ¡°What I said earlier was influenced by the devil. I¡¯m getting married to my fianc¨¦e in 2 months, so why would I speak such vulgar words?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting married so fast?¡± Clark questioned sharply.


    Hearing Clark¡¯s sharp viper-like tone, Dickson flinched a bit. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m getting married. Is anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°No¡±.


    Before he could speak again, Clark interrupted him. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, so I guess that¡¯s all the reinforcement that I need to make my plan a reality¡±.


    ¡°I already explained my plan to you in the message that I sent, let me go into the details to give you a clear picture of what you¡¯re getting yourself into¡±. He gestured at his assistant.


    Noticing the gesture, Kate stood up, adjusted her short skimpy skirt before bringing out the record book to lay down her boss¡¯s plan in its entirety.


    As a high-grade soldier who¡¯s already engaged in countless military operations, Dickson understood the plan as soon as Kate was done.


    He turned to face Clark. ¡°It¡¯s feasible¡±.


    ¡°Good, let me introduce you to the others¡±. Clark smiled before pressing a button on his new wristwatch. A few minutes later, a group of soldiers came into the sitting room, at their front stood King.


    Almost everyone here knew themselves except Albert who didn¡¯t know who Dickson was, but Clark did not deem it necessary to engage in another introduction session just because of his mischievous student.


    He turned to face them after they sat down. ¡°You guys promised me, now it¡¯s time to fulfill your promise. I already have all the reinforcement that I want, so now it¡¯s time to proceed¡±.


    ¡°Time is running fast, why have to move at the same pace with it to catch up. You guys have been preparing for this for the past few days, now I think that is enough¡±.


    ¡°I want all of you to go to the Dragon military division headquarters, my commissioners are already there. We only have 2 weeks till the D-day, so we have to top up our preparation speed¡±.


    ¡°When you get there, professionals will tell you your roles in the battle after you¡¯ve provided them with input about your abilities¡±.


    ¡°Please, are we on the same page here?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    Clark was relieved on hearing that. He told them a few other essential things that they needed, after making sure that they understood him he finally let them go.


    For his plan, Captain Josh, King, and Captain Briggs were his trump card. He was sure that the terrorists would not expect it, he wanted to shock the hell out of their overconfident asses.


    With all the powerful allies that agreed to help him in his plan, he was confident that he could eradicate all traces of the Persian tigers organization from Vatican City.


    After everyone left, he suddenly felt the house become lonely despite his workers that were still diligently working on the mansion. Even Kate did not stay with him, she had a lot to do in the upcoming attack.


    Everyone already left to fulfill the plan that he drafted out, as the drafter, he could not remain idle.


    Picking himself up, he went to his room, changed to his training clothes in a few minutes before making his way to his special training room.


    As soon as the reinforced door of the training chamber was shut close, his grip on his spear became tighter. With a grin forming on his face, the air suddenly boomed and his spear flew outwards.


    He was back to the never-ending grind of training.

 Chapter 310: training the deitys fists

    [Virtual training operation difficulty set at the highest level: Hell!]


    [Last record: Victory- 10,000 dead thugs.]


    [Rating: Outstanding.]


    [New battle loading¡­, loading complete.]


    3¡­, 2¡­, 1; Start!


    As soon as Clark heard this, he strengthened his grip on his spear before forming an aggressive stance and waiting for the training chamber to activate its mechanism.


    From the sparkling scene of the large hall where he currently was, it was clear that this was not the training chamber but a projected virtual hall.


    He was currently dressed in a black military uniform. His spear was on his hand, an axe, a sword, a 2-form gun, and a sniper rifle were strapped to his back, daggers and throwing knives were also hidden all over his uniform.


    He already trained in this same virtual setting dozens of times throughout the past few days, this time he aimed for perfection.


    Clang!


    Loud metallic ringing sounds suddenly started reverberating, the hall shook and vibrated also as different doors and ports started opening up all over the hall, even on the ground.


    From this opening came thugs, thousands of thugs with different menacing weapons. The sight alone of so many thugs was like looking at the grain of sand in the desert, it was uncountable.


    As soon as the first group of thugs came out, they all turned to face Clark immediately. Roaring loudly like beasts, they sprinted forward in his direction with surprisingly fast speed.


    Clark did not flinch despite this sight; these were all normal thugs that he could take care of even in his sleep. With a slight shake of his hands, his spear flicked left and right before shooting forward swiftly.


    Boom!


    He crashed into the horde of thugs like a truck smashing into a mini scooper, the impact was thunderous and of course crushing.


    With swiping sounds accompanying it, his spear slashed left and right at a very fast frequency, ripping dozens of lives in just a few seconds since the battle began.


    In this short period, he was able to create a void space in-between the horde of beasts where he formed a defensive perimeter for himself.


    A unique thing about this setting was that none of the thugs wore armor, nor did he wear any too. He intended to make the training as raw as possible, fighting without armor added a certain spice to it that he could not describe.


    None of the thugs could get near him, none of their weapons could get as near as a few inches close to him, his spear just kept on ripping their lives like he was a harvester of life.


    He frequently changed his stance to adapt to the changing situation in the battle, despite this he hardly broke a sweat as all these weaklings died without much resistance to his spear.


    This continued for the next 10 minutes before the A. I controlling the virtual simulation made a change. After making an announcement, Clark immediately saw some thugs appear that wore uniforms of a different color to the other thugs.


    These were 1st rank high-grade soldiers, and they were not one, dozens of them appeared at the same time.


    Seeing this, Clark improvised. He activated his battle art immediately to adapt to this change, the effects of the frenzied maneuver took precedence immediately as his attacks became more flexible.


    Even if they were 2 ranks below him, fighting high-grade soldiers with such a number disparity was not an easy feat to any soldier.


    And as he removed armor as a defense option from the training, he had to pay more attention to the casual strikes of every single soldier because any of them could damage his fragile human skin.


    Despite all these disadvantages, he stood his ground and continued reaping the lives of the thugs like water.


    This continued for another 30 minutes before the training chamber¡¯s A. I made another change, taking the battle intensity to another level entirely as 2nd rank high-grade thugs emerged from the openings on the hall.


    Clark reacted accordingly, improvising to adapt to this change.


    He finally stopped his reliance on his spear. Changing his hold from a 2 handed grip to a 1 handed grip, he dipped his hand into hidden pockets in his black military uniform before throwing.


    Knives flew out swiftly at the thugs, knocking dozens to the ground and rendering most of them bleeding immediately.


    Taking advantage of this, he bulldozed his way closer to the 2nd rank high-grade thugs to end his battle with them faster.


    He bent down and slid across as a thug wielding a one-handed broad sword performed a self-created technique in his direction.


    As soon as the thug went past him, his legs dug into the arena floor, using the friction to stop himself as he swiftly turned back to the heavy fellow.


    With one slash, a deep injury was cut into the thug¡¯s back who reacted late to his strike. The thug tried to counterattack but against a master of a higher grade like Clark, he had zero chances.


    With quick stabs, he dug 3 holes into the thug¡¯s abdomen before ending it with a ruthless horizontal slash. This time, the spear went all the way through, dividing the poor fellow into 2.


    With a painful wail, the thug fell down, spilling blood and gore everywhere.


    Clark quickly dodged a sneak attack, turned around, and with one hand, grabbed the sneaky high-grade thug on the head and slammed it on the metal floor.


    The head made a crack sound before bursting into a rain of blood.


    Dozens of strikes rained down on him using this window of opportunity. He did not dodge this time, standing his ground, continuous metallic ringing sounds reverberated as he parried all the strikes.


    It was horrifying, dozens of weapons coming at you, but it was even more unbelievable that not a single one touched his uniform.


    As soon as he smashed the brain of the poor fellow to jelly, it seemed that a beast was aroused in him. With his increased adrenaline activity due to his activated battle art, he went on the hunt for the other 2nd rank high-grade thugs.


    The thugs started improvising as their death count continued going on an upwards trend.


    They tried to use formations to swarm him but he nullified them all, they tried to protect their high-grade soldiers but he continued assassinating them amid the horde of thugs, he was unstoppable for now.


    His unstoppable momentum did not last though as the training chamber¡¯s A. I suddenly made another announcement, far more menacing and stronger-looking thugs appeared immediately.


    Three 3rd rank high-grade thugs appeared.


    One of them wielded a trident as his weapon, another one wielded a glaive as his weapon, while the last who was also the burliest looking wielded a one-handed heavy sword that looked like it could split mountains apart.


    Roaring out a battle cry, all 3 thugs sprinted in Clark¡¯s direction, knocking their subordinates aside like they were just useless trash.


    Seeing this, Clark¡¯s eyes narrowed. He did not cower though, he rushed in their direction also with a determined gaze in his eyes. Before they could attack, he attacked first.


    Blinding white light shone as he almost teleported out of his position and reached that of the leading thug the next moment.


    The air billowed and raged at the tip of his spear as his self-created technique was executed, Dragon breaks the ranks was still as tyrannical as ever even after he broke through.


    The thug reacted, placing his heavy sword at his front to block at the last moment but Clark also reacted. The spear stabbed through a part of the heavy sword, but most of its strength still dug into the thug¡¯s abdomen.


    The burly thug roared in pain as it slumped down weakly, practically more than half its abdomen was gone but it still held on with gritted teeth.


    Whoosh!


    Clark bent down immediately, barely dodging the sharp glaive¡¯s edge as it cut a significant part of his long hair away, almost making him look bald like Captain Briggs.


    He dodged the glaive but he was not safe. A sound of impact resounded as his spear parried the direct stab of the trident, the force pushing him back as his face strained, his muscles trying to keep up.


    Before the kinetic force pushing him back could stop, he removed one hand from his spear, threw a dagger out before unsheathing his sword from his back and stabbing it outwards.


    The thug could not react in time, he dodged the dagger from blinding his eyes but the sword stabbed unhindered into his chest.


    Throwing himself back again, Clark rolled backward, barely dodging the heavy sword that just slashed across in a heaven-splitting strike. When his roll ended, he was under the sword-wielding thug.


    With a loud thud sound, he pinned the thug¡¯s foot to the floor by stabbing his spear on it, prompting a pained roar from the thug.


    With extremely fast movements, he brought out 2 long daggers from his pocket. His quick feet climbed the thug¡¯s body before they settled on his neck, his hands came down to the thug¡¯s neck.


    Spurt!


    Blood rained as the daggers effortlessly cut through the 3rd rank-high grade thug¡¯s neck. Having succeeded in killing the strongest thug of the trio, Clark jumped backward to escape the rage of the other 2.


    As all these happened, all the other thugs were relegated to spectator roles. They were not qualified to engage in such a battle of the bigshots.


    The trident-wielding thug pursued Clark closely while he was still in the air with rage filling his features, not knowing that this was a trap. Thinking that Clark already lost his main weapon, he pursued confidently.


    In mid-air, Clark put his hand on his back again and pulled out, this time the axe came out with his hands.


    With a wide swing of his arms, the axe came slashing down.


    The thug reacted immediately and parried with his trident but the sheer force of the axe broke through his defense, pushing his hand down and embedding itself into his head.


    The head cracked open, exposing the brain underneath that was heaving up and down. The second death was even swifter than the first. By this time, the last thug¡¯s glaive was only a few inches away from Clark¡¯s chest.


    Clark decisively left the axe. Rapidly turning his left hand, he was able to catch the glaive¡¯s side while it was still in motion. He swiftly pushed a bit to alter its direction while clenching his right hand into a fist.


    Blood flowed from his chest as the glaive cut across but he survived.


    During this time, a weapon that looked like a mechanical glove already covered his right fist. He hauled the fist forward the next moment.


    He felt a familiar but strange energy engulfing his fists, he felt bloated with energy and wanted to let it all out. The next moment¡­


    Boom!


    The fist connected with the thug, and that was all. Blinding white light flashed, flesh and blood evaporated as the thug burst into a million pieces, spraying its internals around like rain.


    Every thug in a certain meter¡¯s radius around the 3rd rank high-grade thug suffered the brunt of this attack, falling dead also like a bunch of deadwood.


    ¡°What a fearsome ability- The Deity¡¯s fist!¡±


    [I uploaded an additional chapter in the night by mistake, so only one chapter for today. I hope you enjoyed it.]

 Chapter 311: breaking the apocalypse world record

    15 minutes later after Clark killed the last 3rd rank high-grade thug, an ocean of thugs, body parts, and blood was what surrounded him.


    He was the lone survivor. Filled with the blood of his opponent, sweat streaked down his exhausted face, combining with the blood to soak his uniform and making it stick to his body uncomfortably.


    Of the thousands of thugs that were originally left after he killed the 3rd rank high-grade thugs, now none of them were left alive. With his plethora of weapons, he completely obliterated them.


    As he tried to catch his breath, he smiled bitterly on hearing the sound of the training chamber¡¯s A. I again.


    [1st phase of the virtual training has been completed.]


    [Record: Victory- 5000 dead thugs.]


    [Rating: Outstanding.]


    [Next phase loading¡­, loading complete.]


    3¡­, 2¡­, 1; Start!


    As soon as the A. I finished, all his weapons and the dead bodies of the thugs disappeared. Only the sniper rifle and the 2-form gun were left on him, the hall reset to its original look.


    Exactly the same process in which the first group of thugs emerged was simulated again. The only difference was that, unlike the first phase that was all melee thugs, this phase consisted of only ranged thugs.


    Wielding various 2-form guns, sniper rifles, and laser weapons, the horde of thugs rushed in Clark¡¯s direction again with their hands already on the trigger of their weapons.


    Though Clark had a bitter smile on his face did not mean that he hated this phase of this training. Actually, this was the best part of the training. Before they could shoot, he aimed and pulled the trigger.


    One-shot to a kill, maximum efficiency at its twilight, that was his motto as he kept on sniping the poor thugs to death before they could comprehend their situation.


    It seemed like the A. I was misbehaving but it was his current competency with the gun that was just too good. He never missed a shot, and he challenged himself to engage in only headshots.


    Unlike the first phase that took him up to about 50 minutes, the 2nd phase ended at a much lesser time after he wiped out all the thugs.


    High-grade thugs emerged during the process, but to him, they were just more skilled thugs. To kill them, he just had to concentrate more and time his shots to be trickier and more unpredictable.


    After just 15 minutes, the 2nd phase that was supposedly the stronger phase ended, and the A. I¡¯s voice spoke again.


    [Congratulations! Virtual training operation has been completed.]


    [Record: Victory- 10,000 dead thugs.]


    [Rating: Excellent.]


    [Congratulations! You have not only broken your previous record, but you have also broken the previous Apocalypse world record for the total number of headshots in the advanced simulation training.]


    [New Record: 10,000 headshots/10,000 shots.]


    [New Record: You defeated 3 same-ranked thugs in 3 minutes.]


    [Reward for breaking the Apocalypse world record: 1 million Apocalypse credits. To claim your reward, call the Apocalypse military organization¡¯s reward line and present evidence of your new record.]


    As soon as the announcement finished, Clark grew dazed for a moment, an incredulous expression on his face. ¡°I did it!¡±


    Though he secretly hoped for it at the back of his mind, knowing that he actually broke the Apocalypse world record left him feeling all excited and giddy. This was a real achievement.


    Seeing this, he suddenly felt complicated. He did not know what he should feel at Professor Granit again, he knew that he was able to have such an outrageous hit rate because of the bean quadrant enhancer.


    For the past week, after training relentlessly like a mad dog, he finally started unlocking most of the potential of the enhancer, and of course his new self-created technique.


    Though he was already training with it previously, this was the first time that he used his new self-created technique against simulated opponents.


    All he could say was that its effectiveness was more super than he expected.


    Though he had not mastered it back to the extent where he could subdue higher-ranked opponents as he did to the dinosaur by coincidence during his sublimation, he still fell in love with the ability immediately.


    With these 2 new add-ons that he got from the Everest to compliment his breakthrough; he was sure that he was among the big guns in the 3rd rank high-grade soldier rank already.


    To be sincere, though his new self-created technique surprised him, he was more amazed by the enhancement brought by the bean quadrant enhancer.


    After training with it fused to his brain, he already started experiencing most of the realities that the Professor boasted about his most ambitious work ever.


    ¡°10,000 headshots out of 10,000 gunshots, who the hell does that?¡± He was sincerely shocked to the very bone when he saw the A. I¡¯s announcement, he had to crosscheck to be sure.


    Now, he was sure that even if he was not among the strongest 3rd rank high-grade soldiers yet, he was, without doubt, among the best ranged 3rd rank high-grade soldier if not the best.


    His current accuracy could only be described as otherworldly, he was not even sure if higher-ranked soldiers could achieve that. He was just assuming though; he did not dare underestimate soldiers of a higher rank.


    Though his master explained a lot to him, he was still very much kept in the dark about the mechanisms dividing soldiers into ranks in terms of strength.


    A ranged 3rd rank high-grade soldier and a ranged 2nd rank high-grade soldier, when they stand together and wield the same weapon it was hard to know how one would perform better than the other.


    They were all experts and masters with the gun, so how the hell is another one of them referred to as a higher-ranked soldier?


    Clark was not sure yet, but after undergoing 3 breakthroughs as a ranged soldier he had a guess.


    He guessed that before each breakthrough, soldiers would feel that they already mastered shooting to the optimum. But after they broke through, a new limit would be opened to them to train towards.


    It was still abstract and not a finalized theory first, but that was what his intuition told him was right.


    Putting that aside, he performed a little happy dance for the Apocalypse world record that he just broke. The Apocalypse world record was just like the Guinness world record of the 21st century.


    As for the reward, 1 million Apocalypse credits may seem small but when converted to Spartan credits it was a humongous amount of money.


    Comparing the currency of the Spartan republic and that of the Apocalypse military organization is like comparing gold to brass, the difference was just too vast for both of them to be compared.


    He felt excited. When he thought he was already swimming in money, he had to win another mind-blowing amount through just training at the convenience of his mansion.


    ¡°God bless Professor Granit¡¯s family, your ancestor did me a good deed¡±.


    During the past week of training, he already mastered the plethora of weapons that he ordered to be custom-created for him by Monkey Hands.


    Before now, he always thought that fighting with one weapon was the best fighting technique but after trying a new style, his love for multiple weapons experienced quantum leaps of expansion.


    After training and grinding relentlessly, he finally decided to check his attributes again.


    ¡°Uther, show me my attributes list¡±.


    [Ding!! Initiating Master¡¯s request immediately.]


    Name: Clark Pendragon


    Country of allegiance: Spartan republic


    Soldier rank: 3rd rank high-grade soldier


    Military rank: Captain


    Weapon mastery: Spear- 68%, Sword- 51%, Gun- 73%, Daggers- 53%, Axe- 44%, Throwing knives- 62%


    [Any weapon mastery with proficiency below 50% cannot be displayed directly on master¡¯s status. You can ask specifically about any weapon, and its mastery will be displayed separately.]


    [Ding! Master¡¯s Attributes!]


    Attack Power: 63%/ Attack speed: 48%/ Endurance: 58%


    Decision Making: 81%/ Stamina: 31/100


    Health: 100%


    [Master¡¯s Abilities!]


    Battle arts: The bullet encyclopedia & The frenzied maneuver.


    Self-created technique: Dragon breaks the ranks & The Deity¡¯s Fists.


    Minor technique: Maelstrom Counter-attack.


    [Evaluation: Master is a genius that despite being a newly ascended 3rd rank high-grade soldier, is already at the higher levels of strength among those of the same rank. Your strength is a one in millennium find!]


    ¡­


    Seeing such a luxurious list, Clark could not help but break out into a wide smile. From the first day that he graduated as a soldier till now, he¡¯s experienced a lot and they were currently reflecting in his strength.


    This list was one of the main reasons why he proposed the conjecture that new limits open up after high-grade soldiers¡¯ breakthrough to a new rank.


    In his previous rank, his attributes all breached the legendary 100 which is a mind-blowing stat but despite all that, as soon as he broke through, they all reduced to below 55.


    It was through unrelenting training that he succeeded in improving them to their current state, and as expected they were proving harder to improve further.


    Overall, he was very satisfied with his current strength.


    Hauling his body up from the nutrition cabin, he went to the corner of the training chamber to rest and recover his spent mental reserves. As he rested, he gave a mental order for his long-drawn blueprint to be shown.


    It was already long since he last looked at this blueprint, he just wanted to check it out to see how far he¡¯s gone.


    [BLUEPRINT- CLARK PENDRAGON¡¯S.]


    1. Find a way to break through to the next rank- Completed.


    2. Complete 50 mercenary missions- Completed.


    3. Complete 50 Spartan army missions- Pending [39/50]


    4. Invest money and resources to look for trails left by Sonia- Pending.


    5. Revolutionize and develop Vatican City- Pending [18/100]


    ¡­


    Looking through the blueprint, he sighed. He¡¯s already grown a lot since he drafted it, but most of the plans were still pending.


    He was not pressured though; he knew that everything would slowly fall back into order one day. Then, he¡¯ll have the perfect blueprint with all plans marked as completed.


    After taking some time to rest properly, he finally stood up again.


    He already trained for today, he had other things to do. And today was a special one for him, he had someone special in mind that he wanted to visit.


    He wanted to visit the person that through him, he was able to get his ticket to graduate and become a soldier. It¡¯s been long, years already, he didn¡¯t know if the man still remembered him but he did remember him.


    He smirked thinking of the expression that would be on the man¡¯s face when he saw him. ¡°Sorry bro, fate destined us to meet again¡±.


    It was remaining only a week till the date of his plan, he had to finalize things now and this visit was the priority.

 Chapter 312: a monster

    By the time that Clark finished his virtual simulation training, the day was already 6:00 in the evening. He already completed his regular physical energy intensive drills, so he was completely justified in his decision to go out on a visit.


    He didn¡¯t go out immediately, he left first to his room to have a proper bath. After taking a thorough bath that left his body sparkly clean, he finally dressed up.


    For the trip that he intended to go on, he already prepared a special custom for it. It was just like the outfit Albert wore to fight him a few weeks ago, but it was of a vastly lower quality.


    The peculiar factor about the outfit was that everything was black in color. Not the normal black, it was the black that could hide its wearer even in the brightest day and the darkest night.


    After knocking on the door and getting permission to enter, the first thing that crossed Rose¡¯s mind on seeing her boss¡¯s outfit was camouflage.


    Though Clark was before her, she had to focus before she saw him. She wondered what her boss was doing with such an outfit that was filled with such high-grade stealth tech.


    ¡°Are you going out?¡± She asked while observing him curiously. ¡°You already completed your schedule for today, I thought you loved the resting hours most¡±.


    ¡°Not today, I have an old friend to visit¡±.


    ¡°In the night?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Which old friend is that, I practically know all your friends already? You¡¯re lying¡±.


    ¡°Say whatever you want to make you sleep better, Rose. Bye! See ya in a few hours¡±.


    Ignoring his astonished assistant, Clark completed the final touch on his new outfit, took hold of his spear, bent it to a small shape before placing it on his back. After doing this, he winked at Rose before leaving the room.


    He walked through the corridor, into his sitting room, before going outside but none of his workers were able to detect him despite the lighting in the mansion.


    Seeing this, he nodded to himself, this night was going to be sweet.


    During the last week when he was reminiscing the old days with his best friend, that was when the memory of this old friend flashed back to him.


    He almost forgot the terrorist Commander of the military base that he was tasked to infiltrate during his graduation test training.


    He intended to uproot all traces of the Persian dogs in his city, so he thought it right to pay a visit to this man and give him his input.


    As soon as he got to his garage, he took one of the luxurious black cars before cruising out of the mansion in a leisurely pace.


    ¡­


    Commander Tiver sat on his huge chair in silence with a lot of thoughts revolving around his mind. He tried to calm his mind, but the faint feeling of anxiousness and panic could not let him rest.


    He was the only one in the room currently, but he felt that hundreds of eyes were peeking at him from the shadows.


    He didn¡¯t know what was happening, the problem just started mysteriously when his subordinate made a surprising observation a week ago. The theory was not conclusive yet, but he still felt uneasy.


    As he tried hard without much result to calm his uneasy mind, 3 knocks suddenly sounded from his door. This was a familiar sound, but this sound surprisingly made him jump up in panic which was an embarrassing sight.


    ¡°I¡¯m just panicking for nothing. F*ck, what¡¯s come over me?¡±


    Suppressing the bad taste that was left in his mouth from what just happened, he tried to recover his dignified voice before speaking in the direction of the door.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    He still felt tense, but seeing that the people who came in were his 4 executioners, he was relieved. This feeling did not last though as it was soon replaced by a puzzled look on his face.


    ¡°Elliot, why did all 4 of you come here together? Is something happening?¡±


    The 4 executioners had an even more clueless look on their faces. ¡°You summoned us, right? We heard your voice on our special comm¡±.


    The Commander¡¯s face suddenly darkened, panic escaping from his face only to be replaced by rage and determination. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    With a bam sound which startled the already spooked executioners, the door behind them slammed shut at their back.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one!¡± The door slammed shut in their back but the voice sounded from their front, spooking them even more.


    The Commander froze on deducing the location where the sound came from. His heart was already beating rapidly, his confidence dissipating like the wind. He turned his head around.


    Thud!


    He fell on his buttocks immediately on seeing the face that presented itself before him. ¡°Major¡­, Major Clark?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Miss me?¡±


    Of all the horrifying scenarios that the world could throw at him, the least of them all that Commander Tiver dreaded the most was coming in contact with this abnormal soldier again.


    After his previous encounter with Clark years ago, he already expected the young soldier to become great in the future but Clark¡¯s achievements repeatedly shattered all his presumptions.


    Before, he just saw Clark as someone to be wary of, but now, he was scared of this devil incarnate.


    ¡°Elliot, don¡¯t you miss me?¡± Clark turned to face the executioner that recruited him years ago, the latter froze like a statue.


    All 4 executioners were in a state of shock.


    Short circuiting was an understatement for what their brain was undergoing at this moment, they were undergoing a mixture of shock, dread, fear, and spooky goosebumps were currently crawling through them like worms.


    They did not move at all. At this moment, they seemed to have mastered the legendary technique of standing so still that they could blend into the surroundings.


    Clark already removed the mask from his face, so he was presented to the terrorists in HD quality, no breakups or scene cuts, just unadulterated presentation which only made it more goosebump-inducing.


    He was currently seated in the Commander¡¯s chair. He was in the room since but he hid himself, he wanted his entry to be as boss-like as possible.


    That would make the conversation that he wanted to have with these delusional terrorists more smooth-sailing.


    To be sincere, he was shocked when he used his cities intelligence channels to search and found out that the Commander brought his small company of terrorists here in Vatican City.


    Was he still looking for revenge? Or was he just stalking him for fun? He just didn¡¯t understand what made the Commander move here, maybe it was an order from their higher-ups.


    The terrorist Commander felt despair that he¡¯s not felt in years engulf his heart. Yes, his small terrorist company received an order from the Persian tigers higher-ups about a year ago that they should relocate their base here.


    He didn¡¯t know the reason; he was curious but he couldn¡¯t ask for the reason as his authority was not high enough. He wanted to avoid Clark by all means, but he also didn¡¯t dare disobey orders.


    When the terrorists attacked Vatican City a few months ago, his company was among the attackers but he didn¡¯t participate.


    Then, they didn¡¯t know why Clark did not show up when his city was in flames, the higher ups revealed very little to them. In the end, he thought that something happened to Clark.


    That was his belief then, but this belief came crashing down like a flood now. Though Clark¡¯s heroic deeds were numerous, as a Persian tiger he did not want to lower himself before a Spartan soldier.


    Till now, he didn¡¯t know that Clark broke through or he would have sunk into an unrecoverable pit of despair.


    He forced his panic back and stood up. ¡°How dare you sit down on my chair? It seems that from the last time that we met, your manners have experienced a huge dip¡±.


    ¡°I will¡­¡± Bam!


    He couldn¡¯t react on time; his armor did not even activate on time. Clark seemed to have teleported as his neck was grabbed by a strong hand and his body was slammed at the wall.


    He felt dizziness hit him. The metallic taste of blood saturated his tongue, he could fell that his head had a huge injury but pain could not let him concentrate.


    Despite this, one thing became evident to him. ¡°You broke through?¡±


    From just this one move, the 4 executioner¡¯s brains directly graduated from a short-circuited state to an expired state. They all pissed their pants but they did not pay attention to such trivial matters at this moment.


    In just one move, their invincible Commander was pinned to the wall. What power was this? In another one move, they all went on their knees on instinct, they felt like bowing to this strength.


    Clark ignored them, but he secretly gave himself a thump up. His intimidation effort worked perfectly.


    His face had on a poker expression as he looked directly in the eyes of the Commander, with his hands still holding his neck to the wall firmly. ¡°Do you love your life?¡±


    The Commander wanted to retort but he was too shocked, maybe scared also. He just let out a pained grunt.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve already detected that something is happening. Let me break the news to you, I already gathered a force and I¡¯m ready to wipe out every trace of terrorists from my city¡±.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know more; all you have to know is that I now have the power to wipe out every terrorist in this city¡±.


    ¡°I intended to wipe everything, but I decided to make an exception for you and your executioners due to your past history with me. If you help me, I can give you the privilege to live and join my mercenary group¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wipe away all your criminal records, you¡¯ll all become free men¡±.


    As Clark spoke, the Commander already recovered his nerves a bit. He tried to act tough. ¡°What if I refuse?¡±


    Clark grinned. ¡°Then you¡¯ll die like this, without knowing¡±.


    Blue energy suddenly erupted from his boots, and with one move he flew from the ground with the commander still in his grasp. Breaking through the roof, they both flew into the air.


    After they¡¯ve got to a high enough position that the executioners below could still see them, Clark brought out his sniper rifle and aimed at the east. Due to the silencer, no sound was made but the commander saw a bullet leave the rifle.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die like this¡±. Clark grinned before releasing the Commander.


    With a loud crash sound, he fell back inside his room in the base. Scrambling up, he and his executioners looked at the sky but Clark was gone.


    ¡°He let us live¡±. Elliot said, still in a dazed state.


    Bzzz! The Commander suddenly felt his special communication device vibrate. Taking the call, he felt a familiar voice sounding out but it was currently filled with panic.


    ¡°Tiver, mobilize your troops and come to the convergence point immediately. The Eagle leader was just assassinated from a sniper who shot from your direction, we found no traces of him¡±.


    ¡°Did you notice any abnormal movements there?¡±


    The Commander did not answer, he could not, he was shocked to silence. From over a hundred kilometers away, Clark just assassinated one of his leaders who was also a 3rd rank high-grade soldier.


    If their brains already expired before, now the brains of the executioners directly decayed after they connected the dots.


    ¡°A monster!¡±


    That was all the Commander could say after 30 minutes.


    [Guys, I''m sorry for the 5 days without uploads. The company that I signed a contract with, their server had a technical problem. I''ll upload them now though, I''m really sorry.]

 Chapter 313: grade5 lockdown

    Clark was happy.


    Though the result of his actions was still left hanging in the air, he was confident that his efforts warranted a positive result. And besides, like he warned the Commander, he was serious about it.


    He was not gullible enough to just rely on intimidation tactics to deter such a veteran terrorist. He secretly installed an Omni-operational monitor on the Commander¡¯s neck when he grabbed him.


    Of course, he left a note to tell the Commander about it in the case that the thought of acting heroic reared its head.


    The note read:


    [I left a package on your neck. Like I said, if you love your life, make the right decision. Even if you want to make the wrong decision, before you make it, remember that my sniper rifle is currently aiming at your head.]


    [One wrong move, and Poof! You¡¯re dead.]


    [I believe that you¡¯ll make the right decision, Commander.]


    [From your best subordinate graduate, Captain Clark Pendragon!]


    Thinking of the most probable ashen expression that would be on the Commander¡¯s face on seeing the note, he threw his head back, pounding his hands on his steering wheel from laughter.


    His last action that sealed his intimidation tactics, which was the shot from his sniper rifle. It was an almost impossible feat that he was extremely proud of, but he made a lot of preparations before aiming for the feat.


    He was lucky that everything went well according to plan, or if he had missed that shot, it would have been hellishly awkward.


    He could practically see his blushing face in such a scenario.


    Well, everything was good as long as the shot connected and it did. He made sure to prepare a lot of advantages for himself, such as configuring the gun in a way that enabled him to discharge all its energy in one shot after overloading it.


    That way, all the energy compressed into the rifle¡¯s frame was all concentrated on that one shot, enhancing it to the very maximum.


    And before he made the shot, he practically became a mathematics student. He had to make lots of calculations about the angle of the shot, the distance, the height that he needed to get to before shooting, the calculations were numerous.


    He spent a lot of time, effort, and pages before he finally derived the correct statistics that he needed to follow to get the perfect shot.


    And before choosing the day, he checked the weather condition to confirm that the weather was not too gloomy.


    In stormy weather, a bullet had the tendency of deviating from its intended course by an extremely wide margin if it was impacted by even the slightest wind. Luck played an important role in his successful shot.


    In the end, nobody cared about all the efforts that he put in, all they cared about was that he achieved a mind-blowing feat.


    Killing a same-ranked soldier from hundreds of kilometers away was enough to set his legend as a super-soldier of the Spartan republic already. He was slowly establishing himself among the Spartan greats.


    After he got back to his mansion, he told his feat to Rose who was once again shocked by his continuously stacking feat of outrageous acts.


    Enjoying the beautiful sight of her long hair swaying with her mouth wide open in a geometrical circle shape, he laughed and went into his room. Plopping down on his bed, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


    Another priority was off his agenda, making his plan more complete.


    From tomorrow, he would no longer train again for the time being till the clash began. They were already planning for 3 weeks, this last week was the time for implementation.


    He could not wait to smash the terrorists hard, and he also hoped for a positive reply from the terrorist Commander.


    ¡­


    Trump could feel it, something was brewing in the dark. For the past 3 days, the city was constantly in a state of slight tension though none of the citizens knew what was causing it.


    Some of them blamed it on the attack months ago, that it was the trauma from then that was acting up again but he thought otherwise.


    Since Major Clark became the leader of Vatican City, a lot of positive changes constantly emerged every day that left the city¡¯s citizens feeling content and happy.


    Such rapid development also had its downsides, which were in the envy of the other rival cities neighboring them and how they were neglected when the terrorists attacked in an unbridled manner.


    From the relatively boring and down-to-earth manner that the city developed at before, now it was probably the city with the most activities and big events throughout the whole Spartan republic.


    Like most of the middle-aged people that dwelt in the city, he was born and bred in Vatican City. The city was his root, his being, his present, and his future.


    Vatican City was everything to him, which was why he was so happy when the news came that a child of the city was now a 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    What did that mean? To normal citizens like them, normal soldiers were bigshots already. Then talking of high-grade soldiers and even those of the 2nd rank, they practically saw Clark as a god.


    That was why they never blamed Clark despite the attacks from the hands of the terrorists, instead, they were more comfortable hauling all the blame at the 5 commissioners.


    As a middle-aged man with a beautiful wife, and 2 cute kids, one a boy and the other a girl, he was content in spending the remaining days of his life in his home city.


    He was an engineer.


    Most of his friends already left for the big cities to pursue better careers long ago, but he was content with Vatican City. Now that the city started developing at an upward trend, he did not want this to stop at all.


    His 2 kids were yet to enter their learning years so they didn¡¯t have an implant yet, but he was not content with letting them waste so much time at home.


    They were currently undergoing personal lectures with his colleague who was also an engineer. Despite their young ages, the boy 7 and the girl 5, they were both showing prospects in the profession.


    As a father, this of course brought him inexplainable joy.


    This brought him back to the tension that was currently engulfing the whole city. As an old hand here, he knew Vatican citizens more than the city officials even knew them.


    He was sure that something was wrong, he could feel it, which made him only more worried.


    A few weeks ago, rumors emerged that their leader was back from where he went to but since then not a single conference was held for the leader to address them which was weird.


    He was worried, he hoped that a repeat of the terrorist attack was not about to happen. He was lucky to survive with his family the last time, he may not be that lucky this time.


    ¡°Honey, are you alright? You¡¯ve been standing there since about an hour ago?¡± Mrs. Trump called out from inside the house.


    Hearing this familiar voice startled him, but it also brought a smile to his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry honey, I¡¯m just trying to sort out some things in my head¡±.


    ¡°Have you forgotten? The doctor advised you to think less¡±.


    ¡°I know¡±. He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just impossible to stop thinking entirely¡±.


    As he sighed and looked into the distance, a brighter smile suddenly lit his face on seeing 2 cute figures bobbling excitedly and running in his direction.


    His children were back from their lectures.


    He bent down and opened his arms wide, allowing both kids to jump on him and rest their chubby bodies on his masculine frame.


    ¡°Dad, we learned virtual engineering today!¡± The girl chipped excitedly.


    The boy was not as excited. ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t like virtual engineering. It¡¯s boring, I prefer the mechanical engineering that we were thought last week. It was much more exciting compared to virtual engineering¡±.


    The man just smiled at them gently, after they went quiet, he finally asked. ¡°Have you greeted daddy?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Sorry, good evening dad¡±. The boy corrected himself first.


    ¡°Good evening daddy!¡± The girl cheered, bringing a broader smile to her father¡¯s face.


    ¡°Sweetie, you guys are back. You all should come in before the food gets cold, I already prepared your best dishes. Who wants grilled fish, mashed rice, yellow oil, and a spread of seasoned nutrient packs?¡±


    ¡°Me! Me! I want some!¡± The girl cheered again.


    The boy hesitated this time, looked at his dad before replying. ¡°Good evening mom, I want some too¡±.


    ¡°Good boy!¡± The father rubbed his head fondly.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m good too!¡± The girl protested.


    ¡°Yes, you are, but you need to greet your mom¡±.


    ¡°Ok, good evening mom¡±. The sound of the mother¡¯s laughter reverberated from inside the house.


    ¡°Good girl!¡± The father smiled and rubbed her head too. Picking the both of them up, he finally led them inside to eat.


    During the dinner session, though both kids were sorely tempted to start babbling on about the sub-topics that they were taught by their uncle Ben, they suppressed the urge on remembering their mother¡¯s reprimands on table manners.


    ¡°I hate table manners¡±. They both grumbled in their hearts.


    Despite the interruption of the hateful table manners and that they could not express their joy to their parents now, they were not sad yet.


    After eating, mommy always said that then they¡¯re free to say anything that they want. They couldn¡¯t wait to finish eating, they wanted to rush their food but they stopped themselves because mom and dad were around.


    A few minutes later, when they were already getting excited that the food would soon finish from their plates, a knock sounded on their door.


    Their dad stood up to open the door.


    ¡°Is this Mr. Trump Joe?¡± The stone-faced soldier asked while looking at a picture on his hand.


    ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± As the man asked, he stole glances at his neighbors¡¯ houses and discovered that soldiers were on each of their doors also. His heart sank.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked again before the soldier could reply, this time in an agitated tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I cannot disclose much. All I want is your cooperation¡±.


    ¡°Our leader, Major Clark, made a huge decision that would determine the direction of the city in the next coming years. To safeguard all the civilians, the city is currently in a grade 5 lockdown¡±.


    ¡°This means that no civilian is allowed to move in the whole city, and you all shall be taken to the underground military shelter bunkers¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience sir, but you have to follow me with your family¡±. The soldier was surprised to see that the man did not protest nor did he argue.


    After listening to the soldier, Trump confirmed his conjecture. He knew the way that soldiers operated, asking would not force them to reveal anything to him.


    He had experienced enough to know that the best thing to do was follow them, and that¡¯s what he did. At least this was not the worst-case scenario where terrorists swarmed into the city without resistance.


    Apologizing to his 2 kids, Dandelion and Prince, he carried them with his wife, and they all followed the soldier away.


    In all parts of Vatican City, such scenarios filled everywhere when the day started getting dark but not every family was so easygoing.


    Some tried to protest and react violently, for those, the soldiers had to resort to force to take them away to safety.


    Tomorrow was the D-day of the great purge, the civilians had to be protected by all means. That was the captain¡¯s order.

 Chapter 314: war mobilization

    Vatican City was quiet, the whole city was very quiet.


    It was now 8:00 pm, and the usual bustling and hustling of the city were nowhere to be seen. All houses were closed, all shops were closed, and no civilian could be seen in the streets.


    Only military vehicles plied the road, patrolling everywhere diligently like World War 3 or another battle of supremacy was imminent.


    When the higher-ups of the Dragon military division and the local military force were fleshing out Clark¡¯s plan, they already deduced that the terrorists may make a move before the time.


    With the strange tension that was in the city, it was just impossible for the terrorists to not have detected it.


    Perhaps the terrorists ignored it, but it was unlikely. They were more inclined to believe that spies were already in the city keeping watch over them, this was one of the main reasons why they approved the Grade-5 lockdown.


    With the Grade-5 lockdown, all communication nodes of the city were shut down, leaving only the special military communication nodes.


    Till the purge was completed, there was no internet for the civilians, no communication, no movement. The scenario was similar to the period of the covid-19 virus which struck in the 21st century but much more severe.


    Every civilian in the city was brought down to the underground military shelter bunkers, leaving the surface of the ground bare to enable maximum efficiency and efficacy of all the military plans.


    Though just a few hours after the lockdown some civilians tried to protest, the guards assigned to the military bunkers easily suppressed it before it gathered momentum.


    According to the constitution of the city, this can be classified as a period of war. And in war periods, civilians are obligated to cooperate with all military procedures and measures.


    Any civilian that tries to avoid the rule, the military had the right to use any means necessary to shut them down.


    The army suspected that some of the civilians who tried to light up the spark to a great riot were spies, but they didn¡¯t do anything now, ignoring them. After they won the battle, those spies could be taken care of at any time.


    Right now, all they had to focus on was how to effectively execute whatever order that came from the higher-ups in a few moments from now.


    The day was already dark but at every important checkpoint of the city, squads of soldiers manned them. No opening was left in the city, all hidden holes were already detected and blocked.


    The atmosphere was tense as the soldiers patiently waited for orders from their superiors. Every soldier held their weapon tighter, something told them that the next few hours would be the most glorious hours of their lives.


    They didn¡¯t know the plans of the higher-ups, they were only called a few weeks ago and subjected to special training for this fateful day.


    Knowing that they were about to wrath vengeance for all the grievances that they had to endure after the terrorists terrorized the city, they were excited but also tense.


    They knew the force of the terrorists; they saw the force of the terrorists and statistics said that those were not all the soldiers of the terrorists.


    They were a little afraid, but not even once did they contemplate cowering and pulling out of the battle. They believed that with their leader with them, no obstacle was insurmountable.


    Even in the underground shelters, the efforts at riot were already subsiding as the night grew deeper. Despite being underground, the civilians could detect the tension that was in the air.


    ¡­


    In the Dragon military division base, the same tense atmosphere was affecting them. The soldiers all had a solemn expression on their faces as they tended to their weapons for the last time.


    All the Sergeants, Corporals, and the leader of the military division were gathered in the strategy discussion hall.


    A solemn mood reigned among them, no one talked, leaving the atmosphere as silent as a graveyard. All 14 of them were currently looking at a communication device in the room like they were expecting something.


    ¡­


    In the government building that was at the center of the city gathered all the city officials. For their safety, they were all invited here to have reassurance when the attack finally begins.


    All 5 commissioners were present, the minority leaders, all arms of governance of the city were present.


    A solemn atmosphere reigned as they all sat in silence in the hall surrounding the round table. They all looked at a communication device on the table like it was their lifeline.


    Their only saving grace was that no old man was an official. In such a tense atmosphere, there was a high tendency that a fragile old man could experience high blood pressure and have a heart attack.


    They could feel the fate of the city ticking away with the time as the clock made tick-tock sounds, which only increased the tension in the air.


    ¡­


    Clark¡¯s mansion was not excluded from the tense atmosphere roaming in the air. All his workers were currently in the underground shelters too, leaving the mansion abnormally silent and empty.


    Even Rose was not here, she was a civilian also and she needed to keep herself safe. Only Clark was in the mansion.


    He was currently standing at the roof of his huge mansion, his face looking at the east like he was waiting for something.


    He was currently dressed in a black neutral military uniform. The only difference in the current him was that all over his body was filled with weapons, making him seem like a moving weapon box.


    Despite the black shade of the night rendering everywhere dark except the illumination of light in the mansion, the weapons on his body could still be seen if looked at from afar.


    On his back stood a plethora of weapons. 2 black spears were strapped to his back sideways to each other, forming a cross shape and visibly protruding from the sides of his legs.


    2 swords were also strapped to his back, standing parallel to each other with their handles slightly protruding above his head.


    Two 2-form guns hung at his side, dangling slightly beside his trousers. 20 ports were created in his uniform, and in these ports sat 20 throwing knives.


    His arms were covered in a black metallic armguard that gleamed under the illumination of the lights in the mansion. The sharp spikes protruding from them looked dangerous and menacing.


    2 deep pockets were made at the front of his trousers, and residing in these pockets were the 2 ultra-sharp long daggers. A smaller pocket was close to them and inside sat an exotic multi-purpose pistol.


    Besides the swords and the spears that were strapped to his back, another even more conspicuous weapon was strapped there also- an exotic ax.


    It was the biggest weapon by far that was in his body, and it was the heaviest also. Protecting his knees was an exotic kneepad with an automatic spike shooting mechanism created in it.


    Apart from these new additions, his previous gadgets were still much alive. His multi-purpose boots supported his legs comfortably, and his exotic armor also lay dormant in his rib, waiting to be activated.


    With so many weapons in his body, he looked just like the comic batman.


    Even though Monkey Hands had a weird personality, Clark still respected his ability to cook up gadgets and weapons. After testing the weapons out a few hours ago, he was completely satisfied with them all.


    All he could comment was that his money was worth it. With all these gadgets, he could finally unleash his full strength to its fullest potential without restraints.


    Despite the silence in the air, he did not stir, he was still in one place waiting for something. Something that would decide the direction of the attack, something that would affect a lot of their decisions.


    For 3 hours straight, he waited at the balcony without moving an inch but he did not show any impatience.


    After another hour passed, a sound finally sounded from his comm.


    ¡°Captain Clark, this is Tiver speaking. I¡¯ve thought through your proposal, and I accept. I¡¯ll be sending a document to you shortly, and it contains everything that you need to know to make your plan successful¡±.


    ¡°Sir, I fulfilled my part of the plan, I hope that you fulfill yours¡±.


    ¡°Yours faithfully; Tiver¡±.


    Hearing the ending remark, Clark revealed a slight smirk on his face before finally moving. He stretched his muscles that were already going stiff, smiled, before going back inside his mansion.


    He sat down and went through the information that was sent to him. He compared them with what they already knew before. After confirming that nothing was wrong, he finally sent it across.


    ¡°Finally!¡± He exclaimed exaggeratedly.


    Donning a mask on his face to complete his attire, he gave a mental order and all the lights in the mansion switched off.


    Just like a secret windsurfer, he jumped from the roof of the mansion before blending with the wind into the dark night.


    Operation Terrorist Extermination officially began.


    ¡­


    Beep!


    Corporal Cinnabar stirred as soon as he heard the sound. Standing up, he went closer to the communication device only to see a message encrypted with dozens of military codes.


    In less than a minute, he deduced the code and got the message that was written in it. Turning his head, he saw that his subordinates were looking at him with anticipation in their eyes.


    ¡°We have our target¡±.


    All the soldiers heaved sighs of relief but their attention did not falter, they kept staring at their leader for the order.


    The Corporal took a deep breath. ¡°The captain already moved; mobilize!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    Saluting, the soldiers rushed out of the room to fulfill the order.


    At the same time that they received the message in the dragon military division, the 5 commissioners also received it in the government building. As soon as this message came, it suddenly felt like a caged dragon was let loose.


    Vatican City seemed to have woken up from a deep slumber. After confirming that all the military outposts remembered their duties, the military order for mobilization was given.


    The originally silent city became active again, the originally static soldiers became active again. Across the whole city, soldiers were mobilized from their outposts as their leaders took the helm to lead them.


    Entering the military cars assigned to each of their squads, a city-wide movement began immediately. This time, there was no hesitation in their movements, they knew where their target was.


    Exotic tanks, exotic cars, and exotic bikes were all mobilized as the sound of locomotives filled the city immediately.


    The movement was swift, the only goal now was to give the terrorist the first pounding and make sure that it was hard before they could recover their nerves.


    War was upon them!

 Chapter 315: a night of vengeance

    ¡°What is happening?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir. We suddenly lost contact with all our spies; we don¡¯t know what is going on¡±. The executioner replied his commander as he visibly shook fearfully in his boots under his leader¡¯s rage.


    A few days ago, they already noticed that something was stirring in the city. After wasting a lot of time speculating, they finally decided to send out spies yesterday to check the situation out.


    The situation was indeed tense according to the spies, but they did not know what was causing it. Everything was fine, and the city was normal.


    This eased their hearts a lot, making them feel that they were panicking because of something inexistent. That was what they thought, but surprisingly they suddenly lost contact with all their spies a few hours ago.


    Losing contact with their spies was suspicious but something reasonable may have caused it, but the whole terrorist base also losing communication to the outside world was clearly abnormal.


    It was already deep into the night, but because of this abnormal occurrence, the Commander of this terrorist base could not sleep.


    The frustrated executioner, who was his second in command just kept shaking fearfully at the corner, trying every means that came available to him to appease his boss.


    ¡°Should I make a joke?¡± He questioned himself.


    Unlike most of the big terrorist bases that were outside the main city, mostly being in the nearby forest or any other outskirts of the city, this certain terrorist base was built in the city.


    Though it was in the city, the officials did not know about it. The main building was underground, what was at the surface was an uncompleted building.


    ¡°You, I want you to¡­¡±


    Boom!!


    The Commander¡¯s outstretched hand wobbled and shook in the air from the vibration power that accompanied the sound. He felt a spike of pain in his ear before every sound became static to him, making buzzing noises.


    Unlike him who was able to keep his feet, his second in command was directly picked from the ground before being thrown at the wall by the force.


    As this happened, their exotic armors detected the tremor and automatically activated, protecting them from the aftermaths of the force. Everywhere suddenly quietened down again, but they were both spooked.


    The Commander turned to face his executioner. ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±.


    ¡°Go and¡­¡±


    Boom!!


    This time he was much more prepared for the impact, but he confirmed something. They were under attack, and for the enemy to have come this close meant that they brought serious business.


    ¡°Go out and mobilize the bastards!¡±


    As his executioner ran out to fulfill the order, he ran in the direction of his room to get himself equipped with his battle equipment and weapons.


    As soon as he got himself equipped with his weapons, he finally relaxed and started feeling rage at the people that dared to attack his base. Did they think that he was an easy pick?


    Grabbing his huge halberd tightly, he felt his security and feeling of superiority come back to him in waves.


    With anger visibly emanating from him, he turned around before storming off from his room to confront the people who dared to attack him.


    He was pretty sure that it was not Vatican City, the city did not have the guts to oppose his organization completely. That was the belief that was ingrained in him, and besides, some big Spartan higher-ups secretly supported them.


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    As soon as he burst out of the underground and got outside though, his question got stuck back into his throat. This was the night; his vision was not exactly the best but his ears were still functioning perfectly.


    The first thing that came into his vision was a blue energy shield that towered into the skies, seeming like the flag of one of the big 5. Then the next thing was¡­


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    He jumped to the side before ducking but a few dozen bullets still raked through his armor in this short time frame, shocking the hell out of him. He cursed at himself for not taking a night vision google along.


    Ahh!!


    All over the uncompleted building, despite the dark frame of the night, he could still see the blood of his subordinates dying everywhere red. Painful roars kept on reverberating into his ears as bullets repeatedly hit flesh without restraint.


    Originally, most of the normal terrorists didn¡¯t have exotic armors. Even if they had, the sheer number of bullets could render it useless in less than a minute.


    Because of this, the terrorist lives were practically being harvested with a sharp broad tipped sickle.


    The Commander became anxious immediately as the hand holding the halberd became sweaty. ¡°Who are these?¡±


    He could see no flag; he could not even see the uniform of the enemies not to talk of their face. All he could see was the blue energy shield screen and the sparks of dozens of gun muzzles shooting out bullets.


    Everywhere, he could see his subordinates dying at a shocking frequency. Though he felt nothing for these guys, having so many of them die at once in a single attack left him anxious. He had to do something.


    ¡°Titus!¡± He yelled his second-in-command¡¯s name.


    ¡°Yes, commander¡±.


    He heaved a sigh of relief on seeing that the executioner was close to him. As soon as the fellow got close to him, he ordered him to go back inside and bring a sound amplifying machine.


    He needed to organize his subordinates. But till the machine was brought, he had to fight.


    As soon as his executioner ran back inside the underground base, he erupted from his position with his halberd swinging wildly at the bullets.


    Most of the bullets still hit his armor repeatedly while the others hit his halberd, making clanking sounds as he burst forward at the shield formation with ferocious and wild abandon.


    Seeing their Commander charge out, morale spiked among the terrorists as they started chanting his name.


    This only made him more emboldened as his determination to cut this naughty energy shield apart grew. When he was only a few meters from its position with his halberd raised high, an opening suddenly widened in the shield.


    A heavy broad sword stabbed in his direction at an abnormally fast speed as his eyes narrowed immediately in alarm. He jumped to the side but the sword followed him.


    A sound like that of striking thunder reverberated as the sword clashed with his armor. The armor did its job as the energy film absorbed the blow, though the shock affected him a bit.


    He was shocked. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Your father¡±.


    The soldier with the sword smirked before turning his head back to the shield formation behind him. ¡°Switch to phase 2¡±.


    The next thing, the combined shield formation broke up into individual shields. Dozens of energy tower shields stood domineeringly in the middle, protecting a group of ranged soldiers with undivided focus at the terrorists.


    Through the slight opening made from the space between the tower shields, a group of soldiers wielding different types of melee weapons charged out with ferocious expressions on their faces.


    Seeing their uniforms, a lightbulb lit in the Commander¡¯s head. ¡°The Dragon military division, you have the guts?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you still have the guts to say that!¡±


    The Sergeant who led the charge swung his enormous broad sword horizontally as he quickly clashed with the terrorist commander. They both began a bloody melee battle immediately.


    As the 2 leaders fought, the subordinates quickly got entangled with themselves.


    Something that the terrorist Commander observed which made him despair as he fought was that all the soldiers who came after his subordinates had exotic armors which were abnormal.


    For this war, Clark did not exaggerate when he told his friend that his goal was a scenario where after the battle no soldier from his side died.


    He made a lot of investment in the soldiers that all their weapons were state of the art, and they all had access to exotic armor.


    From their numbers, the terrorist Commander quickly deduced that it was just a platoon of soldiers with an approximate number of 50 soldiers. They were smaller than his subordinates, but his subordinates were being crushed completely.


    As soon as the melee soldiers of the military division clashed with the terrorists, it seemed like a situation of stones being thrown at a crate of eggs. They burst into pulps.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The ground shook from the vibrations of the battle like an earthquake was imminent. With no civilians around to disrupt them, they unleashed their all in this battle to wipe out their opponents.


    As their melee counterparts fought heroically at the frontline, the ranged soldiers maintained their concentration at above 105% as bullet after bullet kept on coming out of their gun muzzles.


    The elite snipers among them focused on helping their Sergeant. With a few well-placed shots here and there, they kept on disrupting the battling tempo of the terrorist commander.


    The battle seemed chaotic, but it was completely in the hands of the soldiers of the military division. The outcome was decided even before the battle started.


    In just a few minutes, the hastily set up defense perimeter of the terrorists was breached. Taking advantage of their panic and fear, they stormed into the uncompleted building to pull them out of their hideouts.


    The terrorists without exotic armors could not take a single blow from them. Every blow led to a death, increasing their efficiency to an outrageous degree.


    As they penetrated the terrorists¡¯ ranks like a hot knife cutting through butter, it did not take much longer before they arrived at the heart of the underground base.


    The terrorists tried to wrath mischief down there, but the prepared soldiers nullified their efforts like a big brother ruthlessly taking the only ice cream from his younger brother¡¯s presence and licking it completely.


    The terrorists were completely spanked and trashed in their backyards without mercy, it was a tragic sight.


    After a hard-fought battle with frequent help from his subordinates, the Sergeant finally took the head of the terrorist Commander. Bellowing out a victorious cry, he jumped back into battle.


    Seeing their Commander lose his head, the morale of the terrorists directly dropped to rock bottom. Most of them immediately turned tail and ran for their lives.


    Unfortunately for them, they ran only for a few meters before they met a blockade. Before starting the battle, the soldiers already sealed this area in an air-tight manner. No terrorist was to be allowed to escape.


    After a desperate effort from the terrorists, they were finally wiped off from the face of the earth. Not a single one of them survived, it was completely bloody and tyrannical.


    The uncompleted building was completely razed to the ground from the battle. Blood littered the floor, body parts lay carelessly on the floor, making this place suddenly seem like a forbidden ground.


    It was a perfect victory, every terrorist died but no soldier died.


    In other parts of Vatican City, battles like this one were ongoing as the soldiers ducked it out with the terrorist bases that were located directly in the middle of the city.


    Tonight, these gutsy bastards would pay for their crimes.


    The night was a special one that was dominated by blood, death, and a yearning for revenge. The Vatican soldiers attacked with vengeance.

 Chapter 316: a battle of dragons

    The night was a long and eventful one.


    On various parts of Vatican City, the local military force and soldiers of the Dragon military division invaded without restraint, reaping the lives of the terrorists without mercy.


    In some terrorist bases, they didn¡¯t even know anything till the soldiers arrived at their doorsteps. Even before they could equip themselves with their weapons, they were butchered ruthlessly. It was a complete massacre.


    At first, Clark still doubted a bit, thinking that the information sent by Commander Tiver was bait but after raiding about a dozen terrorist bases, he believed every single bit of it.


    The information was so detailed- including the number of terrorists in each base, the name of the leader, his rank, weapon of choice, and other sensitive information that could not be easily gotten.


    This left him shocked. Even if the Commander was among the higher-ups of the terrorists of this region, it was abnormal and irresponsible for him to have so much information about so many terrorists¡¯ bases.


    It seemed that the Commander was going the extra mile just to show his sincerity, and to convince him to fulfill his promise.


    Though all sources of normal communication in the city were cut off, this was not a guarantee that the terrorists were cut off entirely from the outside world. They may have a special communication method.


    Because of this, every single free soldier in the city was mobilized except those that were guarding strategic locations like the government building, the headquarters of the Dragon military division base, the underground shelters, and a few other places.


    Though the civilians were protected in shelters underground far away from the battle, none of them could sleep as the loud booming sounds of battle kept on reverberating down.


    Hearing these sounds, all those that still felt dissatisfaction against the forceful means of the soldiers swallowed it in. Any time an earthquake-like boom vibrated down, they all shuddered in fear.


    They still didn¡¯t know what was going on, but from the sounds and the stern expression of the soldiers guarding them, it was clearly a battle.


    Clark was in a remote corner of the city, in a static position in his exotic car as he just sat waiting for some news. His car¡¯s lights were switched off and with its stealth module on also, it was hidden from all prying eyes in the night.


    As soon as he got the information from the terrorist Commander, and after he passed the information on, he did not leave his mansion to join the battle immediately after jumping down.


    His new weapons were cool and all that but they were not the only things that Professor Monkey Hands worked on for him, the actual main thing was his exotic car.


    Compared to before, the exotic car now looked sleeker and sports-like in its base appearance.


    All its abilities and configurations were improved after the upgrade, including its armor and weapon armaments. These were the most important part of the car and the most reasonable also.


    Even for the old version of his exotic car, he still wasn¡¯t able to explore all its abilities and add-ons. This new version of it was just better and more beastly.


    As he sat silently in his car waiting, with a beep sound a notification was suddenly sent to his communication device. The source was directly from Corporal Cinnabar of the Dragon military division.


    [Sir, we already discovered all the nearby terrorist bases according to the new information that you sent.]


    [Overall, there¡¯s a total of 24 terrorist bases in the city and they are all spread out in different directions. 16 of them are small-sized, 5 of them are medium-sized, while the last 3 are big terrorist bases.]


    [We are already attacking the first 2 of the big terrorist bases, where I¡¯m the leader currently. Though progress is proving difficult, we are still holding on. For the biggest base, like you asked we left it for you.]


    [The location is just 8 minutes from your location, sir.]


    [The elite Black Dragon Battalion of the Dragon military division is already waiting for you there, sir. Everything is set, they are just waiting for you to get there and take charge of the attack.]


    As soon as the voice message came to an end, Clark smiled.


    Knowing that the terrorists had the guts to build and hide 24 terrorist bases in his city while he was here, he felt outraged but he didn¡¯t know how he should express it.


    The Persian tigers organization has really been unbridled for far too long, now they needed pruning. He clenched and unclenched his fists.


    Yes, he personally requested for the biggest terrorist base to be left to him. With the current trajectory of the attack, all the terrorists could be wiped out without any need from him but it would require herculean effort and sacrifice.


    He didn¡¯t want this though- as he said, he wanted no casualties in this assault. It may sound unrealistic, but that was his main goal when he drafted the plan for this city-wide raid.


    He didn¡¯t want to stay idle, he wanted himself to be tangibly involved in the battles. He wanted to fight directly with his soldiers, not watch from the sidelines while his soldiers fought.


    After confirming the direction that he needed to go, he grinned before stepping hard on the accelerators punched into his exotic car.


    With a slight chopping sound reverberating through the atmosphere, the car let out a barely audible mechanical growl before breaching and tearing the air apart to enable its speed to burst forth in its full glamour.


    ¡­


    At the southside of Vatican City in one of the remote alleys, a barbed-wire fence was erected around a land property, and an official government signed warning was attached to the front of the fence.


    [Warning: Stay Off! This is Government Property!]


    [Signatory: Major Clark Pendragon.]


    Sergeant Maria scoffed inwardly on seeing this outrageous warning again. This once again brought to her the painful reality that some corrupt officials were in the leading tiers of Vatican City.


    Without some leading officials, there was no way that some terrorists would have erected this without being busted long ago.


    She was grateful that Captain Clark already thought of this. Clark already suspected this when he made his plans. Though his 5 commissioners sounded loyal, they were actually his biggest suspects.


    The other suspects were numerous, but these 5 were the only ones that he could focus on.


    Because of this, he only revealed 1/3 of the plan to them, the Dragon military division was the only trustworthy allies of the city that he revealed everything.


    And also included in the plan was a scenario where the terrorists mysteriously receive confidential information that could counter them, he also didn¡¯t reveal most of his reinforcements to the 5 commissioners.


    Sergeant Maria tried to ignore the pain gushing at her eyes from seeing this blasphemous act, but she consoled herself with the fact that this terrorist base would be laid to rest in a few hours.


    In the remote region that this land property was located, it was surrounded by the only forest in Vatican City. Yes, the forest was pitifully small, but it was sufficient for their use.


    Currently inside this forest were 1000 soldiers all dressed in black military uniform with red stripes, not a single one less of a thousand, not a single one more. Just a thousand soldiers.


    This was the most elite force of the Dragon military division, the Black Dragon Battalion. Currently, in the military division, no soldier had the right to take full control of them yet, no soldier was of that rank yet.


    Sergeant Maria herself was not qualified, even their leader, Corporal Cinnabar was not qualified, but today someone qualified was finally about to lead them into battle.


    As a battalion formed from the cream of the top soldiers of the military division, all the Black Dragon soldiers had pride. But today that was all going to be laid down, the legendary Stranded Dragon himself was going to lead them today.


    Captain Clark¡¯s status in Vatican City was already transcendent, which would only become more transcendent after today. To them, it was an honor to fight alongside him.


    As they laid face-first on the floor, silent and unmoving, waiting for the signal of the captain. They suddenly stirred; it was here!


    At the distance, from the only road that led in this remote direction suddenly came a black car that was flying at mind-blowing speeds in this direction.


    Before the car reached the position of the fence, it fired a bright red flare into the air that lit up the darkness of the night. Seeing the red light, all the Black Dragon soldier¡¯s eyes lit up with it.


    Sergeant Maria grew exuberant. ¡°The captain is here; his first shot is our call! When he shoots, we move!¡±


    They didn¡¯t actually need her reminder, they already practiced this scenario countless times in the past few weeks, they drilled like there was no tomorrow just for today. There was no way in hell that they were ready to mess up now.


    Suddenly, a blue glow lit up in the distance, exposing the exotic car and its enormous cannon muzzle that was currently facing the fenced wall.


    The glow accumulated to an extent that it became red, then it was released.


    BOOM!!


    The sound was like that of a nuclear explosion combined with the sounds of a million clapping peals of thunder as a dark red energy beam flew at the fence at a shocking speed.


    Blue light suddenly shone around the barbed fence as an enormous energy shield rose from the ground, then the beam hit it.


    Crack!


    Taking the deafening sound of the impact away, the more dragged-out cracking sounds of the energy shield stole the show.


    Surprisingly, that overwhelmingly powerful beam was not able to take out the shield in one go. This did not mean it was safe though, the residual force ate at it relentlessly till a crack at the middle finally gave in.


    Whatever generator that was pumping energy to the shield clearly malfunctioned after such a blow as the shield fell apart the next moment.


    The soldiers were already with earmuffs before the first shot was released, so they were not affected by the deafening sounds of impact.


    With a loud screeching sound and a booming sound accompanying it, Clark¡¯s exotic car finally arrived on the battlefield, its tires scraping the floor as it made extreme rotating turns while still moving forward in the direction of the fence.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    The day seemed to have descended in the night.


    The car¡¯s gun armament muzzles kept on sparking out light as bullet after bullet flew out while it rotated. While this happened, Clark with his multi-purpose boots holding him to the roof of the car wrath his mischief.


    The car rotated without pause, granting him all the right angles he needed as his 2 hands just pulled the trigger without stress. His dual 2-form guns in their machine gun configuration spat out bullets like a hail of rainwater.


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    The already impatient Black Dragon guards finally erupted from their positions in the forest, their Captain already carved the way, all they needed to do was penetrate deeper.


    Loud gunshots filled the night immediately, the sound of exotic weapons being drawn from sheaths reverberated as the terrorist base finally reacted alarmingly to this sudden attack.


    Tonight, they were not fighting with humans, but Dragons!

 Chapter 317: clark smash

    Almost just a second after the first energy beam raked at the erected shield, rendering its humongous energy reserves to naught, the terrorist base reacted without any delay.


    Rated as the biggest and best terrorist base among the ones located in the city, it was miles more developed than the others.


    The system of operation here was already mature, they may have been ambushed in the night but they were not caught off-guard. The terrorist base reacted appropriately like a well-oiled machine.


    Defensive structures quickly started emerging out of the ground as soon as the Black Dragon soldiers started storming in.


    The next moment, sand was sucked into something like a black hole as large tunnels were quickly formed through which tanks, turrets, and different special machines such as electricity transmission vehicles starting emerging out of the underground.


    Some military vehicles looking like bulldozers followed and emerged as the first set of machines that emerged started erecting the perfect defense.


    With a visible eruption of energy, they spread vibrations through the earth as the ground began transforming itself immediately. In just a few moments, the originally leveled ground became uneven and rough.


    The battle had not even started in earnest, but the meticulous arrangements of the terrorists already turned the situation in their favor.


    Transforming the earth around you before a battle began was a herculean effort that required the use of machines with top-notch technology. Not only that but a great mathematician that is good with statistics and calculation too.


    As soon as all these transformations were complete, forming the perfect defense formation with technological gadgets and machines alone, smaller tunnels started opening up in strategically defensive parts of the newly formed battlefield.


    Then from these tunnels came the real deal, terrorist soldiers that were dressed neatly in brown military uniforms with a giant flaming tiger head in the middle of the uniform as their emblem.


    Unlike normal terrorist soldiers, these guys looked far more menacing, and they were a million times more organized which was a frightening realization.


    Seeing all these changes that were made before the main battle even started, the elite Black Dragon soldiers already detected danger through their extremely sharp intuition so they slowed down a little.


    Turning from all aggressive and offensive to all defensive, they all simultaneously formed a giant turtle-shell formation. A basic battle formation, but it was very effective in military sieges.


    Despite taking such precautions, they were not dismayed. They prepared for this for weeks while the terrorists did not, if their momentum was squashed so easily it would be embarrassing.


    They all turned to their Captain, though he didn¡¯t reveal anything to them in the last meeting before the attack he told them that he had a surprise package for the terrorists in the case of a scenario like this.


    As soon as they rushed out, the terrorists noticed an anomaly. They as the defenders that were ambushed already brought out their gadgets, military vehicles, and machines.


    If they could do this so naturally, the ambushers were not so foolish to attack them with soldiers alone right? Something was fishy.


    And now seeing all the attackers form a defensive formation while only the one with the exotic car still rode towards them, the fishiness of the situation became evident.


    ¡°Retreat¡­¡±


    They deduced it fast but it was too late. As Clark¡¯s exotic car drew closer, it drilled a hole into the ground at a swift pace which it fell on immediately.


    Before it disappeared completely into the ground, Clark poked his head out of the hole and threw something that looked like a bomb out.


    Ducking his head back, he muttered. ¡°King, I hope your bomb is as effective as you hyped¡±.


    Bzzz!


    It was soundless but the air visibly squeezed all of a sudden, rendering every single soldier¡¯s perception of the battlefield useless. As they tried to recover and keep track of their surroundings, they felt a ripple spreading across the air.


    Its movement trajectory was just like a sonic bomb. As soon as it released its load, blue energy with electricity snaking through it flashed through the battlefield in just one-quarter of a second.


    The next moment, to the terrorist¡¯s shock, all their active machines that were making sounds a moment ago jerked before coming to a halt. They were spooked!


    Before having the courage to bring their military vehicles out into battle, they already installed exotics that could render emp bombs mostly useless. So what concoction from hell was this?


    Before the sound of their machines could even die down completely, other ones replaced them as hundreds of headlights lit up from the distance, precisely the nearby forest.


    Their machines and military vehicles were down, but that of their attackers was just making their debut. A perfect scenario of a backside beatdown.


    Like a group of drug addicts that just received their daily dose of medication, the eager Black Dragon soldiers pounced out again like a pack of hungry lions with juicy food placed before them.


    Boom! Boom!


    Energy beams and cannon shots momentously emerged from the back as they fell upon the group of still stunned terrorists.


    Their energy shield was gone, their defensive and offensive machines were rendered useless, resisting such weapons of destruction with their armors alone was suicide. The impact resulted in a massacre.


    Melee Black Dragon soldiers rapidly closed the distance to the stunned terrorists, as they unleashed the skills that brought them fame and made them eligible to join the Black Dragon Battalion.


    Swish and slash sounds reverberated on the battlefield as swords slashed, spears stabbed, axes hacked, the different weapons being used could induce a headache in any enemy.


    The battalion took advantage of all their enemy¡¯s slip-ups and weaknesses, killing over a hundred soldiers in less than a minute.


    Not willing to let the terrorists recover from this blow, Clark finally decided to enter the middle of the battle and make it close and personal.


    He loved shooting from the range with guns, but crushing your opponent up close was always the most exciting. His adrenaline levels were highest when he fought up-close.


    Before he left though, he turned to attend to his exotic car. He gave a mental order which made 2 ports open from the car¡¯s side, he inserted his dual 2-form guns on them.


    He brought a chip out of his trousers¡¯ pockets next, crosschecked to confirm that it was the real deal before inserting it into a hidden hole at the front of the car.


    [Ding! Master, neural connection is being established¡­, neural connection established. Now, you can control the car remotely through me.]


    He grinned on hearing this. This technique was a unique fighting method of 3rd rank high-grade soldiers. Because of their enormous mental power coupled with their implants, they could afford to divide their attention in battles.


    Now, as a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, he could do it too. And besides, his implant was created to the standards of the big 5, he was the perfect individual to do this.


    He patted the car¡¯s frame. ¡°Lily, don¡¯t disappoint me¡±.


    As soon as he did this, his expression became fierce. Turning back to the raging battlefield, he spread his legs to form a pretty exaggerative aggressive stance before pulling out his 2 swords from his back the next moment.


    ¡°Tonight, all terrorists shall know pain!¡±


    Swinging the 2 swords effortlessly, he lumbered forward before jumping into the raging battlefield.


    With 2 swift barely visible swipes of his custom-made swords, 2 terrorists lost their heads. They all wore exotic armor compared to other terrorist bases, but before his outrageous weapons, it was just naught.


    Whoosh!


    The sound of the air moving kept batting at his ears, but his armors did much to lessen it as he moved around the battlefield like a phantom. A casual blow equaled a kill, a heavy blow equaled 2-3 kills, a well-timed blow equaled 3-5 kills.


    This terrorist base felt the terror of the Stranded dragon for the first time. For the first time in their lives, they felt the horror of being terrorized.


    As the battle continued, about 15 minutes later, the dead vehicles and machines of the terrorists started coming back to life but this didn¡¯t do much as they already lost hundreds of comrades.


    Even if they could not do much, they could still put out damage so Clark directed a little special attention to the machines.


    Bulldozing through the ranks of the terrorists like an old alpha lion rushing through a pack of hyenas, he diffused all their efforts to deter him from getting close to their machines that were slowly coming back to life.


    As soon as he arrived before the first tank, he sliced the 3 operators that were before it into bits and pieces before raising the dual swords for a heavy slash.


    The loud sound of a metal grating against metal reverberated as the 2 swords cut a few inches in, but the metallic armor of the tank proved tougher than expected as it held strong after only being cut in about a meter.


    Clark only inclined his head slightly on seeing this before slightly throwing both swords up. With a soft click sound, they quickly fell back into his uniform and into the slot that was allocated for them.


    Before the terrorists could rejoice, with another movement he retrieved his custom-made exotic ax for the first time since the battle started.


    Raising it up high, energy started spreading from its sharp edge, making it sharper as hot steam started rising from its metallic edge.


    Due to his previous heroics in the battle, the terrorists already identified him as their number 1 nemesis, and practically every eye was focused on him. Before their eyes, he hacked down.


    Boom!


    The ground vibrated like an earthquake was imminent, all soldiers and terrorists that were close-by staggered due to this sudden vibration of energy through the ground.


    When they looked back at the scene, the exotic ax dug a few inches into the ground and its edge was still smoking hot and bringing out steam.


    Clark held the ax with both hands, and his body was slightly bent to support it in an iconic position. Only black ashes and metallic parts were what remained of the previous glorious military tank.


    Both soldiers and terrorists alike felt goosebumps crawling through their skins. The soldiers felt their blood burn hot as their adrenaline levels tipped higher, while the terrorists only felt despair.


    ¡°Which monster is this?¡±


    Clark stayed like that for less than a second before he moved again. More terrorists tried to stop him but they only became more meat and blood for his ax, he bulldozed through them like a truck passing through a row of bikes.


    Just like the hulk, he singlehandedly started smashing all the military vehicles and machines of the terrorists to bits and pieces. The more time passed, the more anxious they became.


    If they did not introduce anything new, then the battle was over before it even started.

 Chapter 318: commander pizza emerges

    ¡°Sir, the Professor is asking to meet you again¡±.


    Hearing the voice of his subordinate again for the umpteenth time this night, the Commander sighed. He didn¡¯t answer immediately though, he just placed a hand on his chin and looked into space.


    A few hours ago, when most of his subordinates already slept, he was surprised to notice that he could not sleep. He felt uneasy.


    He had been feeling uneasy for the past few days, but tonight¡¯s own was on a whole realm of its own. Something that could make a soldier of his caliber unable to sleep, he just couldn¡¯t fantom how terrifying it was.


    Not sure of what to do, in the end, he sent a distress signal to their regional headquarters that was at the outskirts of the city.


    Though all communication channels in the city were trapped, as the biggest terrorist base in the city, he had a one-time-use device that could break through the veils of the electromagnetic disturbance and send out voice signals.


    Even if the Vatican City military forces could also discover and intercept the signal, he was fine as long as his higher-ups received it. He coded the message before sending it, and it could not be traced back to him.


    He clarified in the message that it was just his gut feeling, but he was sure that something was going down this night.


    He was pretty sure that his message would be attended to with importance due to his rank, so this brought him some relief. As a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, he was one of the leaders of this region.


    Normally, Vatican City region had an allocation of 2 main Commanders who were both 3rd rank high-grade soldiers.


    When one of the Commanders was trashed by Major Clark a few months ago, the news got to the higherups of the organization. Feeling that the dignity of the organization was trampled upon, a payback attack was ordered.


    To make the attack more effective against the city, the higherups released two more 3rd rank high-grade soldiers to act as reinforcement to them. They also spent a lot of money to bribe a few of the Vatican officials.


    Due to all these measures, their payback was super effective and they got the perfect result that they wanted. They killed a ton lot of civilians and soldiers alike, so they retreated satisfied.


    For the past few months, the 2 reinforcement main Commanders would have been recalled but due to a series of coincidences, they were still here.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt lucky that these 2 other comrades stayed. His gut feeling told him that tonight was going to be calamitous, he feared a little for his life.


    ¡°Commander, the Professor knocked again¡±. His subordinate called out to him again.


    He sighed. Suppressing his irritation, he finally relented. ¡°Lead him in¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Commander¡±.


    The next moment, a grizzled white-bearded old man rushed into the room. ¡°Pizza, why have you kept me outside for so long?¡±


    Ignoring the disrespect practically oozing from the old man, the Commander turned to face him. ¡°Were you able to find an escape path for the both of us? I told you that the base is a lost cause, we¡¯ve lost¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s so unlike you. You¡¯re a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, Pizza!¡±


    Hearing the tone at which the Professor stressed the last part, his face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t mock my name¡±.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mock your name, Pizza¡±.


    ¡°There is a high chance of us dying tonight, but if you want an early death, I can give it to you¡±. He raised his trident threateningly.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok¡±. The Professor raised his hands in a calming gesture. ¡°About the escape route, I¡¯m sorry, the Vatican soldiers have enclosed every single opening. Not even an ant can escape from their tight blockade¡±.


    ¡°And I also did a lot of calculations, that soldier is not Major Clark. He is far stronger in raw strength, probably a 3rd rank high-grade soldier like you. And the Major is not a lover of so many weapons¡±.


    The Commander sighed and stood up. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Prof. That¡¯s mathematics, but this is battle¡±.


    ¡°I rewatched that footage long enough to know who Clark is. My best guess is that he broke through, which only means that we are more screwed¡±.


    Seeing them discuss their doom so casually was eerie, but they both didn¡¯t care. They already lived long enough on this earth; their seeds were all over the republic due to their heroics when they were younger.


    Dying gloriously after achieving so much was not something to be sad about to them, they left an honorable legacy behind.


    When the attack just started, the Commander did not get a heart attack, instead, he was hyped up for battle. His enthusiasm died just a few minutes in though, he recognized the soldier who was leading the charge.


    It felt weird, but after watching the footage of the young soldier¡¯s battle with his comrade months ago, he developed a strange phobia for him.


    Knowing that Clark already broke through made him more afraid, he knew the capability of the young soldier when he was just a 2nd rank high-grade soldier. Now, he would have probably become more dangerous.


    Despite all the terrifying scenarios that kept on bashing at his head, as soon as he confirmed from the Professor who was his old friend that there was no escape for them, he took that from his thoughts.


    He was a Persian Tiger king; he may fear a Spartan but he never chickened out from an inevitable battle with Spartans.


    He already made up his mind, he would duck it out in a battle to the death with Clark, it¡¯s not like he had a choice anyway. He wondered how long Vatican City planned to cook up such a seamless plan.


    He turned to face the Professor. ¡°Prof, you better use your last minutes to face your calculations that you love most. As for me, I¡¯ll face battle which is my love. This may be the greatest and last battle of my life¡±.


    The Professor smiled. ¡°I will calculate the paradigms of your battle. I want to see how you¡¯ll last against such a genius; it¡¯ll be left as a mural in remembrance of you so be calm¡±.


    The Commander snorted in disdain before turning away.


    Now, he no longer felt fear but anticipation for the clash. He wanted to know what that Clark was made from; did he have balls of Adamantium?


    Taking hold of his trident, he marched out of the room, straight into the tunnel-like corridor that led outside.


    ¡­


    Boom! Boom!


    Horrifying scenes filled the territory of the once deserted barbed wire fence. The deserted land was now overflowing with bodies. Not living bodies, but incomplete corpses that were birth from the carnage of the ongoing battle.


    Blood was practically flowing like a river already; every soldier and terrorist was already embroiled in the heat of battle.


    Despite Clark¡¯s attempts to avoid a casualty in the battle, it was inevitable as battles were as unpredictable as football matches. They were battling against the elites of the terrorists Afterall.


    Due to a single mistake from one of the soldiers, one of the stronger high-grade terrorists capitalized on that mistake to reap the first life away from the Black Dragon soldiers.


    The battle was already ongoing for more than an hour, but that was the only casualty from the soldiers of the Dragon Military division. While in the case of the terrorists, the scenario was completely different.


    Over 800 terrorists already died to the tyrannical weapons of the Black Dragon soldiers. Of these 800, Clark personally killed over 200 which was a mind-blowing amount already.


    The numbers seemed small, but in a battle among elites that was how the number of deaths moved.


    After so many terrorists died, their numbers already diminished by a lot but they were still putting a decent fight to repel their enemies. A remarkable fact was that none of them tried to escape.


    Perhaps, they were ready to die heroically or they already discovered that there was no escape for them and the area was already sealed up.


    Sergeant Maria and her fellow soldiers already had dozens of opportunities to shine in this battle, but they all looked on at their Captain with undisguised admiration gushing out from the depths of their hearts.


    For this battle, Clark was the undisputed star of the show. From the beginning of the battle till now, he fought like he had everything in the hollow of his palms. It was tyrannical.


    Whoosh!


    Dodging another overloaded gunshot that was aimed to take him down a notch, he bolted to the side of the terrorist who shot the bullet, and before the latter could react, he already flashed past.


    5 other terrorists tried to block his path, but he moved faster than they did. Before they could get a good offensive stance, his dual swords already wrath their mischief.


    In the end, 6 terrorists stood standing like statues as their target already left to kill other of their comrades. It took a few seconds before a line opened up in their necks, then their head slid down lifelessly.


    It was a swift, mostly painless, and nightmarish death.


    As Clark fought more, the more he got more embroiled in the feeling of harvesting the lives of the people he hated most.


    A few minutes ago, he finally kept his exotic ax back on his back after demolishing all the terrorist vehicles and machines on the battlefield.


    He loved the feeling of slicing flesh with swords on such a chaotic battlefield, so he choose them again.


    As he fought, his exotic car was also bossing the battlefield from another direction entirely.


    The car moved and fought like it was a sentient being. Cannon muzzles repeatedly flashed red lights of calamity as they spread destruction everywhere, inducing explosions to rock the battlefield.


    From its sides, machine guns kept on raking the whole battlefield with unrelenting bullets like they were unending. The sounds were like those of beating war drums.


    Occasionally, a sniper rifle would release a high-caliber bullet from its side, downing a high-grade terrorist every single time. The terror from it was even more than Clark was spreading personally.


    All these were being controlled by Clark. Through the chip and his implant, he remotely controlled the car like it was an extension of his arm. Its effects could only be described as tyrannical.


    Their combination was iconic. Even in death, the terrorists would never forget what they suffered from this combination.


    Ptui!


    As Clark slashed through another neck, letting blood spray out like rain, he suddenly felt someone focus on him. He turned his head to one of the tunnel entrances, something new was emerging!


    ¡°Retreat¡­!¡±


    He yelled at the nearest soldier to the entrance but the fellow was slow by a second as a trident directly stabbed through the poor Black Dragon soldier, ending his life in an instant.


    Feeling the pressure blasting at them from the new terrorist, all the nearby Black Dragon soldiers retreated in alarm.


    As soon as Commander Pizza emerged from the tunnel, seeing the blood and corpse of his soldiers physically rubbed him the wrong way. His eyes reddened; with one movement, he sprinted towards Clark¡¯s direction.


    Clark did not hesitate either, his eyes glittered like the stars in the starry sky. ¡°Finally, a worthy opponent to test my strength with!¡±


    Trident and swords clashed; the impact was mighty as shockwaves erupted from their position in a spiral manner but neither of them bulged. They adjusted and struck again.


    Boom!


    [Thanks for reading, I really appreciate your patience. Once again, sorry.]

 Chapter 319: a legendary feat

    Clark swiftly moved his body to the right, dodging another stab from his opponent by only a few inches as he quickly counterattacked with a counter-clockwise swing of his 2 swords.


    Stumping on the ground, the Commander leaped upwards, dodging the slash as he skillfully rotated his menacing trident before directing it in a downwards trajectory for another stab.


    Clang!


    The metallic sound was grating to the ears as Clark decided to block this time. The enormous kinetic force weighed heavily on his hands, pushing his swords down but he improvised and shifted his center of gravity slightly.


    This made the trident push his dual swords dangerously to the sides of his left shoulder, but his armor absolved all the damage.


    The Commander motioned to retrieve his trident for another follow-up attack, but Clark reacted first and kicked at him. He tried to block the blow but Clark¡¯s boots suddenly started glowing blue light.


    With a deep sound of impact, compressed air pressure was released from the boots as the Commander was thrown back the next moment.


    With a single movement, he did a backflip in mid-air and landed gracefully on his feet before rapidly turning around while forming a defensive stance with his huge trident.


    Both of them took this opportunity and retreated a bit, granting them more time to think and analyze the situation. They already completed the first testing clash, the next thing from here was the real battle.


    Around both of them, the battlefield of the other soldiers seemed to have diminished in intensity a bit and a huge void was abandoned for the both of them to battle to their heart¡¯s desire.


    The soldiers and terrorists were still battling to the death, but they were sensitive enough to grant their leaders the perfect battle atmosphere.


    From the first clash, both soldiers already learned a bit about each other. Commander Pizza narrowed his eyes as he gave Clark an unfathomably deep look, a lot of information being passed through his eyes.


    He was right, Clark was a genius.


    He felt complicated. He still remembered when he just broke through to his current rank. For the first 3 years during that period, he was trashed by every single same-ranked soldier that he encountered.


    Yes, he was afraid of what Clark¡¯s money could do but he was previously not afraid of the young man himself. But after this short clash, he confirmed that Clark was on a whole other level of his own.


    Which other new 3rd rank high-grade soldiers were so strong after just breaking through, that they could even test fight him to a standstill? None, he¡¯s never seen one nor heard of one. It was a myth.


    Despite all these, he was still determined to show this young soldier how strong he was and how to respect his elders. Even in death, keeping his dignity intact was a top non-negotiable priority.


    Taking a deep breath, he glared at Clark before clenching and unclenching his free left hand. He widened his steps before slowly holding his trident with both hands.


    Seeing this, a wide grin lit up Clark¡¯s face as he predicted what would happen next. He was right, the atmosphere became heavier the next moment as the Commander decisively started executing his battle art.


    Inclining his head, he threw his swords up as they smoothly slid into their designated slots in his back.


    When his right hand came back, his iconic long spear with a sharp menacing tipped edge that glinted despite the darkness of the night returned with his hand. He also activated his battle art.


    The Commander raised his head and stared forward unblinkingly. ¡°Let¡¯s do this again the right way! The old way! The elder¡¯s way!¡±


    Tightening their grips on their weapons, they felt their adrenaline levels blaze fiercer, making their heartbeat increase exponentially while working faster, pumping blood through their system.


    Their sweat glands were already releasing liquid despite their body¡¯s current inaction, they finally pumped themselves on mentally before rushing at each other.


    The time that they took after pausing from the first clash was just less than 2 seconds, so it seemed just like a moment to their subordinates who were paying attention to them.


    As Clark rushed forward with his spear tip facing the front, a blazing will for battle raged in his mind. As soon as they got close enough, he did not hesitate before wildly swinging his spear out. The Commander reciprocated.


    Boom!


    The both of them staggered a bit from the impact as the floor beneath their feet shook and caved in as if a hole was drilled into the ground. They did not stay like that for more than 4 seconds though as their legs quickly flew at each other.


    For the soldiers who were watching from the sidelines while also engaging in their battle, all they could see was the glittering spark lights of the sharp weapons and nothing else.


    With such a perfect opportunity to gauge his strength base, Clark did not hesitate at all as he went all-out immediately.


    Only blurs were left behind in their wake as trident and spear clashed repeatedly to better highlight this battle. Sparks and loud booming sounds accompanied each clash, it was a clash of the big dogs.


    The battle became so fast-paced that Clark could barely keep track of what was happening. Only sheer guts and instincts were what kept pushing him on, his striking and blocking were completely reliant on his reflexes.


    It was already 20 minutes since the battle between the both of them started, but there were no signs of stopping or a clear winner yet.


    At times, some dangerous maneuvers made by the Commander left him vulnerable to damage but he bulldozed through all these obstacles with his sheer power and improvisation ability.


    Facing an experienced terrorist Commander who already swam in the 3rd rank high-grade soldier rank before his fetus was even formed in his mother¡¯s womb, he faced a lot of difficulties.


    Even though his soldier¡¯s lives kept on being chipped away as he fought, the terrorist Commander did not give a damn, already completely absolved in the euphoria of battle.


    Their battle kept on shifting from place to place, the destruction wrath by their power already practically rendered the remaining defenses erected by the terrorist base void.


    With a loud booming sound and a bright golden glow accompanying it, Commander Pizza¡¯s trident surrounded by its energy film raked through a significant part of Clark¡¯s armor again.


    This time, Clark did not back off to offset the damage. Taking advantage of this opportunity to draw closer than ever before, he grabbed the Commander from the back by his waist and raised him.


    Vibrations like veins snaked through the already damaged earth again as the Commander was slammed down in a mighty German suplex move.


    The ancient Brock Lesnar vibes shone brightly from this move but none of the 2 combatants cared as they lunged at each other again like 2 irritated dogs of the same genders.


    Though his armor absolved most of the damage, the Commander still took a significant amount of shock damage from that suplex throw as Clark borrowed momentum from his boots and other gadgets to propel the throw.


    Gritting his teeth angrily, he retreated again before gathering momentum to lunge back again. His trident¡¯s 3 tips glowed red as they flew at his opponent like meteorites.


    Clang! Clark¡¯s face paled a bit from the huge kinetic force but he still forced his bones to improvise.


    Holding his spear horizontally to partly block and divert the force of the trident to the side, he quickly shifted his center of gravity before retrieving and stabbing his spear out in less than a second.


    His spear pierced into his opponent¡¯s exotic armor but he could not dodge it too as 2 of the trident¡¯s sharp tips pierced into his armor.


    His armor flickered and botched for a moment, allowing the trident to stab directly into his exposed flesh. Before the armor¡¯s A. I could react and cover up the opening, blood already spurted out from Clark¡¯s abdomen.


    His face paled further but the determination for battle never left his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he made a daring move.


    The Commander tried to retrieve his trident again but Clark did not let him this time. Grabbing the Commander on the neck in a tight grip, his knees smashed up at his chest.


    Pu! Pu!


    Spikes shot out like needles from his knee pad before quickly embedding themselves into the Commander¡¯s armor.


    The damage per spike was small, but the overall number was mind-blowing. Commander Pizza¡¯s eyes widened as his danger sense spiked, he bonked Clark hard on the chest before pulling back.


    As he pulled back, he was shocked to see a different weapon suddenly appear in Clark¡¯s hand. Instead of the spear, an ax hacked down in his direction with shocking speed.


    He pushed himself downwards immediately, planting himself face-first to the ground as he dodged the menacing tip of the ax by a very small margin.


    The ax left Clark¡¯s hand and embedded itself on the ground a few meters away.


    Before the Commander could celebrate, he felt the same sound of the shooting spikes again. Raising his head, this time he did not see spikes but rather knives flying in his direction.


    The sudden change of the weapons was so rapid that he could no longer keep up with Clark¡¯s pace, all the flying knives embedded themselves into his armor.


    His armor finally gave way, flickering before popping into pieces.


    Before he could move, he felt 2 sharp weapons stabs into his ribs from both sides. He gasped in pain and raised his head wearily; there he saw an exhausted Clark before him with his 2 spears stabbing into his body.


    Seeing the weary look on Clark¡¯s face, he felt emboldened and quickly grabbed the 2 spears. Pulling them out, he kicked the floor with his leg and shifted backward.


    Clark abandoned his weapons and sprinted after him with his right hand raised up to the air; a blue glow revolved around his hand.


    A few meters away, as soon as he raised his hand the ax started stirring. It suddenly vibrated before breaking loose of the soil and shooting out of the ground, it flew in his direction immediately.


    Every eye that looked in this direction widened as the ax flew across following the strong attraction of the magnetic field.


    As soon as it fell smoothly into Clark¡¯s hand, he hacked down without hesitation.


    Ptui!


    Every soldier and terrorist alike trembled on hearing this sound. The terrorist Commander gasped again as blood flowed from his mouth, the ax almost cut through his abdomen to the other end.


    An exhausted Clark leaned on the ax¡¯s handle, looking at his victim with a victorious grin on his face.


    The Commander coughed blood. The will for battle already faded from his eyes, now only realization filled it. ¡°We really underestimated you; you killed Commander Rag?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is¡±. Clark pushed the ax all the way through, and the Commander finally breathed his last.


    After doing the deed, he struggled before straightening his body again.


    At some point in time, the terrorists and soldiers already stopped their battle to spectate this one. Sometimes, some scenarios could make you drop whatever you were doing previously just to watch it.


    At this moment, they all stood and watched this scene in shock.


    For the soldiers, they felt ecstasy. While for the terrorists, only despair and hopelessness engulfed their hearts. This was a Legendary feat!


    As the hero of the show, Clark subconsciously pumped his chest out a bit.


    He felt awesome! He felt heroic! A little exhausted, but still heroic!

 Chapter 320: for vatican city for major clark

    Silence reigned in the B29 underground emergency shelter, making the atmosphere among the civilians seem like a graveyard.


    Every adult civilian sat, strapped to a chair as their undivided attention was all focused on the huge projection that was currently playing a scene in the air. They held their breaths; their hearts were on their throats.


    A few hours ago, the 5 commissioners directly behind the captain in authority over the city gave an order.


    Seeing the massive success that was being achieved due to Clark¡¯s meticulous plans and preparations, they decided that it was a good thing for the civilians being protected to see the heroics of the soldiers fighting for their lives.


    Of course, they also gave an order that all the children should be made to sleep before this. The scene that was to be shown was not something healthy for children, only adults could appreciate it.


    Under the protection of the soldiers, the civilians sat solemnly and watched the scenes going on in the holographic projection intently.


    The battle was already going on for some time before the 5 commissioners decided to broadcast it to them, so they were not privileged to watch it from the beginning.


    When it started, it started with a bang!


    It started in a scene filled with blood and carnage. Mutilated flesh and bones without a body frame to support them lied about on the field as a great battle raged on, with the soldiers of Vatican City proudly holding the upper hand firmly.


    This was one of the over 2 dozen terrorist bases in the city, and the soldiers that were assigned to this base were absolutely killing it.


    Already with well-planned strategies beforehand, they assigned their roles perfectly which led to their current dominance on the battlefield.


    The melee soldiers fought cautiously under the fire coverage of their ranged counterparts, while the ranged soldiers shot without a care for the world under the protection of heavy energy shields.


    It was seamless defense paired with a seamless offense, the perfect recipe to emerge victorious in any battlefield as long as you had the strength advantage.


    Explosions kept on rocking the battlefield, rocking the footage being sent back to the civilians as military vehicles, tanks, and the few exotic vehicles spread their mischief among the ranks of their enemies.


    Sounds from exotic bombs echoed occasionally after their first debut since the battle began, reaping even more lives than the soldiers were able to kill themselves.


    In just a few minutes less than an hour, the Vatican soldiers emerged victoriously. This was in real life but for the civilians, the footage was compressed to less than 10 minutes.


    The terrorist base that was just wiped out was one of the least developed bases in the city, so they were less equipped and fortified, making Clark¡¯s plan work perfectly for the soldiers.


    Not a single death was recorded among the soldiers, but they managed to kill over 500 terrorist soldiers who had the potential to start a state-wide war in the country. It was an overwhelmingly successful victory.


    By the time that the first video coverage ended, the civilians were left holding tight to the rails of their chairs.


    Throughout the past 10 minutes, goosebumps upon goosebumps were their most dominant experience. Despite not being soldiers, seeing their soldiers fight on their behalf made their blood burn hot.


    Any dissatisfaction that was originally in their hearts was quenched, only to be replaced by a burning desire to see their soldiers reap more terrorist lives. They surprisingly started craving blood.


    They wanted more, and they wanted it really fast.


    The soldiers guarding them did not disappoint them as they quickly shifted the footage to another one. Another battle scene in a completely different environment popped out as soldiers and terrorists ducked it out in a bloody battle.


    Dozens of battles were projected to them as their mood kept on being riled up by all the videos. At this moment, they felt only respect for their soldiers, most especially their leader.


    In these battles, well-known soldiers were projected who fought unflinchingly for the city. Soldiers like Corporal Cinnabar were the ones who shone the brightest, their battles the most impactful.


    As the battles kept on shifting forward, some of them were short and some were long. Despite this, they were all edited to be played faster.


    A few minutes later, the videos started being cut before they could finish, making some of the civilians feel dissatisfied. The next moment they shut up though as a face that all of them were familiar with was projected on the television.


    ¡°Major Clark!¡± They all exclaimed inwardly.


    Clark¡¯s picture only lasted for a moment though as it quickly disappeared the next moment, then his footage finally started showing.


    This time, the footage was not edited. An unadulterated version of Clark¡¯s raid of the biggest terrorist base with the Black Dragon soldiers was shown, including his battle with the terrorist Commander.


    Watching how the Major demolished the forces, equipment, and military vehicles of the terrorists, they felt an urge to yell out loud in excitement.


    They held themselves back though because even if they shouted no sound would have been let out. Sound dampening devices filled the whole underground shelter, making sure that no unnecessary noise was let out.


    Seeing the terrorist Commander come out and kill a Black Dragon soldier in one blow, they felt tense all over. Seeing the Major step up to the challenge and go up to meet the vile terrorist, they felt pumped up.


    Even if they could not chant him on physically, they were already chanting their leader on in their mind.


    ¡°Major Clark!¡± ¡°Major Clark!¡± This was what dominated their minds.


    When the battle finally started, they suddenly felt that their chairs were too hot for them to sit down on. Some of them tried to stand up, but they were shocked to see that the chair pinned them back down.


    When the battle became fast-paced, barely leaving them a window to see anything, they felt anxious again.


    When the terrorist Commander¡¯s trident slashed through Clark¡¯s abdomen, they practically fainted from shock. They felt anger like never before engulfing them, they wanted to go in personally and fight the vile terrorist on their leader¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Vile chair, release me!¡±


    Despite their mental bellows, the chairs remained unfeeling like what was expected of them.


    When they say Clark turn the situation around and start unleashing his myriad of custom-made weapons, disrupting the tempo of the terrorist Commander, they felt ecstasy overwhelm their hearts.


    When they saw him practically strike the Commander to the floor, they jumped and pumped their fists in the air in joy inwardly.


    When they heard the question of the Commander, they answered on their leader¡¯s behalf inwardly. ¡°BASTARD! OUR INVINCIBLE MAJOR WILL KILL MORE OF YOU VILE TERRORIST COMMANDERS!¡±


    When Clark finally drove the ax through the terrorist¡¯s abdomen, they felt like they were swimming on top of the heavens. ¡°YES!!¡±


    By the time that the holographic projection popped to countless pieces, all the civilians were left sweating like they just ran a marathon even though they didn¡¯t do any physically intensive effort.


    Seeing the zeal burning in the eyes of the civilians after watching their soldiers fighting for their lives, the 5 commissioners who secretly watched them nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡­


    Blink!


    Prince Trump woke up in the night after dreaming of war. It was weird for a small kid like him to be dreaming of wars at such an age, but he was different.


    He loved wars since his smaller years, though he never dared to tell his parents about it. This love only grew recently after the heroics of Vatican City¡¯s leader started circulating everywhere.


    Standing up from his bed and turning his head to the side, he saw his sister, Dandelion still sleeping peacefully like nothing in this world could disturb her sleep. But turning his head to the right, he grew confused.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Dad? Where¡¯s Mom?¡±


    He was even more surprised after going a little further from his bed, none of the big uncles and aunties who came here with him were here.


    His head suddenly turned to the right, he thought he just heard a booming sound. The sudden sound made him feel the creeps a bit, but this slight fear could not suppress the curiosity in his heart.


    He decided to go closer.


    As he went closer, he saw that a large curtain was separating where everybody originally was from where this strange sound was coming from. It seemed extremely similar to the sound that he heard in his dream.


    Going a little closer, he saw light peeking through the curtain to the other side. He stiffened a bit on seeing this. After confirming that nothing happened to him, his curiosity got peaked.


    With one hand, he pushed the curtain slightly to the side. This was when an intimidating sight presented itself before him, thousands of the aunties and uncles were all seated here like this was the end of the world meeting.


    His eyes widened. ¡°Are my comic books, right? Is the world coming to an end? Where are the superheroes to save us? Is Major Clark our superhero? I knew it!¡±


    A little excited now, he poked his head inside a few more inches, this was when the large holographic screen revealed itself before him.


    And coincidentally, he came when Clark¡¯s footage was just starting. His eyes widened to the limits as he watched this mind-blowing footage with the other adults in the hall.


    His emotional reactions were even more extreme than the ones that they made, he felt more attachment to Clark than practically all the adults present.


    When Major Clark killed the terrorist Commander, unlike the others, he was free to express himself. He jumped and pumped his fists into the air excitedly, letting out a sound by mistake.


    He stiffened as one of the adults suddenly turned in his direction. He heaved a sigh of relief as the man only smiled at him before turning back.


    Deciding to keep a low profile now, he watched behind the curtain until the guards finally started leading the adults back after the projection popped into pieces.


    He sneaked back feeling excited.


    He was the only kid who participated in the mind-blowing footage that depicted the soldiers of the republic battling. He felt proud about it, he wished he could be like Major Clark when he grew up.


    ¡­


    Mr. Trump Joe led his wife out of the hall with a lot of complicated emotions in both their hearts. They felt heated when watching it like the other civilians, they felt proud of their Major.


    Despite this, they were glad that their kids were not here. Such footage was not truly healthy for kids, they were grateful that the Vatican higher-ups were thoughtful enough to prevent the kids from seeing it.


    He turned to face his wife. ¡°For Vatican City!¡±


    Mrs. Trump smiled. ¡°For Major Clark!¡±


    [Thanks for reading guys, you''re the best!]

 Chapter 321: annihilating the terrorists

    The sudden silence in the battlefield was like that in a graveyard, every terrorist and soldier alike looked on with trepidation at the man that stood tall like he could support a mountain in his broad back.


    Imposing! Tyrannical! Ruthless! Powerful!


    That was their most dominant impression of the captain at this moment, which only became more evident on seeing the corpse that lied beside him.


    Seeing their seemingly invisible Commander lying limp and unmoving in a pool of his own blood, the terrorists freaked out.


    They felt real fear for the first time in their lives, they regretted for the first time the fact that they could not blend with the shadows and disappear.


    All their sense of loyalty to the Persian tigers organization evaporated like the wind, now the only thing in their mind was how to escape, and that''s exactly what they did.


    If the flash of the ancient DC community was real, they now really craved that power. What an envious young man.


    ''To your tents oh Israel'', an imaginary ethereal voice could be heard in the background yelling this as every single terrorist in the scene turned and tried to escape.


    They were like a pack of sheep without a shepherd, scattering disorderly like a bunch of locusts.


    The soldiers reacted immediately. Being the specially trained elites that they were, despite being shocked the Black Dragon soldiers were able to analyze all the information dumped at them immediately before sprinting after the terrorists to pin them down.


    Since their journey from their cadet days till their current military rank, they''ve seen a lot of things but this was the first time that they''ve ever seen an exalted figure like a 3rd rank high-grade soldier dying under the blade of a sword.


    They were proud soldiers, but today they were humbled by this legendary feat. What a monster leader!


    Their current emotions could only be described as shocked and frenzied. They felt their reverence for Captain Clark soaring through the heavens, and most especially the zeal to finish the job on his behalf fiercely burned in them.


    Boom!


    Both sides quickly clashed again, and this time it was even more one-sided. After losing their Commander, the terrorists already lost all will to fight which left them more vulnerable than before.


    The melee soldiers attacked like a pack of bloodthirsty hounds, their sharp teeth which were now their weapons dug into the helpless terrorist''s flesh without mercy.


    The rhythmic sound of gunshots became even more dominant on the battlefield, forming a cacophony of noise like the ancient drums of war as the ranged soldiers shot with maximum focus to eliminate the filthy terrorists.


    The military vehicles that were originally hurdled up in the back of the soldiers'' formation finally started making their close-ranged debut.


    Exotic vehicles with different weapon armaments attached to their frames entered the battlefield with an unbridled swagger in their movements, their operators unleashed hell without restraints.


    Long Spears emerged from the sides of some as they rotated and cut the terrorists to bits and pieces of flesh.


    Others revealed different other melee weapons like chains, shooting spike modules, energy overloading devices, laser shooting modules, and others as they reaped lives from the battlefield like they were mere beans.


    Still at the back of the soldiers'' formation, the operators taking hold of the heavy beasts which were the enhanced military tank vehicles maintained their aim as they continuously let out burst after burst of explosive shells that ravaged through the ranks of the terrorists.


    In their case, they were content to sit at the back and wrath destruction from their comfort zone.


    Theirs were the heaviest military vehicles on the battlefield, and they also dealt the heaviest one-hit damage to the terrorists. Every shot emerging from the muzzles of their tanks made the terrorists quake in their boots.


    Despite the alarming spike in the rate of their comrades dying at the cursed hands of the Vatican soldiers, the terrorists paid no heed to their neighbor as they focused on just getting the hell out of this place.


    It was embarrassing, but they already regressed to the extent of using the barbarian rule to facilitate their escape. Make sure that you''re faster than your comrade, and if possible slow him/her down, then you''re good to go.


    Despite all their escape attempts, the casualty rate among them was much. They became more agitated the more they ran, they were in a race against time.


    As they ran, their eyes suddenly brightened as they noticed the familiar scene of buildings rambling across in the distance.


    With raging enthusiasm like that of a laughing hyena that saw a half-dead lion, they pounced forward, intending to use the buildings as the catalyst to further their escape. Then...


    Bonk!


    Shock rippled through their midst as the terrorists who stood at the front suddenly got repelled by an invisible barrier.


    Their confusion did not last though as a bright blue glowing energy shield suddenly filled their vision, quickly turning their emotion to fear.


    Another group of military personnel with the familiar uniform of Vatican soldier policemen units emerged with exotic guns in the hands of every single one of them. The one with the highest rank among them stepped up.


    "Our enemies are before us!"


    "They are already at their wit''s end. They''ve bled us before, now we have the perfect opportunity to have our revenge. Should we let them go?"


    "No...!!" The sound was deafening.


    The leading Policeman grinned. "I say we rip them to pieces!"


    "For Vatican City!"


    "For Vatican City!"


    A small opening revealed itself in the energy shield through which they hauled themselves at the terrorists. More blood started flowing immediately, the still shocked and spooked terrorists started falling under the blade of the Policemen.


    Seeing that they were already surrounded, the terrorists finally let the deluded hope for escape vanish into the air.


    They gritted their teeth in anger and helplessness. In the end, they decided to die an honorable death.


    Yes, they were terrorists, but they still had that small dignity to uphold in the face of death and odds that were overwhelmingly against them. If it''s death that you want, then let there be death! They let loose immediately.


    The sound waves of battle rippled through the air across kilometers as they battled to the death, the shockwaves tyrannically destroyed more buildings as the battle between archenemies raged on non-stop.


    Having taken the time to recuperate already, Clark stood still with a satisfied expression on his face while looking at the plan that he cooked up a month ago coming to fruition. It was nice to make plans, but it was far nicer to see that plan come to fruition.


    He had to admit that his battle with the terrorist Commander was his most intense battle to date, excluding the one he had with the dinosaur during his Sublimation of course.


    The Commander battled a good battle, but he was glad that he came out on top in the end. He looked on again; his soldiers were fighting zealously on his behalf; he could not afford to slack.


    With a left and right movement of his head to relieve the sore feeling in his neck, he stretched his legs before taking the first step forward.


    As soon as he did this, he grinned as he heard the growl-like sound that was just made by his exotic car. The beast was still ready to kill for him.


    With just a few steps, he retrieved all his weapons that were scattered all over the battlefield where he fought with the terrorist Commander. By the time that he did this, his car was already waiting by his side.


    Activating the magnetic module in his multi-purpose boots, he climbed to the roof of his car. His Spears and all other melee weapons were gone, it was dual 2-form gun time again. He could not wait to pull the trigger.


    Zoom!


    The car roared its challenge at the terrorists before bolting forward to meet them. Even before it got to their position, it already calculated the angles of attack and started unleashing hell at the terrorists through its various weapon armaments.


    Clark was not idle, standing on the roof of his car like a kung-fu master who wielded guns, he pulled the trigger while keeping the gun muzzles in the direction of the terrorists.


    They were practically cut apart as soon as they came into contact with the bullets. The exotic propellers installed in both 2-form guns were so potent that they propelled the bullets at dizzying speeds that A.I''s can even find hard to calculate.


    The potent kinetic force accompanying them and the content stored in them made sure that every shot rendered every victim terrorist''s armor useless. Before they could make a sound, they were already torn to pieces.


    With Captain Clark joining them in battle again, the policemen and Black Dragon soldiers alike felt even more frenzied. They increased their effort to wipe out the terrorists.


    With no meaningful support again, the terrorists finally succumbed to the horde-like attack and they were wiped off the face of the Earth.


    Wiping out the biggest tumor in Vatican City, and also killing a 3rd rank high-grade terrorist. What an achievement!


    By the time that the soldiers and policemen finally stopped to catch their breath, only a scene of Carnage remained as the aftermath of their battle.


    Thousands of mutilated flesh filled the region from the barbed wire fence to the nearby forest and the nearby buildings.


    Because of the battle, a lot of buildings that were close by experienced catastrophic damage that even razed them to the ground. Fortunately, no civilian was on the surface of the ground throughout the duration of the battle.


    After just resting for 5 minutes, Clark ordered the soldiers to scout around the battlefield for any survivors and to also give him the statistics of the deaths of both sides.


    A few minutes later, the statistics of the battle were finally compiled. To his surprise, despite the chaotic atmosphere of the previous battle, they only suffered 3 deaths and 2147 terrorists died in this base.


    He felt dreamy after seeing the statistics. He dreamed of a perfect victory with zero deaths, but deep in his mind, he knew that was unrealistic. He was completely satisfied with this result.


    What surprised him was that the soldiers actually found a survivor inside the underground turf of the terrorist base.


    Taking a deep look at the old man that was before him, he suppressed the urge to question him immediately before ordering one of the high-grade soldiers to escort him away to a safe location.


    He would meet the old fella later, right now he still had battles to fight.


    Entering his exotic car again, he drove out of this location with the Entourage of Black Dragon soldiers following him closely behind.


    The first phase of the attack was not over until all 24 terrorist bases were annihilated; the night was not ending until all traces of terrorists ended.


    [Hey guys, sorry for the late release. I''ll release the next chapter after typing it later. Sorry!]

 Chapter 322: the counterattack begins

    Deep inside the forest bordering Vatican City, inside a big underground military base, an abnormally serious and tense atmosphere was inside the regional convergence headquarters of the Persian tigers organization.


    Silence reigned inside the underground terrorist base headquarters, all the terrorists either sat still or stood still like statues no matter where they were in the base.


    As mere subordinates in this terrorist base, they were not informed of the plans of the higher-ups. They didn¡¯t know what was happening but none of them could stay calm, their gut feeling told them that something was wrong.


    At some intervals, terrorist soldiers who were already promoted to the executioner rank could be seen running up and down, going in and out of the corridor that led to the chamber of the main Commanders.


    At this moment, the normal grandeur and confident demeanor exhibited by executioners could not be detected from them at all. Their movements seemed flustered.


    The expression that was on their faces did not help matters either, it only made the subordinates that secretly looked on tenser.


    ¡°What¡­??!¡±


    The sound was like that of exploding dominos.


    All the subordinate terrorists almost tripped on their steps on hearing it, feeling goosebumps as one as they reflexively turned their heads to the direction of the higher ups¡¯ domain where the sound came from.


    ¡°Please, not again!¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± Even though their mouths remained shut, their minds were saying the same thing. They all plead this in their minds while stealing glances stealthily.


    ¡°What¡­??¡±


    ¡°HOW DARE HE???¡±


    It came again. This time, they directly fell down.


    Scrambling back up and not knowing what to do, they decided to start doing random things to curb their anxiety. Some took hold of their weapons and started caressing them immediately, while others started playing imaginary card games.


    This new level of anger that was even being expressed by shouting out in rage started today. But the anger of the 2 regional main Commanders started a few days ago.


    About a week ago, the main terrorist base still had 3 main Commanders but this number was shockingly reduced to 2 by a mysterious assassin.


    It was an unreal scenario. It was an event that shook the very foundations of the main terrorist base, making both subordinates and superiors alike live their lives like they were standing on pins and needles.


    When it happened, it was just a normal day in the underground terrorist base and the 3 main Commanders were in their office as usual.


    One of the Commanders suddenly decided to take a relaxed stroll around the base, which was not a rare sight. But this time, no one knew that it would be different, not even the Commander himself knew.


    As he strolled around the base, basking in the attention being showered at him by his subordinates, it was barely audible but a sound like that of a hard object moving through the air suddenly reverberated.


    No one noticed it till the thudding sound of something dropping to the floor reverberated. All eyes turned in that direction, and what they saw scared the shit out of them.


    The Commander who was originally strolling around the base leisurely was now lying in a pool of his own blood, with a hole punched through his head.


    Alarmed, the terrorists who were at the scene made a ruckus immediately. The underground base was directly locked down, and the highest-grade alarm was sounded as every single terrorist in the base became alert.


    While the doctors attended to the dying Commander, an all-around sweeping search for the assassin began that was led by the highest-ranked main Commander of the base himself, Commander Titus.


    In such a tight situation that warranted such serious search, even if the assassin was a rat, he/she could not escape.


    As the sweep continued, the news of the Commander¡¯s death came. It was shocking and unbelievable, but this was not able to stop the sweeping search, it only made them more determined to find the culprit.


    After searching for over an hour futilely, the search was finally called off but all the terrorists were still alert.


    They were too spooked to let down their guard, the incident was done so openly that it could not be hidden from even the civilian terrorists who worked in the base.


    This was not some random soldier; this was one of the main Commanders who took the helm of all their operations across the whole Vatican City.


    To the lower-ranked terrorists, their main Commanders were their idols. They were their backbones. Being 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, to the subordinates, their leaders were impervious to damage.


    This only made the news of what happened more shocking and impactful, every single terrorist in the base started having a rethink of their life.


    This was the atmosphere among the subordinates though, the higher-ups felt it the most. Angered and frustrated, the highest-ranked Commander finally demanded the autopsy and a report on how the attack came about.


    To his surprise, according to the evidence that was found, the assassin did the deed from outside the terrorist base. That alone was enough to make him widen his eyes in disbelief.


    The high-caliber bullet that destroyed the brain cells of the unfortunate Commander was the only evidence that was found. No other traces were found, not in the corpse¡¯s body nor the terrorist base.


    After a lot of calculations, it was deduced that the bullet came from over a thousand miles away.


    It was shocking, but that was even mild compared to the process. From the report, the only thing that aided the assassin was a camera.


    After using a very advanced hacking device to crack their virtual defenses, through careful monitoring he was able to keep track of all the Commanders¡¯ movements.


    As soon as one of them came out of their bulwark defense chamber, he struck. And when he struck, it was final, ruthless, and vicious.


    He only needed to strike once, the angle of the bullet, quality of the bullet, and a lot of other lethal factors made sure that the Commander died despite the quick intervention of the medical experts.


    His brain was practically fried by the lethal loads filled in the bullet; it was a killer shot that only by a miracle would the Commander have survived.


    The attack broke the laws of physics! High-grade soldier''s existence already broke the laws of physics, but this was completely different. In a more correct sentence, it was an impossible feat.


    After reading the report of the analysts, Commander Titus did not know how exactly he should react. He felt overwhelmed, he felt shocked, and most especially he felt spooked. This was just too scary.


    Since that day which was approximately a week ago, the defenses of the base were strengthened and maintained at the maximum level 24/7. Recalling what happened to someone they thought was invincible, no terrorist dared slack.


    It took a lot of effort before all the unrest brought by the Commander¡¯s death was curbed, but it was curbed mostly because all the terrorists in this base were the better-trained ones.


    Just a few days after this happened, the 2 Commanders who lord over this main base started receiving reports of tension in the city, but they paid little attention to it due to fear for this mysterious and terrifying assassin.


    Their reason for ignoring such trivial news was good and well justified, but now, it seemed that this negligence was already biting them viciously in the backside.


    The report that was just sent to the desk of the 2 main Commanders a few minutes ago made them shocked, they could barely wrap their heads around it.


    Commander Pizza was dead, unbelievable!


    "Was this report verified to be true?" A deep voice sounded in the chamber of the main Commanders. "Is this real?"


    "Yes, Commander". The blonde-haired female executioner replied with trepidation dripping from her tone. "Commander Pizza sent it himself through the special communication device a few minutes ago before it happened".


    Silence descended into the chamber as the 2 Commanders slipped into deep thought, prompting a suppressive atmosphere to invade the chamber that left the executioner breathless.


    "Ok, leave us". The female Commander finally broke the silence.


    "Yes Commanders". The executioner inwardly heaved a sigh of relief and scurried away immediately.


    As soon as the executioner left the state-of-the-art chamber that was specially made for them, both Commanders looked into each other¡¯s eyes, a deep emotion revolving inside.


    They stayed like this in eerie silence like they were mind readers that were exchanging information through their mind, it was goosebump-inducing but none of the 2 Commanders flinched. 10 minutes later, they finally broke the silence.


    ¡°Pizza is dead!¡± Commander Titus sighed. ¡°Who would have thought? He actually died on the same week that Commander Coman died¡±.


    Commander Keidi weighed her words properly before saying them out. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s our concern for now¡±.


    Seeing him raise an eyebrow on hearing her, she quickly clarified. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that their lives were worthless, all I¡¯m saying is that we have to move on and focus on more important pending matters¡±.


    ¡°Matters like who killed him, and a lot of others¡±.


    Commander Titus sighed again. ¡°I just feel that they¡¯re unlucky souls, but you¡¯re right, we have other pending matters¡±.


    He waved his hand and the virtual letter that was just printed started hovering in the air. A holographic projection appeared, and the contents of the letter started being shown.


    ¡°Password!¡± A robotic voice asked


    ¡°Your ass is mine, Zeus!¡± Commander Titus did not let out a flinch.


    ¡°Password confirmed!¡± A green light shone on the screen before the letter flipped over, the real contents were finally revealed.


    ¡°Commander Titus, if you¡¯re reading this, I want to tell you that we are in desperate times. Vatican City attacked, and not on a small scale but a large scale with the clear intention of wiping us off¡±.


    ¡°We were too complacent; we didn¡¯t detect it on time¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m confident that all Vatican troops were mobilized. If no intervention comes on time, all our bases inside Vatican City would become relics before morning¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find a detailed report in the encrypted file, for now, I want to tell you another guess that I made¡±.


    ¡°The soldier who is leading the attack against my base is Captain Clark. Yes, you got it right, not Major but Captain Clark. If I¡¯m not wrong, I think I know who assassinated Coman¡±.


    ¡°I still regret it. We underestimated him; the kid is a beast!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going out to fight him in a moment¡±.


    ¡°Another reminder: If I don¡¯t make it, then I still underestimated the young Captain. If I die, I want you to take Clark as a Grade 5 target and assassinate him now before he matures. I want you to mobilize all our forces to kill Clark¡±.


    ¡°Yours faithfully; Commander Pizza¡±.


    After watching the recorded video, both Commanders did not stop as they quickly proceeded to devour the contents of the encrypted message after cracking the security on it.


    A few minutes later, they both sat still with solemn expressions on their faces. Commander Titus turned to face his female counterpart. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Commander Keidi wiped her face. ¡°I think I believe Pizza¡¯s deduction¡±.


    As Titus wanted to continue, a knock suddenly sounded from the door. ¡°Yes?¡±


    The female executioner entered the chamber again, fidgeting nervously. ¡°Sir, another information just came back¡±.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We just lost all of our bases in Vatican City¡±. She lowered her head.


    Commander Titus did not explode in rage as she expected, instead, he looked at the ceiling while deep in thought. A moment later, he stood up.


    ¡°Mobilize the boys!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The executioner blurted out reflexively before covering her mouth with a terrified expression on her face.


    The Commander paid her little attention. ¡°We are counter-attacking!¡±


    [Guys, I''m really sorry for the inconsistent release. I promise to make up for it, it''s just a matter of time.]

 Chapter 323: the calm before the storm

    Spurt!


    Clark pulled his spear out of his opponent¡¯s chest as the executioner vomited blood uncontrollably, the poor terrorist had a pale deflated expression on his face as he saw death directly before him.


    Clark placed his legs on top of his chest, added pressure to the deep gorge there, and looked straight into the terrorist¡¯s eyes.


    The executioner gasped, the features of his face distorting as his already weak hands held the captain¡¯s leg with a pleading expression on his face. No one loved death, not even a terrorist like him.


    He was barely living by grasping tight to the juice still left of his lungs, his eyes were already dilating but he tried to hold tight to life.


    His mouth opened wide, they kept on opening and closing slowly, forming pleading mouth gestures but Clark did not give a damn about him. The next moment, he stiffened and it ended.


    Another terrorist life just left the world again.


    This night alone, thousands of terrorists already lost their lives, this one was just like a drop in the vast ocean of deaths.


    After doing the deed, Clark finally raised his head to look at the aftermath of his actions. Brushing his long hair aside with his free left hand, the dismaying sight presented itself before him.


    Electric sparks erupted frequently, lighting up the night with their currents to better decorate the scenario of destruction currently present.


    A few kilometers around where he stood was an epitome of destruction.


    Collapsed buildings, overturned and burning vehicles, an overturned earth like land that suffered from an earthquake, a ground filled with mutilated bodies and corpses, and most especially the overwhelming thick smell of blood.


    The battle already stopped; of course, it was bitter but the Vatican soldiers still came out on top in this base.


    A few hours ago, after Clark defeated the biggest terrorist base with the Black Dragon Battalion of the Dragon military division, he took them from there and went on a rampage around the city.


    From that time till now, they ran into 5 still ongoing battles with terrorist bases at various locations. With their addition, all the terrorist bases evaporated like a solvent separating from its solute.


    As they killed with impunity across, more soldiers joined them, making their force bigger as they continued their rampage to hunt other terrorist bases.


    After going through 5 of the bigger terrorist bases, they finally arrived at this current base, the 2nd biggest base inside the city whose offensive was originally being led by the leader of the Dragon military division.


    As soon as Corporal Cinnabar confirmed that it was Captain Clark who came, he relinquished all authority to the big man. Clark took over with grace and ended the bitter battle with a bang.


    In just 15 minutes since they arrived at the battlefield, the overwhelming reinforcement tipped the favor in the side of the Vatican soldiers and all the terrorists were crushed to meat paste.


    None of them survived, and because there was no equivalent of Commander Pizza here, Clark had his free will to go for the head every time.


    It was just 15 minutes, but the battle already ended. Looking at his brave soldiers who looked on at him with fervor and zeal burning in their eyes, Clark felt pride well in his heart.


    He raised his hand holding the spear. ¡°For Vatican City!¡±


    ¡°For Vatican City!¡± ¡°For Vatican City!¡±


    The soldiers responded with fervor, even those of the Dragon military division were excited and proud. They were making history.


    The feat that they already accomplished seemed easy, but comparing it with previous years offensive would show how successful they were.


    Clark wanted to continue their rampage across the city, but he held himself back. According to the message that he just got from his commissioners, almost all the terrorist bases were annihilated already.


    Knowing this only brought him more pride, he felt like his head was swimming in the fluffy clouds.


    He didn¡¯t ask more about the statistics, that was the job of the analysts, he was a soldier. He loved working with results more than sitting out the process which led to the result.


    ¡°Count the dead and give me a report¡±. He turned and ordered Sergeant Maria who was already like his makeshift assistant after being together with him for hours already.


    It was already 4:30 in the morning, which meant that the sky was now super dark. As they said, the darkest hour of the night was just before dawn.


    At his orders, the soldiers immediately went to work again. They started searching through the overturned earth with their special military scanning devices, scouring every hidden hole under the ground.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, the earth got torn apart and 2 figures rushed out. The soldiers were surprised but they reacted immediately, rushing after the 2 terrorists that previously faked their death.


    They were just normal terrorists; they hardly posed a threat and were disposed of after just 3 interceptions. This incident did not bring any alarm to the soldiers, they already experienced those countless times.


    A few minutes later, Sergeant Maria finally presented a detailed report to the captain. ¡°Captain, this is the updated report¡±.


    Taking hold of it, Clark quickly scanned it and skimmed through it with his implant. In just a little over 2 minutes, he got all the information that he wanted. He jumped all the unnecessary statistics and focused on what he wanted.


    1875 terrorists died here, including 8 executioners who were 1st rank high-grade soldiers, and 2 who were 2nd rank high-grade soldiers.


    Among the Spartan force, 10 soldiers died.


    The casualties did not make any of the soldiers grieve though, theirs was a meager amount and was negligible compared to what the terrorists suffered.


    ¡°Thank you, sir. Without you, my soldiers would have suffered much more¡±. Corporal Cinnabar was not the emotional type, but he found it right that he should thank the captain¡¯s effort.


    This was his most successful military campaign to date and it was all because of this Captain who always left him wondering, he felt missed feelings.


    ¡°No worries¡±. Clark waved his hands nonchalantly.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± He turned to face Sergeant Maria. ¡°Should we push on till all the terrorist bases in the city are annihilated, or should we use this opportunity to rest and recover ourselves?¡±


    The Sergeant was stunned for a moment as she did not expect her opinion to be asked. She was left speechless for a moment, but she quickly recovered her nerves.


    ¡°I¡¯ll advise that we push forward till we confirm that all the terrorist bases are destroyed. That way, we¡¯ll rest knowing that a significant part of our plan is already done¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Clark nodded before turning to the Corporal. ¡°What do you think too?¡±


    ¡°I agree with her¡±.


    ¡°That settles it. Rally the soldiers, we¡¯ll be leaving very soon¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Captain¡±.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Clark suddenly stopped them; a solemn expression dominated his face as he focused like he was communicating through his implant. The 2 soldiers let him be.


    ¡°How many terrorist bases are remaining?¡±


    Sergeant Maria quickly answered. ¡°From the updated report a minute ago, only 4 terrorist bases are still standing¡±.


    ¡°Abandon them and tell the soldiers to retreat, we need to regroup¡±.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°The terrorists at our borders are already coming for the counter-attack, and they are coming fast and heavy. We need to react accordingly or we would lose more than I bargained for¡±.


    ¡°What force are we talking about?¡±


    Clark took a deep breath. ¡°All of them!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll spread the information immediately sir¡±. Sergeant Maria answered immediately before bolting out of the room with her Corporal.


    As soon as both soldiers left the makeshift strategy room, Clark turned to face the only light illuminating the room with a serious look on his face. His eyes narrowed into slits.


    He knew that once the terrorists outside came, that is when the real fight would come. He was confident in his plans, but the world and everything living in it was always subject to change.


    He wondered how really big the terrorists assigned to Vatican City were. Are they enough to fill his bloodthirsty teeth? He really anticipated the clash.


    As soon as the news was spread across, all the Vatican soldiers that were originally branching across the city like a plague suddenly stopped and started retreating.


    The remaining 4 terrorist bases were confused, but the soldiers did not give them a second glance as they all executed the orders of their Captain.


    They retreated as smoothly as they attacked, organized and orderly.


    They had to rest a little before the main clash. Even if it was just for an hour, it meant a lot in how sturdy they could hold their ground.


    In just a few minutes, the city that originally bordered on the extremely active side became silent and calm. But this was not the normal calm though, this was the calm before the storm!


    ¡­


    The Grade 5 lockdown was still on so the terrorists could not communicate freely yet, but the Vatican soldiers were using a 10g network without interruption to transport the orders of the higher-ups.


    At the depths of Vatican City, in the central government building, the 5 commissioners sat at a round table in the underground bunker that was under the building.


    They all had a serious expressions on their faces after reading the message that Captain Clark sent to them. They received special attention and were in a safe place, but they didn¡¯t feel safe at all.


    About 5 minutes ago, they already convened for the last time with the other diplomatic leaders of the city. They already finalized the plan, now it was just to implement it. Despite this, they were still quaking in their boots.


    ¡°Chill out, old men; I¡¯m here¡±.


    All 5 commissioners¡¯ serious expressions crumbled. They revealed a bitter smile on their faces as they turned to face this soldier. ¡°Dicksh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Corporal Dickson¡±. The soldier¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re sorry¡±. The head commissioner quickly apologized.


    Hearing this apology felt like music to Dickson, a smile lit up his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with me here nothing is gonna happen to you. You got to trust me bro, and your leader also. You know, I saved his sorry ass lots of times in the past¡±.


    ¡°Yes, we know¡±.


    The commissioners were speechless, but they were secretly glad that Clark brought someone like this to protect them. Since Dickson arrived, his mouth never stopped running like a tap, speaking non-stop.


    Though they¡¯ve never seen him fight, as someone brought by their leader, they were inclined to trust him. Feeling a little safe from that, the head commissioner finally stood up.


    He looked at the other 4 commissioners, after getting silent consent from them he finally hit the virtual button that was before him in mid-air.


    As soon as he hit it, he heaved a huge sigh of relief as if he just let down a burden that has been bothering him for a long time.


    Since over a decade ago when he became the head commissioner of this city, this was the first time that he had to make this ultimate decision.


    ¡°We already did our part, now it¡¯s to wait for the soldiers and the captain¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that¡±. Dickson grinned. ¡°It would end faster than you ever expected¡±.


    [Hey guys, here''s the compensation chapter that I promised. Another one is coming.]

 Chapter 324: an endless army

    Deep inside the forest bordering Vatican City, the jungle seemed to have become a living organism as activities went on inside at a steady frequency, arousing all life that was living inside it.


    The forest was not too big in the first place, which made all the activities going on more obvious.


    Military vehicles of various types with even more weapon armaments plied the rough pathways of the forest, crushing twigs of trees, bushes, animals, and even exobeasts as they moved.


    Terrorists stood and sat at various angles in the vehicles, filling all spaces as they migrated in a direction leading to the center point of the forest.


    The terrorist soldiers all held different weapons in their hands, ranging from melee weapons to ranged weapons. Even demolition experts were among the migrants, and they were armed in their full gear.


    The expression on their faces was not friendly either, they all had expressions like they were going to war. Stony faces that could match the bark of a tree outlined their faces, including the females.


    These waves of activities were not from a single direction. The forest being described as a living organism was no exaggeration, terrorists mobilized at their full power from all over the jungle.


    It was an intimidating sight of power.


    Seeing this fearsome display, all beasts in the forest were wise enough to take shelter at such a moment. Even the exobeast who was the overlord of the forest was wise enough to hide and watch from the shadows.


    Having received orders from their higher-ups already, the terrorists moved with a clear motive in mind.


    Commander Tiver was inside this entourage moving with a clear motive in mind. As one of the minor commanders of the terrorist organization, he led his base and its soldiers forward in acknowledgment of the order.


    Accompanying the order that was given to them was a detailed explanation of their circumstances. Every terrorist already knew that their comrades inside the city were probably dead, so they were moving forward with vengeance.


    Before the news even came, Commander Tiver was already expecting it. Unlike what other terrorists may feel, he no longer felt any guilt that he betrayed the trust of his fellow terrorist comrades.


    He already resigned to his fate, so he felt that doing the evil deed to the best of his ability was the most important thing to do now.


    For the first information that he sent to the Vatican Captain, he had to pull a lot of strings and ask a lot of favors before he got it. He even had to put his life at risk at some point but he didn¡¯t care, it was all worth it.


    Right now, instead of thinking of the upcoming battle, he was rather thinking of better ways to make sure that his comrades die at the hands of the Vatican soldiers more smoothly.


    He knew that in this battle, he would just be one of the slightly bigger subordinates but he was ok with that so long as he found holes to exploit to better spread his mischief.


    Call him a traitor, he didn¡¯t care. Call it vicious, he loved it vicious.


    Just 5 minutes after he left his base with his subordinates, he started meeting other base soldiers in the way who were all going in the same direction. 3 minutes later, they all finally got to the center of the forest.


    The sight could only be described as mind-blowing. It was an army of tens of thousands, it could make any weak-willed civilian faint in shock.


    Sitting in the middle of the forest were hundreds if not thousands of military vehicles, with tens of thousands of terrorists standing and surrounding a military vehicle that was in the middle.


    It was just like an endless undead army.


    As soon as they got there, Commander Tiver led his subordinates forward and joined the still growing number of terrorists.


    As a minor Commander, information like the overall number of terrorists bordering Vatican City was not available to him. Seeing this scene, he felt that he underestimated his organization by a lot.


    Suddenly, he felt a pang of panic strike at him. What if his organization snowballed and won the battle by a landslide? He would surely be discovered, was he screwed?


    He felt scared but he was able to console himself by just the fact of how confident Clark looked when talking to him. It could have been a ploy but unfortunately, he already had a phobia for the captain.


    He already did the deed; in the end, he resigned to his fate and placed all his hopes on the captain.


    A few minutes later after all the terrorists convened, the female main Commander, Commander Keidi came out of the military vehicle that was parked at the middle of their convergence.


    Seeing their idol, the terrorists got excited immediately but the Commander shunned them all with a raise of her hand. With just a few words, she gave her orders before going back to her vehicle.


    She divided the attacking group into 2 and gave them orders. The first group which was also the largest group quickly left as the first vanguard troop, the others stayed and waited behind.


    A few minutes later, the tyrant Commander who was the overall leader of all Vatican-related matters finally showed up.


    Commander Titus had his default stern expression on his face, his subordinates did not have the guts to get excited about seeing him.


    All he did was give a prep speech, and this alone was enough to rile up the emotions of all the terrorists.


    ¡°I have only one word to emphasize for you all¡±. He continued. ¡°Major Clark is our main target, kill him and our mission is accomplished. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander!¡±


    ¡°Good, move out!¡±


    Under his leadership, the remaining terrorists finally took to the rough pathways of the forest before moving forward in the direction of the city.


    ¡°Vatican, beware of our wrath!¡±


    ¡­


    40 minutes, that was the only time that was allocated for the Vatican soldiers who fought and killed throughout the night to rest.


    After these golden 40 minutes, they were called upon by their leader again. This time, not only some but every single soldier in the city was mobilized for this decisive battle.


    In just 2 minutes after the call was made, the whole city became boisterous again. The soldiers went back to their posts in 5 minutes before manning the checkpoints for the phase one bulwark defense plan.


    Nothing was left behind in warehouses, they were all carried out. Ammunitions, guns, cold weapons, military gadgets, special machines, military vehicles, they were all hauled out of their military warehouses.


    The surface of Vatican City practically started crawling with weapons of mass destruction, showing the intensity of the upcoming battle.


    10 minutes later, all the soldiers located their checkpoints. All weapons and machines were set, the great bulwark defense wall trigger was prepared, and the city was reader to pound hard at the terrorists.


    After all the preparations, they waited. They waited¡­, and they waited again.


    25 minutes later, dust rose into the air from the distance. Small black dots from kilometers away filled the sight of the soldiers, the terrorists were finally here in their full repertoire.


    The war for supremacy was on!

 Chapter 325: an old man that can smash walls apart

    ¡°Last status report!¡± A deep voice suddenly sounded into the communication devices of the soldiers.


    ¡°The Eagle Eye Battalion is all set for battle; there¡¯s no abnormality here¡±.


    ¡°The Thousand Crane Battalion is set for battle!¡±


    ¡°The New-era Vatican Battalion is on standby¡±.


    ¡°The Black Dragon Battalion is on standby¡±.


    ¡°The Autumn Leaves Battalion is on standby¡±.


    ¡°Good! We¡¯re all set for battle. Remember the basics, and don¡¯t forget to remain focused throughout. Good luck, and may God help us¡±.


    ¡°God help us!¡±


    As soon as this last pre-battle status report was done, the incoming terrorists finally came within attacking distance. Seeing them from afar, they were more like a pack of locusts than humans.


    Zoom!


    Maybe to intimidate their opponents or to just show off, but as soon as the terrorists came within optimum attacking distance, they loudly revved the engines of their vehicles before picking up speed.


    Some of the terrorists jumped down on the way as they took hold of their weapons and started running in a zig-zag manner towards the direction of the exposed city.


    As soon as the first terrorist tank released the first exotic cannon, the city reacted. All the buildings at an area of half a kilometer close to the border of the town suddenly retracted themselves into the ground.


    It seemed like a transformer vehicle was reconfiguring itself under the earth. As soon as the houses got swallowed up, the ground stirred like hot beans on the fire before something black started jutting out of the ground.


    It was thick and heavy.


    A pure black metallic wall started emerging out of the ground at an unimaginable speed, before the cannon could reach the town it already stabilized itself on the ground sturdily.


    When it finally came out of the ground completely, it formed a defensive wall that looked just like the great wall of China but far more technologically developed.


    Bam!


    The sound was like throwing a stone against a mountain. The cannon only made a negligible sound from the impact, after that it bounced back and rolled on the floor back in the direction of its sender.


    Seeing this iconic wall rise before their very eyes, every Vatican soldier felt pride well up in their hearts. The Great Vatican wall! It was as iconic to Vaticans the same way the Megalodon is as iconic to South Spartans.


    This wall is the most expensive technological gadget owned by the city.


    Commissioned and created a few decades ago, this big boy only made an appearance in battles against the Mocan republic because of its huge maintenance and repair costs in the case of damage.


    Clark and every other Vatican soldier grew up with the knowledge of this wall. The commissioners were reluctant to activate the mechanism to bring it out due to the cost, but Clark was able to convince them after putting in a herculean effort.


    Seeing this iconic wall, both Vatican soldiers and the terrorists recognized it, prompting different reactions from both sides.


    Seeing the shot cannon bounce off harmlessly, the soldiers of the Eagle Eye Battalion and the Thousand Crane Battalion roared like Lions who were already in their element before pulling at their triggers.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    The sound accompanying the bullets was like pitty-pattering rain as they flew smoothly with the wind at the advancing terrorists. Sounds of impact started immediately, the attack began in full.


    Being on the receiving end of the Vatican soldier¡¯s assault and with no intention to cower in fear, the terrorists retaliated like rabid dogs. Their military vehicles unleashed hell at the wall.


    Boom! Boom!


    The sound of the offensive was like exploding dominos but the great wall still stood sturdily like the boss that it was, its foundations shook not but only rooted themselves to the ground more.


    From the way of things, after the battle started, the first phase of the battle would be between the ranged soldiers of the city and the terrorists.


    In just a few minutes despite suffering from the harassment of the soldiers, the terrorists finally got to the great wall. Melee soldiers revealed all their trump cards as they hauled attacks at the wall.


    ¡°Kids¡±. The wall taunted them.


    It didn¡¯t even vibrate to give some respect to their attacks. It remained standing tall to expose its huge masculine wally frame.


    It was not even 5 minutes since the battle started, but the terrorist¡¯s higher-ups gave a new order to their subordinates. ¡°70% of you should leave the wall and go inside from the sides, the remaining 30%, keep on attacking¡±.


    As soon as this order was given, the terrorists did not hesitate to even think about it as they obeyed without any complaint. 70% of them separated in tandem and started running along the sides.


    The Great Vatican wall was sturdy and almost impervious to damage, but due to how expensive it was it could not be built to surround the whole city. It was built in a straight line, and it could only cover a straight part of the city at a time.


    Despite the new decision made by the terrorists, the ranged soldiers behind the wall did not flinch as they kept on releasing bullet after bullet from their guns and sniper rifles.


    They already started killing a sizeable number of terrorists without suffering a single casualty, this was a good omen to their cause. The only loss was ammunition, but they had a lot to spare for this battle.


    As the number of deaths among the terrorists increased, a space suddenly opened up in the formation of the terrorists through which a burly-looking old man ran forward.


    The old man was with a shield and a sword, revealing his identity as a soldier. From the treatment that he was receiving, the Vatican soldiers were alarmed and they directed a significant amount of the ranged soldiers to shoot at him.


    They did shoot at him but it was all for naught, his armor was the real deal.


    Ignoring all the damage that was coming from the gunshots, the man¡¯s pace slowly increased before quickly turning to a full-fledged sprint.


    Standing on top of the wall and looking at this scene, Clark felt an uneasy feeling but he was indecisive. During his time contemplating, the old man accelerated again and appeared before the wall the next moment.


    Time seemed to have stopped due to the outrageous speed that was just displayed as all eyes turned in that direction with curiosity glowing in them.


    Everything seemed like it was playing in slow-mo. The old man¡¯s face tightened; his muscles contracted as his grip on his weapons became firmer. With one movement, he raised his shield and bashed it on the wall.


    BOOOOOOOM!!


    The sound cracked ears, making some soldiers and terrorists alike start bleeding. To everyone¡¯s astonished gaze, the seemingly impervious wall revealed a crack in the place that the shield was embedded.


    Slash! Slash! Bam!


    The old man did not stop, his hands swung in a frenzy as he struck at the wall with both weapons that were on his hands.


    Clark could no longer stay idle; he was shocked by what just happened but he had to act. With one free movement, he dived from the top of the wall straight down to where this old man was wreaking havoc.


    Who was this exactly? He wanted to know.


    The battle took another turn immediately from this maneuver.


    [Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 326: in between the legs

    Despite the fearsome self-created technique that was just revealed by this old terrorist Commander and was used against the wall, it was not enough to deter Clark from his mission to protect it.


    Diving down the wall, he fell freely like an eagle gliding down with the flow of the wind with his spear held firmly in his hand. His speed quickly accelerated to unimaginable heights.


    Boom!


    The sound was like clapping thunders as his spear stabbed down, but it got blocked by the old man¡¯s shield. Faint ripples spread through the shield as the descent kinetic force carried down by him ravaged its surface.


    But oops, the old man¡¯s weapons were more op than expected. Just like his, the old terrorist Commander was geared fully in custom-made weapons. They absolved all the kinetic energy like it was mere beans.


    The old man¡¯s face showed no visible strain from the impact as he shrugged all the resultant force away like they were non-existent.


    Still in mid-air, after his shield absolved all the kinetic energy, he threw his sword slightly before grabbing Clark¡¯s head with his temporarily free hand at a shocking speed.


    Clark tried to wriggle free immediately, but to his shock, the old man¡¯s hands did not leave him. With one firm movement from the old man, he felt air friction push hard at his body as he was momentously thrown down the next moment.


    Bam!


    The ground below cracked with a loud bang sound as he was slammed face-first to the ground. Electricity moved through his body like slithering snakes as the resultant force of the friction wreaked his armor.


    He felt weakness invade his bones immediately but he did not dare to let himself slack, his danger senses were already ringing.


    Blue energy gushed out of his multi-purpose boots as he kicked hard on the floor before sliding to the side. As soon as he left there, a sharp sword stabbed at his previous position, shattering the ground to pieces.


    Finally having a little time to catch his breath, he quickly turned and gave a deeper look at this old man. From this one clash, he already felt goosebumps about the identity of this old man.


    In just one move, he was countered and slammed to the ground like a dog without a keeper. It was pathetic, but it made him apprehensive as he knew the power that he packed behind his descent a few seconds ago.


    Which old monster was this?


    He had a lot of doubts but he could not think of them now, he was already deep behind enemy lines and it was not good.


    Before the nearby terrorists could swarm at him, he activated dozens of protective devices.


    He activated the anti-gravity function of his multi-purpose boots which let him hover in the air, before turning his attention back to the old terrorist Commander whose attention was already drawn in his direction.


    No matter how powerful he was as an individual, he could not fight with a brigade of terrorists or an even larger unit. He needed help against such an overwhelming horde of opponents.


    As soon as their leader jumped down the wall, the Vatican soldiers improvised immediately according to the plan that the higher-ups of the city laid down to them.


    Seeing him being slammed to the ground by the old terrorist, they freaked out immediately, prompting them to act faster.


    In just a few seconds, the small ports in the wall where the ranged soldiers shot through suddenly widened to form tunnels that humans could pass through. The melee soldiers reacted immediately.


    Just like a family, all the soldiers ran out immediately to reinforce their leader. They slammed at the stunned terrorists with oppressive force and grandeur.


    As the Vatican soldiers already came out, the 30% of terrorists that were remaining finally got set to engage in a real, not one-sided battle. As both sides clashed, the Commander and Clark looked into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Captain Clark?¡± An aged voice sounded from the other end.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m your uncle¡±. Clark decided to irritate him.


    He was surprised that one blow from this old man made the wall crack, he was not even sure if he could make a dent on the wall with his first self-created technique being executed.


    This showed the old man¡¯s power. The wall served as a reliable protective totem to the city for decades because, in the country-wide wars, Vatican City is one of the least cities that the Mocans focus their attack on.


    Because of this, only the small fry normally attacked the city. The wall was clearly not built with the mind to withstand attacks from soldiers like this old man, it was made to be super effective against a horde of soldiers or beasts.


    Despite what Clark said, there was no change in the man¡¯s features, he behaved just like he was not the one spoken to. ¡°You killed 2 of my comrades. I¡¯ve heard of you long ago, it¡¯s nice finally getting to meet you¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor, old man¡­¡±


    Clark didn¡¯t even get to finish his sentence before he felt something sharp coming at his face. His danger bells ringed immediately, prompting him to dodge to the side but a deep sword gorge was still left in his face armor.


    Before he could react, his left cheeks shook inside his armor as he felt something hard slamming at the side of his cheeks.


    Though his armor blocked the damage, his face paled as he felt that he just lost a few teeth to that blow. He could not even see the old man again, he seemed to have disappeared.


    He tried retreating backward but a spiked leg kicked him from the back, throwing him down like a rag doll.


    A ton of damage was dealt to his armor from these few blows.


    Falling down this time, he finally reacted appropriately and rolled on the floor. Before standing, he already released his spear as the sharp weapon cut widely in a semi-circle arc around him.


    His left leg was not standing, while his right was on his knees as he quickly looked up to see the effect of his movements.


    He saw a shadow retreat slightly; this was when he finally saw the old terrorist Commander again. His armor covered his face, but Clark felt like the old man just smirked at him.


    He chuckled to himself. ¡°You really want to start that old man?¡±


    Seeing the old man keep quiet, he said nothing but his actions spoke for themselves. His presence became heavier all of a sudden as he started executing his battle art.


    He bolted forward from his position the next moment, swinging his spear left and right as the old man also advanced at him.


    Spear and shield clashed, making loud metallic noises. Clark bent down immediately after the clash; at some moment he already retrieved his sniper rifle on his hand as he placed it at a weird angle and let out a swift shot viciously.


    In between the legs; tyrannical!


    The high caliber bullet hit in between the legs of the old man, despite his armor absolving the damage Clark grinned on seeing that place turn from blue to red hot for a moment.


    He trusted his bullet, the kinetic force put in enough shock damage there.


    The old man stiffened for a moment after the gunshot but he struck down the next moment. Clark¡¯s armor took damage but he grinned, the old monster was finally angered.


    ¡°Good! Let¡¯s start all over!¡±


    As they both fought, Vatican soldiers were already clashing with the 30% of terrorists that were left behind.

 Chapter 327: siege battle

    After holding the defense of the wall for about 15 minutes as their leader fought a bitter battle with the opponent¡¯s old Commander, the Vatican soldiers finally made a change in their formation.


    Corporal Damn of the Dragon military division was the one leading and coordinating the army on Clark¡¯s behalf. As soon as his calculations clicked, he made adjustments without hesitation.


    ¡°S.F.C Daniel, take your Autumn Leaves Battalion and go to form a blockade at the far-left end of the wall¡±.


    ¡°Staff Sergeant Tom, take the New-era Vatican Battalion. I need you to form a similar blockade at the far-right end of the wall. Form a defensive perimeter, you¡¯ll meet the terrorists in 5 minutes max¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. Both soldiers saluted simultaneously before moving out with their soldiers the next moment.


    They were already tired of remaining idle while their leader and their comrades fought. Since the battle started, all the Battalions were left to rest, only soldiers of smaller military units went through the wall to help the leader.


    As a unit, they all boarded their military vehicles. Accompanied by their logistics and heavy weaponry vehicles, both Battalions moved away in opposite directions following the orders of the Corporal.


    As soon as both Battalions left, Corporal Damn turned to face the stern-faced lady that was beside him.


    As companions of a long time, he wanted to strike a joke at her on seeing the look on her face but he held himself back. This was official business.


    ¡°Sergeant Maria¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°For the central defense of the city, you will lead your Black Dragon Battalion to hold it. You will be our pivot that will support all sides, stay firm and coordinate our retreat when the time comes¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The lady had a solemn expression on her face.


    After receiving her orders, she saluted before leaving to give her soldiers one last prep talk.


    She made sure they were ready for the battle, that their machines and weapons were serviced, and nothing developed botches, after this did she finally let her heart rest at ease.


    She already made every preparation, now she only felt anticipation for the battle.


    Clang!


    A loud sound suddenly reverberated from both the right and the left like that of a metal slab being slapped at a beef slab, the soldiers standing behind the wall felt their blood burn hot from this sound.


    The battle was finally brought into their domain.


    On the right side of the wall, Staff Sergeant Tom felt his blood burn hot as the terrorists finally arrived. His hand holding his metallic staff vibrated in excitement, he could feel his hormones running rampant inside his body.


    ¡°For Vatican City!¡± He roared.


    ¡°For Vatican City!!¡± All his soldiers roared after him.


    They all followed him as they hauled themselves at the terrorists like they had no care for their lives, but this was misleading. As soon as they got close, exotic armors flickered to life on every single one of their bodies.


    For this battle, Clark and Vatican City burned money like water just to better equip the city¡¯s soldiers.


    When both sides clashed, that was why the sound was described as a metal slab and a meat slab slapping against each other.


    After the first soldier struck the first terrorist and vice versa, the difference brought about by splurging money became apparent.


    Yes, damage was done to the exotic armor and some shock was transferred inside but that was all. Whereas in the case of the terrorist, their petty armor was cut through like a hot knife cutting throw butter.


    The slapping sound was accompanied by blood flowing, but more terrorists quickly filled the gap to support their comrade. More and more, and even more quickly followed, rushing forward in an animal horde-like pattern.


    The Battalion did not use the tooth for tooth strategy, despite their current hot-bloodedness they still vividly remembered the order given by Corporal Damn.


    Despite feeling that it was a pity, Staff Sergeant Tom still gave the order before the situation could escalate further. ¡°Form a defensive perimeter, immediately!¡±


    They already practiced it for weeks, so they were super familiar with it. As soon as the order was given, they all retreated at the same time while releasing small pressure-filled bombs.


    Some terrorists reacted and cut the bombs apart in mid-air, but it still brought the same effect. The air quickly shifted like a god hand was moving through the air, before pushing tyrannically at the terrorists.


    Despite their overwhelming numbers, they were pushed back by the combined force of the bombs.


    As the terrorists fell back, the soldiers activated exotic shields immediately. This was the strategy, form a bulwark defense with a combination shield, and slowly wither the life out of the terrorists.


    Before the terrorists could react and rush back, the blue glow of the combination shields almost finished its convergence already.


    Then, a different terrorist showed up.


    She looked just like your everyday lady, but the way she acted and the special terrorist uniform on her said otherwise. Before Tom could react, the lady already jumped up.


    Her boots shot out blue energy as she accelerated rapidly to the still-forming shield. She stabbed down with her 2 knives. Knives seemed weak if looked at superficially, but this strange woman¡¯s knives bore a deep hole into the shield.


    The shield visibly compressed, then it shattered to pieces the next moment.


    Before the soldiers could respond, the seemingly petite lady landed in their midst. With 2 easy movements, 2 soldiers lost their heads. With a step forward, 5 others lost limbs and legs.


    She moved like a phantom, she seemed invisible and untouchable.


    ¡°Compact!¡± Tom yelled on seeing this.


    He already recognized this petite lady as another terrorist Commander. No matter how much Clark planned and prepared, there will always be variables to shake things up like this.


    They were prepared for this though, so they didn¡¯t freak out completely.


    Taking advantage of this opening brought by their Commander, the terrorists rushed at the soldiers and started penetrating through them.


    The soldiers quickly started compacting their formation. As they did this, their heavy weapons at the back started unleashing their load. The terrorists were not to be left out, they also unleashed theirs.


    The soldiers could not form a perfect defensive perimeter like intended, but they held their ground. The scenario quickly turned to soldiers ducking it out personally, and explosions rocking them from their support shooters behind.


    In such a scenario, the soldiers survived more due to the protection from their exotic armors but the terrorists didn¡¯t seem to give a damn.


    At the left side of the wall, something like this happened also but it was milder as no freakish terrorist Commander was there.


    In a few minutes, some terrorists penetrated the ranks of the soldiers and started running rampant deep into the city, destroying everything in sight.


    This did not bother the soldiers though, all the civilians were already evacuated and kept in safe locations.


    Today, they were battling to their heart¡¯s content.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 328: traitors

    A tense atmosphere filled the big room, the 5 commissioners tried to stay calm but they could not despite all their efforts. This feeling never felt old to them, the feeling of war.


    Almost every decade, they experienced bitter wars with their enemies, the Mocan republic. Because of that, they were supposed to have gotten used to it, but no, they were still as scared as the first time.


    As the top diplomatic leaders of Vatican City, they never got involved in the military campaigns of the soldiers. They were content with staying under the government building, which only made them feel more guilty.


    In the middle of the room, a huge holographic screen was projected and the ongoing battle was being shown.


    Seeing the terrorists batter hard at the soldiers while they tried their best to hold their ground, they felt tense. What if the soldiers couldn¡¯t hold? What if the wall was breached?


    The horrifying scenarios were just too much. They knew that they were overthinking, but they just couldn¡¯t let it go.


    Thinking of their families, children, and grandchildren that were kept in the underground bunkers with the other civilians, they felt helpless. They already lived long, even if they had to die it would not be too painful.


    But having to die with the knowledge that their family would die also, they were not sure if their spirit would rest in peace knowing that.


    The attack of the terrorists was relentless and hard, there seemed to not be any breakthrough point for the Vatican soldiers.


    In terms of numbers, the terrorists were superior.


    Unlike the army that selected only people that passed the graduation test to become soldiers, the Persian tigers organization took anyone that they saw into their ranks.


    Though this meant that the Vatican soldiers had the quality advantage on their side, it was reduced a lot in such a large battle involving tens of thousands of individuals.


    Turning to Clark¡¯s direction, there was no breakthrough there either. They already recognized the terrorist Commander as an old monster.


    As old as he was, though he was still just a 3rd rank high-grade terrorist, he already grew ripe and matured in that rank. He may have exhausted his potential to breakthrough already, but he was at the absolute peak of the rank.


    In the ongoing battle, he already revealed 3 different battle arts which were all to enhance his melee prowess. Though he only revealed one self-created technique that he used on the wall, nobody doubted that he had more.


    Clark was holding his mettle against him through his many weapons and gadgets, but he was still being trashed by the terrorist Commander.


    Since the first day that they got to know their leader, this was the first time that the commissioners saw Clark at such a disadvantage in a battle.


    His endurance was holding him on, but he looked pathetic like a kid that was being spanked by his anime grandfather. It was painful to the eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that guy, he is more than capable to protect himself¡±.


    All the commissioners turned to face Dickson who only shrugged at their stares. He was currently sitting down leisurely on a chair with his legs crossed on the table, a toothpick was resting lazily in between his teeth.


    Seeing this, the commissioners grew helpless. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything doing? Get something to do rather than slacking while others fight¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a Vatican soldier, I¡¯m here just as a favor for that guy¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As the atmosphere became heavy in the room, one of the commissioners interjected. ¡°Excuse me, leader, I¡¯m going to the restroom¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m going too¡±.


    The 2 commissioners stood up, directed another glare at Dickson before going off to the restroom. The others only sighed worriedly before turning back to look at the holographic screen.


    It was only a few minutes since the battle started, but blood was already flowing. It was mostly terrorist blood due to the hindrance of the wall and the strategies used by the soldiers, but some of the soldiers still died.


    Seeing the other 3 commissioners turn to watch the holographic screen, Dickson removed the casual expression from his face and secretly directed a glance at the 2 commissioners that were leaving together.


    Detecting nothing abnormal at a glance, he resumed his teeth picking and brought back his lazy attitude.


    The battlefield kept widening as the terrorists started running rampant in the city. As the trio of commissioners watched apprehensively, they suddenly grew surprised. They thought they just saw the wall shake.


    They rubbed their eyes; they just saw it again.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± The 2 commissioners turned to face the head commissioner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I did nothing¡±.


    Hearing this, Dickson quickly stood up and directed a glance at the holographic screen. Before the astonished gaze of the commissioners, the wall shook slightly before rapidly sinking back into the ground.


    Their eyes opened wide. They were familiar with this scene; this was the normal retrieval mechanism. This could not have been caused by a terrorist.


    ¡°What is happening?¡±


    Whoosh!


    Dickson turned and bolted away in the direction of the restroom immediately. There, he saw both commissioners and one of them was just removing his hand from the familiar virtual button.


    Seeing him, both commissioners turned and ran.


    Wom! Wom!


    [Head commissioner¡¯s authority has been overridden: All authority of the underground bunker is now under the custody of commissioner Craig.]


    [Grade-5 alert has been activated: Locking down the bunker.]


    Dickson tried to go after them, but heavy doors jutted out of the ground and blocked his path immediately. Hitting the door with his heavy shield, he gave up immediately and turned around to face the still shocked commissioners.


    ¡°What happened? How did Craig use my fingerprint?¡± The head commissioner was too shocked to talk properly.


    Dickson hardly gave a damn. ¡°Get your act together, old man. He simulated your fingerprint, and the bunker is now locked against us¡±.


    ¡°Did Craig betray the city?¡±


    ¡°Ask me again¡±.


    The head commissioner spaced out, still shocked.


    Ignoring him, Dickson picked up a special communication device and put a call through. ¡°Is this Corporal Damn?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Good! Your leader was right, there are indeed traitors. Spare some soldiers to go after these 2 commissioners, Craig and Terry. Send competent soldiers, they already took over a lot of virtual authority¡±.


    ¡°Ok, got it¡±. The call hung up the next moment.


    ¡°Come out, we have to go¡±. Dickson spoke at the wall.


    ¡°Sigh¡­, I thought this would be just a workover. I never knew that some of the commissioners were really traitors, what a shame. Now the wall is down, this war would become a lot more tedious¡±.


    The still shocked commissioners turned their heads animatedly only to see a familiar figure. ¡°King?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. How ya doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, commissioners, but you¡¯ll have to follow me¡±. Dickson came to their side the next moment. Before they could protest, he cuffed them all before dragging them to the side.


    ¡°Drag them gently, Dickshit. They¡¯re old men¡±. As King said this, he was already placing his hand into his bag. When he brought it out, a special bomb wrapped with red material appeared.


    Placing it down, he set the timer and retreated a bit.


    Boom!


    The sound shook the foundations of the sturdy bunker as a hole was blasted through the thick walls made from exotic metal. Both soldiers did not flinch. Taking hold of the commissioners, Dickson followed King outside.


    Clark hoped for this not to happen, but unfortunately, it did happen.


    But now was not the time to lament, they just had to move over to plan B- The Convergence plan.

 Chapter 329: surrounded

    Bam!


    Clark was slammed to the ground again like a rag doll, but his reactions were like those of a cheetah. Quickly shifting his body to the side, he dodged the old terrorist Commander¡¯s stab before entangling his leg into his.


    He grunted before bending his legs, the old man¡¯s legs let out cracking bone sounds as they bent a bit from the applied force.


    The old man¡¯s face did not change despite this maneuver. He only squatted a bit to lower his center of gravity, raised his legs with Clark accompanying it before stumping it back on the ground.


    Even before Clark hit the ground, the Commander¡¯s enormous shield was already coming down mightily.


    Bam!


    Booming sounds quickly reverberated following the mighty impact as Clark was embedded deep under the ground, the shockwave ravaged the ground in a distance of a few kilometers like the effects of an earthquake.


    He let out groaned painfully but he did not stay in one place. Not waiting for the aftereffects of the strike to subside, he jumped out of the hole in the ground and hauled himself at the Commander again.


    They were the only ones in that area, all of the terrorists and soldiers surrounding them made sure to keep a sizeable distance away from the 2 monster leaders.


    The surrounding area of their battlefield already turned to a desolate area. Cracked earth, rising flames, destroyed buildings, and a lot more were the dominant normal there which showed the intensity of their battle.


    They were already battling for some minutes, and though there was no clear winner yet it was completely one-sided.


    If it was the other female terrorist Commander, Clark was confident that he could trash her, but this old Commander was the real definition of old age is just a number. He was a complete monster.


    At times, he felt like he was fighting against a super optimized mechanical robot than a human soldier.


    All his attacks were precise and they had a purpose, they always ended up inflicting crippling damage to his armor. If his armor was not of the standard of the big 5, he was sure he would have become toasted meat to the Commander already.


    Attacking, retreating, defending, he was a maestro at them all.


    He hardly made mistakes in the battle, and even if he made one, he improvised so impeccably that Clark found no opportunities to retaliate at all. Without a doubt, this was his strongest opponent to date.


    He had no words to describe him, the Commander was inevitable.


    In terms of power, technique, battle plan, and improvision, the old terrorist Commander best him in every category.


    Perhaps, the only advantage he had was his decision making which was probably induced by his fusion with the enhancer but that meant fart here when his opponent could just crush him with pure power alone.


    For now, their battle was not about to have a winner anytime soon.


    As he fought him, his subordinate soldiers and the ordinary terrorists were also ducking it out in a bloody battle.


    Led by their female main Commander and the other minor commanders, they already breached the defense perimeter being held by the Autumn Leaves and The New-era Vatican Battalion.


    The Battalions already lost a lot of soldiers during the siege battle, but they were still holding their ground as they made a steady and organized withdrawal.


    Compared to the comrades that they lost, the terrorists lost a lot more but the death ratio was not as outrageously wide as the one of the previous night where they practically massacred them.


    The terrorists were puzzled by the actions of their opponents but they hardly gave a damn.


    Under the leadership of their female Commander, their momentum was already unstoppable. As they pushed forward, the Vatican soldiers gradually retreated while still holding their ground.


    The vicious thing about them was that they didn¡¯t just fight the soldiers, as they pushed them backward, the buildings and other resources that were left behind were not spared.


    The loud sounds of buildings collapsing kept on reverberating round the battlefield as house after house sank under the hooves of the terrorists, the weird thing was that the Vatican soldiers did not react.


    The losses from the buildings alone were already in the tens of millions of Spartan credits, but the Vatican soldiers continued their retreat like it did not concern them.


    Well, if it didn¡¯t concern the owners, they didn¡¯t give a damn also.


    With such a mentality, they carried on with their attack. After entering the city, the huge defense wall was no longer hindering them as much so they had all the room in the world to roam around, wreaking mischief.


    As he battled with Clark, despite being astonished by the level of competence revealed by the young Captain, the terrorist Commander did not put his mind on that at the moment as he contemplated in silence.


    After battling Clark for so long, he already resigned to the fact that the captain¡¯s outrageous armor meant that the battle would be a long one.


    He already stopped putting in all his effort long ago, now he just kept on smacking Clark to keep him in check.


    Clark was too dangerous to be left to roam about, so he was content with keeping him occupied like this until everything was over.


    The only problem was that Clark was too calm.


    From the direction of the battle, though Vatican City was still holding on, it was clear that they were the losing side.


    As he thought, his eyes suddenly sharpened as he felt an exaggerated exclamative reaction from Clark. Turning his head, he saw the enormous wall shake a bit before falling back into the ground.


    Seeing this happen, his eyes gleamed sharply.


    Every single Vatican soldier on the battlefield was shocked on seeing this, even the terrorist subordinates were shocked.


    This did not prevent them from taking advantage of it though. They didn¡¯t need any reminder from their Commanders, the other terrorists that were originally still outside the wall swarmed out in numbers into the city.


    For a moment, the soldiers were caught off-guard as the sudden increase in offensive overwhelmed them.


    This did not last though as Corporal Damn quickly gave new orders. As soon as they heard the orders, a change quickly rippled through the atmosphere.


    Just like a train that hit the automatic breaks, they stopped their retreat. With organized movements, every Battalion and unit on the battlefield rearranged themselves to form the turtle shell battle formation.


    Soldiers wielding shields came to the front and formed a blockade, the others stayed behind and supported.


    The terrorists who were elated about the sudden withdrawal of the wall which was a great hindrance to them jerked a bit, they didn¡¯t know why they felt anxious all of a sudden.


    Like the others, Clark was shocked on seeing the wall withdraw back but after understanding what happened, he only sighed before recovering.


    He noticed the old man taunting him but he paid him no attention. Blocking another blow from him, he stood stubbornly, blocked, and held the shield before looking straight into his eyes.


    He shook his head. ¡°Sorry old man, but not today!¡±


    With a sudden maneuver, he tried to leave their small battlefield but the old commander quickly reacted intending to block his path.


    He turned around immediately as his spear suddenly started shining brighter, executing his first self-created technique he rammed his spear straight into the armor of the Commander.


    The old man reacted with shock on noticing the power behind the strike. He dodged to the side in the nick of time but unknowing to him, an ax was coming at his head.


    As soon as the Commander dodged his first one, Clark activated his second self-created technique and rammed the huge ax into the commander¡¯s face.


    The Deity¡¯s Fists empowered the ax so much that it directly breached the defense of the Commander¡¯s armor, he reacted quickly again but the ax still took a small chunk of flesh from his face as blood flowed.


    Whoosh!


    Shocked, the commander retreated quickly before touching his injured face with his hands.


    When he raised his head, Clark already retreated, and surprisingly, he was quickly surrounded protectively by the soldiers of the Black Dragon Battalion.


    He felt a bad premonition on seeing this, he finally looked closer.


    This was when he noticed that he and his forces seemed to have been surrounded. They were the ones pursuing the Vatican soldiers, but unknowingly to them, they were already surrounded by soldiers from all sides.


    ¡°Retreat¡­!¡± He trusted his gut feeling, he wanted to order a retreat but what he feared happened first.


    Raising his hands, Clark shot a flare into the air as it quickly scattered into colorful lights the next moment. When the lights faded, the city was surrounded in a bright blue glow, forming a dome shape.


    Seeing this, the Commander¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    His eyes widened in realization. ¡°Vatican City planned all this from the beginning, but these are all their forces¡±.


    He was puzzled. ¡°What other card do they have?¡±


    He was answered not in words, but with real action.

 Chapter 330: the convergence plan

    ¡°We are surrounded, and trapped!¡±


    This was the only thought that was in the terrorists¡¯ minds after a series of events that transpired as soon as the wall was withdrawn back.


    They had the advantage before, they had the advantage of stronger experts in the form of their Commanders and numbers too. They were winning, which only should have been strengthened after the wall withdrew.


    But no, it seemed that the wall withdrawing was a curse rather than a blessing to them in this case.


    As soon as Clark shot the flare into the air, an enormous energy shield in a dome shape that covered the whole city rose from the ground. Its size alone was intimidating.


    Seeing such a big shield rising up was intimidating, but it was far less intimidating than if it was a weapon that was that big.


    As soon as it finished covering the whole city, the terrorists were surprised to observe something. The shield was not protecting the city from them but was actually trapping them inside the city with the Vatican soldiers.


    It was something that only a fool would do, but this assumption changed in just a few seconds after the shield was fully erected.


    From deep inside the city, dust suddenly started rising from the distance like a pack of rhinos were stampeding towards the direction of the battlefield.


    When what was inducing the dust became clearer, the terrorists sucked in a breath of cold air. It was a disorganized group of soldiers; they were clearly not a proper military force but their numbers were the real deal.


    This group consisted of soldiers from the Spartan army, policemen in the city, road safety officials, and all the other paramilitary forces of the city whose members underwent any form of military training.


    If they came alone that would have not been too frightening, but they didn¡¯t. Exotic vehicles, various exotic heavy weapon vehicles, and even more tank vehicles trailed behind them like bodyguards.


    At the front of this group were 2 soldiers riding 2 black bikes in an all-black outfit. Closely behind them followed another group of individuals, also dressed in all-black.


    The rhythm at which the wind blew suddenly seemed to have developed a pattern to it, imaginary boss music seemed to be ringing in the background as this happened.


    Dickson and King felt like heroes as they rode at the front of the group, but they did not smile. Heroes don¡¯t smile, that was the cool factor.


    Albert, Jason and his clique, and Clark¡¯s followers from the Spartan army followed behind the 2 leaders of their troop as they arrived at the battlefield with a bang. King announced their arrival in case some terrorists missed it.


    Boom!


    The bomb explosion rocked the ground, spreading red-hot fire across like holy rain as they drenched the still shocked terrorists with their loads.


    Dickson was not about to let him hoard all the glory for himself, taking hold of his shield, he jumped from his bike, did a few backflips in the air before landing while slamming the shield down.


    The ground cracked; the crack quickly expanded as it snaked outwards swiftly like the flash. After announcing their entry, they finally started the exciting part, battle!


    ¡°Attack!¡± Who else but Albert would yell this?


    As soon as they arrived on the battlefield, the pause button that seemed to have been pressed by an invisible god before finally got pressed again. The battle resumed, and this time it was completely different.


    The terrorists were not even done organizing themselves to form a proper resistance before another variable appeared. Behind them, close to where the wall was erected before came openings that led under the ground.


    And from this underground came another group of reinforcement- The Pendragon mercenary group!


    Their debut into the battlefield was almost as iconic as that led by Dickson and King. Not about to be outdone, Captain Briggs and Captain Josh led the mercenaries out intimidatingly.


    Unlike the others, they didn¡¯t have military vehicles that they brought from underground but they had alternatives.


    Boom! Boom!


    Bombs were released like they were water, and like they were only worth fart. They rocked the battlefield, spreading a mutual destruction vibe. This was how they announced their entrance into the battlefield.


    In just a few seconds, just like a switch was flipped, all the advantages that were originally on the side of the terrorists got overturned.


    They originally had the advantage of numbers, but these 2 new additions negated all the advantages that they originally had.


    They originally had the advantage of quality also before, being two 3rd rank high-grade soldiers but now that was negated too. Adding Josh, Briggs, and King, that was now four 4th rank high-grade soldiers on the side of the Vatican soldiers.


    In terms of 2nd and 1st rank high-grade soldiers, the difference was already too much to compare, it was painful to the eyes.


    And to cap up their misery, the city was already locked down by the enormous shield. They didn¡¯t know how durable it was, but for it to cover the whole city it had to be freakishly durable.


    Commander Titu¡¯s face grew gloomy immediately on seeing the sudden turn of events, a heavy aura already surrounded him. What he worried about was that every single one of his soldiers was here.


    He felt like laughing at himself, he was played and toyed with by some kids who were not even born yet when he started conquering the world.


    ¡°Well played, kids. Well played¡±. He laughed loudly like a maniac.


    Their fate was already sealed, the best he could do to satisfy himself was to unleash all his power on Clark and show him that some boundaries shouldn¡¯t be crossed in this world.


    As he was about to move, he suddenly stiffened and stopped.


    ¡°Old man, stop there. We¡¯re your opponents!¡± Josh patted his chest smugly while dragging Captain Briggs along without shame.


    The old Commander smirked. ¡°2 against 1, are you not ashamed?¡±


    Josh counter-smirked. ¡°An old man like you battling kids like us, are you not ashamed?¡±


    The Commander¡¯s face darkened; he took a deep breath to calm his mind down. ¡°You really have a foul mouth; I¡¯ll do you a favor and correct it. Even if my subordinates all die today, Vatican City will remember me¡±.


    ¡°Come¡­, come and experience my power¡±. He widened his hands.


    ¡°Old man, cut the bullshit and¡­¡±


    Bam!


    Josh did not finish as he felt the blunted side of a sword smacking against his face immediately. He didn¡¯t see the opponent, but he knew who attacked him.


    Despite feeling pains, he did not shout in pain. He turned his head to the side and screamed at his ally. ¡°F*ck you Briggs, do you think I¡¯m Clark? Come here let¡¯s teach this old fool a lesson¡±.


    Thud!


    He was interrupted again as he felt a leg sharply hitting his back, he was slammed to the floor. Despite his armor protecting him, he felt that a little dirt entered his mouth. He spat, disgusted.


    Seeing this, Captain Briggs shook his head, feeling a little embarrassed. This was probably going to be his most embarrassing battle since he became a Captain, this old man was a freak.


    He crossed his mind like he was going for the execution ground before sprinting forward to clash with the old fool bravely.


    He was caught in the neck by one hand, the Commander¡¯s other enormous hand grabbing Josh on the cheeks as he slammed the both of them to the floor in a mighty throw.


    They were suffering, but they were doing the job of holding the freak down so everything was good.


    As they fought, the whole area surrounding them already descended into chaos. Soldiers and terrorists clashed like water and fire, a nemesis that could never combine nor mix up.


    The war that was prepared for over a month finally started for real.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 331: victory was not too far now

    Boom!


    The both of them ducked clumsily, falling pathetically as the vibrating shockwave of the explosion rocked the earth and swept them from their feet like a groom carrying his bride.


    The description felt romantic, but both commissioners were currently in a pinch that left them feeling tense and worried.


    Commissioner Terry turned to face his more resolute counterpart. ¡°Are you sure that we made the right decision? Things seem not to be going according to plan¡±.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Commissioner Craig snorted. ¡°No matter what tricks he decides to play, Captain Clark will still die today. I know the terrorist Commander; I have seen him fight before¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the things that he¡¯s killed, I¡¯m not sure our Captain has half of their strength. He¡¯s just a meat before the butcher in front of the Commander¡±.


    ¡°He¡¯s just a new 3rd rank high-grade soldier, there¡¯s no way that he can survive under the strong hooves of that old man¡±.


    ¡°The day that he made the decision was the day he lost favor with me, he¡¯s taking the city towards a path of doom¡±.


    ¡°The Persian tigers organization cannot be eradicated, even the whole Spartan republic can¡¯t eradicate it, I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s so adamant about it¡±.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been living with the knowledge of their existence for decades, and we¡¯ve managed. That¡¯s why I hate soldier leaders, they may bring a lot of benefits but problems almost always follow too¡±.


    ¡°With such a leader that makes decisions with his muscles and fists rather than his brain, what do you expect?¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± He suddenly turned back to face Terry.


    The commissioner shrank. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts, we¡¯ve done it and there is no reversal. Trust me, this city will lose its leader today. And don¡¯t worry, the terrorists would not overrun the city, I already signed a contract with them to leave it under my leadership¡±.


    ¡°Oh, ok¡±. Commissioner Craig gulped.


    After the effects of the explosion subsided and no subsequent one followed, they stood up again and continued their escape farther from the location of the battlefield.


    When they first saw the huge energy shield that covered the whole city arise, they freaked out and were shocked.


    They recognized what an investment of money it was and this made their faith in the decision waver a bit, but Commissioner Craig quickly recovered and found a way to convince his partner otherwise.


    They didn¡¯t know how much the shield was worth which only confirmed their guess that the leader hid a lot of the battle plans from them, despite this they knew that the shield was freakishly expensive.


    Commissioner Craig was the one who made contact with the terrorists, not when Clark proposed the plan, but he already had contact with the terrorists before now.


    As commissioners of the city, unlike the citizens, they knew what was happening behind the scene.


    They knew that the republic was not as united as was preached to the civilians, a lot of higher-ups were fighting to pull President Leonidas down from his exalted throne.


    This fight was what resulted in the Persian tigers organization in the first place. That was why despite the enormous military power of the republic, they still couldn¡¯t eradicate it yet.


    Having already known that the terrorist organization was not as preached to the civilians, most of the commissioner¡¯s perception of the state of affairs of their city started warping.


    If you cannot purge them, join them; this started as just a thought but it soon grew into a full-fledged reality.


    Commissioner Craig didn¡¯t know about the other commissioners, but he already started doing various business that was not convenient to be done publicly with the terrorists. And this didn¡¯t start today, it started decades ago.


    As he already started making profit from business transactions with the terrorists, then why should he purge them from the city? It was just business in the first place.


    Due to this, since the first day that Captain Clark revealed the plan, he opposed it immediately.


    He couldn¡¯t reveal his plan because of protocols, but he was determined to make the captain¡¯s plan fail. He tried to use his secret communication method to the terrorists, but this was when he discovered that he was being watched.


    They didn¡¯t even try to hide it, the soldier stalking him made it so blatantly that only a blind man could not discover it. He came to a realization; this was a silent warning from the captain.


    He guessed that this deterred the other commissioners, but it could not deter him. He was still determined to do it.


    He was patient, just like a Viper stalking his prey. When he received the reports of the night raid, he was shocked as the victory margin was just too much to be achieved alone by the Vatican soldiers and the Dragon military division.


    He guessed that the captain brought secret reinforcements, but this did not deter him still. Perhaps, it was fear that he had, but he called it respect for the old terrorist Commander.


    Titus was a monster!


    He knew him and saw him in action decades ago when they were still middle-aged men, now they were old but he knew the physique of high-grade soldiers.


    He knew that instead of deteriorating due to age, the old man would have become even more frightening now.


    Last night, when the attack was going on, spreading chaos throughout the city he finally confirmed that his stalker was gone. He made his move then, contacting the terrorist Commander immediately.


    Due to a lot of interference set up by the soldiers of the city, it took him a lot of effort and time before he finally got through to them.


    After getting to them, he quickly updated them on the circumstances of the city, the military force of the city, and the possible reinforcements brought by Captain Clark.


    In exchange, he signed a contract with them that would make him the default leader of the city after the battle was over, this was as long as Captain Clark died.


    To him, the terms were completely unacceptable.


    After signing the contract, that same night he contacted commissioner Terry. Being the most undecisive member of the parliament, he was able to convince the commissioner to join his cause without much effort.


    All they promised him was that, after the battle was over, Terry would become his second-in-command ruler of the city.


    In this era, power meant prestige, and prestige meant money. Nobody hated money, with money a lot of things could be done.


    This was the sole reason that motivated his decision.


    When he saw the energy shield cover the city, instead of being afraid, after thinking about it some more he instead smirked in ridicule. To him, this was foolish as Captain Clark already sealed his fate by doing this.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see your head¡±.


    He turned to his counterpart again. ¡°It¡¯s not long now, let¡¯s go a little bit farther and we would reach the reinforced shelter secret bunker that I bought¡±.


    As fragile old men, the shockwaves and vibration induced by the battle were enough to damage them severely but they were able to stand only because they were protected by exotic armors.


    After stumbling forward another few meters, they finally opened something like a lid on the road and went underground- into the reinforced shelter bunker that they already prepared.


    After getting inside, they finally relaxed, brought out a bottle of whiskey, and started sipping to cool their rapidly beating hearts.


    Boom!


    They heard booming sounds again, but it only made them nod to the taste of the whiskey.


    Victory was not too far now.

 Chapter 332: enthusiastic fighting

    Fire! Burning hot fire; this was what filled the region of the battle where King and Dickson reigned supreme as the absolute overlords.


    Both were already in their game, and they were absolutely killing it. Since their debut into the battle, they just kept on wreaking disaster everywhere with no care of the world.


    King didn¡¯t know why he felt like this, but this was already seeming to be his most exciting battle to date.


    Perhaps, it was because he just fought for himself and his insatiable desire to obtain more bomb samples before.


    But now, fighting with the knowledge that the fate of a whole city was resting on his shoulders brought him a strange feeling that he was not familiar with.


    He felt heroic for the first time; what a nice feeling it was!


    ¡°Burn!¡±


    Boom! Boom!


    His huge custom-made bomb launcher kept on shooting the mischievous little things out as they ravaged the battlefield without any feeling of remorse, it was a complete wiping.


    Unlike the soldiers using conventional weapons, one shot of his was guaranteed to reap the lives of at least 2 dozen soldiers.


    It was an expensive way of fighting, but he had enough of them in reserve. As a bomb sample collector from his teenage years, he was not sure if he would ever get out of bombs to use.


    And most especially now when he just came from the Aragan research lab where he looted a ton of the stuff. Unlike Dickson that had storage problems then, he had a custom-made contracted space bag for his missions.


    The space inside was enough for him to store as much as he wanted, though he felt a little regret that he was not able to loot all the bombs due to the sheer number of them.


    The ones that he looted could last him decades if he decided to use them prudently, but unfortunately, he was not prudent.


    ¡°Yah, yah, yah!¡±


    His hands just kept rotating around the battlefield as bomb after bomb came out of his bomb launcher, he did not forget to cheer with the sweet sound of the explosions. It always made his blood pressure rise higher.


    His exotic boots spewed out blue energy as they carried him around the battlefield like he was a gold medal Olympian of the 21st century, it just felt so good, and cool also.


    As he enjoyed himself, Dickson was not about to be left out too.


    Though his fighting style was much less flashy, and mostly like that of a turtle hiding behind its shell, he was not using that currently.


    He moved through the battlefield heavily like a lumbering truck under the control of a drunk driver, he bulldozed everywhere, his enormous shield smacking terrorists to meat paste left and right.


    Nobody could injure him, so why defend? And who the hell said that shields could only be used to defend? Smash the hell out of them!


    Bam! Bam!


    This was the only sound that could be heard wherever he went, accompanied by the squelching sound of flesh being crushed at times as he ravaged through the battlefield like the hulk.


    Despite his effectiveness on the battlefield, he still envied King a bit. ¡°I want a bomb launcher too¡±.


    Seeing their 2 leaders fight indomitably on the battlefield, Albert, Jason, and his clique¡¯s eyes blazed like stars in the night sky.


    Unlike the others, Albert donned an electronic black eyeglass also. He didn¡¯t have any reason for that, it was just that it made him look like a don, and it was super freakishly cool too.


    Though he was nowhere as effective as King, he was close to Dickson in the amount of destruction that he wrath on the battlefield.


    His spears were like the scepter of death as he deleted terrorist lives one after the other from the battlefield like he was the master of purgatory. None of his opponents could survive more than 3 blows from his spear.


    He loved to use his different gadgets and machines right now as they would surely up his killing speed by considerable margins, but sadly he could not. He felt like crying.


    After Clark took him as a student, one of the main things that he emphasized was that he should not rely on artificial gadgets too much in battles.


    He felt sour, but he knew that his master was right; he could only grudgingly accept the order to please his master.


    Despite this handicap, he was still killing it on the battlefield.


    The terrorists were just too disadvantaged now, having lost hope and all motivation to battle, their resistance became a lot lesser, granting the soldiers easier kills.


    ¡°1st invisible sir is still the best, Invisible!¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes glittered like diamonds were actually inside its depths, a soldier close to him shuddered as he felt like he just saw a reflection of his bald head from deep inside this freak¡¯s head.


    Not paying attention to anyone around him, Jason turned to face his subordinates who were more or less his friends.


    They were already battling for minutes, but they finally wanted to give their all. Seeing the enthusiasm coming from his friends, his smile widened. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes!!¡± They practically yelled at him, it only made him grin widely.


    ¡°For the Invisible sirs!¡±


    ¡°FOR THE INVISIBLE SIRS!¡±


    The sound was even louder than that of the explosions rocking the battlefield. By the time the nearby soldiers looked over, they were not there again.


    Why should they be there? They were already deep inside the battlefield, close to where their idol fought, the 1st invisible sir.


    ¡°Sigh¡±.


    The Vatican soldiers felt that they just heard the shield-wielding soldier sigh, but they were not sure so they turned to face their battle enthusiastically.


    As soon as Jason and his friends got close to Dickson¡¯s position, they let loose, pounding, stabbing, slashing, even hugging terrorists left and right as they showed the filthy man-killers what they were made off.


    As soon as the shield came out, the situation already turned against the terrorists. They had no hopes at all.


    They were just prolonging the battle to bleed their enemies a bit, but the soldiers were more than happy to play with them.


    As they fought in melee battles, at the back the exotic military vehicles were not idle. The tanks kept on propelling projectiles into their midst, bullets raked everywhere, making parts of the battlefield become bald.


    Nothing could save the terrorists now, the only thing that could turn a situation like this around was battleships. But that was not an option.


    [Rule 1.8 of the big 5 war constitution: Battleships are banned from battles involving small parties, and skirmishes- scroll down to know more about the rules and regulations.]


    [If battleships must be used, it must be a battle to the death where a whole country is either annexed or destroyed.]


    [Any small battle that was discovered to involve battleships, all participants of the battle will face the combined wrath of the big 5.]


    [Signatory: Presidents of the big 5.]


    This was the reason why in all the battles Clark has fought in since his career started as a soldier, none of them involved battleships.


    Battleships were weapons of mass destruction, if they were used too frequently the earth would have been destroyed long ago. The great battle of supremacy taught humanity a lot of lessons.


    Commander Titus indeed had the thought cross his mind, the thought to call for battleship support but he dared not. Only a fool dares to cross the boundaries set by the big 5.


    He could only sigh in regret.


    ¡°This time, I failed¡±.


    [Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 333: the climax

    Bzzz!


    ¡°Hello, Mr. King?¡±


    ¡°Not this again¡±. King grumbled as soon as he heard this. ¡°I told you to call me Captain like the others, I grew up in a relatively lawless region does not mean that I¡¯m not qualified to be a Captain too¡±.


    ¡°Ok, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Say, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Ok, Captain. Please, I want to inform you that you¡¯re needed to help hinder the activities of a key terrorist at bay¡±.


    ¡°That female Commander?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    Even as he talked through his special communication device with Corporal Damn who was the overall coordinator of the Vatican soldiers in this battle, King was still doing his dark work.


    Boom!


    Corporal Damn on the other end kept quiet to allow the loud booming sound to subside. From his location at the back of the formation of soldiers, he could see who he was speaking with at the distance.


    At this moment, King practically already branched away from the rough unit of soldiers that he entered the battle with.


    Everywhere around him was red, burning fire dominated every part of the battlefield that he went through. The battle was already going on for minutes, and his touch was already everywhere on the battlefield.


    His bombs were not his only option though; when brave high-grade terrorists attempted to close him down that was when they experienced the horror of their life.


    This man was not competent with bombs alone, with cold melee weapons, he was a boss too.


    With smooth movements, he unsheathed a sword from his back which he used to kickstart his close-ranged massacre across the ranks of the terrorists.


    Among the side of the Vatican soldiers, apart from Captain Clark who was doing what could only be described as evil work, King was undoubtedly the best performer who bled the terrorists the most.


    After killing another clustered set of terrorists, he finally stopped in one place and directed his attention at the female terrorist Commander.


    Just like he and Dickson wreaked havoc across the terrorist ranks, so also did the female terrorist Commander wreaked havoc. The only difference was that the resistance against her was much sturdier, rendering her helpless.


    Despite her helplessness, Vatican soldiers still died to her at a steady rate.


    ¡°You mean I should pin her down, right?¡± He asked into the comm.


    ¡°Yes, Captain, Vatican City will really appreciate¡­¡±


    ¡°Done¡±. He didn¡¯t let the Corporal finish before he gave his consent.


    As soon as he gave his consent, he stumped on the ground, making it crack as his exotic boots spewed out blue energy in waves. He flew up the next moment, going straight in the direction of the female Commander.


    Commander Keidi had a weary expression on her face, she was already feeling demotivated about the battle but she did not stop her actions. Killing more Vatican soldiers appeased her mind.


    She was one of the 2 Commanders that were assigned to come to the Vatican City region temporarily, at first, she thought it was just something trivial but she would have never expected this.


    When Commander after Commander of the same rank as she was started dying to the forces of the small city, she finally started re-evaluating how she saw it. She was shocked, she just couldn¡¯t explain it.


    She advocated that they kill Clark, but she never thought that they were just playing into his hands. He was playing them like they were just chess pieces on a chessboard.


    She didn¡¯t know when last she felt respect for youngsters, but she felt respect for this one. Even if all her subordinates died here today, as long as she escaped, she was fine.


    She was just waiting for the signal from the old man.


    As she wanted to continue her battle, she suddenly ducked before leaping backward. 2 daggers flew above her head, she dodged at the nick of time as King quickly landed beside her.


    She recognized him; this man was among the stranger reinforcements that the city brought to crush them.


    She felt anger seeing him, without thinking she attacked.


    Clang!


    Blocking with his sword, King did not say anything as he quickly counter-attacked, starting his official battle with this terrorist Commander.


    ¡­


    It was just a few minutes before an hour since the battle started.


    Corporal Jack still felt that it was unreal. Emily was not on the battlefield due to her pregnancy, she volunteered to join but Clark vehemently refused.


    As her fianc¨¦e, he felt complicated.


    When Clark just came back from his last mission and Emily became so happy, he felt jealous and angered. Not at Emily, not even at Clark, but at himself for not being exceptional enough.


    If he was as strong as Clark, maybe his fianc¨¦e wouldn¡¯t have had a crush on the captain. His most ambitious goal in life was to surpass Captain Clark.


    This was what he aimed for, but in this battle, he finally confirmed that it was just an unrealistic ambition. Clark was not somebody that he could surpass, he resigned to his fate.


    When Clark just came to ask for the Pendragon mercenary group¡¯s help, he felt angry that the captain was about to use the lives of the mercenaries to further his ambitious goals.


    He felt resentment because of a lot of other reasons, but when the battle finally started that was when his eyes opened.


    The mercenaries were not the main force at all, they were just there as support. With Captain Briggs and Captain Josh holding the terrorist Commander at bay, they were free to wreak havoc.


    Their fortune showed in the sense that, despite all the casualties the Vatican soldiers already suffered they¡¯ve only suffered 3 deaths which were negligible in such a chaotic battlefield.


    All this was made possible by Clark¡¯s meticulous planning, not only that but the overwhelming strength that he was showing on the battlefield.


    All he felt now for him was¡­, admiration.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    The exotic car stumped and crushed terrorists to meat paste without a care of the world, steamrolling through them like they were weed in farmland that needed to be plucked and burnt.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    As it moved, bullets sprayed from the gun ports at its side like a hail of rain. With the worry of overheating already eliminated by the complex exotics stuffed into its bulk, it just kept on shooting the bullets out.


    Clark didn¡¯t know how many terrorists he and his exotic car already killed, not that he cared though. All that was in his mind was kill more, kill more, and kill more again without pause.


    With all the main people that could hinder him on the battlefield restricted by his reinforcement, he continued his massacre without holding back.


    The terrorists tried to avoid him but he was faster than them. The last thing they saw before going to the afterworld was the edge of his blade, then their heads were detached from their body.


    Battling for so long, he was already feeling exhausted but he firmly suppressed it to the side. He was not resting; he was not over until the battle was over.


    Looking at the battlefield now, it was no longer steaming with terrorists but now it was soldiers. More than 70% of the terrorists that came for the attack already died, and the others had nowhere to escape to.


    The battle was already drawing to an end, the crumbs were the ones now left to pick up one by one.


    ¡°Keidi, we¡¯ve done our best. It¡¯s time to leave¡±.


    Hearing the heaviness in the tone, Clark stiffened for a moment. This was from a transmission device that he secretly attached to the terrorist Commander¡¯s uniform when he fought with him.


    ¡°He wants to escape¡±.


    As soon as he turned his head to look, he saw the terrorist Commander casually slap Captain Briggs and Josh aside before getting on the run.


    At the same time, the female terrorist Commander smoothly disengaged from King and started running also.


    Seeing this, all of them reacted.


    Captain Briggs, Josh, Clark, King, and Dickson, all left their positions and went after the 2 Commanders. The atmosphere on the battlefield became stiffer and heavier as soon as this happened.


    The battle was slowly coming to an end, and now the climax was here.

 Chapter 334: we won

    In an enclosed room underground, 3 old men sat on chairs as they watched the ongoing battle with rapt attention under the supervision of a lady clothed in red from head to toe.


    Seeing the rapt attention on the 3 Commissioner¡¯ faces, Emily clicked her tongue playfully.


    Clark didn¡¯t allow her to enter the battlefield, but he gave her another work which was to detain the Commissioners in the case that they were really traitors of the city.


    Head Commissioner Patrick sighed. ¡°Craig was too hot-headed and self-confident, what an ending it would be¡±.


    Seeing the hidden cards that were dropped repeatedly on the battlefield since they found the traitors, they finally confirmed that Clark actually didn¡¯t trust any of them from the onset.


    Only the superficial parts of his battle plan were exposed to them.


    The rest, he kept them tightly to himself, hidden from them and now they were experiencing the shock as the reinforcement unveiled themselves one after the other.


    As soon as all the cards were revealed, they made their calculations and came to their own conclusion. The battle was already decided, and the terrorists¡¯ only fate was being defeated.


    Minutes ago, they already lost the motivation to watch the battle. Now, they were just thinking about the verdict that¡¯ll be pronounced on them after everything was over.


    They didn¡¯t know Clark as much as they thought they knew; it was now that they came to this realization. They couldn¡¯t even guess the verdict that would be declared on them, they were just miserable clueless old men.


    As they looked on vacantly, their attention was suddenly drawn back to the projected screen as a larger commotion suddenly seemed to have started.


    Emily also sat up; her eyes fixated unblinkingly on the projection.


    ¡­


    Commander Titus bulldozed his way through the soldiers like they were non-existent before him, not even a million clusters of them could hold back his hulking form as he went for the exit point.


    The soldiers were confident in the defense of the dome-shaped shield that covered the whole city, but they were still alert and determined to stop him before he got there.


    For a 3rd rank high-grade soldier like this terrorist Commander, common sense was no longer correct to gauge what they were capable of again.


    As if a switch was turned on, the scattered attention of both forces fighting on the battlefield suddenly converged in a single direction, where the 2 terrorist commanders were escaping to.


    The terrorists knew that they were dying already, the last thing that they could do for the organization was making sure that their Commanders escaped.


    2 Commanders already died in the filthy hands of the city, they could not allow more to die or they would have lost both the battle and the war too.


    This was the thought of the terrorists, while for the Vatican soldiers, they knew that the battle was over already and victory was theirs, they just wanted to make the victory much more memorable and legendary.


    If they could help their leader kill one, just one more of the Commanders then it was enough to leave all their names in the history of the Spartan republic.


    As one, they all turned their focus and started sprinting forward in the same direction that the Vatican leaders and the 2 terrorist Commanders were rushing towards.


    Commander Titus had a stern expression on his face as he ran forward. Not once did he look back, all his attention was focused on the target before him which was the huge energy shield.


    If determination was tangible, then they were his sweat that was currently pouring down as he tried to activate an intangible energy that was hidden at the depths of his existence.


    This hidden power, this power that empowered battle arts and high-grade soldiers, it was only once that he¡¯s been able to harness it tangibly in a battle and that was decades ago.


    As the old monster that he was, he knew a lot of things that were mysteries to the much younger soldiers. Of course, he¡¯s heard of Elite Commanders and the secret behind their power.


    He was not confident that he could break through the enormous energy shield that covered the city with his power alone, he needed to harness that power that was lying deep inside him.


    It did not take long before his partner, Commander Keidi, converged with him but he did not spare her a glance now did he speak a word to her. She understood what he was harnessing, so she also kept her peace.


    The more they got closer to the energy shield, the more Clark and the opponent''s 3rd rank high-grade soldiers got close to them.


    Clark suddenly jumped up from the back, his multi-purpose boots shooting out a red fire as he was propelled rapidly at the Commander.


    With veins popping out, the terrorist Commander suddenly rotated his body. His sword hit Clark, making the young genius fly back at the speed of a jet.


    The commander was not done, using the impact from striking Clark as a propeller, he suddenly turned, held his shield tightly before rushing at the huge energy shield with his self-created technique activated.


    Bam! Crack!


    He quickly turned and grabbed his female counterpart before jumping through the small hole that was made outside the energy shield. He left his exotic shield behind; it was too big to pass through the hole formed by his attack.


    As soon as they both left, the shield repaired the damage and went back to normal. Seeing this, King and the others only felt a little regret before they went back to continue the work that they loved best.


    Against the terrorist Commander, they hated it, but against the normal terrorists, they loved it.


    Someone that could smack Clark away so easily was not an opponent that they wanted to battle. The 2 terrorist Commanders escaped; there was nothing they could do about it, but they could make up for it.


    Turning, they hauled themselves at the remaining terrorists to finish the job.


    Ugh!


    Groaning painfully, Clark finally stood up and looked into the distance. His body most especially his back was aching from the strike, he felt a deep respect for the terrorist Commander but also felt that it was a pity.


    ¡°They still escaped¡±. He sighed.


    This was not able to bring down his mood though, his plan for this purge was beyond successful already. Seeing the few terrorists that remained standing, his eyes glittered like he was seeing free dollars on the floor for him to take.


    ¡°I¡¯ll gladly farm this then¡±.


    Taking over control of his exotic car that was in the distance again, he continued his massacre to put an end to what he started.


    The terrorists already lost all hopes, but having seen their 2 Commanders escape, they were encouraged by that and still stood their ground to bleed the Vatican soldiers as much as possible before they died.


    Despite this, with soldiers like Clark, King, and the others free to wreak havoc, they had no chances at all.


    10 minutes later, every person wearing the uniform of the Persian tigers organization was now just a pool of blood.


    The soldiers stood and looked at this scene in disbelief, they still couldn¡¯t believe what they just achieved.


    The city was a mess, buildings across kilometers were now just dust and overturned earth. Fire raged at various parts of the city; the scene was that of destruction but none of them felt sad. They felt elated.


    ¡°We won?¡± A soldier asked disbelievingly, and this lit the spark.


    ¡°WE WON!¡± ¡°WE WON!¡±


    [Thanks for winning, I''m so happy, we won!]

 Chapter 335: the final sweep

    Seeing the joy and happiness emanating from the soldiers surrounding him, Clark could not help but let himself drown in this feeling. This was a feeling that he loved; that feeling of victory, he never got tired of it.


    Despite not being citizens of Vatican City, seeing the result of their efforts before their face, King, Josh, Captain Briggs, and all the invited reinforcements felt a proud feeling well inside their hearts.


    It all started as a dream, but now this dream was finally fulfilled.


    When Clark originally told them about his plan to purge the Persian tigers organization from his city, they originally scoffed at him that it was an unrealistic ambition, but here they were.


    It felt just like a dream to them, having the opportunity to battle against an old freak like the terrorist Commander only added more solemnity to it in Captain Briggs and Josh¡¯s dictionary.


    They felt proud; what an endeavor! What a victory! What a battle!


    As they rejoiced in celebration of their victory, Clark suddenly stiffened as he felt his companion¡¯s stare at him suddenly become more intense. Turning around, he saw a look in their eyes that he¡¯s not seen before.


    He thought he¡¯s seen it in movies before when he was small, what was it again? Before he could think further, he suddenly saw King rush at him, and with wide hands, he was swept off his feet.


    ¡°WE WON!¡±


    Cheering after King, Josh and the others joined him as they threw Clark up and down in celebration. Clark felt awkward, he felt like bonking each of them on the head but he had to admit that he enjoyed the feeling.


    Despite wanting to just stay there wishing that the day never ends while celebrating, Clark knew that they still had some things to wrap up.


    ¡°Drop me!¡±


    ¡°WE WON!¡±


    ¡°King! Put me down!¡±


    After putting in a lot of effort, he finally got King to put him down. Turning around to glare at him, the glare soon turned into a grin before turning to a full-fledged chuckle.


    Unlike them that got only mildly involved in this plan, he was the one that drafted out the plan. If winning could make them feel this way, he was obviously feeling it much more he was just doing his best to hide it.


    ¡°I DID IT!¡±


    He also yelled loudly, but that was all as he soon turned to face his soldiers again. Seeing the expressions of triumph on their faces, he nodded to himself before giving them a speech.


    ¡°Soldiers! We already accomplished everything that we planned, now is the time to find all the terrorist bases and take what belongs to them¡±.


    ¡°As the victors, everything that originally belongs to them is now ours. Their wives are ours; their wealth is ours; their equipment and machine are ours; all their net worth is ours¡±.


    ¡°Today, to wrap up this legendary raid,¡± he paused for a moment as a wide grin took over his face. ¡°Let¡¯s loot the terrorist bases!¡±


    ¡°For Vatican City!¡± He pumped his fists at the air.


    ¡°For Captain Clark!¡±


    With that, they finally got set to leave the city. Clark being the leader of the operation took to the front, his exotic car having drunk the blood of thousands of terrorists today led the charge.


    It was just a car, but to the soldiers who were currently following their leader, it was already like a totem of the city.


    Putting outside the help that it rendered to them in killing the terrorists, just its identity as their leader¡¯s one and the only exotic car was enough to grant it a transcendent status already.


    The soldiers were tired from the battle, but looting was a sacred act that could even motivate depressed individuals intending to commit suicide.


    All their exotic vehicles were mobilized again. Leaving only 40% of the soldiers behind to safeguard the city, the rest all went into the nearby forest bordering the city.


    Only an order from Clark made the huge energy shield retract back underground, so their passage was smooth.


    The movement was a little hasty, but Clark had his reasons for enforcing it. 2 terrorist Commanders escaped; if he didn¡¯t act fast enough, those 2 may retrieve all the loot that was now rightfully theirs.


    As soon as they entered the forest, they started a sweeping raid.


    With top-notch scanning and detection devices, nothing on the earth, under the earth, or even above it could escape their vigilant eyes.


    Like Clark expected, as terrorist bases that possibly already stayed here for decades, they were filthy rich.


    Vatican City lost a lot of money from the expansive destruction caused by the battle, but the wealth of the terrorists could offset a lot from it.


    Only 30 minutes, that was all it took for them to loot all the terrorist bases, leaving them as bare as Captain Brigg¡¯s bald head.


    After doing this most important sacred ritual, they finally returned to Vatican City to meet the rewards of their daring action.


    They returned as not only soldiers but heroes.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ugh!¡± A deep masculine voice grunted, sounding tired.


    ¡°Titus, you¡¯re dying, you need to rest¡±.


    ¡°No, keep going¡±.


    Commander Titus had a fierce expression on his face as he firmly rejected his counterpart. Despite the drain that was slowly sapping him dry from his soul, he tried to endure through it.


    His body was currently resting on the female Commander¡¯s, and she was the one who helped him move forward slowly.


    After the last move that he made to break through the energy shield, he felt drained like a fish that was dried from all water on the sun. His heart felt squeezed, his lungs felt hot, everything about him went wrong.


    He urgently needed a doctor, but he did not dare stop.


    In such a vulnerable state, if any of the 3rd rank high-grade soldiers currently in Vatican City met him, he was toasted meat.


    Persevering through the pain, he continued forward while leaning on his companion for another 15 minutes before they stopped. They finally left the borders of the cursed city.


    Turning back, he looked into the distance at a city with a complicated expression on his face.


    ¡°I wonder what the higher-ups will feel¡±. Commander Keidi sighed.


    Commander Titus scoffed. ¡°Who cares about them?¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°Whether they like it or not, another Leonidas is being created already¡±.


    ¡°What a world!¡±

 Chapter 336: a new era

    It was only for one day and some hours, but Mr. Trump felt that it was years already. He felt happy, just like the way his wife and 2 kids, Dandelion and Prince were happy too.


    After what felt like forever, the lockdown was finally over and they survived.


    Seeing the happy faces of the people all around him who took shelter in the same underground bunker as him and his family, his smile became broader, almost reaching the ends of his mouth.


    During the night, they could not sleep as they were tense throughout, watching the projection that was showing the struggle of the previous night.


    Knowing that their soldiers forfeited sleep just to fight on their behalf, they felt too ashamed to sleep. In the end, they took it upon themselves to cheer them on. It was superstitious, but they believed that their cheers helped.


    During the early hours of the morning after the night raid ended, they finally had time to themselves to sleep and rest.


    Due to some measures put in place by the soldiers who were guarding them, when the main battle pushed forward by the terrorists came, they couldn¡¯t witness it as they were asleep.


    When they woke up, they woke up to the news of victory.


    As the soldiers escorted them out of the underground bunker, Mr. Trump felt a feeling in the atmosphere that he was familiar with.


    Perhaps, the other less inexperienced civilians may only see it as a strange feeling caused by the victory, but he knew otherwise. He recognized what it was, it was a shift in era.


    He could feel it, a new era was unveiling itself in Vatican City.


    ¡°What would it look like this time? It¡¯ll obviously be better, right? With Major Clark around, everything will surely move forward in the right direction¡±.


    As he still didn¡¯t know of Clark¡¯s breakthrough, he still addressed him as Major Clark.


    He didn¡¯t know how the Vatican City era with no terrorists would look like, but his gut feeling told him that it would be better than anything that he had seen before.


    He felt anticipation for it, he wished time could just fast-forward and take him there. That would be a convenience that he would very much appreciate.


    ¡°Dad, is everything over?¡± Dandelion grasped her father¡¯s trousers and pulled a bit, successfully getting his attention.


    Seeing his daughter nudge closer to him, Mr. Trump¡¯s smile grew even wilder. He bent down and easily lifted her into his hands. ¡°Yes, dear, everything is over¡±.


    Hearing that, the little girl¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll get to eat my ice cream again?¡±


    The father laughed before pinching her mischievous little cheeks. ¡°Yes¡±.


    As all this happened between his father and his little sister, Prince¡¯s focus was somewhere else as the memory of last night kept on playing in his head, over and over again.


    The image just couldn¡¯t leave his head, he was infatuated with it.


    Feeling his mother¡¯s hand rest on his head, gently scattering his hair, a smile lit up his face too as he turned to face her. She motioned to carry him but he dodged, making her laugh beautifully.


    As one family, they made their way out of the bunker with the others and the guards.


    They didn¡¯t leave to their homes immediately though. After the guards explained the state of things to them, none of them protested so they all went to the government building to wait.


    Getting to the government building, the place was already packed full.


    Theirs was not the only underground bunker, the convergence of every citizen of the city in a single location meant that the compound was filled to the brim. Despite the stuffiness, none of them complained.


    They were waiting for their returning heroes, so why should they complain?


    The wait only took away 5 minutes of their time before they appeared, the heroes of the battle finally returned to the city.


    Like usual, Clark¡¯s exotic car was the one that was leading in the front as he quickly arrived at the front of the horde of civilians.


    When he came down out of the car, he saw the excitement on their faces. He could see some of them with their quivering lips, they obviously had an urge to scream out excitedly but held themselves back.


    After being separated from them for a time, stretching months, he finally appeared before them publicly again. He felt nostalgic.


    When he started his career as a soldier, he never knew that he would one day become the leader of a city. Having the fate of a city on his shoulders, he had to confess that it was a different feeling entirely.


    Before he arrived, a small platform that could serve as a podium was already erected in the middle of the crowd.


    He still had bloodstains on his body after his armor was deactivated but he didn¡¯t remove them, he stepped into the podium like that to address the civilians.


    ¡°Good day Vatican¡±. He paused.


    Seeing the crowd giving him such respectful silence despite the sheer number of them, he felt a tear drop welling in his eyes. Perhaps it was because of his steel heart, but the tear didn¡¯t drop.


    He held the sound amplifier with his hands. ¡°Today¡­, we confronted the Persian tigers organization¡±


    ¡°Today, we got fed up and declared an end to their tyranny¡±.


    ¡°Today, the whole of Vatican rose up with me to purge the terrorists¡±.


    ¡°Yes, it was a bitter battle¡­, but we succeeded¡±. He raised his right hand at the air for emphasis. ¡°We fought hard and won!¡±


    ¡°Our brave soldiers, we lost some but they all fought a good battle. Their death was not in vain, their death was to make sure that the Vatican City of our dream becomes a reality¡±.


    ¡°Now, I declare a start to a new era¡±.


    ¡°From today, we will no longer live in fear of terrorists suddenly attacking us. Our children will live safer lives, and life overall will be easier for every citizen¡±.


    ¡°I, Captain Clark, I stand on this podium today and vow that I will always have the best interests of the city at heart¡±.


    ¡°Now, we won, but a lot of things were destroyed in the process¡±.


    ¡°We need to rebuild; we need to recover. Now is the time to state rebuilding our destiny in the way that we want¡±.


    He clenched his raised hand into a fist. ¡°For Vatican City!¡±


    The people roared with him. ¡°FOR VATICAN CITY!¡±


    [Finally! An end to this minor arc, I hope you enjoyed it.]

 Chapter 337: the birth of a legend luitenant colonel clark pendragon

    ¡°On the 1st of September, 2178, the greatest event in the history of Vatican City happened. The event that would always be remembered by Vatican citizens for the next generations- The Day of Purging¡±.


    ¡°The Day of Purging; as compiled by the Vatican library historians¡±.


    ¡°Legends always spoke of geniuses that arise when nations need them the most; myths seldom spoke of superhero gods who arose at the time when their Empire needed them the most¡±.


    ¡°These geniuses and superhero gods were always portrayed to stand up in the time of danger to face the danger with a calm face of conviction while letting their Empire see their firm backs only¡±.


    ¡°They brave through trials, temptations, and tribulations just to make sure that their Empire and future generations experience that thorough sense of peace that we¡¯ve always craved since the 1st era of humanity¡±.


    ¡°Sometimes, they even die¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sad, but that¡¯s the way such geniuses and superhero gods were portrayed to us when we were still toddlers¡±.


    ¡°Then, we believed everything that was told us. After we grew up, we started doubting it as we came into contact with the horrors and unpredictability of the world¡±.


    ¡°By the time we became middle-aged, we were convinced that those stories were just tales and that they were not real¡±.


    ¡°Now, we¡¯re old¡­, and it is at these our ripe age that we experienced the birth of a legend of our own making. A genius that was born of the land, a superhero god that was bred of the essence of all Vatican citizens¡±.


    ¡°Captain Clark Pendragon¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is our hero, our only beacon of hope at the time when we see only darkness. Our pathfinder, he¡¯s the one that sees danger ahead of us and warns us in time so that none of us dies¡±.


    ¡°He is the one that forfeits having a harem like other superhero gods portrayed in our childhood stories, he is the one who forfeits even having a wife in his tender years just to make sure that we are safe¡±.


    ¡°He is the one who stays with us always, who braves storms, hurricanes, and earthquakes with us just to make sure that we are safe¡±.


    ¡°Who has not heard of the Persian tigers organization? No one¡±.


    ¡°Who has not felt dread for them from their childhood? Which Spartan citizen has not heard of the horrifying things that they do to victims who fall under their tentacles? No one¡±.


    ¡°Yes, we fell out of favor with them. We didn¡¯t have their favor in the first place, but we angered them and fell out with them completely¡±.


    ¡°Every Spartan citizen knew that this means¡­, complete doom!¡±


    ¡°Vatican City was doomed!¡±


    ¡°Our allies abandoned us, our neighbors abandoned us, even those that we put our hopes on failed at this crucial time that we needed their help the most¡±.


    ¡°When we thought that all hope was lost, we found a new hope in the form of our leader. Our superhero god, our genius, Clark Pendragon stood as a gap for us¡±.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t have enough military forces, but he went the extra mile and rallied around. Friends, one-time acquaintances, even enemies, he rallied all shamelessly just for the survival of our beloved city¡±.


    ¡°He had sleepless nights and restless days just to draft out the perfect attack plan, the plan that would lead us into a better tomorrow¡±.


    ¡°A few years ago, he came back with a nickname of the Stranded Dragon after conquering all conquerable foes while stranded in the Mediterranean Sea¡±.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t understand the symbolism then, but now we do. He is our alpha Dragon, was stranded but now found, was young but now matured, was sour but now ripe. He is our leader¡±.


    ¡°In the night, that was when he personally led the raid¡±.


    ¡°3000 Vatican soldiers, 4000 soldiers of the Dragon military division, 1123 soldiers of the Pendragon military division, these were the forces that followed our leader to commence the underground raid¡±.


    ¡°With that force, our leader wiped out approximately 12,000 terrorists of the dreaded Persian tigers organization who were originally residing in the city with civilians¡±.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t rest, the next morning the main force of the terrorists came to have revenge for the loss of their soldiers¡±.


    ¡°Never caught off guard, our leader already anticipated it and was prepared. When the terrorists thought they were the ones controlling the game, our leader told them that they were never even playing the game¡±.


    ¡°Amassing all the military forces and reinforcements that he set aside for this clash, which amounted to over 10,000 soldiers, he attacked the terrorists who had the edge with over 15,000 terrorists¡±.


    ¡°With the help of other notable heroes like Captain King, Captain Josh, Captain Briggs, and Corporal Dickson, our leader clinched the victory that was seen by spectators as impossible¡±.


    ¡°Today, Vatican City set a new precedence, a new record that the Persian tigers organization is not inevitable¡±.


    ¡°With such overwhelming odds that were against us, our leader broke all records and defeated the terrorists¡±.


    ¡°Over 27,000 normal terrorist soldiers died, fifteen 1st rank high-grade terrorists died, eight 2nd rank high-grade terrorists died, and two 3rd rank high-grade Commanders died¡±.


    ¡°At our side, 576 normal soldiers died, and one 1st rank high-grade soldier died. The rest of our military forces survived the attack¡±.


    ¡°The maths is before you, Vatican City set a legend!¡±


    ¡°We experienced the birth of a legend today, the birth of a Dragon genius whose name will be remembered for generations to come, Captain Clark Pendragon¡±.


    ¡°Before we originally told stories of other geniuses and superhero gods to our children, but from today we will have a new song in our mouths. We¡¯ll have a new tale to tell¡±.


    ¡°The tale of our leader, that is what we will tell from today¡±.


    ¡°Just 2 days after the great purge, delegates from the Spartan army headquarters came to Vatican City to execute the orders of Commander Rashford, the leader of the army¡±.


    ¡°After performing a survey to confirm that everything documented by the city was correct, Captain Clark Pendragon was awarded the region-wide legend badge¡±.


    ¡°On the same day, he was promoted to the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel¡±.


    ¡°Long live Vatican City! Long live Luietenant Colonel Clark!¡±


    ¡°Author: Great Historian Professor George¡±.

 Chapter 338: court verdict

    It was a week already since the great purge, it didn¡¯t exactly need a lot of getting used to for the Vatican City citizens to forget the feeling of living with the fear of terrorists.


    Despite this, they still needed a lot of getting used to, to adapt to the current state of the city after the aftermaths of the battle.


    The city was facing a new era of new trends and new inclinations, the citizens needed to adapt fast and follow the changes least they get left behind in the past.


    Despite the astronomical cost of the destruction wrath by the effects of the battle, Vatican City was shunning out money to repair at the pace of a machine gun like it was not affected the slightest bit.


    Citizens that were left homeless because of the battle were provided with temporary homes by the government where they got all the necessary provisions that would take them through their daily needs.


    After providing temporary homes for the stranded citizens, the city did not stop at that as the money shunning out was rapidly put to use.


    Every day, the citizens saw new buildings that were being erected in place of the old ones that collapsed. Even as renovations went on actively, new developments took place in the city.


    In history, the period after any major war was the most terrible period of any nation or state but the situation of the city was so different that the citizens found it unbelievable.


    Life after the great purge was surprisingly more active and eventful to the citizens than pre the purge. Businesses regressed a bit, but just 3 days after the war, they started booming again.


    The city felt like clothes that were stuffed in a washing machine, the dirt and filth in them were slowly being purged away, leaving the shiny and clean surface that was supposed to be there in the first place.


    The citizens didn¡¯t know how this was possible, but they were sure as hell not going to complain about it. They rather enjoyed and relished in it, giving all the praise to their Lieutenant Colonel.


    ¡­


    At a boisterous area of Vatican City, Clark¡¯s mansion was tranquil as usual as the workers calmly went on with their various maintenance activities of keeping the mansion as neat and new as possible.


    Perhaps, it was due to the weather, or even because of the happy optimistic vibe in the city but the mansion seemed more beautiful and well-kept compared to previous times.


    Compared to a few weeks ago, the mansion was much less boisterous like it was missing some very important people that made it lively before.


    ¡°Will you sentence them to death?¡±


    ¡°Umm?¡± Clark asked for clarification as he arranged his suit tie while turning to look at his assistant who was also dressed in the same suit type of the same color as the one that he wore.


    ¡°You know what I mean, the 2 commissioners¡±. Rose gently flicked her hair behind as she looked at her boss.


    Clark sighed. ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m not about to become such an authoritative leader. I¡¯ll leave everything to the city¡¯s special court-martial; I¡¯ll agree with any decree that they make¡±.


    Rose gave him a deep look. ¡°In all my years as an assistant, I think you¡¯re the most benevolent leader and soldier that I¡¯ve ever met¡±.


    Clark laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a compliment or not, but still thank you¡±.


    ¡°Welcome¡±.


    Getting closer to him, she took hold of his tie and helped him arrange everything else to make his dress code perfect. After she was done, she took a deep look at him and nodded.


    ¡°Thanks¡±. Clark smiled at her before turning to leave.


    As he left, she suddenly called from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t you miss your friends?¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha, I do miss them but every one of us has our own lives. I can¡¯t force them to stay in mine if they like to be somewhere else, I respect their choices more than I want to stay with them¡±.


    ¡°Thanks¡±. She said absentmindedly.


    Clark turned. ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°Umm? Nothing¡­¡±


    Seeing the expression on her face, Clark laughed speechlessly before turning around to go to the Vatican Central court.


    As soon as he entered one of his luxury cars that were parked in the garage, he remembered Rose¡¯s question. He had to admit that he felt empty a bit after almost all his friends left suddenly.


    After the attack a week ago, Captain Briggs of course left with his companions that came from the Spartan army as Clark¡¯s reinforcement.


    Emily didn¡¯t waste much time too, saying that they had a pending mission to accomplish, she mobilized the mercenaries and left the republic again, back to the never-ending grind of fulfilling mercenary missions.


    Before leaving, Captain Josh followed her as the newest vice-commander of the mercenary group. Surprisingly, King also decided to follow them.


    Almost at the same time that all these people left, Dickson left also with Jason and his clique. By the time that all these happened, Albert was the only one who was left in his mansion.


    He felt speechless when it all happened, he wanted to tell some of them to stay behind but in the end, he let them go.


    As his master said, every soldier needed to make their own choices to improve. He could not force them against their will to stay which may result in something bad to hamper their growth in the future.


    For himself, as soon as everyone left, he also started contemplating his plan to roam the world freely. But before he made the decision, he still wanted to make some inquires.


    3 days after his great purge plan which proved to become his most successful military campaign to date, he finally met his 3 commissioners who were being watched over at the time by Emily.


    He hired an interrogation expert who interrogated them, in the end, he came to a verdict that they were not guilty enough for him to give them a harsh sentence.


    They all confessed to having made dealings with the terrorist organization in the past, but none of the dealings brought harm to the city so Clark decided to spare them. When he gave his verdict, they didn¡¯t need to go to court again.


    All he did was to make them sign a loyalty contract to the city, though he was sure that it wasn¡¯t needed again.


    After experiencing what he could do to the Persian tigers organization, they would be fools to go behind him again.


    Scholars said you cannot lead a horse to the river and force the horse to drink water. But if you show the horse the importance of drinking water, you wouldn¡¯t have to force it in the first place.


    He already showed them the benefits of remaining loyal to him, the ball was now on their courts to make their own decisions.


    By the time that he got to the court, he found that all 3 of the commissioners were already there waiting for him. As soon as he acknowledged their greetings, they all went inside the court together.


    The court procession took 20 minutes, after comparing the evidence with the laws of the Spartan republic, the judge finally made his verdict.


    ¡°Commissioner Henry; you¡¯re sentenced to 2 years imprisonment¡±.


    ¡°Commissioner Craig; you¡¯re sentenced to death¡±.


    [I''m sorry for the late release today guys, I had to write late into the night because of circumstances.]

 Chapter 339: what goes around comes around

    ¡°Good morning, Lieutenant Colonel. This is a rare surprise, it¡¯s an honor for my city to host your august presence sir¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered¡±.


    Clark smiled as he playfully shook the glass cup that was given to him before gently sipping a little from the contents in it the next moment.


    After doing that, he kept quiet and began to casually look around the hall that he was currently seated in. Compared to other halls that he¡¯s seen; this was shabby but it was still better than Vatican City that didn¡¯t have any yet.


    He casually made a mental note that when he got back, he would place this among the development projects that the city should embark on.


    In his ongoing project to transform Vatican City into a heaven-on-earth city, he was not content with drafting all the ideas from his head and from the heads of his architects.


    Throughout his many journeys, one thing that he learned was that if you found doing it hard, just look and steal it from others. What you know, others may not know. But what you don¡¯t know, there are surely others who know it.


    He was currently in Savannah City, the city that bordered Vatican City from the east direction. And he was currently seated in their visitor¡¯s hall with the 3 commissioners of the city.


    Yes, he¡¯s come to settle some old debts that he heard about when he just came back from his last mission to the Everest.


    He was currently dressed in a blue polo shirt, a dark green pair of jean trousers, and a casual cowboy hat to top it off. His shoes were just a casual pair of slippers also, a weird combination but it was what he liked.


    When he just came to the city, he didn¡¯t come here immediately, he first went on a tour around the whole city.


    During the tour, he saw a lot of things that enlightened his eyes. He saw how developed the city was economical, technological, military, and industrial. It was fairly good, but Vatican City was better.


    Perhaps, the only category that he could give them the plus was that they were better than Vatican City in the political sector.


    They didn¡¯t have a unified leader here the way he was in Vatican City, but these 3 commissioners were still doing such a nice job for their city to make it as prosperous as possible.


    He admired their work etiquette and their discipline, but unfortunately for them, that was not going to sway his reason for coming here today.


    When he just came to their government building, the soldiers tried to bundle him and throw him outside. He told them his identity but they refused to believe, so sigh¡­, he had to resort to some spanking.


    By the time that he left over a hundred soldiers on the floor barehanded without breaking a sweat, they finally recognized his identity.


    Almost immediately, all 3 commissioners left what they were doing and came to welcome him. On seeing him, they gave him weird glances due to his dress code but he just smiled back. And now, here they were.


    ¡°Sir¡­, umm, I¡¯m sorry, but please can I know what brought you to our city?¡±


    Clark smiled. ¡°Can¡¯t I visit?¡±


    ¡°No, sir, it¡¯s not that, it''s, I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    Clark waved his hand nonchalantly. ¡°You know why I¡¯m here. I don¡¯t have much time to spend, so go to the point and start the conversation¡±.


    ¡°Are you not the one who¡¯s supposed to start it?¡± Despite lamenting this inwardly, the head commissioner did not dare say it out loud.


    In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to be frank. Clark was not someone that he could play games with.


    He knelt down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. When Vatican City was in danger, instead of helping, we rather saw it as an opportunity to take advantage of our neighbor city. On behalf of my city, sir, I apologize for my foolish decisions¡±.


    ¡°So, you admit to having aided the terrorists to attack my city?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s¡­¡±


    ¡°Taking advantage of us at such a time is indirectly aiding the terrorists¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­, Ok, I admit sir¡±. The head commissioner drooped his head.


    ¡°Good, now write a contract that Vatican City is owing to you no money. And, for the next 4 months, your city is to pay 10% of the amount my commissioners borrowed from you¡±.


    ¡°Sir, this is a fraud, I¡­¡±


    Clark stood up. ¡°You have no choice here, old man. Unless you want me to take drastic measures, sign the contract now¡±.


    ¡°I¡­, ok sir¡±.


    10 minutes later, Clark adjusted his cowboy hat properly before walking out of the government diplomatic hall with a swagger in his steps. In his bag was a newly signed contract paper.


    Getting to the busy road, he casually stopped a taxi driver on the way and smoothly entered the taxi. The taxi took him to the nearby airport, and from there he boarded a plane out of the city.


    Throughout his movements, since he left the hall till he took the plane and left the city, all 5 commissioners of Savannah City secretly watched him.


    As soon as they confirmed that the plane was gone, they finally heaved sighs of relief while wiping away the sweat that was on their faces.


    ¡°Phew!¡± The head commissioner sighed. ¡°We really ate more than we could swallow this time, we should be grateful that he only asked for that as compensation for losses¡±.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re lucky¡±. The other 2 commissioners commented.


    ¡­


    That same day, that same morning, almost the same scenario happened across the other 3 cities that were bordering Vatican City from the West, North, and South.


    After Clark was done with his tour around all 4 cities, he sent a message to his commissioners to inform them about the outcome.


    Taking in the morning sun greedily and enjoying the feeling of taking in free Vitamin D, he turned around and started going in a direction that would not lead him to Vatican City.


    He was not going back to his city yet, he wanted to visit someone today.


    He was going to Mexican city, the capital city of Southern Sparta. After such a long time, he wanted to visit the first General that he saw physically in his life, General Vincent.

 Chapter 340: visiting general vincent

    When Clark arrived at Mexican city, an entourage of military vehicles was already at the airport waiting to escort him. Before coming, he already informed the General, so he was not caught off guard by this reception.


    Seeing a young man with long hair, dressed in a weird dress combination of blue, green, and brown being escorted by such an elite military unit of the city left onlookers stunned.


    Gossips started in the airport immediately, but Clark didn¡¯t have the opportunity to eavesdrop on anyone of them as he quickly entered one of the military vehicles and left with the soldiers the next moment.


    Perhaps ordered by the General, but the entourage took the longer route leading to the General¡¯s mansion, allowing Clark to have a mini-tour around the city.


    And the car that he was carried in had a phasing technological device installed on it, after asking permission from him the soldiers activated it.


    Through this, outside the car would remain normal but inside would become transparent, allowing him to see through to the outside world without any obstruction.


    After having the wonderful experience of this device, Clark made a mental note to get it as an add-on to his exotic car during his next spending.


    The drive took 30 minutes, after that he was finally brought to the mansion of the General. If all his 3 mansions were combined, they could not still hold a candle to the magnificence of the General¡¯s mansion.


    That was the best description method that Clark could use for it.


    The enormous mansion was built in the shape of a fist, the 5 folded fingers were different regions of the mansion. It looked more like an estate in a post-apocalyptic world written in a sci-fi book than reality.


    The visuals were too numerous for Clark to admire completely in a go, so he just skimmed through them, allowing his eyes to relish the beauty being portrayed before him.


    When he was escorted inside the mansion, he saw the General already seated and waiting for him in his sitting room.


    After escorting him in, the soldiers saluted at the General before turning to leave the sitting room. Seeing this, Clark walked forward a bit before saluting also.


    ¡°Good morning, General¡±.


    A smile broke into General Vincent¡¯s face. ¡°Clark kiddo, it¡¯s been a long time since we met physically. Come and give me a hug¡±.


    That prompted laughter to escape Clark¡¯s lips but he still obeyed and went forward to hug the General. After he sat down, the General started their conversation by reminiscing about the past.


    ¡°Thinking back now, I¡¯m sure I have amazing foresight¡±.


    ¡°When I saw you during the graduation ceremony 4 years ago, I knew that this was the one. I knew that this was my successor, and you have not failed me, you even exceeded all the limits that I set for you¡±.


    ¡°I said you¡¯re a genius who¡¯ll be a legend at the heights of Commander Arthur after growing up, but I could not have been more wrong. Just 4 years after I said that you¡¯re already a legend of the republic¡±.


    ¡°In barely 4 years, you broke through 3 times, experienced a lot of military promotions and you¡¯re now a Lieutenant Colonel, just a few ranks away from mine¡±.


    ¡°To be sincere, whenever I go through your resume, I¡¯m always shocked¡±.


    ¡°Like, how did you do it?¡±


    Getting no response, he urged. ¡°Come on, answer me¡±.


    Clark laughed awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just followed you and all my other mentor¡¯s advice to the book, I should never lose sight of my goal, I should always strive to become stronger. Those are what made me what I am today¡±.


    ¡°Humph, baseless talk¡±. The General scoffed. ¡°If following your mentor¡¯s words to the book would make you a genius, the Spartan republic would have become one of the big 5 powers by now¡±.


    Clark and the General both laughed at that.


    After leaving the past, the General led the conversation again as they discussed the present and the current military trends of the republic.


    The General also talked about Clark¡¯s love life, making him blush as he emphasized the importance of having a girlfriend at his age or a wife which would be even better.


    After going through a lot of other topics, the General finally came back to what really mattered. ¡°Ok, Clark, we¡¯ve discussed a lot, but what really brought you today? I know how busy you are¡±.


    Clark sat straighter on hearing that. ¡°About that, it¡¯s not anything serious, I just wanted to know if I can get information about a certain someone from you¡±.


    The General became curious. ¡°Who? A soldier?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I checked recently after my promotion but I didn¡¯t find it. After I entered the army, I always heard some rumors about there being 4 Commanders in the republic. I want to know about the 4th Commander, can I?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean Commander Roland?¡±


    Clark was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re telling me so easily?¡±


    The General laughed. ¡°It''s because of specific reasons why information about him is hidden from soldiers of your rank, but I think you have the right to know about him¡±.


    ¡°Ok, thanks, General¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention¡±. The General casually waved his hands. ¡°You may have heard it, but yes, Commander Roland is the oldest and second strongest Commander of the Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°He¡¯s a lone wolf. He almost never visits the republic; I don¡¯t know when he even visited the republic last¡±.


    ¡°Nobody knows his real profession, not even our President. Most of the time, guessers say that he¡¯s a mercenary, others say he¡¯s an archaeologist, and some say that he does nothing, that he¡¯s living the recluse life of a hermit¡±.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a lot of legends and deeds to his name, but his most legendary deed is during the great battle of supremacy¡±.


    ¡°President Leonidas alone wouldn¡¯t have been enough to buy us to the status of a middle-grade country after the battle. It was due to his achievements after coming back that filled the last void, taking us through that important divide¡±.


    ¡°Other instances of his return to the republic have been recorded, but they¡¯re not as popular¡±.


    ¡°But a widely known fact about him is that anytime that he returns, he¡¯s always stronger than the previous time that he was seen. Some soldiers speculated that it is because of his expansive travels and experiences¡±.


    ¡°He is the main reason why the rule that allows 3rd rank high-grade and above soldiers of the republic to go out and experience the world was made¡±.


    ¡°That reminds me, Clark, will you go out to experience the world too or you¡¯ll stay and serve the republic here¡±.


    Clark was still in doubt of this before, but he made his decision after hearing the reveal of the General. ¡°I¡¯ll think I¡¯ll travel too; I want to experience the wonders of the world and besides my guts tells me that I¡¯ll improve faster that way¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s good for you, I always advise every soldier to go out when their time comes. I also went out; the world is far more fascinating and wider than just the Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°Thank you for the conversation, General, I really appreciate it¡±. Clark sincerely thanked the General for his time.


    After engaging in a few more conversation topics with the General, he finally stood up to leave. His motive for coming here was already fulfilled.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 341: visiting leo again

    ¡°This way, Lieutenant Colonel¡±.


    The same soldier who led the entourage who brought him here was just at the door. As soon as he saw Clark come out, he saluted respectfully before gesturing politely at the way for him to follow.


    Clark smiled back at him before following him out the next moment. Throughout his journey out of the mansion, yes, it was a journey as the sheer size of the mansion was frightening.


    Throughout his passage out, the soldiers and workers kept on showering him with greetings at the pace of that given to an ancient emperor, leaving him exasperated.


    This was the normal outward feeling though, deep inside him he enjoyed it. He really wanted to take a tour around the General¡¯s mansion, perhaps he could learn a certain sense of higher-ups taste doing it, but he couldn¡¯t because of time.


    As soon as he was escorted out, the soldiers saluted him again before going back. At the front of the mansion¡¯s gate, his exotic car was there silently waiting for him.


    One of the General¡¯s soldiers drove it from the airport here which he knew of, so he was not surprised seeing it.


    He smoothly took a step closer but he did not enter the car immediately, he instead leaned on it before gently adjusting his cowboy hat a bit to protect his face from the glare of the sun.


    Dipping his left hand into his pocket, he brought out his phone. He quickly dialed a number before raising it to his ears.


    ¡°I¡¯m done¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m coming¡±. A female voice sounded from the other end.


    As soon as Clark ended the call, he saw a female figure coming from the distance. She was dressed in a pink luxury dress, tight-fitting pink trousers, pink high heels, a pink handbag, and pink shades.


    Seeing her from a distance, Clark smiled while stylishly using his hand to cover his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny, boss?¡± Rose asked as soon as she came beside her boss.


    ¡°No, it''s nothing. I just think that your dress is comical¡±.


    Rose laughed. ¡°You have the guts to say that when you¡¯re dressed practically like a clown. Seriously, Clark, what color combination is this? Didn¡¯t the General tell you anything about your dressing?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he even looked there¡±. Clark answered innocently.


    ¡°You male soldiers are really awful when it comes to fashion¡±.


    ¡°Why should we care about fashion?¡±


    Rose raised her head to look Clark in the eye, seeing the expression on his face she gave up. ¡°Sigh¡­, forget it¡±.


    Not waiting for his response, she went to the passenger seat side of the car. ¡°Uther, open up, your sweet aunt Rose is here¡±.


    Without hesitation, the car¡¯s door opened gracefully as the A. I¡¯s voice sounded the next moment politely. ¡°Welcome, aunt Rose¡±.


    Seeing this, Clark was stunned speechless; he facepalmed. ¡°What a disloyal A.I¡±.


    He didn¡¯t waste any more time too as he quickly entered the car. This time, he was not going back home yet, he wanted to visit his friend.


    Due to a problem that cropped up, Leo was not able to come as reinforcement again during his war with the terrorists. He wanted to go visit him and also to tell him his plan.


    Steering the car to the right, he drove slowly across the streets until he got to the main road. As soon as he hit the main road, he pressed hard on the accelerators, bringing out the beast in his exotic car.


    After the latest upgrade under the technical hands of Professor Monkey Hands, his beastly car only became more beastly. If it was a beast before, now it was a monster.


    It only took him a minute and some seconds to get to the airport, after getting there he easily boarded the next plane that was going to North Sparta with his car in tow.


    Zoom!


    As soon as the runway was clear, the plane took off before smoothly soaring into the skies like a phoenix.


    ¡­


    ¡°Bro, I¡¯m really sorry that I was unable to make it to help you¡±.


    Clark placed his hands on his hips. ¡°Is that how you greet your best friend these days?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­, I¡¯m¡­¡±


    Clark pulled his best friend into an embrace on seeing him stuttering. From the hug, they both quickly erupted laughing as they tried to juggle each other like kids playing at the beach.


    This scene drew a lot of attention from the other people in the airport, but seeing the 2 expensive cars that were beside the 2 guys, they turned back to face their business.


    At the side, Rose mouth¡¯s twitched as she watched this scene. ¡°Sigh¡­, are all soldiers like this?¡±


    Leo clapped Clark¡¯s shoulders. ¡°My wife already prepared a sumptuous meal for you guys; she can¡¯t wait for you to taste her new delicacy¡±.


    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t wait to take a bite from it too¡±. Clark laughed.


    After having the good old days hug to their satisfaction, Clark and Leo finally separated. They didn¡¯t spend more time at the airport, they both boarded each of their cars before driving out the next moment.


    When they got to Leo¡¯s mansion, his wife was already out waiting for them. She waved excitedly on seeing their cars coming from the distance.


    ¡°I can see that you¡¯re taking good care of the small mischievous boy that is inside you, your belly has developed more than before¡±.


    ¡°Ha-ha, she¡¯s a girl¡±.


    Clark laughed heartily. ¡°It¡¯ll be a boy when you put to bed, just watch¡±.


    Leading both visitors inside the house, Kate quickly went to work to serve the food that she prepared for them.


    Clark was stunned speechless after seeing the special delicacy that she made for them. He turned to look at Leo who only shrugged, before turning to face the wife again. ¡°Snacks?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not snacks, Clark, it¡¯s pizza¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s a special pizza that I made; I traveled all the way to the previous territory that belongs to the ancient Italians. You know they were the best pizza makers¡±.


    ¡°Umm, no wonder it''s so tasty¡±. Rose who already took a bite into the delicacy commented as she enjoyed the delicious aftertaste.


    ¡°Thank you¡±. Kate smiled.


    Clark and Leo could only smile, they also dipped in and started eating also. As they ate, they engaged in conversations to kill the time.


    During the conversation, Clark told them that he wanted to go out with them tomorrow. Leo and his wife didn¡¯t object, so they quickly settled on the location in a few minutes.


    By the time that night came, Clark and Rose were escorted to their various rooms to spend the night.

 Chapter 342: the lulululu games reserve

    The next morning, they didn¡¯t waste any time at home. Kate and Rose made a simple morning dish, one that could keep their stomachs occupied until they got to where they intended to go.


    Through female supremacy, Kate and Rose dominated and had to take Clark¡¯s exotic car while both males took Leo¡¯s car.


    Clark and Leo couldn¡¯t protest, they were the female Afterall. And it was just a car, they were too cool to haggle about such trivial matters so they let the 2 excited females take the car.


    This time, they were going to a tourist center. The Lulululu games reserve was their destination.


    It was a multi-purpose games reserve that is located on the outskirts of North Sparta. Multi-purpose was added to its name because its sights and activities were far more varied than most other games reserve in the country.


    It was a tourist center for foreigners or any citizen who wanted to go on a beautiful sightseeing journey. It was also a games ground where hunting sports are organized for pleasure.


    It had a lot of other myriad uses and sights, but what made it the most prominent was the fact that the reserve kept exobeasts.


    It is the first of its kind where normal tourists get to see exobeasts without the fear of being devoured by them, so it was bound to be popular.


    It was a good relaxation point, so when Clark suggested it, Leo and Kate only made slight comparisons before they all agreed on it.


    From Leo¡¯s mansion to the town where the games reserve was located was a 45 minutes journey. After they got there, Kate and Rose stayed in the car as Clark and Leo went to register them.


    The gate entrance of the reserve was tightly guarded by a unit of soldiers. They made themselves not too conspicuous so as not to frighten tourists, but their prints could still be seen everywhere around the entrance.


    A building was built at the side of the entrance, which was the registration building. For a reserve as big as this, a lot of money was pumped in by the government for security and its daily activities.


    As soon as Clark and Leo got inside the building, showing their identities as high-grade soldiers granted them a lot of privileges, their registration, and subsequent entry was very smooth.


    The overall layout of the game reserve was extremely wide, and it was in a circle shape. Despite its enormous size, it was surrounded all-round by a huge wall.


    Clark and his companions were not allowed to take their cars inside. They directed them to a special garage where they should park their cars before they followed another group of people inside.


    They came for a tour, so they joined the other tourists that were clustered together to be escorted in.


    Protected by another unit of soldiers, they were finally led into the enormous games reserve. Perhaps, they gave the reserve its name for a reason. Inside the Lulululu games reserve was as crazy as its name.


    For the first part of their tour, the soldiers led them through the grassland in military vehicles where they saw lots of animals roaming around.


    The journey was noiseless, only the sounds made by the cars as they drove and that made by the animals were present.


    The atmosphere was just tranquil and relaxing. Moving through nature had a certain relaxation effect to it.


    Of course, seeing the familiar black things invading their personal space again, the animals did not hesitate to attack but as usual, all their attacks were easily nullified by the hard coating of the military vehicles.


    From the grassland, they entered some special devices called Tip Eagles.


    They were built like drones but were more like hovering planes. Through these devices, they were able to fly from the grassland all the way to above the nearby rainforest.


    Clark was not sure how it was done, but the government was able to transform the different regions of the reserve to look like different natural formations of nature.


    Because of the more fragile tourists among them, they were not allowed to go down to the rainforest, not that Clark and the others wanted it though.


    With a pregnant woman among them, it would have been plain stupid for them to bring her close to any kind of danger. They may be high-grade soldiers but they were not gods, anything could happen.


    From the rainforest, they visited a lot of places before they took a break. During the break, that was when Clark broke the news to his friend and his wife.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, Leo¡±.


    ¡°Umm¡­, where?¡±


    ¡°I want to leave the republic for some time. I want to go out and experience the world, I¡¯ve decided to leave. I¡¯ll go ask for the permit of leave from the Spartan army today after leaving here¡±.


    What Clark said was unexpected, but Leo was not too surprised by it. As a soldier too, he¡¯s heard of and even knew soldiers who also left the republic after becoming 3rd rank high-grade soldiers.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing, at least you won¡¯t be a novice again when it comes to international matters¡±. Leo laughed. ¡°But I¡¯m not joking, you can, it¡¯s a good thing¡±.


    ¡°Why do I think that it¡¯s because you¡¯ve set a lot of legendary achievements. You feel proud right, is that why you want to go? Legends are not respected as much in their hometown until they are gone, is that the reason?¡±


    Hearing Kate¡¯s question, Clark facepalmed. ¡°Who even told you that?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s too coincidental. As soon as you set the social media on fire, you want to leave secretly like a boss legend¡±.


    ¡°If that¡¯s your strategy to make me stay, I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s futile¡±. He ruthlessly put an end to her point.


    An awkward silence followed.


    Clark laughed, Leo and Rose laughed also as they slowly devoured the food that they ordered on the table. After eating and resting for an hour, they continued their tour with the other tourists.


    This time, they only had one place remaining to go- the exobeast challenger ring game. This was a recreation tournament where the exobeasts in the reserve would be tipped to battle against each other.


    When Clark and his companions got there, the place was already filled to the brim so they had to spectate while standing. The current challenge was between a cat exobeast and a Python exobeast.


    In the end, after a bitter battle, the cat emerged victoriously. They didn¡¯t allow it to kill the Python as they stopped the challenge when death became certain.


    After experiencing this last event of the game''s reserve, they didn¡¯t go immediately. They just stayed inside the reserve to enjoy the wholesome atmosphere of nature.


    By the time they got prepared to go home, they felt fulfilled. It was a day well spent with friends to Clark.

 Chapter 343: going to africa

    ¡°Master, where will be our destination?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet¡±. Hearing this question from Albert again for the umpteenth time, Clark grew irritated as he answered with a snap while turning to bonk his head.


    The young teenager shrank as his voice lowered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Hearing that cheeky, fake, but weirdly adorable voice made Clark sigh exasperatedly. ¡°Ok, go and get me the atlas ball so I can finally decide on a destination¡±.


    Seeing Albert nod excitedly before jumping away the next moment only made him feel more like facepalming. Albert, well what could he say, as soon as King, Josh, and everyone else left him, the boy made him his force companion.


    Since the first day that he knew the kid, he knew that Albert was an extrovert. Now that everyone was gone, the kid saw him as the only person to vent his urge to blabber every day on.


    Yes, Albert had respect for him, but not as much as his love for blabbering non-stop every day.


    Though Albert loved talking, Clark had to admit this time that what he suggested for once was sensible. He¡¯s still not decided on the destination that he wanted to go to despite already having made up his mind to leave today.


    He and Albert were currently arranging the last set of things that they intended to carry with them for their adventure, Albert was used to it so he learned a lot of useful lessons from the kid.


    As a kid with a billionaire dad who already traveled to many parts of the world, Albert had more than enough experience to share.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to choose, but where should I choose?¡± Clark fell into a dilemma. Not coming to any solution after a minute, he put it to the back of his mind and decided to wait until Albert came with the atlas ball.


    He could easily access a virtual atlas and project it through his implant, but no, there was that magical feeling that was attached to touching it physically.


    And besides, he was a fan of that blockbuster ancient movie. ¡°What¡¯s its name again?¡± He tapped his head with his right hand. ¡°Oh, yes, coming to America. Damn! I loved that movie; ancient movies are always the best¡±.


    Prince Akeem left his country to find love, but in his case, he was living his country to get experience to improve in his profession as a soldier. They had different motives, but they used the same method.


    After leaving the lulululu games reserve yesterday, he quickly separated from Leo and went to the Spartan army headquarters with Rose.


    Getting there, he did not waste much time as he was quickly attended to due to his current military rank. He only needed 10 minutes which was very simplified compared to the normal time before he got his leave permit.


    After getting the leave permit, he was also given a badge. It was with these 2 things that he can be identified as a Spartan soldier outside the republic.


    And with the badge, if he coincidentally met a Spartan soldier during his journeys, they could identify themselves and prevent a situation where they had to clash and even kill themselves.


    As soon as he got the badge, he didn¡¯t leave immediately, he instead went to visit Captain Oxford also.


    They had a nice time, they talked, had a nice drink, and overall had a nice time before he finally left for Vatican City.


    When he got back, he didn¡¯t get to rest too as he quickly called a meeting with his commissioners. This was when he told them of his decision to leave, they were dismayed but they could only accept it.


    He gave them a list of things to do on his behalf, and how to manage the city on his behalf.


    He also gave them a stern warning, at least to curb any stupid thought that may crop into their minds in his absence. He never knew, the human brain never yields until it is spanked.


    Leaving there, he still didn¡¯t return to his mansion yet. He went to his mom¡¯s restaurant. Having lost his parents, he still felt weird calling the old woman his mom, but he was somehow used to it.


    She was no longer in her former restaurant, as the bigshot, he was now, Clark made sure that he relocated her to somewhere bigger but with fewer customers to patronize her.


    She was already getting too old, he didn¡¯t want her to be stressed out all the time, so that was a tactic that he used though she protested at first.


    Now, her restaurant was the 3rd biggest in the city. Almost every citizen in the city knew her as he already called her his mom in public, she was practically a local celebrity now.


    When he met her yesterday, they didn¡¯t talk much, she did most of the talking. Knowing that he wanted to travel out, she sat him down and gave him elaborate lecture advice before finally releasing him.


    Leaving her restaurant, Clark felt melancholic. He¡¯s given her the restaurant of her dreams, but he still felt sad because he knew that she only had few years remaining.


    He badly wanted to get her a life prolongment treatment to prolong her life, but he didn¡¯t have the money for it. He didn¡¯t even have the influence to get access to it, it was a sad and cruel reality.


    In the end, everybody would still bend down to the rules of nature no matter if they were high-grade soldiers like his President or lunatic scientists like the one who fused him with the enhancer.


    As he went through his experiences of the previous day silently, he was suddenly interrupted.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m back¡±.


    He turned to see Albert with a very big atlas ball in his hand. As soon as the kid placed the atlas down, Clark went closer and touched its edges.


    Some of the memories that he got from his learning years suddenly flooded his brain. In this current era, the earth was still divided into 7 continents with numerous countries living in it.


    After the great battle of supremacy, a lot of countries succumbed and were annihilated from the annals of history.


    Those that survived, either didn¡¯t survive intact, grew a new identity, and some even became vassals to other countries like Josh¡¯s country.


    This was when organizations also started coming to power, they took advantage of the chaos after the great battle to carve a place out for themselves, severing the monopoly that countries originally had.


    During this time of restructuring, that was when the big 5 announced the new normal governing the earth like the new military system, the new grading of countries, and all that.


    For Clark¡¯s adventure journey, he wanted to start by going to a low-grade country. Perhaps after getting more experience in the future, he would decide to go to higher-graded countries.


    After calming his thoughts, he smoothly rotated the atlas ball. It rotated rapidly before becoming slow before it finally came to a stop. Its arrow pointed at a continent, before narrowing it down to a single country.


    Clark raised his head to face his student. ¡°Africa it is then¡±.

 Chapter 344: the federal republic of radan

    After finalizing everything else that was necessary in his mansion, Clark and his student finally strapped their bags to their back firmly before going out of the mansion the next moment.


    His workers already came to send him farewell messages the previous day, so none of them escorted him out.


    He didn¡¯t want to let the whole city know that he was traveling, sometimes telling the citizens would only make things complicated.


    Only Rose stood at the highest balcony of his mansion and waved vigorously at him. He didn¡¯t know if it was because of his blurry vision due to the distance, but he thought he just saw tears falling from her eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird¡±. He shrugged, hauled his last bag into his car¡¯s boot before entering the car with his student in tow.


    As he started driving out of the mansion on his exotic car, Albert poked his head out and started waving back vigorously at Rose who still stood on top of the balcony looking at them.


    The destination that the atlas arrow rested on the previous day was a low-grade country so he didn¡¯t have to turn it again, it was the federal republic of Radan.


    Clark has heard a lot of talks about African countries before, but this was his first time even contemplating the thought of going there. A few years ago, he never even dreamed of actually leaving the Spartan republic much less going to Africa.


    Throughout his career, the only instances where he left the republic was when was going on missions. And the Everest mission that took him to Mariana was the farthest he had ever gone from the republic.


    He was surprised to notice that he felt a little nervous about it. How was living in a brand-new country with new people, new culture, new rules, and practically new everything look like?


    Would they even accept him into their country? What if they didn¡¯t accept him, what should he do? What if as soon as he entered the country, the whole Radan military turned on him, could he survive?


    As if noticing his anxiety, Albert turned to face him. ¡°Master, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, was I so obvious?¡± He cursed before turning to face his student with a smile. ¡°No, everything is absolutely fine Albert. I was just thinking about how fascinating Africa will look like?¡±


    ¡°Ok¡±. After saying that, Albert leaned his head back on the chair¡¯s headrest, placed a headphone over his head before closing his eyes to sleep while enjoying the smooth music blazing over.


    Seeing him, Clark clicked his tongue and turned back to look at the road. He had to admit there that he was overthinking a bit, he had to play it cool.


    As his mind gradually calmed down, this was when the problem of different weather conditions finally came to him. Compared to the Spartan republic that had fairly neutral weather, Africa was an extremely temperate region.


    As a high-grade soldier, his body was sure to adapt to it quickly, but he was not sure if he could adapt to the new lifestyle in such a region so quickly.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why it¡¯s called an adventure¡±. He muttered while nodding his head in understanding.


    He made a little change to his plans. Granting control rights over the car to It¡¯s A.I, Uther, he brought out his phone and quickly accessed the internet. He searched for information regarding a lot of things.


    After getting what he wanted, he ordered a new set of clothes for himself and Albert that would aid their adaptation to the new region.


    He also bought a new batch of solar panels. All his exotic weapons were powered by specially adapted energy, here in the Spartan republic he could just pass it to the military and the energy will be refilled.


    But in where he was going, he was not sure if such unique energy would be as abundant. Instead of banking his hopes in one place, he preferred going for multiple options.


    And besides, with the abundant amount of sunshine recorded in Africa year in year out, he was pretty sure that the solar panels could power all his energy needs.


    Getting to the airport, a group of cars with different emblems were already waiting for him. One was from the company that he bought the new set of clothes from, the other was the solar panel company.


    As he already transferred the money to them, all that was needed on their part was to stuff the goods into his exotic car.


    The car changed its configuration to better accommodate the new goods. It changed into a big jeep-like shape, turning its vibe from sleek and fast to strong and heavy.


    After it took in all the new goods that were brought, Clark gave the company workers a tip before riding his car inside the plane that was already waiting for him. He already completed every procedure online, so the plane didn¡¯t waste time.


    Zoom!


    It roared a sound before picking up speed the next moment, after that it gradually soared into the sky.


    Clark looked down from the window as this happened. ¡°I wonder when I¡¯ll come back to the Spartan republic¡±.


    ¡°For now, it¡¯s my time to explore the wonders of the outside world¡±.


    ¡­


    Click!


    The hatch of the plane opened as passengers started coming down, Clark did not monopolize an airplane for himself to avoid unnecessary attention after getting to his destination.


    As soon as his exotic car was driven down from the plane by one of the security officials, it went through a thorough security check before it was finally handed over to him.


    He and his student were also subjected to a thorough security check. He didn¡¯t actively tell them that he was a soldier, he wanted to start this experience of a new region in a completely neutral manner.


    After the checks were done and they were vetted to leave, Clark thanked the security guy before going towards his car.


    The first Radan impression that hit him after coming here was indeed the weather. He was only standing at the airport for 10 minutes, but he felt that the sun was scorching hot and even burning.


    Another impression that he had was the color of citizens here. Unlike the Spartan republic where he was surrounded by mostly white people, he was now surrounded by people who were of the same skin color as him.


    Yes, he had a slightly dark skin tone, he never paid much attention to it but being in this environment made him give more thought to it.


    He smiled as he entered his car. ¡°What a nice welcome this is, I¡¯ll see how it goes¡±.


    [Start to another arc, I fell nervous and excited.]

 Chapter 345: don city the sewers district

    As he didn¡¯t have a specific destination in mind, Clark just decided that he used this opportunity to go on a tour around the city. He would have loved going along with his student, but he found it right to hire a local guide.


    Quickly browsing the internet through his implant because of his laziness to operate his phone, he discovered where the local guides were.


    ¡°Oh, I already drove past them, they were in the airport¡±. He was speechless, he finally knew why some men and women kept on waving at him as soon as he drove out of the airport.


    Pressing at the brakes to bring his car to a halt, he made a U-turn before driving back in the direction of the airport to find a local guide.


    As soon as he stopped before them and wound his window screen down, a loud sound bombarded his ears.


    ¡°YOUR LOCAL GUIDE, SIR!¡±


    ¡°I offer the best service there is in the whole city, I have over 10 years experience doing this sir so don¡¯t be afraid. Trust me, I¡¯m the real deal¡±.


    Clark looked carefully at this young man. From what he could see, this kid was probably of the same age as Albert, from 18- 20 so how the heck did he have 10 years of experience doing this?


    That alone put him off, but perhaps due to pity because of the shabby clothes worn by the young man, he opened his door and let him in.


    ¡°Where is your destination sir? I know virtually every nook and cranny of the country; I can even take you into the Presidential villa if that¡¯s what you want¡±.


    ¡°Is it the Cold Villa Park, the Land of beasts, the Men of culture restaurant, The relaxation pool, whichever one you want to go to first, I know them all? So don¡¯t be scared, and I charge very little too¡±.


    ¡°How much?¡± Already beginning to get irritated by the blabbering young man, Clark turned to face him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know money sir; I only take 10,000 Radan credits¡±.


    Clark turned to look at the young man again, who stiffened and looked back innocently while pressing his hands to his legs. His big eyes only reinforced the speculation in Clark that this was a kid of Albert¡¯s age.


    Before coming here, Clark did a little research and knew that the normal price taken by local guides was a thousand Radan credits. Only the experienced and well-known ones take up to 2000 Radan credits.


    This young man was clearly trying to scam him. He didn¡¯t mind though; he had the money and Radan credits were a far lesser currency than Spartan credits.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    ¡°Umm?¡± The young man was stunned.


    Getting no response, he quickly confirmed the answer himself. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes; he finally met those filthy rich spoiled kids that his friend always bragged of having met. Praise be to God.


    Clark saw the euphoric gleam in the kid¡¯s eyes but he didn¡¯t give a damn. ¡°So, I want to go on a comprehensive tour around the city, where should I start from? Mind you, I want to go to the more peculiar locations¡±.


    ¡°Oh, for an esteemed sir like you, I recommend that you start from the government district. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s peculiar enough for your tastes if you want luxuriousness¡±.


    Clark turned to face him again. ¡°I¡¯m not here as an esteemed sir, I¡¯m here as the regular people moving about. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, got it¡±. The young man nodded vigorously. ¡°If you want it like that, then take the common lane leading to the district of the sewers¡±.


    ¡°Sewers?¡±


    ¡­


    Cain didn¡¯t lie, like he said, following the common lane really led Clark to the district of the sewers. Cain was the name of the young local guide, after traveling with Clark for minutes, he became even more of a blabbermouth.


    When he just came in, Albert originally kept quiet throughout, but after observing from the dark for some minutes, he suddenly erupted and started blabbering along with the young guide.


    Clark was astonished by the speed at which they both got along. They didn¡¯t seem like people who just met today, rather they looked like old friends who finally reunited after being separated for years.


    Clark already heard of it before, but hearing it again from Cain¡¯s mouth and seeing it himself reinforced the notion into his head.


    When he visited Leo¡¯s city when they just became soldiers of the Python military division, he thought that the city was the most awful place on earth but here in the sewers district was far worse.


    According to Cain, the name of this city was Don City, and it was just like most other cities in the Radan republic.


    The rich got richer every year, and the poor get poorer every year here. The district where the rich reside is as luxurious as heaven, while the district where the poor reside is as filthy as shit.


    Driving through the sewers district gave Clark a new impression of what poverty was. He didn¡¯t expect that coming to this city, would be the 3rd dominant scene that gave him the most impression.


    The bumpy and dirty roads were just the least of his worries. Emaciated adults, children with deficiency diseases, children begging on the streets, and a lot more, the sight left him stunned.


    It was not all like this, they were decent people moving in the streets too but the ratio of the decent people to the poor suffering ones was too vast to be compared.


    As he listened to Cain explain, his senses as a high-grade soldier enabled him to observe more. He knew that a group of bandits was already tailing him, the crime rate here was equivalent to poverty.


    It seemed that the government actually didn¡¯t give a damn about this district at all, everywhere seemed bleak and desolate.


    He could feel no optimism in the air, he could feel no hope, he could feel no happiness, just that urge to survive deep inside humans was the only reason why most of the civilians were still standing.


    His exotic car in its jeep configuration attracted a lot of attention, but he was just too distracted to pay attention to all that.


    Driving further a little while trying hard not to splash the mud water on the road at the pedestrians, he finally saw the first cars in this district that looked luxurious.


    When he began feeling relieved a bit, he frowned as he noticed government emblems on the cars and the soldiers forming a defensive perimeter around them. He turned to face Cain.


    Cain shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the local district leader, he¡¯s come to enforce the law of tax again. With such many soldiers always following him, this is more of a threat than a diplomatic enforcement¡±.


    Hearing that, Clark frowned more, his distaste for this region becoming even more severe. He drove his car to a corner before parking it, following Cain¡¯s direction he quickly located a restaurant and led them in.


    He wanted to see how this law enforcement would go. He still wanted to keep a low profile and not provoke anyone, but he wanted to observe and see how this would end.


    A waiter suddenly came to meet him from inside the restaurant. ¡°Want do you want? This is our menu, select your choice¡±.


    Clark waved his hands casually to show that he was not in the mood to eat, but what the waiter said next stunned him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not eating, leave sir before we call the police. This is a restaurant, we accommodate only those that want to eat, not those that want to enjoy the cool breeze of the air conditioner¡±.


    Stunned and speechless, Clark turned to face Cain who only shrugged. Seeing this, he quickly guessed the reason for this, perhaps the waiter thought of him as a miser who came just to have the experience of the A.C.


    Well, looking at the people outside, suspecting him was not wrong. He bitterly shook his head before speaking. ¡°Give us any beverage that you have¡±.


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°1 for each of us¡±.


    Ok, sir¡±. The waiter left.


    Clark sighed before turning to look outside, at the soldiers who were currently surrounding the local leader in a tight blockade as he spoke loudly with passion.


    After the waiter walked some distance away, he muttered softly. ¡°Miser¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 346: a sudden assassination attempt

    ¡°The President is trying, and we are also trying our best to make sure that his orders are carried out. When his orders are fulfilled, that is when the economy will be better, and people will stop starving¡±.


    ¡°Since the time of the previous President till our current Mr. President, our currency has dropped by approximately 40% and it keeps dropping¡±.


    ¡°Despite this and a lot of other problems, he¡¯s still trying his best to do the needful for the country. Yesterday, he approved another poverty investment bill to help the poor fight the deadly desease of poverty¡±.


    ¡°This and a lot more things have been done; every eye can see that he¡¯s trying, it¡¯s just the economical state of the country that is a barrier.¡±. The local commissioner took a breath to organize his thoughts.


    He suddenly started gesticulating wildly in emphasis to his words. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve come today again to emphasize the importance of paying your taxes¡±.


    ¡°The Minister of Finance has vowed that he will not rest until every citizen of the country starts paying his/her tax, and we are here to enforce it¡±.


    ¡°2 days, you only have 2 days remaining. If you do not pay, you will have to answer to the police and not me¡±.


    ¡°Fraudsters!¡± ¡°Murderers!¡±


    Some of the locals that still had the strength started yelling in protest immediately, venting their grievances.


    They intended to rush forward but the soldiers firmly held them back, even shooting their guns at the air to serve as a deterrence to the frenzied civilians. Not caring about them, the local commissioner smoothly ended his speech.


    ¡°What a bunch of ingrates; lazy baboons¡±. He cursed under his breath as he started climbing down the podium that was erected for him.


    His soldiers quickly converged protectively around him.


    Whoosh!


    It was silent, almost formless, and fast like the wind; the bullet arrived almost immediately after it left the sniper rifle.


    Blood blossomed to the shock of the soldiers, and before they could react the commissioner fell down with a thud sound.


    Almost immediately after the sound, they reacted. Those that were closer to the commissioner went more closer as they formed a human shield with their bodies to protect him.


    Whoosh!


    Another high-caliber bullet arrived but this time a soldier reacted fast enough. Not caring about his life, the young soldier jumped into the trajectory of the bullet and took it on behalf of the commissioner.


    ¡°The commissioner has been shot!¡±


    ¡°The commissioner has been shot!¡±


    A commotion started immediately; the soldiers formed a thicker blockade around the commissioner while the nearby civilians immediately started running for their lives on noticing what just happened.


    The atmosphere became tense all of a sudden, the escaping civilians had expressions of fear, regret, and anger on their faces as the ones with children covered their children with their bodies in fear of retaliation from the soldiers.


    The soldiers despite all the commotion didn¡¯t go in pursuit of the assassin; they all formed layers upon layers of a blockade defense around the bleeding commissioner like they were waiting for something.


    It took some time of searching before one of them finally brought out a crude exotic energy shield.


    Activating it, the advanced tech device flickered a bit before sprinkling to life in its blue glow. They blocked the commissioner with it immediately.


    As soon as the shield came to life, the originally dormant soldiers immediately reacted like they have been given a dose of adrenaline each.


    They quickly opened a hole through their blockade through which a group of doctors in white rushed in. Bringing out their tools, the doctors quickly stuffed an energy mask on the commissioner''s face.


    One of the nurses put pressure on the hole inside the commissioner¡¯s neck, another one gave him an injection, while the others quickly stretched open an emergency bed.


    1¡­, 2¡­, 3, now!


    They raised the commissioner at the same time before putting him on the bed. After confirming that he had no extreme reactions to the movements, they finally started rolling him away.


    As they did, throughout the energy shield remained to block the commissioner from any follow-up attack.


    An ambulance was already waiting at the side, half of the soldiers quickly separated from the others to escort the doctors and the commissioner away. The others remained behind.


    The soldier with a Sergeant badge among them immediately took the helm. ¡°The assassin was spotted in the nearby story building to the east- in the 2¡¯o clock direction at the 4th floor¡±.


    ¡°Team B, storm in from the front¡±.


    ¡°Team C, standby outside and keep watch for any movement¡±.


    ¡°Team A, follow me¡±.


    With a stern expression on his face, the sergeant cocked his automatic rifle and led the soldiers in his team forward as they quickly took a detour to the back of the story building.


    As he moved, the soldiers in Team C and Team A were also already on the move. Their movements were like they were already used to this, even the reaction of the doctors after the exotic shield was erected was like they were used to it.


    As the soldiers moved, they roughly brushed any civilian that obstructed their path aside without feeling any remorse.


    In less than 2 minutes, the soldiers of Team B arrived at the front of the building. Their team leader did not waste any time, he only nodded at them once before storming inside the building.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The building was used for a supermarket. Seeing soldiers¡¯ storm inside all of a sudden, both customers and attendants were spooked as they started screaming immediately.


    Not paying attention to them, the soldiers quickly located the stairs before scaling the building.


    Gulp!


    Clark gulped down the remaining contents of his beverage and stood up. He sat in the restaurant throughout the duration of the attack, so he was able to observe everything, probably even more than the Radan soldiers observed.


    He was shocked, he didn¡¯t expect that an attempt would be made at the commissioners¡¯ life. He saw the shot and he knew that if quickly attended to, the commissioner would survive.


    But his mind was not on that, he wanted to know the assassin. He had a guess; this assassination was probably related to the state of this district and the announcement of the commissioner.


    He patted Albert again. ¡°Look after Cain, I want to go take a look¡±.


    Not waiting for his student to reply, he took hold of his bag and strapped it to his back before storming out of the restaurant.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡±. Cain shuddered on seeing his client run to the CenterPoint of the commotion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him¡±. Albert smiled at him before secretly taking a glance at the other customers in the restaurant.


    He observed that almost everyone here hardly reacted to the assassination attempt. It was like they were used to it.


    He secretly frowned. ¡°What exactly is happening?¡±

 Chapter 347: a weird lady assassin

    Getting outside the restaurant, Clark quickly did a sweep with his eyes to survey the area before making his decision. In just a look, he quickly deduced that something was wrong.


    ¡°The assassins are more than 1¡±.


    As soon as the ambulance started moving, it was subtle but he saw 2 shadows move after it at almost the same time from the corner of a hidden alley.


    He originally wanted to go to the building and look for the assassin himself, but knowing that they were more than 1 left him hesitating. These 2 guys could kill the already half-dead commissioner if left alone.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate for long though; he had no obligations to save the commissioner¡¯s life. He would rather satisfy his curiosity. Turning around, he bolted forward in the direction of the story building where the shot came from.


    Unlike the deduction of the Radan soldiers, he had a more accurate and precise observation.


    The assassin who shot the bullet was indeed on the 4th floor, Clark spotted him in the 3rd room to the right and precisely the 8th window to the right also.


    As he sprinted forward across the street, he found it right to disguise himself. He was in a foreign country, not the Spartan republic, and he came here with a forged identity.


    If the country¡¯s military forces noticed that he was a soldier, the first thing that would come to their mind was that he was a terrorist that needed to be taken down. This was when his mask came into play.


    The mask that he got from his mission during his time in the Mediterranean Sea, he hardly found opportunities to use it in the past but this did not mean that he forgot about it.


    He smoothly retrieved it from his bag before putting it to his face. He tapped the side of his head softly, then his face slowly morphed to that of someone else.


    The face on him was now darker, skinnier, and sterner. Throughout this transformation, he did not stop one bit as he quickly got to the location of the building.


    Unlike the soldiers, he didn¡¯t go in through the front door. His multi-purpose boots released a barely noticeable pulse as he quickly jumped at the building¡¯s walls.


    His boots became magnetic, allowing him to have a firm grip on the walls like a wall gecko. Quickly stabilizing himself, he rapidly started scaling up the building straight to the 4th floor.


    In less than 30 seconds, he got to the window where the assassin shot the bullet. Inside the room, he saw a scared couple huddling themselves in a corner while covering themselves with a blanket.


    Shifting his gaze, he saw a hole in the middle of the room, a beautiful feminine body on a black tight vest and trousers beside it, a chocolate face partly covered by a ninja-like veil, flowing long hair, a gun, then¡­


    Bam! Bam!


    Clark removed his head on time as the 2 bullets whooshed past his face. He didn¡¯t want to reveal that he had exotic armor, so he reverted to the ways of his cadet days, the old way without armor.


    More careful this time, he peeked into the room again. The lady on black was gone, he only saw dust in the room and the still shivering couples.


    Cursing, he quickly jumped through the window inside the room. Not even looking to evaluate the danger, he jumped straight down through the hole that was in the middle of the room.


    Bam! Clang!


    Already anticipating it this time, he reacted before the bullet came out of the gun. Holding his custom-made dagger horizontally, the bullet was easily deflected to the side.


    He turned his head to look only to see the astonished eyes of the female assassin. She was clearly shocked at his ability to block her bullet so accurately with a dagger, he even felt a little fear emanating from her.


    Despite all the emotions in her mind, as an assassin being astonished did not slow her down, she kicked the nearby table up to block her opponent¡¯s view before bolting towards the door.


    Thud!


    Clark quickly followed after her, but hearing the dull sound he looked down. What he saw made his face turn ashen immediately as he dived forward to take hold of the grenade.


    Rapidly turning his body, he took hold of the grenade before throwing it outside through the window. It took 2 seconds intervals before it exploded.


    Heaving a sigh of relief while feeling anger for the assassin now, Clark tried to go after her again but he was greeted with something else. Seeing him, the Radan soldiers misunderstood and immediately opened fire.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    His dagger was faster as he used it to deflect the first few bullets before jumping to the side the next moment. Before the soldiers could storm into the room, his eyes rapidly scanned around for a place to hide.


    ¡°The bathroom!¡±


    When the soldiers stormed into the room, they only saw a black shadow afterimage fading into the nearby bathroom.


    Quickly forming a common raid formation, they advanced steadily to the bathroom. With a click sound, one of them opened the door before they all rushed in the next moment.


    Their eyes stared at emptiness, no one was in the bathroom. Quickly noticing the cut metal bars of the bathroom window, the team leader rushed closer and looked down.


    The assassin was already down, and he was looking back at him. when their eyes clashed, he felt anger.


    ¡°Go down!¡± He roared at his soldiers.


    Clark chuckled when he felt the anger in the young soldier¡¯s eyes. Ignoring the clearly incompetent soldiers, he sprinted forward in the direction that the assassin escaped to as transmitted by his drone.


    From what his drone transmitted to him, he knew that all the local police force and military units were mobilized already to this location. Despite this, he didn¡¯t want to leave until he saw the assassin clearly.


    Before continuing his pursuit, he first sent a message to Albert to take his exotic car and leave the district with Cain.


    From the little information that he learned from Cain; he knew that the soldiers could decide to detain his student if they didn¡¯t capture the assassin. They could use him as the scapegoat without any feeling of remorse.


    After sending the message, he turned and sprinted into a corner that led to a more remote alley in the district.


    The alley also had fewer houses than the other sides, Clark wondered why the assassin would come to a place like this instead of crowded places if she wanted to escape.


    ¡°What a weird lady assassin¡±.

 Chapter 348: the old warriors club

    Entering the alley, the first thing that Clark noticed was that the buildings here were old and abandoned. No one was staying in this alley, it looked like a haunted street.


    Whoosh!


    He reacted immediately to the sudden change in airflow. Turning his body in a gravity-defying manner, he grabbed the strong legs that suddenly kicked at him before turning again for a back throw.


    In just this one move, he knew that this was not the same assassin that shot the commissioner who he met a few minutes ago.


    As soon as he threw the black vested newcomer down, he felt the airflow move strangely again, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw another black vested newcomer coming at him with a flying kick.


    Clasping his hands together, he easily caught the flying legs, rotated his body before swinging the owner of the legs to the side to join his fellow newcomer.


    A softer wind sound reverberated this time, then Clark stiffened as he felt something hard embed itself into his back. He sighed, slowly placed his hand to his back before raising it to his face.


    He saw his blood come back with his hands. After confirming that he was just shot, he decided to turn around to see the culprit.


    ¡°Stay where you are, or I swear I¡¯ll blow your head to pieces¡±.


    Hearing the clear feminine voice behind him, Clark obeyed and stood rooted to one place. At this moment, he couldn¡¯t help but imagine her face paired with that cold voice. The last time, her face was hidden by the ninja veil covering it.


    ¡°Slowly, place your hand on your head and turn around¡±.


    Clark did as she said before slowly turning around. She was tall, far taller than he thought during the first time that he saw her in the room.


    She had that cold secret killer vibe, her long hair a moment ago was now tied into a bun. Her face was still hidden by the ninja-like veil just like her teammates, and she was dressed in all black too.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked coldly.


    ¡°A mercenary¡±. Clark shrugged.


    Seeing how casually he reacted, the contours of her face creased. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m bluffing with you? Tell me the truth or I¡¯ll blow your f*cking brains off¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s the truth¡±. Clark answered matter-of-factly.


    As she questioned him, her 2 teammates whose attacks were easily nullified by this stranger finally stood up. They had embarrassed and angry expressions on their faces as they turned to face him.


    They also had wary expressions on their faces, how this stranger diffused their attacks was just too strange and easy.


    Despite their disguise, Clark still made up their genders. The one who was currently holding him at gunpoint was undoubtedly a woman, the one who attacked him first was a man, and the flying kick one was a woman.


    From their mannerisms, he already noticed that they were now afraid of him a bit despite holding him at gunpoint. Yawning in his mind, he decided to take things into his own hands.


    He took a step forward; the lady cursed and pressed the trigger but he easily deflected the bullet away.


    Before she could pull the trigger again, he already arrived behind her. He smacked her at the back of the head with his dagger¡¯s handle, kicked her to the front while at the same time retrieving the pistol from her hands.


    After she stabilized herself, she didn¡¯t try to rush back at him. She just stood still biting her lips, her 2 teammates also stood in one place.


    Clark nodded inwardly to himself on seeing this before asking. ¡°Why did you try to assassinate the commissioner¡±.


    ¡°He deserves to die¡±.


    ¡°What makes you think¡­¡± As he was about to continue asking, his drone showed him that a group of soldiers was already coming in his direction.


    Turning back to face them, he asked them if they would follow him to a more secure place to discuss but of course, they refused. It didn¡¯t matter to Clark though; he yanked the 3 of them away against their will.


    ¡­


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it¡±.


    Clark had a look of enlightenment on his face after listening to the explanation of the 3 assassins.


    He was currently in his car with them, a sizeable distance away from the sewers district. Albert and Cain both sat at the front, while the 4 of them sat at the back where they just had an elaborate talk.


    ¡°Sir, will you release us now?¡± The lady assassin asked icily.


    ¡°Wait, no hurries, let me sort everything out in my mind first¡±.


    The 3 assassins tried to hide a lot of things from him originally, but when he showed them what he was capable of and also gave them evidence that he was not a Radan citizen, they finally gave him some information.


    According to them, they were from an organization called old warriors club. It was not secret information and it was known by almost every citizen of the country, so they had no problems telling him.


    Basically, the organization was formed by soldiers of the Radan republic who later turned against the government due to bad governance.


    Clark didn¡¯t need many convincing words before he believed most of the things that they told him. About the bad governance, he already saw it with his eyes after just a day of being in the country.


    The old warriors club was practically like a freedom fighter organization.


    Due to the bad governance of the country, they were mistreated. They were not paid bonuses for months, their salaries were not paid for months, and the unrest in the country kept on increasing each day.


    This was not enough to make them rebel, but the treatment given to their families was what crossed the line for them.


    They became soldiers to serve the country so that their families could live better lives. When after they¡¯ve given their all but all their leaders paid them with was starvation, insecurity, and hunger, they had no choice but to rebel.


    This was the age of exotics and technology, it was normal for some regions of the world most especially low-grade countries to be stricken with poverty and economic breakdown, but that of the Radan republic was too much.


    The politicians were rich already, instead of helping the poor, they were content with making the poor poorer by stealing the few that belonged to the poor.


    The founders of the old warrior¡¯s club created the organization to overthrow the rule of their leaders. It was created 8 years ago; they¡¯ve expanded a lot since then but the government was still suppressing them.


    Facing the dwindling hope of a successful rebellion and being left with no options, they finally decided to take the extreme route of assassinating the leaders of the country.


    They vowed to keep on assassinating until the President heard their plea. If they refused to listen to them, as the poor died of starvation every day, the rich would also keep on dying to assassinations.


    After hearing what they had to say, Clark was left speechless. He asked them for more confidential information about the organization, but the 3 of them refused to let out any information even at the threat of death.


    Still feeling dazed a little by what he already experienced in just his first day here, he finally let them go from his car.


    ¡°What a day!¡±


    [Hey! Thanks for reading, you guys make my day everyday.]

 Chapter 349: ambition

    As soon as all 3 assassins left the vision range of his car, Clark slumped down into his seat and supported his head with his right hand. What he just experienced today still left him lightheaded.


    When he decided to stalk the assassin, he had no intentions of carrying them away, he just wanted to know their motive for doing it.


    Assassins were always frowned upon in any society, but after knowing the truth behind the assassination, he didn¡¯t know what to feel at all.


    He felt pity for the poor civilians who were the helpless party in this struggle, he felt anger towards the governors of the country, and most especially he felt speechless at the ways adopted by the old warrior¡¯s club.


    He had read of it in the news before, he had seen it on the internet before, but getting to see such a scene, in reality, struck a chord in his heart that he¡¯s been trying to hide.


    When he just became a soldier, he remembered that his 2 most foremost ambitions were to have his revenge against the Mocan republic for the death of his parents and the silly ambition of overthrowing the rule of the big 5.


    After growing up, he already abandoned his first ambition to take revenge against the Mocan republic due to a lot of reasons. Perhaps, it was better to put it that he finally matured.


    For his second and most ridiculous ambition, as he grew as a soldier and got exposed to the power wielded by the big 5 organizations, he started feeling a strange phobia for them.


    This unknowingly made him try hiding and suppressing his ambition, his instinct started telling him that going against the big 5 and surviving it was impossible.


    They were the rulers of this era, they set laws and others follow, not the other way round. When they make a move, nations standstill, and when they talk, countries keep silent.


    To the current Clark, he didn¡¯t want to think about that ambition again until he perhaps grew strong enough to support himself in this world.


    But what if he narrowed the focus of his ambition down? Instead of trying to fight the big 5 who were behind it all, why not go and fight the smaller countries who were exploiting it on their behalf.


    The big 5 declared this era as the age of exotics and technology, and some countries undoubtedly took this opportunity to oppress their citizens.


    Just like what was happening here, the Radan government got so unbridled that not only did they mistreat their civilians to further enrich themselves, they mistreated their soldiers also.


    Unlike middle-grade countries like Sparta where soldiers were more or less the leaders of society, in such a low-grade country like this, it was hard for soldiers to take the helm.


    Due to a lack of proper training resources, and the lack of contact with exobeasts, compared to countries like the Spartan republic, Radan had an extremely low number of high-grade soldiers.


    Due to how small they were, the intelligent scholars of the country were the leaders instead of them. To keep hold of their rule over them, they purposely starve the soldiers of resources to cap their growth.


    It was through this that they perpetrated their evil.


    Clark knew that it was not only in the Radan republic where this was done, most of the other low-grade countries were like this. It was sad, but that was the reality of this era.


    And the thought that just crossed his mind, instead of taking the war to the undefeatable big 5 for now, it was more efficient and safer for him to take it to the low-grade countries.


    As they said, little drops of water make a mighty ocean. If he started with low-grade countries, he would one day graduate to middle-grade countries before finally reaching the level of the big 5.


    For example, he could decide to become a secret helper of the old warrior¡¯s club. He would help them overthrow the rulership of their leaders.


    For the new rulers of the republic, due to his contributions, he would be able to influence it a bit and make sure that the right leaders take over from the old ones.


    It was hazy a bit and still a juvenile thought, but he was sure that he could work it out. Problems would come on the way; problems like how would he confirm that the new leader would not be the same as the previous.


    For that problem, he would tackle it as it came. Right now, from what he saw the situation needed to change fast, and he was fine with doing just that.


    Through his drone, he was able to see more about the sewers district. Subtracting those that couldn¡¯t even stay behind the shelter provided by a house, the ones that could be were not in a better situation.


    He was sure that despite his physique as a high-grade soldier, staying in such a damp, filthy, and stench-filled home would affect him a lot adversely. For civilians to stay there was just too much, he just couldn¡¯t pretend that he didn¡¯t see it.


    He was not hail Mary or anything of the sort, but sometimes when you see something wrong, an urge to correct it just overwhelms you.


    According to Cain, the sewers district was the most less developed district in the country, but he didn¡¯t care. If a district like this could even exist, it meant that the government failed terribly.


    The upper echelons of the Spartan republic were not perfect, they had flaws, but definitely not of this type.


    In this age of exotics and technology, humanity already grew past some things. Seeing things like this was just too wrong.


    After thinking about all these, the main problem finally placed itself before him. To stay in this country, he had to have a base of his own where he could do his activities without interruption.


    This was not too much of a problem though. Using his implant, he easily broke into the network nodes of the country and got the information that he wanted.


    He turned to face his student. ¡°Albert, take me to this location¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Albert quickly pressed on the accelerators, prompting the car to move again from its state of rest.


    After dropping Cain back at his workplace, Albert finally steered the car in the direction that his master sent him.


    About how Clark would contact the upper echelons of the old warrior¡¯s club, that was not a problem as he already had it in the bag. There was no way that he could let the 3 assassins go so freely.

 Chapter 350: the 2nd deep

    Clang!


    A metal door slammed shut as a black car drove inside a barely noticeable basement. Inside the corridor was pitch black, only the dim lights of the car illuminated the surrounding a bit as it drove in.


    At the front, a circular shape was drawn on the floor, indicating where the car should be parked. As soon as the car got there, it stopped but the engine was not switched off.


    A dull thudding sound reverberated this time as the circular platform shook a bit before detaching from the other parts of the floor. At a slow speed, it started descending, taking the car with it.


    As soon as they touched ground again, lights automatically started switching on, bringing the overall outlook of this military-like bunker.


    A simple but fairly big hall, 2 bathrooms, a reinforced door and walls, a secret exit door, this was everything that was in this bunker. It was not too big; it was just the perfect compact that any secret agent would like.


    Clark nodded in satisfaction. ¡°This is what I want¡±.


    He gestured at Albert to take the car to the garage while he came down to get a personal exploration experience of the secret bunker. As his student drove away, he walked to the deeper parts of the underground bunker to survey.


    His eyes were not enough though, as he explored, he also brought out his scanning devices for a thorough search of the bunker to detect if any mischievous things were left behind.


    During the search, he found 3 secret cameras which he destroyed without hesitation. After confirming that there was nothing else, he finally sat down.


    Albert soon left to the surface again to install the solar panels. After installing them and camouflaging them in a way that would make them less recognizable, he finally came down.


    Clark discovered and bought this underground bunker after searching on the internet. Of course, he didn¡¯t get it through legitimate means, he got it after hacking the security of an underground virtual market.


    With his implant, a lot of impossible things were made possible to him. After paying 1.2 million Radan credits, he finally got this bunker for himself to facilitate his activities here.


    As soon as Albert came down, Clark gestured for him to come closer as a small device that was in his hand started blinking.


    He pressed a button at the side of the palm-sized device, it made a click sound before rotating the next moment. It rotated for 2 seconds before stopping, then a holographic screen was projected from it.


    Seeing this, Clark crossed his legs and found a more comfortable place on the chair to rest his back in preparation for the reveal.


    ¡­


    ¡°Team leader, who do you think he was?¡± A male voice asked all of a sudden. ¡°He¡¯s clearly not a Radan citizen, and I think this is my first time seeing him around here also¡±.


    A female voice butted in the next moment. ¡°I think he didn¡¯t lie¡±.


    ¡°My gut feeling tells me that he¡¯s really a mercenary. And he let us go, that is enough to show that he either doesn¡¯t have any resentment towards us, or he just came to the country¡±.


    Getting no response from their team leader despite waiting for some time already, both assassins stopped as they turned to face their team leader.


    Feeling their gazes, the female assassin did not stop. ¡°His identity is not of concern to us. All we have to do is tell the leaders about him, they¡¯ll know how to tackle him and find out his identity¡±.


    ¡°Ok, team leader¡±. Hearing the stern tone in which she replied to them, both assassins also became serious and answered her.


    Beside them was a large waterfall. They were currently climbing a cliff, after spending a lot of time going in circles to confirm that they were not being followed, they finally came here.


    They were the 3 assassins who had an encounter with Clark a few minutes ago. After being released by Clark, despite being wary of him, they still returned to their lair after trying all their methods to shake off any stalker.


    They still didn¡¯t know Clark¡¯s identity, and the previous encounter left them all horrified of his strength. All they wanted now was to report this new variable to their leader as fast as possible.


    The 3 of them were 1st rank high-grade soldiers. Being among the best warriors of the club, they were given another assassination mission, and that was what they just completed.


    With the help of their climbing equipment, they didn¡¯t have to spend much time in the cliff before they arrived at a barely noticeable opening.


    Confirming again that no one saw them, they finally crawled inside the hole. They went inside the rock a few meters before they saw the familiar door.


    ¡°Welcome back, assassin warriors¡±. The 2 guards standing before the door saluted before bringing out some devices to scan them.


    The 3 of them nodded back in acknowledgment before opening the door to enter inside the secret base. Inside was as boisterous as always, with soldiers moving back and forth to fulfill the orders of the higher-ups.


    The 2nd deep was the code name of their base. Across the whole country, theirs was the second strongest base only behind the primordial camp- codenamed the 1st deep.


    With no intentions to waste time, the 3 of them quickly exchanged greetings with their colleague before going straight in the direction of their base leader.


    A guard blocked them when they got to the leader¡¯s door. ¡°Your motive?¡±


    With a stern face, the female team leader answered. ¡°We just completed our mission, and I have a level 3 clearance complication report to make to the leader¡±.


    The guard looked down at his wrist, seeing the special wristwatch blink green, he nodded at her before moving out of the way.


    ¡°Good evening, leader¡±. The 3 of them knelt down.


    The leader who was currently reading a virtual newspaper turned his attention to them. ¡°Estela, you¡¯re back? How was it?¡±


    ¡°The commissioner is now dead¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±. The leader smiled at her gently. ¡°You can go take your reward from the base¡¯s armory, and your contribution points will be sent to your warrior account in a moment.


    Turning around to his newspaper and noticing that they were not leaving yet, the leader frowned and turned back. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    Estela gritted her teeth. ¡°There was a complication, sir¡±.


    The leader¡¯s face became serious immediately. ¡°What level of complication?¡±


    ¡°I classified it as a level 3 clearance complication sir¡±.


    Hearing that made the leader¡¯s expression relax a bit but he still took precautions. Opening his desk, he brought a special device out before clicking on a yellow button to activate it.


    He turned back to face her. ¡°Ok, tell me¡±.


    ¡°We encountered a man, a stranger when completing the mission. He was far stronger than us, he took the 3 of us as captives. From his actions, we couldn¡¯t know his real motive but¡­¡±


    As the leader listened with rapt attention, he heard a beep sound but his brain did not pay attention to it at first. A minute later, his brain finally clicked and he abruptly stood up from his chair.


    Looking at the small device that he put at his side, it was no longer glowing yellow, but red color.


    His expression darkened immediately. ¡°Estela, what did you come in with?¡±


    Surprised by his leader¡¯s sudden reaction, a shocked Estela stammered while hastily checking herself. She checked everywhere but couldn¡¯t see it, when she felt her breasts again, her face darkened as she felt something hard there.


    Bringing it out, she recognized it as a camera.


    Crash!


    She broke it immediately but she could not hold herself as she trembled in anger and fear from the implication of what just happened. She started pleading for mercy immediately.


    The leader finally calmed down after raging for 2 minutes. ¡°Go and sound the level 3 alert, we¡¯re expecting an intruder!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    ¡­


    Tsk!


    Clark clicked his tongue as soon as the projection got cut off from the other side. He was surprised that they had a device that could detect the camera, he suddenly felt like he¡¯s underestimated them a bit.


    He didn¡¯t care much about it though as he stood up the next moment. ¡°Albert, wait here for me, I want to go stretch my muscles a bit¡±.


    ¡°Master, you told me to remind you that as soon as we get here, we¡¯ll be going to visit Mr. Calibri¡±.


    Clark was stunned. ¡°About that, let¡¯s postpone it till I¡¯m back¡±.


    Taking hold of his bag, he quickly strapped it to his back before walking out of the underground bunker the next moment.

 Chapter 351: barging into the secret military base

    A tense atmosphere filled the secret military base as the assassins all maintained stern expressions on their faces. As soon as the level 3 alert was sounded, every one of them became aroused and alert.


    They didn¡¯t receive much of an explanation from the higher-ups, all that they knew was that an enemy discovered their secret base and would probably try infiltrating.


    The 2nd deep, as the second biggest secret military base of the old warriors club only behind the 1st deep, had a lot of methods to protect themselves, also to fight battles and hit hard.


    As soon as the alert was sounded, the 2 guards that monitored the entrance became more alert. 3 of their companions came from inside shortly after to accompany them and make their work more effective.


    They hid in the shadows, trying every means to hide from every possible angle that an intruder can get in with while their eyes remained trained on the small tunnel-like hole that led inside the base.


    They tried to calm their nerves but they could not. For an opponent that warranted such a reaction from the higherups, he/she was surely not on the same level as the small fries that they were used to.


    They felt like they were not going against a human, but rather one of the primordial exobeasts. Despite all the uneasiness in them, they diligently aimed their guns at the narrow tunnel leading inside the base.


    Pa!


    A crisp slap suddenly echoed around the originally silent entrance deep inside the rock. This made the other 4 guard¡¯s eyes widen like green lanterns ready to purge the world of evil as they rapidly turned around.


    Click!


    The first guard who turned around pressed the trigger to shoot, but his eyes widened the next moment as just with a small gesture from this mysterious opponent, his gun got dismantled into parts.


    With another sound of a crisp slap, the back of his head took in the impact as his eyelids became heavy the next moment. With a thud sound, he fainted and fell to the floor.


    The next guard tried to shoot too but with a single movement, he lost his gun to this mysterious opponent. He was left standing like a fool. Taking examples from their 2 comrades, the other 3 guards decided to take the melee approach.


    Another 3 crisp slap sounds followed, then 3 bodies fainted and fell to the floor.


    Clark gently rubbed his hands, retrieved the key from one of the guard¡¯s waists before moving closer to the door. His rubbing of hands did not have any significant meaning, it just looked cool and mysterious.


    Thinking back to his dream when he just became a soldier, he could not help but think that he was finally fulfilling the dream of becoming a secret agent.


    And, another notable fact was that he was now dressed in the same ninja-like assassin outfit as the 3 assassins wore minutes ago.


    He was too lazy to bring out any of his weapons, he instead used only his hands to take down all 5 guards. It was a piece of cake achievement for him.


    With a click sound, he smoothly opened the door before poking his head inside the survey the situation.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    He withdrew his head back the next moment, narrowly avoiding the bullets. Not deterred by this, he went inside more boldly. He entered the military base rolling, which enabled him to dodge the bullets.


    The guards immediately changed their shot trajectory on seeing him again, but Clark reacted faster than they did.


    Almost like the flash, he propelled himself up before jumping at the walls. Bullets hit behind him as he ran horizontally through the wall like a wall gecko.


    When they brought their guns there, he dropped down again to dodge the bullets before smoothly rolling into their ranks.


    They tried to tie him down with superior numbers with some of them already hauling fists and kicks at him, but unknowingly for them, Clark entering their middle already sealed their fates.


    With movements as swift and natural as a fish swimming through water, he spanked their butts until they all lay down unconscious.


    Almost immediately after he did this, he went on the run as his implant alerted him of danger ahead of time. Bullets flew down like the sand in a desert, submerging the corridor with their outrageous numbers.


    On top of the corridor were installed mini-artillery machines. They rapidly shot bullets at the pace of a machine gun at the intruder, but Clark was always a step ahead.


    Boom!


    With one swing of his fists, the door that was before him got sent flying away. Entering the main underground hall of the military base deep inside the rock, Clark was not surprised that they were prepared for him.


    Hundreds of assassin soldiers stood before him, forming a huge blockade with guns pointed at him from all directions. As soon as he appeared, as one, they all pulled the trigger and more bullets flew his way.


    At the top of the main hall, platforms like balconies were erected where more soldiers shot at the intruder with much more clarity.


    As soon as he saw the soldiers standing before him, Clark¡¯s brain swirled at the speed of a computer as his implant quickly started projecting the battlefield to him in a 3d form.


    Everything suddenly seemed to have been slowed down, his eyes could track the trajectory of the bullets. Then, quickly retrieving 2 daggers, he rolled forward straight to the closest cluster of soldiers.


    Sounds of metal hitting metal reverberated as he parried the few bullets that he couldn¡¯t dodge with his daggers. Against a 3rd rank high-grade soldier like him, the soldiers were just too disadvantaged.


    In just a few seconds since he made his first move, he arrived before the first cluster of soldiers. With a roll followed by an upwards slam of his shoulders, he immediately created a path through the soldiers with brute force.


    With the power akin to a lion among dogs, he bulldozed his way through. And with the finesse and technique akin to a cat among rats, he added a certain grace and preciseness to his movements.


    [Ding! Master, the leader of this military base has been identified.]


    [Coordinates¡­]


    As soon as his implant hacked the defense of this base for the information that he needed, Clark¡¯s attacks quickly turned from chaotic to organized with a clear direction in mind.


    He bullied the soldiers like a big brother playing football with his younger siblings, dribbling through them like the legendary Lionel Messi cutting and slicing through a cluster of flustered defenders.


    Having realized the direction that he was going to, horror visibly emanated from the soldiers as they intensified their efforts to tie him down but it was all to no avail.


    Defense structures finally started being erected from the ground, prompting Clark to bring out his dual swords.


    Due to their relatively inferior quality compared to his custom-made swords, only one swing was required on his part to cut them apart.


    After 10 minutes of him drilling through the soldiers like a stern-faced instructor teaching recruits combat, he finally arrived at the leader of this base¡¯s room.


    Getting inside, he was surprised as besides the leader, 2 of the assassins that he chatted with previously in the day were here. The 2 of them and the leader of the base were currently holding him at gunpoint.


    ¡°Hi!¡± He flashed them a smile.


    ¡°W¡­, who are you?¡±


    The leader finally found his breath. Despite his efforts to act distinguished, he could not stop his fingers that were grasping his gun from shaking.


    As soon as Clark took a step forward¡­


    Bam! Clang!


    A faint line of smoke rose from the side of his drawn sword as he inclined his head to look at the side. He flashed the familiar lady a smile.


    ¡°Hi! Miss me?¡±


    Estela who hid at the corner, holding a huge sniper rifle suddenly felt a horror that she¡¯s not felt before since she was born engulf her heart. Her brain practically short-circuited immediately.


    ¡°Which alien is this?¡±

 Chapter 352: negotiation

    Relishing in the shock on the 4 soldiers¡¯ faces while not letting it show on his face, Clark went closer to the leader¡¯s desk with a constant smile on his face. Getting there, he turned a chair around and sat down calmly.


    ¡°So, can we talk now?¡±


    It took more than a minute before the leader of the military base finally came back to his senses. He looked at Clark blankly for a moment, it took him another minute before he finally recovered his nerves.


    ¡°You want to speak with me alone?¡± He asked, his voice suddenly as gentle as that of beautiful princesses depicted in fantasy cartoons.


    Clark secretly clicked his tongue in amusement on seeing this before he answered with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll like a private chat with you, but I need your subordinate here to remain with us¡±.


    Seeing that he was pointing at Estela, the leader nodded firmly before gesturing for his other 2 subordinates to leave his office. As soon as both subordinates left, he finally had the guts to sit down on his chair.


    Estela took some time to organize her thoughts before standing up to come closer. She looked at Clark to get permission before turning a chair that was at the side, she sat down before secretly stealing a deep look.


    As Clark opened his mouth intending to start the conversation, he was suddenly interrupted.


    Knock! Knock!


    He turned his head only to see a multitude of soldiers with weapons behind the door. Seeing this sight left him lightheaded for a moment, he chuckled after understanding what was happening.


    The leader stood up and apologized profusely before going out to meet his soldiers. He said a few words to them that successfully dispersed them, after this, he came back with a female soldier.


    Feeling Clark¡¯s gaze, he explained. ¡°This is my second in command¡±.


    Clark nodded slowly, secretly marveling at how this man was able to adapt to his intrusion and bossing around in just a few minutes.


    ¡°Some people are really gifted¡±. He lampooned.


    After sitting down, the leader endured the awkward silence for a few minutes before he couldn¡¯t anymore. ¡°Sir, please can I know what brought you here?¡±


    ¡°I want to help you¡±.


    ¡°Wha¡­, umm, pardon?¡±


    Clark smiled as he already expected such a reaction. Crossing his legs, he placed himself at a more comfortable angle in the chair before laying down his plan before the leader and his 2 subordinates.


    He planned to help them overthrow the current leaders of the Radan republic. Of course, he explained his motives for doing that before the leader could ask.


    He didn¡¯t hide much, he frankly told them his experiences as soon as he arrived in the country. He told them how he felt and also about his ambition, only excluding the part about overthrowing the rule of the big 5.


    If he told them such an outrageous ambition, he was sure that the leader would gather the guts to throw him out of the military base immediately while not caring about the consequences.


    What other consequence was more dreadful than having to go against the big 5 organizations? None.


    During the process, he also told them that his ambition was not limited to the Radan republic. He elaborated that after here, he wanted to do the same thing in other countries and alleviate the suffering of the less privileged in this era.


    And of course, he told them what he was capable of as this was the only stamp that could put professionalism to what he just told them.


    He didn¡¯t reveal his real identity to them, he rather told them that he was a lone mercenary. He revealed that he was a 3rd rank high-grade soldier to them, which none of them doubted after his recent display.


    From the way that they looked at him, he was sure that they already even developed a kind of trauma from that.


    As soon as he finished laying down his plan before them, the leader of the military base frowned before sinking into deep thought with his hand on his chin. This continued for 2 minutes before he raised his head.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m not saying that you¡¯re not strong. But we have a 3rd rank high-grade soldier in our club too, this has not helped us to overthrow our cruel government yet. What makes you think you can help us do it?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m special¡±. Clark grinned. ¡°And I also have cash¡±.


    That was shameless, but the 3 soldiers did not doubt him. His dagger that was durable enough to stop such a high-caliber sniper bullet in its path was already enough to show this man¡¯s wealth.


    ¡°Perhaps, he¡¯s the son of a billionaire¡±. The leader lampooned.


    Seeing that he was still in deep thought, Clark suddenly stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll give you time to think about it, you have a month¡±.


    He threw a card on the desk. ¡°That is my contact details. If you try to get to me through it, if I don¡¯t receive it, my student definitely would¡±.


    ¡°I hope that before a month, we can become allies¡±.


    ¡°I hope so too¡±. The leader of the base stood up before extending a hand to Clark for a handshake.


    Clark looked at his hand, smiled before patting him on the shoulders. ¡°If we become allies, I can give you some pointers that may increase your speed of improvement as a high-grade soldier¡±.


    ¡°I believe that you and your 2nd in command are not tired of improving, and the 3rd rank realm is still pretty attractive to the both of you¡±.


    Before the leader could reply, he turned around and walked away from his office. Going outside, the still tense soldiers of the military base immediately raised their guns to him.


    One of them who was still flustered pressed the trigger by mistake. The bullet came out, but it bounced off his armor harmlessly. He smiled at the soldier who made the mistake before he navigated his way out of the military base.


    As soon as he left, silence like that in a graveyard descended into the military base, making the base spooky all of a sudden.


    ¡­


    ¡°What do you think of his proposal?¡±


    Hearing the question posed by his second in command, the leader of the base smiled bitterly before standing up. ¡°This is beyond me. I will send a messenger to contact the club head, he is the one who should think of this proposal¡±.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll go¡±. Estela bit her lips, but she still found the courage to volunteer.


    The leader took a look at her. ¡°Ok¡±.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 353: going to the dakra republic

    Getting out of the secret military base, Clark revealed a smile of contentment as he embraced the ever-shining sun of Africa that he was just beginning to get used to. Bathing in it always revitalized his soul.


    As soon as he came out through the small tunnel entrance, he did not have to climb down the way that Estela and her 2 teammates did. All he did was jump and freefall downwards.


    He followed the waterfall straight down and plunged into the rapidly flowing river with a loud splashing sound accompanying it. He stayed underwater for a few minutes before coming out at the shore.


    Activating a device that was hidden in his body, the water was smoothly dried from his body. He waited a bit before a blue car started driving in his direction.


    As soon as the car stopped before him, he entered inside and rested his head against the headrest.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Albert asked as soon as his master entered the car.


    ¡°It was smooth like I expected¡±. Clark replied lazily while propping his chin up with his left hand.


    ¡°Can we go now?¡±


    Clark was surprised. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°To Mr. Calibri¡¯s¡­¡±


    Smack!


    Clark whacked his student on the head. ¡°Are you crazy? I should go dressed like this? How can I go to meet such a distinguished man like this?¡±


    Albert paused, a look of grievance on his face. ¡°But what¡¯s wrong with your dressing? It looks fine to me¡±.


    Whack!


    ¡­


    A few minutes later, the metal door slammed shut again as a still grumbling Albert drove the exotic car inside the circle-shaped drawing on the floor. Clark paid him no attention as the car quickly descended.


    As the exotic car slowly descended, Clark finally started thinking of what he was about to do today.


    After delaying it for too long already, he finally made up his mind to visit Sonia¡¯s dad, Mr. Woods Calibri.


    For a soldier of his caliber, it was a shameful thing but he actually felt uneasy about going through with this visit. Perhaps, it was because he grew up in a fairly average home, but he had a certain phobia for billionaires.


    He was not afraid of them, but he always felt a strange feeling overwhelm him whenever billionaires are mentioned. Albert and Sonia were the only billionaire kids that he had come into contact with.


    They were both not as petty as he thought in his mind, but this could not stop his strange feeling. Most especially when this was the father of the girl that he loved.


    Despite the evil Clark inside him instigating him to rethink and cancel the visit, he already made up his mind to visit the billionaire.


    He cared about Sonia, and now he really wanted to put effort into looking for her. Benny was already married, if he delayed his for too long, he knew that it would become awkward.


    Clang!


    The car finally touched the floor of the base that he bought for himself, dragging him out of his embarrassing thoughts. Getting out of the car, the first thing that he did was to go have a thorough bath.


    After doing this, he came back and started asking Albert for his billionaire''s opinion about the dress code that he should wear.


    In this world, there was nothing like knowing it all. The more you know, the more you feel that there¡¯s a lot left for you to know.


    After deliberating about it with his student for some minutes, he finally settled on a filthily expensive suit that Albert suggested to him. Without hesitation, he ordered it online.


    Putting his shame behind him, he sincerely sat Albert down and asked for guidance on the behavior and etiquette of billionaires. He didn¡¯t want to meet the father of the girl he loved and end up acting like a novice.


    Ding! Dong!


    The electric bell of the underground base suddenly rang, informing both soldiers that the delivery guy was here. To hide the presence of the base, a house was built nearby and that was where the base was connected to.


    Albert stood up immediately and sprinted upwards in the direction of the house to get the product.


    When he returned with a huge bag in his hand, a weird expression took his face as he saw his master fidgeting slightly. ¡°Is it because of the visit? How beautiful is that Sonia exactly? Master seems flustered for real¡±.


    Wisely curbing his curiosity so as not to earn another whack from his master, Albert gestured that they enter the dressing room to change which Clark agreed on.


    A few minutes later, both soldiers came out of the room looking like completely different beings. Albert quickly observed his master to make sure that nothing was wrong.


    The suit was in a plain black color. Visiting a man at the top of the world like Mr. Woods Calibri, dressing too flamboyantly might only irritate him. Dressing nice and decently was the best.


    Unlike the soldier stern vibe that he always exuded; Albert keenly noticed that Clark exuded a more gentlemanly vibe for the first time since he knew him. He secretly nodded to himself.


    In a plain black suit, black shoes with diamonds lacing the surface, a gold watch, and an elegant tie to match everything up, Albert complimented inwardly that his master now looked ready to face his future in-law.


    Seeing his student¡¯s scrutinizing gaze, Clark suddenly felt a little inadequate. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re perfect to go¡±. Albert smiled.


    Secretly heaving a sigh of relief on hearing that, Clark finally locked down the base, left his exotic car behind before leaving for the airport with his student in tow.


    The Dakra republic, being the leading country of the 2nd European large alliance that the Spartan republic was also registered in, was a hegemon of a state. The perfect adjective to describe it was flourishing.


    In practically every way, including the quality of soldiers that the Spartan republic is renowned for, they were still dwarfed by the much more developed country.


    Perhaps, this was another of the reasons why Clark was nervous. This was his first time willingly visiting such a prosperous country with high-grade military strength.


    Getting to the Radan republic¡¯s central airport, they didn¡¯t waste much time before they were registered on the plane. The Dakra republic was a significantly far distance from here, so it was going to be a long journey.


    As the plane slowly rose into the sky after the runway was clear, Clark looked out through the windows.


    ¡°I hope Sonia¡¯s dad is as amiable as her¡±.

 Chapter 354: a luxurious city

    The sound of depressurizing air sounded as the hatch of the airplane opened up. After a high-speed long journey of 8 hours, the Radan airline plane finally arrived in the federal republic of Dakran.


    Just like the other travelers, Clark came down immediately with his student in tow as soon as the plane came to a stop at the airport.


    Due to the luxurious suits that they both wore, they quickly formed a sharp contrast with the other travelers. The others were decently dressed also, but the difference could be seen at a glance.


    As Clark walked along the road of the airport, he didn¡¯t reveal any outward expression of amazement but inwardly he was already awed.


    Perhaps, it was just a show of wealth by the Dakran republic, but the airport scenery was so luxurious that Clark was left gaping. The first thing that became apparent to him was the sheer number of airplanes in the airport.


    A specialized park was made for the airplanes to stay, making for an astonishing sight. From the few that he could see from his angle, Clark concluded that there were at least 100 airplanes here.


    Apart from the passengers that were coming down from the airplanes, no airport official or security was around. The airport was dominated by robots.


    Robots did everything, and they were designed in a way that their identity was easily known. Some were designed to look like policemen, others like clerks, and Clark even saw some looking like chefs in the nearby restaurant.


    Their glowing robotic eyes kept on flickering up and down, their speech modules rapidly addressing the passengers that needed attention.


    Another section of the airport was reserved for business import and exportation of goods. Robots made in the size of big machines flew above the passengers like space shuttles, transporting goods from one place to the other.


    Only 2 buildings were in the airport, and they were magnificent. This was the place where the few human officials of the airport resided, controlling and monitoring the works of the robots diligently.


    After much pestering from Albert, Clark finally agreed that they both take a photo here. Ignoring the gaze of the others, they both posed and took nice pictures.


    After doing that, they finally left the airport straight in the direction of the nearby cable cab.


    The cable cab was like a speed train, the only difference was that instead of moving on the ground, it moves through a cable connected to various points in the city and travels through the air.


    ¡°Royal district¡±.


    Clark quickly told the robot who stood at the entrance of the cab and paid for the transport through his implant.


    It was a fast, easy, and effective method of payment.


    This was Clark¡¯s first time entering a cable cab, but he did not grope around like a novice. Before coming here, he already researched extensively about the specialties and technologies here, so he was prepared.


    For his seat, he intentionally located a seat that was at the end of the cable cab so he could see the scenery of the city through the transparent glass.


    Inside the cab was all white, making it seem like an illusory work of magic. Everything about it screamed perfection and luxuriousness. Despite its outlook, it was the most preferred mode of transport for commoners in the city.


    The city that he currently was is the King¡¯s City.


    As one of the most developed cities in the country, it was a hub where most of the lucrative businessmen and high-grade soldiers of the city lived. This was also where Woods Calibri¡¯s estate and business empire was located.


    Looking outside the cable cab, Clark admired the scenery. From high-rise buildings to skyscrapers that were interconnected at the top, to hovering buildings that were kept up in the sky by anti-gravity modules.


    The sight was just too magnificent for him to take his eyes off. The scene that looked most impactful to him was the surfer¡¯s lane, due to his puzzlement at first Albert had to explain to him.


    According to the billionaire kid, in most high-grade countries, their cities usually had a lane demarcated from the normal pedestrian¡¯s lane which was called the surfer¡¯s lane.


    It was made for the rich, so as the name said, people who pass through it fly rather than walk.


    Paired with their anti-gravity shoes, they flew at a leisurely pace to their various destinations while either chatting or doing other things at the same time.


    Seeing this scene, Morales felt goosebumps creep under his skin. He felt like he was back to his childhood where he was watching the ancient harry potter series where witches flew on brooms.


    Taking his eyes away from the surfer¡¯s lane, his eyes glittered as he took in all the other sights greedily like a troll. As he did this, the cable cab suddenly let out a soft humming sound before converting its potential energy into kinetic.


    As the cab slowly glided forward through the city, Clark relaxed and leaned on his chair while continuing to feast his eyes on the delicious food which was now the city.


    Through his implant, before even arriving in the city, he already rented a house that he would stay with his student during his duration here.


    He didn¡¯t want to go to Mr. Calibri¡¯s estate immediately after coming to the city. He already did research online, but he still wanted to survey and do more eyes-on sight research before carrying on with his plan.


    Albert was now referring to him as Mr. Pendragon. In a city like this, he was obviously not going to let the kid call him master. That would be a hell of a million awkward, he wouldn¡¯t know how to fell.


    As his eyes continued taking in the scenery, he could not help but sigh. He arrived here for only a few minutes, but the sight here was already sprouting a yearning in him to stay here forever.


    He couldn¡¯t help but think. ¡°If Sonia really grew up in an environment like this, how the hell could she even settle for a place like the Spartan republic?¡±


    For him, he knew that he could not have done it. This place was just like heaven on earth, a great contrast to how developed the Spartan republic was.CHAPTER 35

 Chapter 355: neighbours

    About 15 minutes later, the cable cab finally stopped, dropping the first group of passengers at the first drop point. Clark and his student didn¡¯t come down as their drop point was at the second checkpoint.


    5 minutes later, the cable cab finally arrived at the second checkpoint.


    Just like was expected of soldiers, Clark and Albert didn¡¯t have much luggage. All they brought was their backpack for this journey, and most of the things inside the bags were their weapons which they were allowed to enter inside with.


    The cable cab did not come down after getting to the checkpoint. Rather, Clark and the other passengers went to a miniature version of the cable cab which was shaped just like a shuttle.


    This was what brought them down through another cable that was released down by the main cable cab. Throughout the journey, Clark didn¡¯t engage in any conversation with any of the passengers, making it seem a little boring but he still enjoyed the ride.


    As soon as they came out of the miniature version of the cable cab, they finally got exposed to the harmonious and boisterous atmosphere of the country, precisely the King¡¯s city.


    The Royal district, being the most magnificent district in the city was not a let down also. The marvels that he already experienced throughout his journey here, Clark saw them here with a several folds increase.


    Not intending to waste time, he quickly gestured at his student as they started walking into the nearby street. With the coordinates of his rented apartment in his mind, he quickly navigated through the busy street.


    He looked up at the signpost to confirm, then he nodded. ¡°This is it¡±.


    The building was a beautiful bungalow, with many side apartments attached to it which could be rented out. Though compared to the other houses around, this building was much less magnificent, Clark did not dare have disdain for it.


    Thinking of the money that he had to spend just to hire the building for a week, he felt like the world was not balanced at all.


    With the amount of money that he spent on it just for renting, he could use that same money to get a magnificent mansion back in the Spartan republic, with workers, and everything befitting a man of his status.


    ¡°Hey, good afternoon¡±.


    A girl with blonde hair vibrating with energy suddenly jogged out of the other apartment at the side of the bungalow.


    She had a pretty face, her cheeks were slightly rosy and puff with baby fat, her lips were painted pink, she was in slightly revealing clothes. And with the headset on her head, she was dancing to a tune before she saw them.


    She intended to hop out after casually throwing a greeting before but seeing them, she suddenly paused. ¡°Are you the new neighbors?¡±


    Clark turned to face his student before turning back. ¡°That? Yeah, I think so, we are the new neighbors I guess¡±.


    ¡°Wow, welcome, let me help you carry your luggage in¡±. She showed a look of visible surprise on her face before hopping closer to meet them.


    Clark turned to face his student again before slowly bringing down his backpack. ¡°Umm, thanks¡±.


    ¡°Do you know what? My granny thought that the new neighbors would be unruly men, so she kept on pestering the landlord throughout the previous day to watch out for who was renting his house¡±.


    She raised her head after dropping Clark¡¯s bag and looked intently at their suits. ¡°But from the look of things, that is clearly not needed. You guys are the perfect gentlemen¡±.


    Coughing awkwardly, Clark secretly gestured for his student to do something. Sighing exasperatedly, Albert finally took over the conversation, cleverly leading the girl out a few minutes later.


    Seeing the both of them go outside, Clark heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew! That was close¡±.


    Plopping down into the chair, he turned around to have a proper survey of the apartment.


    It was a 1-bedroom flat, floored with treated marble wood, the ceiling and every other thing about the house justified the outrageous amount of money that Clark paid to get it.


    It was far smaller than any of Clark¡¯s mansions, but the interior of the whole house was almost at the same level as his room¡¯s bathroom which has proven to be the most luxurious part of his mansion.


    Gentle heat blew into the house, diffusing it in a calm aura of warmth. The Dakran republic was a cold region, so measures like this were normal in their buildings.


    Hearing his student¡¯s voice outside still with his new neighbor, Clark had a strange expression on his face but he soon dispelled it as he put his hand on his chin to contemplate his plans.


    It was already late in the afternoon, so he already canceled his plan of visiting Mr. Woods Calibri today. He would rather visit tomorrow at a healthier time.


    This did not mean that he was satisfied with staying at home though. He would use this opportunity to have a tour around the city, and he also wanted to see the billionaire¡¯s estate before time.


    At least with that, when he visited tomorrow, he wouldn¡¯t be too clueless which may help a lot in progressing his plans.


    As soon as he confirmed his plans, he quickly went to the room, changed before going into the bathroom to have a thorough bath. After coming back, he saw that Albert was back and was sitting on the sofa.


    ¡°Go have your bath, we¡¯ll be leaving in an hour¡±.


    Albert turned to look at him. ¡°Ok¡±.


    As his student entered the bathroom to wash up also, he finally entered the room again. He changed into just shorts, he increased the warmth spread rate of the heating device before plunging into the bed.


    After sitting through an 8-hour journey at such a high altitude, all he wanted now was to sleep and refill his spent energy reserves.


    ¡°You are mine, my baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    As his eyes were already becoming heavy, he suddenly heard this music from the opposite building, irritating the hell out of him.


    After trashing about angrily without it subsiding, he finally resorted to tucking his head under 2 pillows while pressing them with his hands to act as ear morphs. After doing this, the sound grew faint immediately.


    Letting out a contented breath, his eyes became heavy again before slowly closing. He wholeheartedly embraced the sweet phenomenon of sleep.


    [I''m sorry for the late release, I couldn''t write throughout yesterday due to some environmental restraints. I''m really sorry, I''ll make up for it.]

 Chapter 356: a memorable experience money is power

    Knock! Knock!


    Hearing the knocking sounds being amplified by the hidden sound amplifiers in the apartment, Clark was finally jolted from his sleep. Reflexively looking to the side, he saw his student sleeping peacefully.


    As he intended to shrug and go back to sleep, he heard the knock again, this time much clearer. His eyes finally became sharp. Turning around, he quickly picked up his gold wristwatch.


    04: 35: 54- pm.


    He was shocked, he facepalmed immediately on seeing the time. ¡°I slept over, directly from 1 hour to 2 hours and some minutes¡±.


    Inwardly lampooning about how he slept over, he finally stood up. Quickly dipping his hand into his bag, he retrieved a light casual top which he draped on before quickly making his way to the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Opening the door, the first thing that presented itself before him was an old woman. Though she was old, she preserved her skin well as they still glowed a bit despite the coldness of the weather.


    Besides the old woman stood a familiar girl, the neighbor who he met as soon as he arrived. Connecting the hidden dots immediately, he bowed slightly.


    ¡°Good afternoon, ma¡±.


    A wide smile quickly lit up the old woman¡¯s face on seeing the new neighbor¡¯s gesture, a twinkle of approval shining in her deep, old, and wise eyes. ¡°You are exactly like my granddaughter described¡±.


    ¡°Welcome to King¡¯s City¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, ma¡±. Clark replied humbly.


    ¡°You¡¯ll go for a tour today, right? To check out the city¡±.


    Ignoring why the old woman was concerned about such trivial matters, Clark answered honestly. Hearing his answer, the old woman¡¯s smile grew even wider.


    ¡°If you want, my granddaughter here can be your guide. She grew up with me here, so she¡¯s conversant with all the memorable places of the city loved by the young ones like you¡±.


    Clark was dumbfounded for a moment. ¡°Is that how trusting the people here are?¡± After taking some seconds to recollect himself, he answered simply.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    ¡­


    20 minutes later, 2 men and a lady came out of the bungalow building. The lady was dressed in baggy sweaters to fight the cold, but her lower body was on a tight pair of jean trousers, with a pair of sneakers to match it.


    Clark and Albert were dressed in similar clothes. Baggy sweaters, a pair of track trousers, and a pair of pedestrian shoes.


    Pinky asked for their opinion on which location they wanted to go to, the lady¡¯s name was Pinky. Clark didn¡¯t have much of an opinion, he just added that he would visit the Calibri estate before returning.


    As already observed from their first meeting, Pinky was a vibrant extrovert. So they didn¡¯t even have to put in effort to make the walk not boring, her mouth fired off at the pace of a machine gun.


    She gestured at various things that she thought were nice to her 2 new neighbors, while at times greeting the people that they met on the way as they made their way through the cold street.


    They¡¯ve not eaten in 8 hours, so of course, Clark and Albert agreed when she suggested that they go to a restaurant first.


    Here in the restaurant, Clark experienced another marvel of technology. As soon as they ordered their food and it was placed before them, they seemed to have been teleported out of the restaurant and were now before the starry sky.


    They were in space!


    Clark knew and his implant already emphasized it again that it was a virtual simulation, but he still felt like he was there physically.


    Seeing the blank space that extended all the way to the ends of the world, the nine planets, the moon, the stars, the milky-way galaxy, he felt like he suddenly transmigrated into a fantastical world.


    At various intervals, they would see stars streak past them like burning meteors, making Pinky erupt into soft but strangely loud giggles.


    Just like the way the stars illuminated the void, so also did they illuminate the world at their table. In such an atmosphere, Clark had the most memorable fast-food experience of his life.


    Despite leaving the restaurant already after eating, he was still left in a daze. Albert was much more composed like this was a normal occurrence to him.


    Leaving the restaurant, they went to some other locations. Pinky who was the guide seemed even more excited than them despite already experiencing all these countless times in the past.


    They visited a casino that hovered in the sky, a computer games internet caf¨¦ where they experienced complete virtual immersion in the game, and a virtual battle arena.


    Pinky didn¡¯t exactly like the last place, but when Clark and Albert heard her description of it, they insisted to go there.


    It was a battle arena that was also hovering in the sky just like the casino. Inside it, visitors could pay and register to become a character in the arena. There, they would fight against themselves in a realistic setting.


    Clark noticed some soldiers among the group of people taking part in the virtual arena battles, and they could make real cash through the money placed on them by spectators.


    Clark was severely tempted to take part in it, but he held himself back. He didn¡¯t have a tangible reason; he just wasn¡¯t in the mood to engage in such things until he met his girlfriend¡¯s father.


    From the virtual battle arena, they finally visited the famous Woods Calibri¡¯s estate. Only his estate where he lived was close by. Though the headquarters of his business empire was also in King¡¯s City, it was pretty far from Clark¡¯s location.


    Visiting the billionaire¡¯s estate, Clark confirmed again how filthily rich he was.


    From the position that he looked at the estate from, he could only see a fraction of it, and this fraction was already bigger than any estate that he¡¯s seen or even heard of.


    He grew dizzy just from the sheer size of the estate.


    Outside the estate was quiet, but he knew that a lot of activities were going on inside. The ridiculous size of the estate made it look like a city of its own, the boisterousness inside was on a whole other level.


    He saw skyscrapers towering into the skies, walls like those used to fence the mansion of a giant, gates like those guarding the entrance to paradise, he was sincerely intimidated by the shocking display of wealth.


    At the very zenith of the estate hovered 5 battleships silently. Their metallic armors reflected a bright silver sheen on Clark¡¯s face as he looked at them.


    Though they were currently hidden, he knew that the exotic cannons that could obliterate him out of the face of the world in a single shot were hiding inside their thick armors.


    Money is power; he confirmed this today again.


    That night, after he got back to his newly rented apartment, he fell into a dream.


    [I missed win win mission, I feel so bad.]

 Chapter 357: a dream

    Blink!


    Clark¡¯s eyes flickered up and down like flickering candlelight in the darkness before finally clearing up to survey the surroundings, but a sense of confusion diffused him as he saw himself in an unfamiliar environment.


    He was no longer in the familiar room that he had grown to like after just one day of staying in it, rather he felt like he was in the clouds.


    Feeling a little curious and apprehensive about his situation, he turned his head and surveyed his surroundings more properly. He didn¡¯t see Albert, he didn¡¯t see any house, he just saw the boundless sky and the occasional clouds.


    Seeing nothing, he frowned a bit before looking down at his body. He almost screamed in shock because of what he saw.


    He was familiar with this scene, his body was transparent just like a ghost, looking almost the same way that he looked and felt when he dreamt of the primordial exobeast during his mission in the Mediterranean Sea.


    That was his second time in a dream where he saw himself in such an ethereal form. He could not help but frown a bit. ¡°What connection does this have with that dream?¡±


    Then his eyes slowly widened. ¡°I¡¯m in a dream!¡±


    He quickly frowned again the next moment, this was just too unique. In all his previous dreams, he always felt like it was a movie where he watched just like a zombie spectator without any influence on it.


    But surprisingly, this time, even while in a dream he could reason and think like he was in reality. He could calculate, he could organize his thoughts, he felt horrified.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    He found it incredulous because he¡¯s not seen or heard of anything like this before. Subconsciously, he began to associate what was happening with the lessons that he learned from his master.


    ¡°Special abilities!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it¡±.


    In his mind, he was already convinced. According to his master, every high-grade soldier already unlocked their special abilities, it was if and how much they could wield it that was the difference in grades.


    And according to his master, high-grade soldiers would have more control of their special abilities after they cross the 3rd rank.


    ¡°Perhaps, I have more control over my special abilities now, and that is what is now manifesting in my dream¡±.


    He had no other reasonable explanation for this phenomenon than this, it was the best and most logical that he could settle on.


    He could only guess that his special abilities were related to the dream domain and that during his dream of the primordial exobeast, he was just beginning to grasp his special abilities.


    But he was sure that dreams were still fixed revelations, so he guessed that his current uniqueness was that he could observe more details in his dreams and could even manipulate it a bit.


    Thinking of this, he suddenly imagined accelerated time.


    Nothing happened for about a minute, but after the minute mark was breached, Clark suddenly felt dizzy like he abruptly started moving at 3¡Á the normal speed.


    The clouds moved faster like they were being fast-forwarded, before Clark could react, he suddenly saw himself rapidly falling from the clouds, making his heart directly leap to his throat.


    ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Stop!¡±


    Shouting in a flustered tone, he heaved a sigh of relief as his descent speed slowed down significantly. Still spooked by what just happened, he removed his hands from his face and peeked.


    He was surprised by the scenery that was unveiled before his eyes, there was a huge and boisterous city before him and he recognized the city as King¡¯s City, where he was currently in reality.


    Because he¡¯s only stayed in the city for a day, he didn¡¯t see a lot of landmarks that he could recognize but his intuition still told him that this was undoubtedly the Dakran republic.


    He was shocked as he suddenly saw someone coming out of a restaurant.


    ¡°Is that, me?¡±


    Watching himself in a 3rd person perspective was something so weird to him that he felt like the world has been turned upside down. He was with Albert, and Pinky too, the extrovert neighbor.


    Driven by instinct, his incorporeal form followed his body as he entered a cab in the direction of Mr. Woods Calibri¡¯s estate.


    He was shocked again, despite the speed of the cab and the super smooth roads of the city, he was still able to fly in pursuit and keep up with the cab.


    ¡°How does this work really? It looks cool though¡±.


    Forcing himself to put such thoughts aside, he followed his dream self until they arrived at the extremely large estate of the billionaire. Seeing as his dream self was about to enter the estate confidently, he suddenly felt nervous on his behalf.


    Slowly following him in, he tried to hide from the security, but he soon found that it was useless as they didn¡¯t even pay attention to him when he tried standing before one.


    ¡°Tsk! Blind soldiers¡±.


    Clicking his tongue, he followed his body inside. Then the long wait started, he grew more irritated as the time went on. It took a full 4 hours before the billionaire finally created time in his schedule to see him.


    Entering inside Mr. Calibri¡¯s luxurious office, Clark finally laid his eyes before his girlfriend¡¯s dad physically for the first time. Looking to the side, he was surprised to see Sonia¡¯s mother also seated there.


    As his dream body went into a conversation with the billionaire couple, incorporeal Clark hovered at the side while listening intently.


    1 hour, that was the time that it took before the conversation came to an end. The information that he got was so clear that Clark felt dizzy for a moment.


    Leaving the estate, he was surprised that the dream still didn¡¯t come to an end. Having practiced with it the other time before now, he calmly tried to fast-forward the time again.


    It worked again; the scenes flashed past like movie scenes rolling past.


    Clark suddenly paused it and narrowed his eyes as he arrived at a scene. His dream body went to the headquarters of the Mercenary alliance, and there he took on a mission that was trending.


    ¡°The Red Eagle- Stolen Pistol¡±.


    ¡°Grade 4 and above mercenary mission¡±.


    ¡°Client: Unknown¡±.


    ¡°Number of Mercenaries who have taken the mission: 21¡±.


    ¡°Danger level: ¡­¡±


    Clark frowned as this part of the dream suddenly cut off from the rest. He tried all he could but still couldn¡¯t restore it, so he rather diverted his attention to fast-forwarding again as the dream did not end yet.


    His eyes widened as he suddenly appeared in a new region entirely. Dust filled the atmosphere, and the weather temperature was extremely hot.


    ¡°A Desert!¡±


    ¡­


    Clark felt annoyed a bit after waking up, he wanted to know more about the desert but the dream suddenly ended. Grumbling a bit, he tried to analyze the peculiarity of this dream compared to his previous ones.


    As he sat down on his bed, he suddenly started feeling dizzy like he was drained of all strength. He tried to force himself awake, but his eyelids became too heavy for him to bear.


    He was stunned. ¡°Did I¡­, exhaust my special ability?¡±

 Chapter 358: mr s

    At a remote area in Southern Sparta, at one of the small towns.


    2 figures walked along one of the streets of the dilapidated district. Compared to other districts in the Spartan republic, this was on a far lower level so it was not an exaggeration to call it dilapidated.


    The 2 figures walking were dressed in black clothes from head to toe, and they were also covered in black hoods. Their huge boots made soft thudding noises on the street as they walked across.


    Despite the odd dressing that these 2 people wore, the people in the surroundings hardly gave them a second look as they busied themselves with their daily activities.


    From the figures outlined under the hood and the clothes, it was easy to make out that it was a man and a lady who was walking across.


    They both kept silent like they were strangers to each other even though they walked together in perfect rhythm. On the man¡¯s hand was a small paper figurine, he pressed it with his thumb occasionally like he was playing casually.


    Despite their calm and collected manner of walking, they didn¡¯t stop in any nearby building. They just kept walking down the street like they were homeless vagabonds who came for a stroll.


    They walked back and forth through the street about 4 times, then they abruptly turned from the road to a corner like they suddenly received enlightenment from a hidden god.


    All the buildings in this district were practically the same. Mostly 1 or 2 storied, not too sturdy foundations, a plain architectural design, and they were all grey painted.


    Due to this, it was hard to distinguish one building from the other unless you were a local of the town.


    As soon as the 2 hooded fellows turned, they walked to the front of one of the grey-painted buildings. This one was among the rare ones that were not a story building, but rather just a plain small building.


    Knock! Knock!


    The man went forward and gently knocked on the door twice. He waited a bit, knocked once, waited another few seconds, before knocking again twice. After this, he went back and waited.


    ¡°Codename?¡±


    A voice suddenly reverberated out of the building, it sounded cold and unfeeling. It sounded ethereal also like it didn¡¯t belong to this world.


    ¡°Mr. Black¡±. The hooded man answered simply.


    As soon as he answered, 2 small ports opened in the door where 2 sparkly but cold eyes glared at the both of them. It scrutinized them for a few seconds before retracting, then the door opened.


    The hooded man did not say a word, he smoothly took a step inside the building. His female companion did not stay idle as she also followed.


    They didn¡¯t greet the man who opened the door. Like they were strangers or even enemies, they just stood rigidly until the doorkeeper gave each of them a mask to wear.


    They nodded at the doorkeeper before going inside. Inside the building was a very primitive restaurant, it was hard to believe that this was a restaurant still in use in this era.


    It was in an ancient setting normally used back in the 21st century.


    Getting a chair for themselves, both hooded fellows sat down. The restaurant was scanty, only about 3 or 5 people sat at various corners, doing different things.


    After sitting down, the hooded fellows ordered a drink. They drank for 5 minutes. As soon as 5 minutes struck, the man on a hood fiddled with his paper figurine again before pressing it with his thump.


    Suddenly, he stood up, put on his mask, and walked in the direction of the nearby kitchen. His female companion followed after putting on her mask too.


    After getting to the kitchen, they quickly located the refrigerator. Opening it, what was inside was another thing entirely, it was a flickering teleportation door. Without hesitation, they both entered and closed the refrigerator door.


    Warp!


    When they opened their eyes, they were in a different place entirely. Unlike the dilapidated building where they stood before, this place was a marvel of technology.


    Robots patrolled constantly, machines worked under the control of humans to deliver different goods, mostly weapons and ammunitions, few humans were in the corridor where the both of them appeared on.


    Seeing this, without saying a word, the both of them quickly walked away with brisk steps. It didn¡¯t take much longer before they arrived at a long winding staircase leading upwards.


    Climbing the staircase up, they arrived at a small room upstairs.


    Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Come in¡±. A deep voice, the kind that can make human souls shiver reverberated from deep inside the room.


    Without hesitation, both hooded fellows opened the door and entered inside. Not daring to look upwards, they both quickly kneeled before greeting and introducing themselves.


    ¡°Good evening, Mr. S. This is Mr. Black¡±.


    ¡°Good evening, Mr. S. This is Miss Blue¡±.


    ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    ¡°After escaping, the experts from the Spartan army were right behind our tail. They didn¡¯t relent for days, so we didn¡¯t have any choice but to remain in hiding. We left after the search finally became loose¡±.


    ¡°Ok, what report do you have to make?¡± The voice was still as deep as before, only a little more subdued and nonchalant now.


    ¡°Vatican City¡±.


    The man who sat at the boss seat shifted visibly on hearing this; his voice suddenly became more solemn. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of what happened, but still give me your detailed report¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. S¡±.


    Without wasting a single breath of time, the hooded man started recounting everything that happened during their attack against Vatican City and how all their forces were wiped off from the city.


    The voice became even deeper all of a sudden. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that all our forces have been wiped out of the city?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. S. I¡¯m willing to take full responsibility¡±. The hooded man who was still on his knees lowered his head further immediately.


    The man on the boss seat took a deep breath. ¡°Forget about that, I want to know your real opinion and evaluation of the battle¡±.


    ¡°We were betrayed¡±.


    Mr. S¡¯s eyes narrowed immediately. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Minor Commander Tiver!¡±


    ¡°Ok, continue¡±. Mr. S¡¯s voice relaxed again, but the 2 hooded fellows before him knew that this was just the calm before the storm.


    ¡°Clark, the leader of the city is now a 3rd rank high-grade soldier¡±.


    ¡°I know¡±.


    The hooded man hesitated a bit. ¡°Mr. S, not just any 3rd rank high-grade soldier. My intuition tells me that Vatican City has produced another prodigy of the same level as Leonidas¡±.


    Silence suddenly descended into the room, Mr. S¡¯s expression becoming grave. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Then what is your suggestion?¡±


    ¡°Someone of my level can no longer assassinate him unless the leader plans to send more than 5 soldiers of my level for the assassination. The only alternative is if a soldier of your level, Mr. S, go personally for the assassination¡±.


    Mr. S keep quiet for some seconds before replying. ¡°I¡¯ll pass your information to the leader; he¡¯ll make the decision. You can go now¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. S¡±. Both hooded fellows said at the same time.


    As they were almost at the door, Mr. S suddenly stopped them. ¡°About that Minor Commander Tiver, I want him dead in a week¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. S¡±.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 359: entering the billionaires mansion

    ¡°Mr. Pendragon, it¡¯s morning already¡±.


    On hearing the blaring sound of his student¡¯s voice shamelessly yelling his surname this early morning, Clark felt super irritated. His hands suddenly started feeling the urge of smacking someone.


    ¡°Mr. Pendragon¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up!¡±


    With red eyes like those of a drunkard who was dragged from a pit to his room yesterday, Clark opened the door to his room before glaring hard at his student who looked back at him innocently.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    With a single movement of his throat, Albert swallowed the water in his throat before raising his hand to wave politely. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Pen¡­¡±


    Feeling Clark¡¯s glare, he wisely kept his mouth shut. This did not stop him from grumbling inwardly though, these days he felt like a mother who was listening to the mischievous antics of his son who was brimming in youth.


    ¡°Or why else would master yell at me when he said that he would wake up early today¡±.


    As if just coming to a realization, Clark suddenly asked with wide eyes. ¡°What says the time?¡±


    Albert turned while still munching on his malt snack. ¡°8:00 am¡±.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°F*ck!¡±


    ¡­


    A few minutes later, Clark has already dressed again in the suit that Albert recommended to him a few days ago. He rapidly checked himself again in the mirror to make sure that nothing was wrong.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok now, right?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    Whack!


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s ok¡±. Albert rubbed his head grieviantly.


    As Clark lamented about how he already missed the time that he set to leave for Mr. Woods Calibri¡¯s estate, he could not help but also think of the dream that he had last night.


    Because of how he was rushing and the rude manner in which Albert used to wake him up, he had not found time to deliberate about what it meant yet.


    In a few more minutes, he and his student were already dressed in nice suit attire. As Clark was about to take a step to the door, he was stunned as he heard 2 short knocks on the door.


    Through the recording cam that was attached to the building, he could see who was standing outside in wait for them. Seeing his extrovert neighbor, he could not help but think back to the dream again.


    He quickly went to the door with his student in tow before opening it. ¡°Hey, good morning, Pinky¡±.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Pendragon. I thought you guys were gone already¡±.


    ¡°Oh, we caught some slight delay because of some miscellaneous matters that suddenly cropped up¡±. Clark lied with a straight face; he secretly slapped his student¡¯s arm for the fellow to cooperate.


    ¡°Ok, if that¡¯s so, why don¡¯t we just go together? I¡¯ve always wanted to go to the Calibri estate, I just didn¡¯t dare to go alone before¡±. Pinky suddenly started feeling embarrassed.


    Noticing it, Clark smiled. ¡°Of course, you can come along¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Pendragon¡±.


    As the distance was not far this time, they didn¡¯t have to take a cable cab. They took one of the minibusses that were authorized by the government for public transport to their destination.


    It took them only 10 minutes before they arrived at the enormous Calibri mansion. Standing before this gigantic estate again, Clark didn¡¯t feel intimidated as he¡¯s seen it the other day.


    Despite not feeling intimidated, he had to admit once again that Sonia¡¯s father was a filthy rich man.


    As soon as they got to the enormous south gate of the estate, their identification details were demanded by the soldiers that stood guard in each of the checkpoints.


    Clark didn¡¯t attempt to show fake identification details, it was not like he could hide his real identity from the scrutiny of the soldiers of a high-grade country. At least, he was not at that level yet but he may get there someday.


    Knowing that he and Albert were soldiers, the estate guard soldiers became wary a bit as they did a more elaborate search. Fortunately, nothing incriminating was found with them.


    ¡°You can go in, Lieutenant Colonel¡±.


    Clark smiled at them before going in with his companions. They didn¡¯t make exaggerated responses despite the mind-blowing outlook and layout inside the estate, they didn¡¯t want to seem like country bumpkins.


    Inside the estate, they took a cable cab which took them to the main mansion of Mr. Woods Calibri inside the estate.


    Clark already saw too much to be surprised, so he just reacted mildly to the mind-blowing mansion of the billionaire.


    He knew that other mansions were far more luxurious than this, especially those in the big 5 organizations, but he still had to admit that this was the best, biggest, and most luxurious mansion that he¡¯s ever seen.


    It was just like the magical castles depicted in fantasy movies; he was almost enchanted. His only resistance potion was his determination to not act like a country bumpkin.


    Originally, when coming, he was left in a dilemma on which identity he should give to get access to Mr. Calibri¡¯s mansion. As a billionaire, not everybody from the streets was qualified to enter his house.


    Even with his rank as a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, Clark knew that it didn¡¯t mean much. He was pretty sure that Mr. Calibri had at least one 3rd rank high-grade soldier as his personal guard.


    In a sense, this era was the age of exotics and technology, but it was also the age of money. Every era is an era of money.


    After putting in a lot of effort to brainstorm, he finally settled on revealing his real identity. Before he got lost in the Mediterranean Sea, he already pledged to be Sonia¡¯s boyfriend. So why cower now?


    Even if the situation went contrary to what he expected, he could just go back. But he believed that everything would work well, the dream that he had the previous night was still ringing in his head.


    Getting to the mansion, he was not allowed inside. Instead, he was told to wait in a huge shade outside the mansion that was built for visitors.


    Even before he arrived, dozens of other people already came before him.


    Being such a high-profile billionaire, Mr. Woods Calibri was not an idle person. Every day, there would be businessmen and women coming to his estate just to get a partnership contract with him.


    With that in mind, Clark patiently sat with his student. An hour later, Pinky complained of how boring the wait was so Albert had to take her out for a walk around the estate.


    Just like he saw in his dream, he was summoned exactly 4 hours later.

 Chapter 360: a conversation with the calibri couple

    Taking a deep breath, Clark stood up with a solemn expression on his face before entering the mansion while being escorted by a unit of soldiers armed to the teeth.


    He didn¡¯t protest as this was the normal procedure which he already observed through watching the other lucky individuals that were called in.


    Yes, he called it lucky. Most of the people who came here today were bigshots in their own right but over 90% of them would go back disappointed.


    He felt glad as despite the ridiculousness of his introduction, being called meant that Sonia probably told her parents about him some time ago.


    As he was led through the luxurious garden of the mansion, he tried hard not to admire the surroundings.


    All his attention was focused on the man that he was about to meet. Strangely, because of his dream the previous night, he felt a lot more confident which reflected in how he walked.


    He didn¡¯t even know when he got to the mansion¡¯s main door because of the thoughts in his mind, but he was there already.


    ¡°Verification¡±.


    He did not protest; he raised his hand as the guard standing before the luxurious door brought a device before his face and activated it. 30 seconds later, a guard dipped his hand underneath his suit and brought out his long knife.


    Another bent and brought out the 2 daggers that were hidden in his boots. They turned to look at him with a questioning look on their faces.


    He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a soldier, they¡¯re for self-protection¡±.


    ¡°Ok, you can go in¡±.


    As soon as he took the first step inside the living room that looked like that of a giant, his first impulse was to observe the scenery but he was immediately interrupted by a soldier.


    ¡°This way¡±.


    Left with no choice, he reluctantly followed while still trying his best to observe as much as possible. In 5 minutes, he was finally led to the door leading to the billionaire¡¯s office.


    An odd thing that Clark observed was that throughout his walk to Mr. Calibri¡¯s room, there was hardly any other civilian in the mansion. Only soldiers filled everywhere.


    Putting that at the back of his mind, he knocked as soon as the soldier who escorted him here turned to leave. After getting permission, he gently pushed the door open before entering the room.


    He kept his back straight and his head level as he walked into the room, he had no intentions of lowering his stature just because he was facing a billionaire.


    As he walked, his face was straight but his eyes were scanning everywhere like antennas. Paired with his implant, he got the whole layout of the room in less than a second.


    Unlike what he expected, the office was not too big though it was luxurious. It was small, compact, and it was kept simple.


    2 simple bookshelves were arranged at opposite sides of the office in columns, an office table, an office chair, and a relaxation sofa, that was the entirety of the office.


    The rest were complicated machines that Clark didn¡¯t know their importance and use.


    Only 5 people were in the room, Mr. Calibri with 3 stern-faced soldiers on suits behind him, and Mrs. Calibri who was seated on the sofa and was currently observing Clark.


    ¡°Just exactly as in my dream¡±. He inwardly sighed, amazed.


    Bending his body slightly, he gently raised his right hand to his chest before greeting politely. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Calibri¡±.


    He turned to the sofa. ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Calibri¡±.


    None of them responded, they just observed Clark in silence.


    The famed Mr. Woods Calibri was a middle-aged man. He had dark brown hair, a strong but relatively chubby face, sharp eyes, fair skin, and he currently had a neutral expression on his face. He was dressed in an official work suit.


    Mrs. Calibri still had a rather young face. She had black hair, sharp eyebrows paired with gentle eyes, a well-toned face, fair skin, and had a gentle temperament.


    Unlike her husband, she was dressed in a pure white long flowing gown.


    ¡°Clark Pendragon¡±. Mrs. Calibri finally called. ¡°I apologize for our impoliteness, please have a seat¡±.


    Clark did not stand on ceremony as he thanked her simply before sitting down. Then, all his prepared words flew away from his brain, he didn¡¯t know what to start the conversation with.


    As the atmosphere became awkward, Mr. Calibri finally broke the silence. ¡°You¡¯re Sonia¡¯s boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    Clark¡¯s brain immediately got refreshed after he answered. Taking that as his entry point, he revealed his motive for coming.


    Due to their age, there was no way that he would start the conversation with jokes or any other casual method, going straight to the point was the best method.


    At first, Clark thought that the response from this billionaire couple would be either that of disdain or another negative reaction but in the end, he was left stunned by their reaction.


    Mrs. Calibri led the conversation.


    According to her, they already decided to contact him before after Sonia went missing but they stopped when they knew that he was lost in the Mediterranean Sea.


    According to her, Sonia already told them of their relationship even when they were still together in the Mocan republic, so this visit was not a surprise.


    As the mature lady kept on recounting, Clark¡¯s facial expression soon turned from surprised, to shocked, to astonished, then to dumbfounded.


    ¡°When did Sonia reveal all this? Why didn¡¯t she tell me any of this?¡±


    From there, she told him what exactly happened. She didn¡¯t go into many details, but she revealed enough to make Clark know the small and important details.


    It was a situation of jealousy from rival billionaires. Mr. Calibri calculated wrong, and before he could react, everything quickly spiraled out of his control.


    His deep foundations were what made him survive the assault, keep his life, and remain afloat, but in the end, he lost his only 2 children.


    The next thing that the couple revealed made Clark even more excited.


    According to Mr. Calibri, he already found the vague location of his children through his intelligence agencies, but he could not rescue them yet because of the suppression still coming from his rivals.


    ¡°Please sir, where is Sonia?¡± Clark could no longer wait for their lengthy explanations.


    ¡°According to my sources, the omnidirectional teleportation device dropped them in the Sahara Desert. Precisely, the middle-periphery zone¡±.


    ¡°Exactly as in my dream¡±. Clark confirmed in astonishment again.


    He suddenly stood up and clasped his hands together. ¡°Sir, I am a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. I was originally worried that saving Sonia was beyond my powers, but thank you for enlightening me¡±.


    His tone became solemn. ¡°As it is now within my powers to fulfill, there¡¯s no way that I will sit back¡±.


    ¡°I promise to get Sonia back¡±.


    He already made his decision; he had no reason to delay his plans.


    It seems that the Calibri couple already expected his decision, they didn¡¯t reveal much surprise.


    Mrs. Calibri sighed. ¡°When Sonia just introduced you to us, I found it hard to believe. I thought it was just some teenage crush that would soon fade away, but I just realized how wrong I was¡±.


    ¡°It is hard to find men like you in this era¡±.


    Mr. Calibri finally spoke again, this time in a serious tone. ¡°Lieutenant Clark, I love my children very much. If you can rescue them, I promise to give you something valuable in return¡±.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that sir¡±. Clark¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°All I need is cooperation from your intelligence agencies¡±.


    ¡°Done¡±.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 361: mechs

    Clark didn¡¯t get to leave immediately after his conversation with the Calibri couple came to an end. Mr. Calibri first expressed apology for his inability to accompany him further.


    But Mrs. Calibri was the exact opposite, she first asked him if he was in any rush. When he said no, he politely invited him to share lunch and also for a not too tedious tour.


    ¡°Do you have any food preferences?¡± She asked gently with an even more gentle smile on her face.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll take anything¡±. Clark felt a little embarrassed being showered with so much attention and care, this was a situation that he was not used to.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll let my chef prepare the best food for you¡±. Smiling even broader, she started leading him out of her husband¡¯s office.


    As she walked, she suddenly brought up her ring to her face. ¡°I want lunch to be ready in 5 minutes, I have a guest¡±.


    ¡°Yes, madam¡±.


    Seeing what she just did, Clark directed a curious glance at the beautiful ring that adorned her fingers. He knew that it had a myriad of uses, its design was too complicated for it to just be a communication device.


    He didn¡¯t have any fantasies of trying to get it for himself though. After seeing the estate belonging to this couple, he was wise enough to not measure himself in the same level as them.


    No matter how rich he was currently, he still couldn¡¯t raise a candle to this billionaire couple. Probably intending to ease the atmosphere between them, the middle-aged woman finally spoke again.


    ¡°How much do you know about Sonia?¡±


    She smiled on seeing the embarrassed expression on his face. ¡°I just want to know how you interacted with her. Sonia was an introvert when she lived with us, so I want to know if she changed¡±.


    ¡°Oh, about that¡±. Clark coughed. ¡°Because of the situation that I found myself in, I didn¡¯t have much of a chance to interact extensively with her¡±.


    ¡°Most of my interactions with her were during when we were both in the Mocan republic. It was during then that we first encountered each other also¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s really fairytale-like; tell me more¡±. She turned to look at Clark with an amused expression on her face, her smile already widening her lips to the sides.


    As they walked, Morales organized his thoughts before opening his mouth to speak again. He finally started giving an elaborate description of how he met Sonia and the way they interacted after getting attracted to each other.


    He first felt awkward saying it, but maybe because of the gentle temperament shown by the lady, or even because he was just interested in matters related to Sonia, he started a long story.


    By the time that he finished, 7 minutes already passed and they were in the mansion¡¯s dining hall. As soon as they sat down, a group of girls dressed in white clothes entered the hall and placed down the already prepared food.


    The dining hall was one befitting the prestige of a billionaire. The dining table was super long, stretching for as long as the whole hall, and luxurious chairs were arranged around it.


    Taking the first bite of the local specialty food that he¡¯s not tasted before; Clark almost smacked his lips to better savor the myriad of flavors that flooded his tongue.


    He couldn¡¯t exactly qualify it as the best food that he¡¯s ever eaten, but he had to give Mrs. Calibri some credits because the food was freakishly delicious.


    He suddenly felt guilty getting to enjoy all this in the absence of his student.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to him¡±. He promised inwardly.


    It seemed that the woman really wanted to forge a good early relationship with him. As soon as they finished eating, she proposed another plan for the both of them to kill time.


    ¡°Sonia was the only military enthusiast in our family, while Daniel was just like her father. I think she became an introvert because of her inclinations that were strange to the other members of the family¡±.


    ¡°Because of this, she built a military fortress for herself inside this mansion after repeatedly nagging her dad for it. Do you want to see it?¡±


    ¡°A military fortress?¡±


    Clark didn¡¯t hesitate before giving his consent. Of all the things in this world, a military fortress that was personally made by his girlfriend was a thing that would definitely attract his attention.


    As soon as she got his consent, the lady revealed an even more beautiful smile on her face before standing up to lead Clark away.


    They walked to the middle of the mansion. After getting there, Mrs. Calibri activated a mechanism that made the floor slide open to reveal a staircase leading downwards.


    When they got to the bottom, they came before a sturdy door that stood there heavily like a slumbering beast.


    Seeing this, Clark sucked in a deep breath. He was not an expert when it came to exotic metals and alloys, but he knew from a glance that this was a reinforced door stacked with exotic metals.


    ¡°She¡¯s really a mischievous girl¡±. Mrs. Calibri suddenly commented.


    ¡°None of us in the family could get the password that she set, her father had to bring a virtual expert to hack the virtual security mechanism¡±.


    As she said this, she said the password which made the heavy door start opening while making creaking sounds.


    As it opened, lights lit up to illuminate the whole place. When Clark entered inside and took a good look at the military fortress, he grew dizzy immediately as he felt like he was dreaming.


    The sheer size of the fortress alone left him wondering. ¡°How the hell was a little Sonia able to coordinate this city-like fortress?¡±


    The fortress stretched as far as his eyes could see. Machines, robots, weapons, both cold and hot, ammunitions, mechs, lots of them filled his vision that Clark could only open his mouth in amazement.


    ¡°Wait¡­, mechs!¡± Clark¡¯s eyes widened as his brain immediately clicked.


    For the rest parts of the tour around the fortress, he just accompanied the lady while occasionally giving out inputs but all his attention was how to get access to any of the mechs.


    Thinking hard but finding no solution, he finally thickened his skin to ask.


    ¡°Please, ma, can I access one of the mechs?¡±


    She was surprised at first before coming to a realization. ¡°Oh! If you want it, you can just take it. I¡¯m sure Sonia will understand¡±.


    Clark did not stand on ceremony. ¡°Thank you, ma¡±.

 Chapter 362: empiphany a memorable day

    After ending the tour through the military fortress built by Sonia, Mrs. Calibri finally let Clark go. Clark tried to tell her away from it but she insisted on escorting him to the front of the mansion.


    So, it started the awkward but proud situation that he fell into. Though he felt awkward, Clark had no choice but to admit that it was a different feeling entirely walking alongside a billionaire¡¯s wife.


    Besides the both of them followed a huge carriage robot, inside the carrier stood the mech that Morales decided to take. Sometimes, you just have to overcome your shame before you can get great benefits.


    Seeing the young man walking alongside the billionaire¡¯s wife, eyes bulged in shock as people carefully examined this young man again in a bid to get his identity.


    It was already evening by the time that they came out of the mansion, so the light in the skies was already dimming.


    After walking alongside, him to the enormous gate leading inside the mansion, Mrs. Calibri thanked him again for keeping her company. She finally went back inside the mansion.


    Clark did not leave immediately. He stood in one place as he went through everything that he encountered today again, he felt fulfilled in a way that he¡¯s not experienced in a long time.


    As he stood grinning wildly like a fool, a voice suddenly interrupted him.


    ¡°Mast¡­, Mr. Pendragon, was that really Mrs. Calibri?¡± Albert almost exposed the truth but he quickly corrected himself.


    Clark turned to look at his student, then his face suddenly became weird. Albert had his hands on Pinky¡¯s shoulders, their bodies were somehow too intimate and they both had ice-creams on their hands.


    From their expression, they seemed like they¡¯ve been enjoying themselves for the past few hours.


    Feeling the strange gaze of his master, Albert quickly came to a realization. He coughed awkwardly, removed his hands from the girl¡¯s shoulders before trying to form the fakest smile ever.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking¡±.


    ¡°I know, I know¡±. Clark laughed.


    He originally felt guilty for eating such delicious food in the absence of his student, but this sight was enough proof to him that he felt guilty for nothing. Albert was also enjoying himself in his absence.


    He didn¡¯t make a fuss about it. ¡°Yes, that was Mrs. Calibri. Can we go now?¡±


    Both fellows had shocked expressions on their faces, Albert commented feeling amazed. ¡°You really have a relationship with the Calibri family, now I really want to meet your girlfriend¡±.


    ¡°Mr. Pendragon, you¡¯re so cool!¡± Pinky exclaimed.


    ¡°What of that, what is there?¡± Albert finally pointed at what the huge carriage robot was towing.


    Clark smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll know later¡±.


    After that, they no longer stayed in the estate. As they made their way out, Clark finally revealed to Pinky that they would be leaving the next day. The girl was reluctant but she could not sway him.


    In the end, she demanded that he treat them to the restaurant again to make up for it. Clark didn¡¯t argue on that, all he said was that he had to keep the robot in a safe place first.


    For a mech of that caliber, he was not sure how much it was worth but he was confident that it was worth an amount that warranted him keeping it in a safe place. Even the carriage robot was worth tons of credits.


    Through his implant, Clark quickly got access to a lot of warehouses where he could keep his mech for a day.


    Quickly paying the money online, he finally set out for the location. It took him 10 minutes before he got there, and with his student¡¯s help, they both controlled the robot into the warehouse.


    After doing this, he finally heaved a sigh of relief and satisfaction.


    When he decided to come to the Dakran republic and visit his girlfriend¡¯s parents, he was torn with a lot of uncertainties, but coming has proved to be one of his best decisions in recent times.


    The visit was far more successful than he expected. Not only did he get to know about Sonia¡¯s situation, he developed a bond with her parents, and also got a mech in addition.


    Meh, he felt on top of the world. He had to admit now that having a billionaire in-law was among the best things in the world.


    With no intention to waste more time, under Pinky¡¯s urging, after he locked the warehouse, he finally took them out to another restaurant that was recommended by her.


    After his recent success, he was ready to splurge money so he was not stingy. He fulfilled all the demands that Pinky made, in the process also spending money lavishly on himself.


    Though he already ate not too long ago at the Calibri mansion, it was already evening so he did not avert to eating again.


    After eating, under Pinky¡¯s urging, they visited a lot of other locations to make the tour more memorable and enjoyable. Clark also bought identical clothes for the 3 of them to commemorate their time together.


    Due to his profession, it was hard for him to find time for indulging in his desires like this so he just took this opportunity to enjoy himself.


    After fulfilling all her suggestions, Clark and Albert finally made theirs. They both decided to visit the virtual battle arena again, despite Pinky¡¯s protests, the majority won the vote.


    Through this virtual platform, Clark let himself go and revealed his powers in a virtual setting with his student. Pinky was reduced to a spectator who just chewed on popcorns while watching their battles.


    Deciding to fight in group battles, Clark and Albert formed a tag team. The both of them immediately formed an invisible duo, they destroyed all the other teams consecutively till the night finally came.


    Though both of them didn¡¯t care about it, they both left their names in the virtual battle arena as champions.


    During this period of letting go in the virtual battles, Clark suddenly experienced a familiar feeling of epiphany. Pairing his experience from his last dream, and his experience with the Calibri couple, he came to a conclusion.


    The requirement for him to improve his control over his deity¡¯s fists self-created technique was for him to learn to control his special ability.


    Since he created the technique, he always felt that something was missing. At this crucial moment, he finally found the missing piece. His master already hinted at it before, but he couldn¡¯t get it at first.


    Now, he finally found the right way to improve his strength further.


    Controlling his special ability was the way, but first, he had to deduce what his special ability was.


    Combining this discovery with all the other things that he gained since coming here, he only felt like this was a city of luck. He felt like all the stars were slowly aligning together since his coming here.


    ¡°I hope Sonia¡¯s star aligns too¡±.


    That night, getting back to his rented apartment, he slept as soundly as a newborn baby. Today was a memorable day that he would never forget.

 Chapter 363: revealing secret

    The next morning, at 8:00, Clark and his student were set to leave for the airport. After a memorable stay of 2 days here in this unforgettable city, they were finally returning to where they belonged.


    In his casual wear again, Clark took a last look at this apartment that he slept 2 nights in before going out with his bag.


    Unlike when they came, they now had a traveling bag due to the clothes that they bought yesterday. Albert rolled the bag down with a broad smile on his face as he took in the cool atmosphere of the morning.


    ¡°You guys are really leaving?¡±


    Clark turned his head though he already knew who said that. On the other side stood Pinky, and surprisingly her grandma was there too and she seemed to want to send them off too.


    ¡°Bye, grandma, perhaps we¡¯ll visit sometime in the future¡±.


    Clark already booked the next cable cab, so he didn¡¯t have much time to waste. He knew that if he started a conversation, he wouldn¡¯t be able to extricate himself from the blabber Pinky so he took the initiative to wave goodbye.


    ¡°Wait, Mr. Pendragon¡±.


    Clark was surprised, he turned to face the old woman. ¡°Does she want to give me a parting gift? That¡¯ll be really nice¡±.


    The old woman sighed. ¡°Pinky is of age¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Clark¡¯s face flushed red, Albert¡¯s face turned redder, even Pinky¡¯s face turned red as they directed astonished gazes at the seemingly innocent old woman.


    ¡°Why are you giving me such looks. The both of you are fine gentlemen, do you think I don¡¯t like a good thing? I¡¯ll obviously advertise my granddaughter on meeting men like the both of you, that¡¯s the job of a grandmother¡±.


    Clark originally had speculations in his head, but now, he was sure. ¡°It seems that all old Dakran women are shameless¡±.


    Responding perfunctorily to what the old woman just said, Clark and his students tucked their tails between their legs before running for their lives.


    It took them 10 minutes to get to the airport on the cable cab. There, Clark paid the transportation company and retrieved his robot and mech that was still covered by an electronic veil.


    None of the scanners in the airport could penetrate to see the exact thing inside, a special robot was what was projected in the airport¡¯s scanners.


    Seeing this, Clark could only marvel again at how filthy rich his girlfriend¡¯s parents were. Clicking his tongue both excitedly and reverently, he finally boarded the next airplane with his student.


    As the plane slowly ascended into the air, Clark looked down at this beautiful city again for the last time until it disappeared from his vision.


    ¡­


    After spending another nerve-wracking 8 hours on the air, they finally arrived back at the Radan republic. Coming back to this country again, Clark felt gloomy all of a sudden.


    It was a normal reaction, he felt like he just descended from the palace into a pit. That was how contrasting both countries were in every aspect.


    At the Radan central airport, the authorities there tried to make trouble for him due to how big his goods were. The robot only attracted more greediness from them, this was just Radan on display again.


    They insisted on seeing what was being towed by the carriage robot despite their defective scanners already showing that it was another robot that was inside.


    Perhaps, it was because he was already getting used to it but Clark did not feel as irritated as he would have felt a month ago. Calmly like a veteran charlatan, he convinced the authorities with a few thousand Radan credits.


    In the end, money could really solve everything.


    Just 2 minutes later, he passed all the security checks and was allowed to leave with his goods. As soon as he arrived back at the republic, he already communicated with his car¡¯s A. I through his implant.


    As soon as he went outside the airport, he saw his car waiting for him.


    Seeing his baby brought a wide smile to his face. Going to his car¡¯s boot, he brought out an iron leash before attaching it to the towing robot. He towed the car to a secluded location of the city before stopping.


    There, he used his camouflage device to wipe any signs of the robot and the mech inside from existence.


    He continued his journey; he was still towing both machines but no other person on the road noticed. With his frightening car handling skills learned from his military training years, he towed both machines successfully to his lair.


    As usual, they didn¡¯t go to the house that was connected to the underground base, rather they went straight to the secret elevator leading down.


    Clark first released the leash and allowed Albert to drive the exotic car to the circle shape on the floor, allowing it to descend. After this, he finally commanded the robot to go on top of it too.


    It was bigger than the circle shape, making it a little crampy, but after a few adjustments, it was able to go through to the underground base.


    After an 8-hour journey at such a high altitude, as high-grade soldiers, they were not affected but the mentality of normal humans still affected them, making them lazy.


    This laziness made them sleep for hours after just getting to the Dakran republic the other time, but not this time.


    Clark wanted to check out his new ride, and Albert was curious about what was being towed by the robot that made his master act so secretive about it.


    Clark didn¡¯t intend to hide it from his student. After a few months of being together with the young man, they already resonated and understood each other to a significant degree.


    As soon as he let the robot remove the veil, Albert gasped in shock. ¡°A mech? Master, that¡¯s so cool¡±.


    He recognized it at a single glance. Compared to ordinary machines, there was a slight difference in mechs that can only be identified by people who had some knowledge about them.


    As a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, Albert knew of it.


    From Albert¡¯s expression, Clark knew that his student thought he took the mech just to flaunt it. He sighed, after hiding this for so long, he was finally ready to tell his student. Albert was worthy.


    ¡°Boy, come here, I want to tell you a secret¡±.


    Albert looked at his master suspiciously. ¡°Do you keep secrets?¡±


    ¡°Just come here¡±. Clark facepalmed. ¡°I may decide not to tell you again¡±.


    ¡°Oh, sorry master¡±. He quickly found 2 chairs and placed them down, his face serious like he was about to listen to the greatest fairytale on earth.


    20 minutes later, Clark¡¯s story finally came to an end.


    ¡°Wow, I think I understand now. That explains a lot of baffling things about you¡±. Albert placed his hands on his chin in thought.


    ¡°You know nothing about me¡±. Clark scoffed, feeling a little proud.


    ¡°Ok, it¡¯s time to operate this beast¡±.

 Chapter 364: taming the beast

    With the help of his student, Clark finally scaled the huge mech that stood sturdily like a beast. He could have opted to jump on it acrobatically, but he didn¡¯t want to be careless when he was first coming into contact with a real mech.


    For the past 15 minutes, he and his student have already observed the outward body of the mech extensively. They confirmed that everything was ok before he finally decided to enter it.


    Its body was built in such a rough but well-thought-out way to enable easy entry to whoever wanted to access inside it.


    Carefully climbing through the support frames that were attached to various parts of its body, Clark finally had access to the cockpit that laid silently inside its heavy metallic frame.


    Seeing inside this wonder of technology, he could not help but suck in a deep breath in amazement and awe.


    As soon as its sensors detected a human after the cockpit opened, green lights quickly switched on before illuminating the interior of the cockpit, presenting it in its full glory to Clark.


    After a lot of iterations and experiments by scientists and professors, the interior and cockpit designs of mechs were already perfected to the best level.


    The only problem was the neutral interface, scientists were still stumped on how to fix this most important puzzle piece to enable soldiers¡¯ interface with a mech.


    Inside the cockpit was just like a game pod. A huge compactible chair with maximum comfort guarantee was resting lazily at one side of the cockpit, then facing it was a glass wall.


    Cautiously entering inside the beast, Clark did not sit down on the compactible chair immediately. He first got a comfortable angle for himself where he could observe all corners of the cockpit.


    After detecting with the help of his implant that nothing was wrong and that everything was in place, he finally went closer to the compactible chair even more cautiously.


    As soon as his backside touched the comfortable chair, it retracted immediately to his size to make him more comfortable like it had a consciousness of its own.


    Before Clark could settle down, a line of text suddenly appeared before him, while hidden voice amplifiers also transferred the words of the mech¡¯s A. I to him.


    [Mental stability: Good.]


    [Mental resilience: Very Good.]


    [New mech pilot has been detected: Do you want to set a custom name to be addressed by the mech or do you prefer Lieutenant Colonel?]


    Clark thought for a moment. ¡°Leave it as Lieutenant Colonel¡±.


    [Affirmative! Does new mech pilot want the virtual mech default settings or the normal mech piloting settings?]


    Clark was not a stranger to this term. When he showed his interest in the mech, Mrs. Calibri was kind enough to explain more elaborately for him what the settings meant.


    For the virtual mech default settings, it would be set to look like the normal virtual mech tournament like the one that he, Emily, and his teammates piloted during their stay in the Seafarers Alliance outer headquarters.


    For the normal mech piloting settings, it would be set in the minimum standard that is required for a human soldier to control a mech through his brainpower.


    But this was dangerous as no human has succeeded in controlling a mech yet.


    Swallowing his saliva, Clark gulped before choosing the normal mech piloting settings. At this moment, he could only put his trust in the crazy scientist who fused the bean quadrant enhancer to his brain in the first place.


    Almost as soon as he gave his consent, he felt a prick in his brain.


    Perhaps, he was already having a phobia for it due to the common knowledge about mechs on the internet, but he flinched and reacted strongly to the sudden prick, almost yelling even.


    The prick only lasted an instant. He even forgot about it directly as he felt like he was suddenly submerged in a nice hot spring water, the feeling of the water seeping into his skin made him moan subconsciously in satisfaction.


    As the wonderful feeling slowly died down, this was when he remembered that he was actually in the process of piloting a mech.


    [Congratulations! You have successfully interfaced with the Mach Augustus.]


    ¡°What? So easy?¡±


    Clark was stunned as his brain was suddenly bombarded with a lot of questions. How did this happen? If it was so easy, then how the hell did even 4th rank high-grade soldiers die to experiments involving it?


    ¡°Is it because of the enhancer?¡± He finally narrowed down his choices.


    Thinking of this, he felt excited, curious, and afraid. Afraid that this was all an illusion, afraid that he would suddenly experience torturing pain and his brain would blow into pieces.


    ¡°F*ck, Clark, be optimistic¡±.


    He waited 10 minutes. After confirming that nothing happened, he finally started groping around while trying to make an action.


    As soon as he interfaced with his mech successfully, he felt like his consciousness left his body and the metallic mech was now his body. It was both an exciting and terrifying feeling.


    ¡°Walk!¡± He said in his mind after trying other means but getting no response.


    The enormous mech suddenly raised its legs and took a step forward, sending vibrations through the underground base. Albert who watched outside yelped in shock while hastily finding shelter.


    Clark was thrilled on seeing this. Filled with excitement and anticipation now, he started trying other moves with the mech and they surprisingly all worked.


    He felt like a newborn baby that was learning how to walk. And just like the way the baby feels excited about the new skill, so was he also feeling excited about this new experience.


    He knew that the words he said in his head were just to stimulate his consciousness to give the mental order.


    His words were not the orders recognized by the mech; the mental waves of his brain were the orders recognized by the mech.


    Excitedly, he tried all the easy moves that he knew with the mech. Walking, raising of hands, rubbing his metallic head, rubbing his metallic chest, doing squatting exercise, he did them all.


    After experiencing huge success with all these, he finally grew bolder. Outside, an excited Albert was repeatedly cheering him on.


    ¡°Do it, Master. Do it!¡±


    Giving an order, the mech suddenly took on an aggressive stance and threw a punch outward. The air vibrated, sending shockwaves through the hall, and overthrowing everything but nothing severe happened.


    Clark was even more excited now. ¡°Give me a weapon!¡±


    Outside, a hidden port in the mech suddenly opened up. A folded weapon appeared; in less than 2 seconds it quickly grew to the size of an enormous spear. The mech flexed the weapon.


    The excitedly dancing Albert suddenly stopped on seeing this. For some reason, he felt that something was not right.


    Seeing the mech take a step back, raise the enormous spear to the skies like it was a gladiator who wanted to cleave the heavens apart, his brain suddenly clicked, cold sweat suddenly filled his body.


    ¡°No¡­, no, nonono. Master, no!!¡±


    Running to the corner as fast as his legs could carry him, he immediately found shelter to weather the impact.


    Inside the mech, Clark was feeling super excited like he just took his dose of med. His brain felt hyperactive, he was now super Intune with the mech.


    ¡°Slash!¡± He yelled.


    The mech finally raised the spear to the zenith point and slashed.


    Electricity flashed and everywhere became dark before the spear could come into contact with the underground base¡¯s floor.


    Boom!


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 365: the power of a mech

    Bzzz! Zap!


    Electricity flashed around the overturned hall in a disorderly manner, intertwining through the few scattered wires like snakes burrowing through a narrow tunnel.


    Consecutive rumbling sounds followed this development, which was evidence of things collapsing without any support to weather their fall.


    Recurring vibrations of different frequencies also added their input to the destruction, making it seem like the first sign of a large earthquake.


    The whole hall was now dark, and parts of the ceiling directly collapsed to submerge a significant part of the room. The few parts that survived the impact were the more reinforced parts of the underground base.


    Amid this destruction, a metallic arm suddenly emerged out of the debris, pushing a few walls apart with simple movements of its enormous arms.


    Thudding sounds reverberated as if a giant just stumped the ground. The debris around stirred like they were being influenced by something, then with a loud sound, a hole was drilled open through the destruction.


    2 red glowing eyes first appeared before it was followed by the entire body of the huge mech. Its metallic body was entirely intact like it just took a stroll through the backyard, it was like everything that happened didn¡¯t concern it.


    It took 2 steps to shake the remaining debris of its body, then its head slowly inclined downwards as its 2 glowing eyes examined the enormous sword that was surrounded by a flaming forcefield.


    The heat emanating from the sword affected the surroundings as a few things started melting nearby. An order was hastily given, then the sword slowly retracted before the mech kept it back to its rightful place.


    With the sound of air depressurizing, all the glowing lights surrounding the mech started switching off and in just a few seconds it completely shut down.


    Creak!


    The metallic covering protecting the cockpit from the top was slowly pushed open from the inside, then Clark climbed up from there to finally behold the destruction that he just caused.


    This was when he remembered that all the lights were already off.


    This didn¡¯t put him in a tight spot though as he easily hacked into the underground base¡¯s virtual system through his implant. Making some adjustments, he directed the remaining power to the lighting systems.


    5 seconds later, the lights slowly switched on one by one before illuminating the whole hall in their radiance. Before Clark was a picture of damaged beyond repair.


    Practically no parts of the underground base were spared. He didn¡¯t even know how it happened after he gave the order, but the mech¡¯s sword somehow destroyed every part of the hall.


    In the middle of the hall, just beside the mech was a huge hole cut by a sword. Its contours were red hot, flowing molten magma like an ancient volcano was on the verge of erupting.


    Then from the cut of the sword, the shockwaves spread out and were the main catalyst that did the most damage to the surroundings.


    The materials and metals used to construct the underground base were clearly not shock-resistant enough for the pure might of the mech, it looked like something that was bored through by an apocalyptic rat.


    Clark was dazed for a moment, but after he recovered his face took on a peculiar expression. Instead of feeling bad, he felt super excited.


    ¡°What a powerful blow!¡±


    ¡°Powerful blow my ass!¡± Another voice suddenly bellowed from another direction of the hall.


    Clark turned his head to see a livid Albert. He could practically see flames of anger rising from his student¡¯s head, though his armor protected him, it was clearly not a nice feeling being submerged by such destruction.


    ¡°Master, you almost killed me¡±.


    As he went closer, the anger in his eyes slowly extinguished and was quickly replaced by a helpless and pitiful one as he expressed his grievance.


    From the mech¡¯s sensors, Clark knew that his student was fine that was why he didn¡¯t fret about it after coming out of the mech.


    And besides, as a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, if Albert could not protect himself from such basic destruction, then he was not worthy of the rank at all. Albert knew that, he just felt sulky.


    ¡°But you cheered me on¡±. Clark turned to face his student with the same excited expression still on his face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like it?¡±


    Albert sniffed. ¡°Well, that was really powerful¡±.


    He rubbed his nose mischievously before suddenly pumping his hands in the air. ¡°Master, you¡¯re a beast!¡±


    Clark frowned and clasped his ears to reduce the impact of his student¡¯s unruly shouting. He directed a glare at the mischievous fellow, but Albert only shrugged like this was his payback.


    A few minutes later, after calming down his excited heart, Clark sat down on the debris and carefully analyzed the impacts of what he just did.


    The power that he exerted by the mech, though he was not sure, his mind told him that it was already bordering on the 4th rank level. And this was just a mech that Sonia bought for her leisure.


    He was pretty sure that if he saved money and later burned them for a significantly more advanced mech with advanced exotic metals, he would stably have the power of a 4th rank high-grade soldier while piloting it.


    What did this mean? His eyes widened when he thought about the effects that this discovery would bring to his life.


    ¡°I must not tell anyone else about this¡±.


    Humanity has been researching how to break the human limitations to allow soldiers pilot mechs, and due to just one fortuitous encounter, he now could pilot it.


    Though he was not proficient yet, he believed that with practice, he would surely become a master.


    Now, this brought the need for secrecy. If scientists knew or even heard that he suddenly developed the ability to pilot a mech, he was pretty sure that high-grade kidnappers would be visiting his door the next hour.


    After that, he would probably become a test subject whose only fate is to have his brain dissected for research in the laboratory.


    He shuddered when he thought of this. ¡°I must keep this secret¡±. He resolved in his heart firmly.


    The problem now was that if he had to keep it secret, then how would he be able to practice with it and get proficient with it?


    ¡°Ahh! I hate keeping secrets¡±.


    After thinking long and hard but getting no immediate solutions, he could only resign to his fate and decide to think of it later.


    Then the last problem, he turned to his student. ¡°The underground base?¡±


    Albert shrugged. ¡°You destroyed it¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I know. But f*ck, why did you tell it so purely to my face?¡±


    He felt like crying, in just one swing of his mech¡¯s sword, millions of credits were lost. He could only console himself with the new power that he got access to through the mech.


    In the future, he would only bring out the mech when he entered a tight situation that was impossible for him to escape with his own strength.


    Now, he had 2 ultimate trump cards. The device given to him by his master through which he could come immediately to rescue him was the first, now his ability to pilot mechs was the second.


    He could not help but mumble. ¡°Perhaps, I¡¯m really a lucky bastard¡±.


    After coming to terms with their situation, he and his student finally stood up to retrieve their valuables. As he searched for his bag, Albert used his excellent memory to locate the exotic car. It was unscathed despite the destruction.


    Entering inside the car, a flashing light was reflected before Albert. He looked closer at the communication device to see who was calling.


    ¡°Master, you have a call¡±.


    Clark pushed his long hair behind him and raised his head. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The 2nd deep¡±.

 Chapter 366: meeting the old warriors club higherups

    ¡°Hello, is this the Crook Mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±. Clark¡¯s deep masculine voice reverberated through the air and into the communication device. This was the name that he gave to the leader of the old warriors club helming the 2nd deep.


    ¡°I¡¯ve contacted my higherups. They showed an interest in your proposal, and they want to meet up with you¡±.


    ¡°Ok, time and location¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send it directly to your device; I hope we can become allies in the future¡±.


    ¡°Me too¡±.


    As soon as the call ended, a wide grin spread across Clark¡¯s face. Due to the information that he got from his girlfriend¡¯s parents, he wanted to start preparation now to leave for the desert.


    For his proposal to the old warriors club, if they didn¡¯t respond fast enough, he would have abandoned them.


    But now that they responded, he was confident that he could finish his mission here before his preparations for his rescue journey were finalized. As he thought, his communication device suddenly made a beep sound.


    [New message has been detected:]


    [Location: Neon City, South Ville District, Orion Street, Oliver mansion.]


    [Time: 4:30 pm.]


    Clark inclined his head to check his wristwatch and the time was currently reading 4: 15 pm. Without wasting any time, he dropped his communication device on the car before picking his bag.


    In a little more than 2 minutes, he changed into a completely different person in different clothes.


    He was now dressed in black trousers and a brown trench coat. His weapons and gadgets were already stored in the appropriate places, which meant that he was ready to leave.


    He casually threw his bag inside the exotic car, combed his hair with his left hand before bending his body to fix his black shoes.


    ¡°What of the underground base?¡± Albert suddenly asked.


    Clark inclined his head to look at him. ¡°You have access to my account. Remove every trace of our stay here, make it uninhabitable, then buy a new underground base¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    After fixing his shoes, Clark patted the dust that was on his trench coat away before taking a step inside his car. He switched on the ignition, revved the engine hard before finally stepping on the accelerators.


    In just a few seconds, the car climbed to its maximum speed. A shield suddenly shimmered to life around it, a small platform like a springboard came under it, then it bounced off the ground.


    Boom!


    With a loud sound of impact, the exotic car smashed its way out of the collapsed underground base.


    As soon as he arrived at the surface, Clark steered his car to the left, straight in the direction of the bustling street. As he rode, his car squirmed mechanically, smoothly shedding its old skin and replacing it with a brand-new blue metallic cover.


    Through his rear mirror, he saw police cars speeding in the direction of his secret underground base probably due to the booming sound that was made from his car bursting out.


    A slight smile took his face on seeing this, he put more pressure on his car¡¯s accelerator and quickly sped away from the vicinity.


    ¡­


    As soon as the police cars arrived at the location, they took a few minutes to organize themselves before entering the underground hole in units through the hole that was created.


    Inside was as dark as the night sky, so they had to light up the surroundings before the debris and layout of the underground base finally projected itself to them.


    They searched, they scanned, but they found nothing.


    Only debris and collapsed walls were the things left in the huge underground base. They saw a few signs of something huge being pulled out of the building, but they couldn¡¯t trace where it was finally pulled to.


    In the end, after trying all the methods available to them but finding no evidence, they could only put the case on hold and secure ownership of the building.


    A few streets away, as the police cars drove back in the direction of the police station, a young man walked with one hand behind him like he was holding something while the other hand was holding a phone to his ears.


    The peculiar thing was that he didn¡¯t walk in the normal pedestrian¡¯s lane, instead, he walked in the deserted lane that was built for big and heavy vehicles.


    In a few minutes, the next truck arrived but it stopped after getting close to him. About a dozen men on black came out of the truck, they pooled their strength together to pull something invisible inside the truck.


    As soon as the invisible good was stored inside the truck, the young man entered, and the truck finally drove away.


    It was a smooth collection, one that left no room for complications.


    ¡­


    Having installed the authorized GPS device used in the Radan republic on his exotic car, Clark didn¡¯t need a guide this time before he arrived at the destination that was specified on the message that was sent to him.


    He only needed 8 minutes before he got to the location. The first thing that became apparent to him on arriving here was that this district was significantly different from the sewers district.


    The South Ville district was clearly one of the few developed districts in the whole republic. Clark saw luxurious high-rise buildings for the first time since arriving here, the Orion Street was even more luxurious.


    Navigating smoothly through the complicated layout of the street with the help of his GPS device, he finally arrived at the specified mansion.


    >Oliver Mansion- Badac Mercenary Company>


    Confirming the address again through the signpost that was along the street, Clark finally steered his exotic car before the huge black gate leading inside the mansion.


    Only 5 seconds after he drove there, the gate automatically opened to him. He didn¡¯t hesitate before driving in as soon as it opened.


    The first thing that he did as soon as his car drove in was to observe.


    It was a lone luxurious mansion. It was not too big, so he could see the overall layout just after a sweeping glance.


    A lot of military cars were parked inside the building, and a lot of guards in black stood at various strategic locations of the building all dressed in black combat vests and trousers.


    ¡°A mercenary company, huh?¡±


    He finally knew why this organization could grow so much despite the suppression from the Radan government.


    If they could impersonate a mercenary company so casually, it showed how much the security of the country already failed. He was glad though as this would make his subsequent actions easier after the negotiations.


    He smoothly steered his car to the nearby garage before parking.


    ¡°This way¡±. A stony-faced guard came out to direct him.


    Clicking his tongue in amusement, Clark casually followed inside the building. As he walked in, he secretly activated a scanning device that was attached to his trench coat.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 367: the beginning of a blissful cooperation

    Bam!


    As soon as Clark stepped inside the living room, the guards that escorted him abandoned him and slammed the door shut immediately. This rude gesture did not make him panic; a smile crossed his face as he turned to look back at the door.


    Turning his head back, he saw 2 soldiers seated on the sofa.


    ¡°Is this to intimidate me?¡± Clark shook his head in an amused manner before taking another step forward in a completely unperturbed manner.


    Without even waiting for an invitation first, he sat down on the sofa opposite that of the 2 soldiers sitting before him. He smiled and looked at them straight in the eyes, the first round of observation began immediately.


    The 2 soldiers before Clark were middle-aged. The man already had a bunch of gray hair invading his original black, which was telling enough of his age.


    The woman sitting beside him was much more composed. Though the signs of age were also on her face, it was relatively milder. And unlike her male counterpart, she had a stony expression on her face.


    Neither of the parties talked to the other, this continued for 2 minutes until the middle-aged soldier finally decided to break the silence.


    He rubbed his neck and cleared his throat. ¡°Clark Pendragon¡±.


    Clark frowned immediately on hearing that. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The middle-aged man raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have no intentions of threatening you. I just decided to look into your identity when my subordinate told me of you, I didn¡¯t expect to get it so easily¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside, it will only bring unnecessary dispute¡±.


    Clark narrowed his eyes but he did not comment. He finally caught into a problem that he didn¡¯t pay much attention to before, his current identity.


    Though he made some disguises, he didn¡¯t put much effort into it, and most especially he didn¡¯t take his mask. He felt like slapping himself now. Well, today was a lesson, so he wouldn¡¯t make such a noob mistake again.


    ¡°My name is Drake, a former Captain of the Radan army, and the current leader of the old warriors club¡±. The middle-aged man introduced himself much to Clark¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°This is my partner, Daniella, also a former Captain of the Radan army¡±.


    ¡°You must have heard of the reason for us starting this club from my subordinates, so I won¡¯t elaborate on that¡±.


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel, after doing some research and learning of your identity, I no longer doubted your motive that is why my response was so fast. I don¡¯t know how you want to help us, but I¡¯ll appreciate it if we do it more officially¡±.


    ¡°Please, sir, can we negotiate?¡±


    Clark did not object, which signaled the start of the negotiation. It was more of an exchange of ideas rather than a negotiation, but as the captain said, it was better to keep things in an official setting.


    Clark laid down his motive for deciding to contact and help their cause. He wanted the suffering to end, that was his ultimate goal since the beginning.


    The leader of the club did not object as this aligned with their motive. If they could overthrow the Radan government, that would be the first and most important step to herald a revolution in the economy.


    As soon as they laid their overall plan before Clark, and after he confirmed that none of them went against his principles, he finally laid down some of the additional clauses that he wanted to add to their cooperation.


    The Radan republic was just one of the many low-grade countries that he wanted to start his revolutionization dream with.


    His dream did not start nor did it end with the Radan republic, the big 5 were his ultimate goal, the Radan republic was just one of many.


    The prize that the old warriors club had to pay for his help was that they had to sign a contract of agreement to help him liberate other countries suffering from similar problems.


    The leader of the club tried to avoid this clause, but seeing how adamant Clark was about his decision, he could only resign to the will of the Lieutenant Colonel.


    That was everything that was needed for their cooperation to kickstart. Both soldiers stood up to exchange handshakes. In just a few minutes, a cooperation that could change the development trajectory of a country was formed.


    After this was finalized, Captain Drake finally started revealing all the information that Clark needed to know about the old warriors club and the Radan army.


    According to the middle-aged Captain, the old warriors club had only him and Captain Daniella as the 3rd rank high-grade soldiers.


    The Radan army had three 3rd rank high-grade soldiers and a 4th rank high-grade soldier who was the Commander of the army. Commander Cable was the main reason why the old warriors club was still unsuccessful in their quest.


    After giving all the main information that Clark needed to pay attention to, the middle-aged Captain revealed another piece of information.


    ¡°We have another main mission scheduled for the next week. If you can take part in it to ease things, we¡¯ll appreciate it, Lieutenant Colonel¡±.


    ¡°How main is the mission?¡± Clark smiled.


    ¡°Very main¡±. Captain Drake grinned. ¡°It¡¯ll involve a significant part of our secret forces, and casualties will be inevitable but our soldiers are ready to die for the better tomorrow we¡¯ve always been fighting for¡±.


    Clark stroked his still growing beards in thought. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, but most of the puzzle bricks points that I¡¯ll participate in it¡±.


    ¡°Who is the target?¡±


    ¡°The Minister of Finance¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    As Clark was about to turn, he suddenly remembered something. ¡°Please, do you know of any deeply isolated and deserted location in the republic where I can train?¡±


    ¡°Please, be more specific¡±.


    ¡°I recently bought a huge weapon of destruction that I want to test train. I want to know if there¡¯s like any desert-like location in the republic, I don¡¯t want any civilians or even soldiers to see my weapon. Including you¡±.


    Captain Drake laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know, but I¡¯ll pool my sources to help you search for a suitable location¡±.


    ¡°Then, thank you in advance captain. To a blissful cooperation¡±. Clark extended his hand for another handshake.


    The captain took it. ¡°To a blissful cooperation¡±.


    After waving goodbye to the silent Captain Daniella, Clark finally left the man''s mansion.

 Chapter 368: leo is in danger

    Zoom!


    Getting inside his exotic car, Clark cruised out of the luxurious street filled with high-rise buildings while dialing his student¡¯s number through his car¡¯s communication system mechanism.


    ¡°The new location?¡±


    ¡°Ragen District¡­¡±


    As soon as he got the new coordinates of their new underground base from his student, he did not waste time before steering his car in that direction.


    In the Radan republic, there were hardly any amazing attractions that could distract him while on the road, so he didn¡¯t even look sideways on the road as he sped directly to his new base.


    Following the coordinates that Albert sent, Clark could not help but compliment in his mind that his student did a good job.


    Compared to the previous underground base that he bought, this one was in a more deserted region. It was just behind a huge mechanical junkyard and rarely do people visit the junkyard because of the country¡¯s situation.


    Not only was the government oppressing and suppressing their soldiers, but they did this to the civilians too. It was rare to see a Radan citizen with amazing technical skills, the only exception was the children of the politicians.


    The rule of implants being compulsory to every child clearly didn¡¯t apply here also, seeing this only made Clark want to drill a bullet through the motherf*cking President¡¯s head.


    There was no defined route to the underground base, so he had no choice but to create a road with his car through the debris of scattered mechanical parts comprising of the junkyard.


    Unlike the previous underground base where he had to park his car on a circle shape to slowly take it down through an elevator, this one directly had a sloped runway where he could drive under the ground.


    As Albert already registered his car to the sensors of the underground base virtually, as soon as it detected his exotic car, the ground was divided into 2 parts with one of the parts forming a slope underground.


    Clark felt his center of gravity change all of a sudden, disrupting his orientation of his surroundings. When he finally came to grips with what happened, he was underground already.


    He was shocked, this underground building was far bigger than he expected it to be. He felt like he just drove into an underground city, he became suspicious, he felt like his mischievous student used his own will to do something bad again.


    ¡°Master, welcome!¡±


    Albert stood in the middle of the new base with a knife in his left hand and a plate of pizza on his right. His mouth munched up and down repeatedly as he welcomed his master.


    As soon as his car came to a stop, Clark jumped out of the car immediately. Still directing a suspicious look at the surroundings, he went closer to his student.


    Without asking, he took the knife from his student¡¯s hand, dipped it into the pizza, and took a large mouthful of it. As he chewed, he finally asked the ultimate question that was on his mind.


    ¡°How much did you pay for this underground base?¡±


    ¡°It''s beautiful, right?¡± Albert smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked, how much did you pay to buy it?¡±


    ¡°That, I paid only 21 million Radan credits¡±.


    Pfft!


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡­


    After spanking his student for dozens of minutes, Clark finally felt appeased a little and stopped. Despite feeling a little appeased, he still felt pissed off by the amount of money that his student splurged on this mansion.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m your billionaire dad? After exhausting your allowance, you now want to treat my money as your second allowance?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re my master¡±.


    Smack!


    Clark hit him at the back of the head again. After taking a few more minutes to digest the pain of so much money going down the drain so easily, he finally stood up to admire the underground base.


    Even though he kept on smacking Albert for splurging his money unnecessarily, he still had to admit that the underground base looked cool, secret agent-like, and badass.


    Despite the badassism of the underground base, he still felt the pinch in his pocket. Perhaps, it was because he grew up lacking it, but he was always sensitive to spending money in ways he thought unnecessary.


    A few minutes later, Albert was finally able to appease him completely with a well-prepared dish. Perhaps, he guessed what would happen when his master came back, but he even researched the internet just to make the food perfect.


    After eating to his fill, Clark smiled at his student before plopping down on the sofa to rest his aching tummy.


    ¡°So, how was it, the negotiation?¡± Albert suddenly asked.


    ¡°It went well, even better than I imagined. If no sudden emergencies arise, we¡¯ll probably engage in our first mission with them this coming week¡±.


    Beep!


    Inclining his head to take a look at his phone, Clark saw that it was Captain Drake who already sent the coordinates which fit the qualities that he listed for his special weapon test training.


    He was surprised. ¡°This is efficient¡±.


    After carefully studying the coordinates that were sent to him, he sent an appreciation reply to the captain before standing up to examine his mech with his student in tow.


    Though his stomach ached badly, he forced himself to continue walking.


    Following Albert¡¯s direction and walking a few meters forward through the enormous underground base, he finally came before his mech again. Well, the mech that he got from his in-law.


    After a short but thorough examination of the mech and detecting no abnormalities or damages, Clark was impressed.


    He turned to face his student. ¡°How did you bring it here without being noticed by the police?¡±


    Albert immediately propped his chest up a bit on hearing that. ¡°It was like this¡­¡±


    After listening to a long interesting but badly told story from his student, Clark finally had his freedom again. ¡°Cover the mech, we¡¯ll be taking a stroll to one of the most remote parts of this country¡±.


    ¡°You want to train with it?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    Hiding the envy on his face, Albert obeyed and went closer to cover the mech with the electronic veil again. As he did this, Clark was startled by another notification from his phone.


    Beep!


    He inclined his head to see the message, and his brain froze immediately.


    ¡°Leo is in danger!¡±


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 369: surprise

    Clark¡¯s head was left buzzing like a thousand bees were hovering around his head, his brain clicked into overdrive, filling him with lots of thoughts and speculations of what exactly happened as soon as he saw the message.


    His mind went numb immediately as horrifying scenarios filled his head. In just a moment, he made his decision.


    He turned to his student. ¡°Follow me¡±.


    He didn¡¯t dare waste time and think about what was happening in detail, lest this result in him being met with the worst-case scenario. Right now, fear really engulfed his heart.


    Why didn¡¯t the messenger elaborate? This lingered in his mind but he did not dare think further into it.


    ¡°Leo is in danger!¡± Right now, this was the only sentence ringing in his mind repeatedly like metal music filled with offbeat guitar plays.


    ¡°Yes, master¡±.


    Albert did not dare hesitate also; he gave his consent immediately. Being a student of his master for months already, he knew Mr. Leonard Bane and also the relationship between him and his master.


    At the same second that he gave his consent, he already went on the move. Grabbing his black vest from the nearby chair, he bolted in the direction of his master¡¯s exotic car immediately.


    Zoom!


    Not patient enough to let the car¡¯s A. I take control, Clark took hold of his car¡¯s steering wheel and rapidly accelerated out of the underground base.


    Ignoring the Radan regulations about speed limits on the road, he drove at his car¡¯s maximum speed straight in the direction of the airport. Before getting there, he bribed all the required authorities already through his implant.


    Right now, splashing money was the least of his concerns.


    After settling this, despite his speed, as soon as he got to the airport, he got unrestricted passage and directly entered the next airplane going to the vicinity around the Spartan republic.


    As soon as he drove his car inside the airplane and it took off, he brought out his phone and immediately dialed the number that sent him the message.


    He paced back and forth around the plane with his phone but no one picked, he did not relent as he continued sending messages of inquire and calls to know the exact situation of his friend.


    He dialed a few other numbers of his friends that he had, but none of them seemed to be going through. Frustrated, he could only sit down in the plane and silently hope for the best.


    ¡­


    A few hours later when Clark¡¯s emotions and nerves were already being stretched taut from anxiety, the plane finally touched down in the Spartan republic, precisely in North Sparta.


    Not willing to take the road because of the concern that it would take more time, he used his connections to get unrestricted access to the seawater.


    With his car now in its mini-submarine configuration, he rode the waters to his destination at an extremely fast speed. On the way, he was surprised as he received another message from the anonymous number.


    According to the message, Leo and his wife were not at home. The situation became too serious that they had to transfer him, now his best friend was in his mansion.


    The first emotion that came to him on seeing this message was relief, relief that his best friend was still alive as that was his greatest fear.


    The first thought that came to his mind on seeing the message was that what happened to Leo that they had to take him to his mansion?


    What was the situation that became too serious?


    This was just one of the many questions that he had already, so he could only shelve it to the back of his mind. This was perhaps his fastest journey yet, but he was still not satisfied with his speed.


    Throughout all the movements, Albert was beside him and remained quiet so as not to disturb his thoughts.


    At some point in time, Clark noticed a change in him after he received a message. But he didn¡¯t care about looking at the message nor why he changed, all that was in his mind now was his friend.


    25 minutes later, he finally arrived at Vatican City at a record-breaking speed.


    In less than 2 minutes, he arrived at his mansion. Detecting his car from afar, the gate opened immediately, granting him unrestricted access.


    As soon as he drove into his mansion, his face fell. He detected lots of abnormalities immediately that left him tense.


    First, none of his workers were to be seen which was abnormal. Second, lots of cars were now parked in his garage. To him, this was not a good sign as it meant that something definitely happened.


    With a heavy expression on his face, he parked his exotic car in the middle of the compound without much care before quickly walking inside the building.


    Getting to the door, he took a deep solemn breath before pushing it open. Then, he was stunned in place by the sight that presented itself before him.


    Dozens of people were now inside his mansion, and they were familiar faces. At the front of this group of people stood Rose, Emily, King, Kate, and the person who was in danger.


    Leo had a wide grin on his face. ¡°Surprise!¡±


    All the people pooled their voices together, including Albert, and shouted. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡±


    Clark was left standing, still shocked and amazed by the sudden turn of events. He didn¡¯t even know why, but cold sweat suddenly filled his back for a reason that he was not sure about.


    ¡°November 29, yes, it¡¯s my birthday. So, all these were just to make me come back and wish me happy birthday?¡± He suddenly felt faint.


    ¡°And even Albert knew of it too, he¡¯s been acting¡±. He suddenly felt a strong urge to spank his student.


    Despite the strong emotions that he was made to go through, he couldn¡¯t find the voice to blame anyone. In the end, he just felt a fuzzy feeling engulfing his heart like he hugged a soft pillow.


    ¡°Make a wish!¡± Leo said with the cake in his hand.


    Standing before friends and well-wishers, Clark suddenly felt melancholic. If his memory didn¡¯t fail him, this was the first time that his birthday was celebrated with people actually being there for him.


    He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the knife resting on the cake.


    ¡°I wish¡­, that we¡¯ll always be friends¡±.

 Chapter 370: the threat of the milkyway galaxy

    In a certain location in Antarctica, up in the skies where the clouds demarcated their territory, an extremely large warship hovered. Despite the staggering size of the war vessel, it was in stealth mode and invisible.


    Though it was hidden from sight, its enormous weapon armaments still locked onto all the strategic locations alertly in the case of being discovered.


    Its powerful scanners and other high-tech detection devices kept on operating at their full capacity, blasting the surroundings with penetrating electromagnetic waves to detect and expose any hidden existence.


    Despite the powerful stealth systems of the warship, a special jamming device was currently activated to complement the stealth systems which erected and maintained a disruption forcefield constantly around the warship.


    From the design and powerful frame of the war vessel, qualified engineers could easily deduce that it was already a warship equivalent to the standards of the big 5, which was a clear indication of the owners¡¯ status.


    At this moment, amid the practiced and mastered activities of the crew manning the warship, an emergency meeting was being held inside the powerful war vessel.


    At the very heart of the warship was the meeting hall.


    The hall inside the warship was very big, easily about a few hundred kilometers in size which was outrageous.


    Despite how highly graded the warship was, the inside was not luxurious. Its interior was painted in a plain and simple grey color; no luxurious decorations, it was just a cold and militaristic background.


    Inside the hall was a huge round table, and 34 chairs surrounded the round table. The other parts of the hall were empty, and it was covered by a thick fog like a secret was being hidden inside it.


    Bzzz!


    At this moment, a buzzing sound suddenly reverberated and one of the chairs surrounding the round table was occupied. The figure who now occupied it was not physical, it was clear that it was a virtual projection.


    It was an old man with long white flowing beards, a white bushy mustache, but with a firm militaristic vibe emanating from him. His body was visibly strong and muscular at just a glance.


    He looked more like a crazy fitness enthusiast, it was hard to picture him as an old man due to his extremely dense and buff muscles and chest.


    His eyes were as sharp as an eagle¡¯s, he surveyed the hall with a cunningness like that of a green snake hidden in the green grass shining from the depth of his eyes. He suddenly collected himself as a few others arrived.


    Bzzz! Bzzz!


    Repeated buzzing sounds reverberated, and 17 other people appeared to occupy another 17 chairs.


    Among all of them, the few similar features between them were that they were all old, and emanated a powerful feeling. Even the old females among them looked like male Lions stalking prey.


    None of them said a word, they just glanced at each other leisurely with such gestures that showed that they were familiar with each other.


    As they waited silently, another buzzing sound reverberated, and another figure was projected, an old man.


    He had blonde hair, a calm look on his face, sharp eyes that seemed able to see through any soul, and most especially, he was seated at the seat of honor which was at the middle of the round table.


    All the other projections stood up as soon as he arrived and greeted respectfully.


    ¡°Lord Achilles!¡±


    The Greek Destroyer had a calm look on his face as he looked at the Elite Commanders who were able to respond to his call. After sweeping a glance at the empty chairs, he quickly forgot about them.


    He nodded back at them with his sharp but unfathomable eyes. ¡°You can sit down, let the meeting begin¡±.


    He was the one who announced the beginning of the meeting, and he was the one who presented his discovery before the others also, he did not beat around the bush.


    ¡°My contacts got a new sensitive information just a few hours ago from the big 5 joint research base¡±.


    He took a deep but solemn breath to put more emphasis on what he was about to say. ¡°After 4 decades since the 5 hegemons joined heads together to research the strange phenomenon, they finally got an answer¡±.


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t crack the alien¡¯s sturdy willpower to make him spill information, so they had no choice but to build a device through which they could directly invade inside his brain and get the relevant information¡±.


    ¡°They succeeded in creating the device; The Soul Extractor¡±.


    ¡°After a series of failures, they finally found success just a few hours ago. They were able to extract a few pieces of vital information before the alien finally died from the mental strain¡±.


    ¡°Through the alien language that they¡¯ve been trying to learn for decades, they were able to interpret the little information that they got¡±.


    ¡°The keywords are- Invasion¡­, All Species¡­, ¡­Supremacy¡±.


    The Greek Destroyer paused and took a long glance through the faces of the Elites sitting before him. All the Elite Commanders kept quiet, silently ruminating over the relevance of these words.


    After observing for about a minute, Elite Commander Achilles finally focused on a particular one of the Elite Commanders.


    ¡°Seer Arnold, it seems that your prophecy is coming to pass¡±.


    The sage-like Elite Commander rubbed his long beards. ¡°Yes, it is correct. We no longer have much time; this is the time when we need the chosen one the most¡±.


    Hearing that, all the others turned to face Elite Commander Titus.


    ¡°Clark is no longer in my custody, he has passed his sublimation, and his subsequent growth from here is completely on his hands¡±. Elite Commander Titus clarified calmly.


    The Greek Destroyer nodded. ¡°Does anyone have any other information to report to the gathering?¡±


    One of the Elite Commanders nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of dealings with Clark, and lately, he inquired of something which left me thinking. He asked for mechanics who could create mechs¡±.


    ¡°And what did you do?¡± Elite Commander Titus asked.


    ¡°What did you expect me to do? He should focus on growing stronger rather than focus on such trivialities, I replied him in a roundabout manner¡±.


    Titus chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re really a Monkey, Monkey Hands. In fact, a curly-haired baboon is the best description to describe you¡±.


    Elite Commander Daman was not angered, he asked calmly. ¡°Did Clark have a secret that I don¡¯t know of?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Clark had a fortuitous encounter in the Everest¡±.


    Without holding anything back, Elite Commander Titus explained everything about the bean quadrant enhancer. After he finished, the few Elite Commanders finally came to a new understanding of the chosen one.


    After confirming that no one had anything else to say, the Greek Destroyer finally turned to face Elite Commander Daman who currently held his chin while deep in thought.


    ¡°Daman, build him a proper mech¡±.


    ¡°Yes, I definitely will¡±.


    ¡°Another thing¡±. The Greek Destroyer raised his head.


    ¡°In the process of cracking the information gotten from the alien, they also discovered that he had other companions that are still on this planet. A strike force is currently being assembled; we have to make an appearance¡±.


    None of the Elites objected, which meant that the meeting was officially done. ¡°Ok, that is all for today. Continue your preparations for the great invasion, we need all the preparations that we can get¡±


    ¡°And keep hoping that one day, the big 5 will finally be aware of the threat that this galaxy is facing¡±.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 371: a message from professor monkey hands

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought over your proposal. Though I can¡¯t promise anything yet, I¡¯ll discuss it with my subordinates and if everything goes well, I think we can support your cause¡±.


    Emily gently pushed her beautiful long hair backward as she explained, an indescribable aura of maturity emanating from her.


    ¡°Then thank you in advance¡±. Clark smiled in reply.


    At the side, King finally commented. ¡°Clark, you¡¯re really an ambitious fellow. I think I¡¯m slowly beginning to know more of you¡±.


    Clark laughed. ¡°Everybody is ambitious, it just depends on how ambitious, and what the ambition is all about¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡±. Josh gave a thump up from the other side before inclining his head to devour the remaining wine left on his glass cup.


    Taking his cue, everyone in the room took their wine and started indulging themselves again. Yes, they were all currently in Clark¡¯s luxurious room that was originally exclusive to himself.


    After celebrating his birthday with him, none of his friends agreed to leave. They decided to accompany him in his mansion for 2 more days, only workers like Leo had to leave to report for duty at his military division.


    Though he left, his wife was still in the mansion.


    For the past few days, they¡¯ve been living the laziest, most luxurious, and most laid-back life imaginably possible. They avoided boredom by engaging in discussions frequently and throwing small parties.


    Clark would only be left speechless each time he thought of the circumstances. For the main birthday day, his friends covered the expenses, but they insisted that he cover all the subsequent expenses.


    ¡°If you guys really want to celebrate me, is it necessary to drain my money in the process?¡± Though he felt like spanking all of them whenever he thought of this, he just complained slightly and let everyone enjoy themselves.


    For the past few days, he came to a realization. He was no longer the miser Clark of yesterday, sometimes, he should indulge and spend lavishly in character with his current status.


    Convincing himself with that, he was able to put up with all the expenses.


    Taking advantage of this rare moment when almost all his friends were gathered in a single location, he told them what he was currently doing, and also revealed his ambition to them.


    Almost all his friends reacted with surprise on hearing his claim to liberate a country by planning a coupe-de-tat, only Emily and Leo were unsurprised as they knew him more in-depth than most of the others.


    Leo even knew of his ambition to overthrow the rule of the big 5 in the future, so to him, this was mild.


    After proposing his ambitious plan to them, Clark told them that there was room for cooperation. Sometimes, life was not just about money, there was a certain peace of mind that follows any good deed.


    He used this theory to solicit their help, any help from them to make life better for the poor and needy suffering in the Radan republic could cleanse their heart and conscience in inexplicable ways.


    Though he could not exactly prove this theory, he knew and was convinced in his heart that it was correct.


    This was the conversation that Emily started. After 2 days of thinking about it, she agreed to involve the Pendragon mercenary group in this charity work but she wanted to get the opinion of her subordinates first.


    When Clark heard that, he heaved a sigh of relief. When Josh also added his input to convince the mercenaries, he was confident that they would not oppose too much to the plan.


    After getting a few more positive replies from his friends, his mood improved considerably as he started humming a famous lullaby.


    For the remaining parts of the day, he enjoyed himself to the fullest with his friends; drinking, swimming, partying, and engaging in interesting discussions.


    According to Emily, the inclusion of Josh into the Pendragon mercenary group directly propelled the appeal of the mercenary group to new blood to exceeding heights.


    In just a few months, she believed that the overall size of the mercenary group will balloon to harbor over 5000 mercenaries and their corresponding rank with the Mercenary alliance will also increase.


    An increased rank meant and brought a lot of benefits; as it meant that they could now attract more clients, and they would have access to even more confidential and well-paying commissions.


    Listening to Emily blabber on about the mercenary group that they both started on a whim, Clark fell into a daze. It started just with a few dozen mercenaries, now it was in the thousands.


    ¡°Little drops of water make a mighty ocean¡±.


    This sentence just kept reverberating in his mind, bringing him a strange feeling of peace and tranquility.


    Though it was not too big yet, Kate¡¯s belly was already protruding out visibly, showing the healthy growth of the little Leo inside.


    Clark could not help but anticipate the coming out of the little Leo; will he look like his father or his mother? Will he be a boy? He once predicted confidently that it would be a boy.


    With numerous activities to kill their time, it didn¡¯t take long before the day darkened. Apologizing for their early leave, Emily, King, and Josh, finally got set to go regroup with their subordinates.


    Kate stayed behind; her husband would come to take her the next day.


    ¡°Only 2 days before December comes, and only 3 days before the week ends¡±. Clark could not help but mutter to himself. In just 3 days, the assassination of the Radan minister would commence.


    As he thought of this, he subconsciously turned his head to look at his student who was engrossed in computer games.


    Smiling hopelessly, he finally stood up from the pool while gesturing to help Kate up. Surprisingly, she refused.


    ¡°What do you think of me? An old woman? I can still walk¡±.


    Listening to her sharp tone, Clark erupted laughing subconsciously. As they left, the workers in the mansion immediately came to tidy the place up.


    ¡­


    The next day, after Leo came to pick up his wife, Clark and his student finally got set to return to the Radan republic. When they were almost driving out of the building, Clark received a message.


    The message was super short and precise.


    ¡°I have a clue about a mech designer¡±.


    ¡°Sender: Professor Monkey Hands¡±.


    Clark¡¯s face became strange. ¡°The heck! Such timing?¡±

 Chapter 372: a mech designer

    As soon as he got the message, Clark immediately went into pondering mode as he tried to guess why the Professor messaged him at this exact moment and why the message was about mechs.


    After the first time that he casually asked about it, he no longer mentioned anything about mechs.


    ¡°Wait, is Monkey Hands spying on me?¡± His expression became strange, before darkening.


    An imagination suddenly flashed in his head; he saw himself taking his bath in the bathroom but a pair of old lewd eyes were secretly watching him from the shadows without him knowing.


    He wanted to feel anger, but he only shuddered at the thought.


    ¡°Turn immediately¡±. He blurted out.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Albert turned to face his master.


    Clark calmed down on seeing Albert¡¯s strange gaze. ¡°I mean you should slow down, look left and right, cross the road, and turn back. We¡¯re going to the Spartan army headquarters¡±.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Smack!


    ¡°¡­Ok¡±. Albert felt secret tears flowing down his face like waterfalls.


    ¡­


    Taking a plane, it did not take much time before Clark arrived at North Sparta with his student. Alighting from the plane, they entered the exotic car before setting their destination for the Spartan army headquarters.


    On getting there, as soon as Clark showed his badge, he was allowed into the city-like headquarters immediately.


    Expertly navigating through the familiar lanes of the headquarters, in a few minutes, his car finally entered the domain of mechanic workshops.


    Having been here before, he didn¡¯t marvel about how developed this place was again. Navigating further through the column of mechanic workshops, he finally arrived before the biggest mechanic workshop.


    With a look of resignation on his face, Clark sighed, directed a look at his student before going forward with pure resentment on his face.


    After testing it, he could only sigh, Monkey Hand¡¯s passage mechanism was still as weird as ever. Trying to ignore the burning shame smearing his face, he did all that was required before getting access inside the workshop.


    Taking a cue from him, Albert easily imitated him before also getting access inside the workshop. As someone already used to luxury, his face didn¡¯t change much on entering the visually impacting inside of the workshop.


    A mechanic apprentice was already waiting for them at the other side, the pretty lady with a scholarly vibe immediately greeted respectfully on seeing them.


    She politely introduced herself before turning to lead the Lieutenant Colonel straight to her teacher¡¯s workshop. After completing the mechanisms, Clark finally got access to the familiar workshop again.


    Just like the last time that he came here, Professor Monkey Hands was working on a car with 2 assistants helping him from the side.


    ¡°You came?¡±


    ¡°No, can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m in the ocean?¡± Clark sharply retorted in his mind, but outwardly he had a calm and polite look on his face.


    ¡°Yes, Professor, I came after receiving your message¡±.


    ¡°Good, I found a mech designer. I noticed that you were looking for one the other time that you came, so I just decided to do a favor for a young promising soldier¡±.


    Ignoring the hypocrisy dripping from the Professor¡¯s tone, Clark smiled. ¡°Wow, thanks a lot¡±.


    He didn¡¯t know why this Professor suddenly decided to look out for a mech designer for him when he already showed a negative reaction the other time that he mentioned it.


    Well, he couldn¡¯t judge this professor with common sense so he guessed that everything was ok.


    Surprisingly, the Professor didn¡¯t make any unreasonable demands for the information that he just revealed. All that he told Clark was to produce 50 million Spartan credits, and the best mech would be designed for him.


    Clark immediately felt suspicious after hearing that. From the information that he knew, even the lowest tier of mechs was far more expensive than that.


    The cost was one of the main reasons why he didn¡¯t actively start looking for mech designers, a mech was something that was supposed to be owned by a country or billionaires for fun and as a show of power and wealth.


    As soon as he heard 50 million Spartan credits, the first thing that came to his mind was that he was about to be scammed. As if reading his thoughts, the Professor chuckled.


    ¡°You really think you¡¯re worth me putting in so many efforts just to scam you?¡± He rubbed his nose with his left hand while using the other to rub his beards mischievously.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Clark was suddenly lost for words, he felt like this was an insult but the Professor phrased it in such a way that he was left speechless.


    ¡°Is this a new form of Euphemism?¡±


    Resolving his mind, he gritted his teeth and replied with a completely serious expression on his face. ¡°Professor, don¡¯t you think that I¡¯m that clueless about mechs¡±.


    ¡°I know that the lowest quality mech can even go for as high as 500 million Spartan credits, I¡¯m not a kid so¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh!¡±


    The Professor sighed exaggeratedly, and while waving his hands he muttered. ¡°Youngsters these days, they don¡¯t even know when someone is sacrificing a huge favor for them¡±.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m even being confronted for doing something good. Sigh, it¡¯s really hard to be a good man in this era¡±.


    Clark was completely dumbfounded. ¡°I¡­, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know¡±.


    ¡°If you, did it as a favor for me, then I understand now. I¡¯m sorry, Professor, you¡¯re the best. I promise never to secretly curse you again, I¡­¡±.


    The Professor calmly turned to look at him.


    Clark finally realized what he just said, he felt cold sweat fill his back all of a sudden. He looked at the Professor who blankly gazed back at him, he turned to look at Albert but the unreliable boy gulped in reply.


    He improvised immediately. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way, I¡­, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Pay me the 50 million credits now or leave my workshop¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. Without hesitation, Clark transferred the money.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid that the Professor would run with the money, Monkey hands was bigger than that. Despite his current wealth, he was still a small fry when placed beside the professor.


    ¡°You may come to take it in a month¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Professor¡±. Repeatedly thanking the professor, Clark finally started leaving the workshop. At the point of placing his legs outside, he suddenly remembered something and turned.


    ¡°Professor, do you spy on me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Professor was left speechless for a moment before finally comprehending what the question meant.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±.


    ¡­


    A few minutes later, as soon as he confirmed that Clark was out of his workshop, he dropped his tools and chuckled.


    ¡°What a peculiar young man¡±.

 Chapter 373: 1st december

    Zoom!


    Leaving the Spartan army headquarters left Clark feeling good, he constantly felt like he was being tickled by his future wife. As Albert drove, once again, he started humming a random lullaby.


    Getting to meet his friends again and celebrating his birthday with them refreshed his brain in ways that he found mysterious, he suddenly felt calmer and more collected.


    This was a boon on its own already, now getting to solicit the help of his friends to get them to help fulfill his ambition was another. That not being enough, Professor Monkey Hands now surprised him with a mech.


    As he rejoiced while humming, he could not help but think again about what prompted the Professor to proactively look for a mech designer for him.


    He was still serious in his decision to keep his ability to pilot mechs a secret, letting the world know about such a secret was too irresponsible and rash of him. He had to continue keeping it a secret if he loved his life.


    In the end, after thinking about it some more, he decided that he would be more careful around the Professor in the future.


    And for some baffling reason that he did not know, he felt like the world was changing and that he needed to increase his combat power fast.


    His intuition just kept on ringing an alarm of danger in his head, he felt like a veil was slowly covering the world.


    He didn¡¯t know why he felt like this but he trusted his intuition, so he kept it at the back of his mind to find ways to increase his power faster.


    And to do this, the only 2 ways available to him were getting to control his special ability and thereby leading to an increase in his strength or getting to master how to pilot a mech.


    For these 2 ways, he decided to start mech piloting training immediately after he got back to the Radan republic.


    For his special ability, he wanted to help the old warriors club complete the assassination of the minister first before he would sit down to think about it more thoroughly.


    And also, he was still waiting for Mr. Calibri¡¯s intelligence agencies to contact him. After knowing such detailed information about Sonia, he didn¡¯t want to wait for even a second more.


    These and a lot more were enough to necessitate him striving to increase his strength. He couldn¡¯t help but secretly clench his fists.


    From the corner of his eyes, Albert was able to see this. He hesitated a bit as he didn¡¯t know what was going through his master¡¯s head, but in the end, his curiosity won as he asked.


    ¡°Master, do you think I have a chance of ever getting to pilot a mech too?¡±


    Clark was pulled out of his thoughts as he turned to face his student. Seeing the struggling expression on Albert¡¯s face, he suddenly felt funny.


    ¡°Albert, piloting a mech doesn¡¯t exactly make you a powerhouse¡±. He stopped to take a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s your willpower and willingness to improve that makes you one¡±.


    ¡°The way that I experienced lots of encounters that changed me and made me strong, I believe that you also have your own encounters. And besides, it¡¯s always better to rely on your own strength than external factors¡±.


    ¡°Perhaps, it will be in the future, but I believe that you¡¯ll have an encounter that will grant you an enviable ability too¡±.


    ¡°Eh, ok, thanks¡±. Albert turned and flashed a smile at Clark.


    Remembering something, Clark suddenly asked humorously. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it''s just me, but why does it seem like your billionaire dad suddenly abandoned you and is no longer sending you monthly allowances?¡±


    Albert¡¯s face immediately became depressed. ¡°I told him that I became your student, and he felt that it was an insult so he stopped sending me allowances until I destroy my relationship with you¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Clark was surprised.


    His surprise did not last as it suddenly turned to a grin. ¡°Well, if he says so, then just become more prudent. I believe that in a few years, I¡¯ll be richer than he is, and perhaps you too¡±.


    It felt shameless, but Clark didn¡¯t exaggerate.


    ¡°Master, you know, that¡¯s the one thing that I like about you, your confidence¡±. The master and student duo continued engaging in conversations until they got to the airport.


    Having arranged everything beforehand, they quickly boarded a plane and left the country.


    ¡­


    As soon as they got to the Radan republic again, Clark and his student first returned to their underground base and had a sweet sleep to replenish their energy.


    After that, in the evening, they both got on the exotic car and left to survey the location that Captain Drake suggested to Clark for his weapon test training.


    On getting there, they could only return back disappointed. The location was a beach, it was deserted and was now hardly visited due to the economic situation of the country.


    It was a wide and big enough location for Clark to train with his mech, but the commotion and destruction that he would be liable to cause to the surroundings would be too much considering the sheer power of the mech.


    In the end, Clark had to order for a purely exotic portable training chamber to be built. Due to his recent expenses, and those of Vatican City, he was a little short on money so he had to resort to the Spartan army for a loan.


    This was his first loan since he became a soldier. While waiting for the commissioned training chamber to be built, he had no choice but to hone his skills in a virtual setting.


    As he trained, he also found time to give Albert some insights on his training. After hesitating a bit, he finally hinted a little about the existence of special abilities to Albert to help him in his future growth.


    During this time, Albert finally brought all his gadgets, machines, and weapons that were stored in the warehouse that he built in the Spartan republic.


    Through these, their slightly vacant underground base finally got filled.


    As they both trained, the days slowly rolled on, and just like a few blinks away, 4 days were quickly elapsed. Today was the 1st of December, and it was the D-day for the Radan Minister of Finance¡¯s death.


    Clark received a message from the old warriors club and he responded to it without delay.

 Chapter 374: assassination plan

    The typical hot weather of Africa hung vibrantly in the sky, brightly illuminating everywhere in its warm glow of comfort.


    The Radan republic citizens woke up as usual to face their day, but unknowing to them, something was brewing in the dark. Unknowing to them, today was going to mark the start of a campaign that will greatly change the country.


    The citizens could not be blamed for their lack of perception though, because even the Radan government was as clueless as them about what was about to strike them today.


    A boiling pan of oil that they¡¯ve neglected in the hot fire for years was about to explode, and it would do what is typical of all hot oils, burn every human skin that it touches.


    ¡­


    Standing before the mirror in the underground base, Clark looked at himself again to confirm that nothing was wrong. Half his face was covered by the black mask, his black vest and trousers were impeccable with no problems.


    He nodded in a satisfied manner to himself before opening the box that was beside him. In there sat his custom-made weapons, his babies that he would always cherish until he got better babies.


    He calmly slotted the pair of swords into his back, he decided to use these this time and let the spears rest a bit. He didn¡¯t want to let out anything that can be used to guess at his identity.


    He slotted the pair of 2-form guns in a port on the side of his trousers, he slit the magnetically controlled throwing knives into hidden ports in his black vest, before picking a small bag.


    Opening the bag, he used his other free hand to pick up the exotic sniper rifle. He expertly broke the weapon into parts before putting all the parts inside the bag, after this, he smoothly put it on his back.


    Then, he finally closed the box back again, allowing his other custom-made weapons to rest for today¡¯s battle.


    Before standing up to observe himself again, he took hold of the mask that was on the table. As soon as he wore it, his face started changing and, in a moment, his face became a stranger¡¯s.


    After doing all this, he looked at the mirror again. Confirming that nothing was out of place, he covered his head with a specially sewn black tight veil to hold his long hair together.


    As soon as he did this, he heard thudding sounds coming from the side.


    Turning his head, he saw Albert in the same ninja outfit that he wore when he ambushed him and King after he just came back from the Everest.


    Secretly giving his mischievous student a thump up in his mind, he gestured at the door that they should move out. For this mission, he had no intentions of using his car, he didn¡¯t want to reveal any holes for exploitation to get his identity.


    As soon as they got outside, they saw a blue sports car waiting for them.


    Having hired and paid for it online already, Clark easily got access inside it. As soon as Albert entered, he ignited the engine and cruised out of the deserted junkyard.


    ¡­


    This time again, Clark was going to the Oliver Mansion in South Ville District.


    As soon as he arrived at the front of the mansion, the gate automatically opened. Driving inside, the first thing that became apparent to him was the level of activities inside the mansion.


    The mansion was far more boisterous than the first time that he came. The black-clothed guards were constantly alert, ready to react in the situation of any sudden infiltration.


    With just a sweep of his eyes, Clark recognized the old warriors'' assassins from the guards of the mansion.


    From their demeanor to their tiniest movements, he was able to analyze the difference between them through his implant.


    As soon as he came down with his student, they didn¡¯t waste time as they immediately entered the mansion. There, Clark saw a few familiar faces for the 2nd time.


    The familiar face who left the most impression on him was Estela, the lady still had a cold expression on her face as she listened to her leader describing the assassination plan in detail.


    As soon as they heard the door open, every eye turned to the door to see the newcomers. Though Captain Drake wasn¡¯t able to recognize Clark, he knew that he was definitely one of the 2 newcomers as Clark contacted him before coming.


    Despite knowing that one of the 2 men was Clark, he didn¡¯t call him out nor did he welcome him. He just nodded at him, stared his subordinates down with his eyes to kill their curiosity before continuing with his explanation.


    Clark and Albert sat at the nearby sofa. They didn¡¯t make a sound, carefully listening from the side though they both already went through the digital copy of the assassination plan.


    For today¡¯s mission, only 8 assassins were planned to go.


    Captain Drake himself with 7 additional assassins, adding Clark and Albert would take their numbers to 10. Captain Daniella was assigned by the club¡¯s leader to stay behind and keep the club in order on his behalf.


    The captain patiently explained the plan for 30 minutes and none of the selected assassins were bored, this was a mission whose success represented both their future and the future of their children.


    It was easy to become lazy, but sometimes after being hit by the circumstances of life, the term lazy would become alien to you.


    Apart from Estela and a few other young assassins who were in the group, the others were all veterans who already suffered appropriately to the rulership of the Radan government.


    As soon as 30 minutes elapsed, Captain Drake asked repeatedly to confirm that everyone in his team understood his plan.


    After confirming this, he finally introduced Clark and Albert to them. He just introduced the both of them as allies and didn¡¯t reveal their identity.


    Hearing the term allies, Estela stirred a bit but she kept quiet throughout.


    After the introduction, he crosschecked again to confirm that all their preparations were in place before finally getting ready to leave.


    Contrary to what Clark guessed, they didn¡¯t leave through the gate directly. The captain led them to an underground basement under the mansion, there they entered a cab that looked like the mini-version of a train.


    As soon as they all entered, the mini-train started moving through the tracks built underground to their destination.


    At 6:12 am, the assassination finally began.


    [Thanks for reading, and sorry for the late release.]

 Chapter 375: a doppelganger robot

    Crick! Crick!


    The wheels of the mini-train made soft rhythmic noises as it slowly moved through the underground rail, apart from this sound no sound could be detected on the rail and not from the soldiers too.


    Clark had a poker look on his face as due to boredom started simulating different results of this assassination attempt in his head. Despite the numbing silence, he did not try to break it.


    Only the sound of their breaths could be detected, following the up and downward movement of their hearts in a rhythmic manner.


    From the reaction of the few assassins, Clark easily deduced that they received special training to curb the effects of such silence. And though Albert was affected, he could still control himself to keep quiet also.


    Clark didn¡¯t know for how many minutes they¡¯ve been moving, but from the mini-train¡¯s speed, he knew that they¡¯ve crossed dozens of kilometers.


    Clack! Clack!


    His heightened senses detected it immediately when there was a slight change to the movement pattern of the mini-train. Analyzing it, he quickly deduced that they were now going upwards.


    As the mini-train slowly climbed back upwards in an almost imperceptible manner, the other assassins inside it finally jolted as they felt the boisterous noise of the outside world reverberating down now.


    The mini-train finally started slowing down.


    At this moment, Captain Drake¡¯s serious but hoarse voice reverberated in the small space inside the mini-train.


    ¡°Take and were this hair band¡±.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know our names, from this moment on we¡¯ll know ourselves only through our band numbers¡±. As he said this, his hand was already distributing the hair bands to the 9 allies beside him.


    Albert looked down at his. ¡°9¡±.


    Clark took his and also looked down at it. ¡°10¡±.


    ¡°Are we clear?¡± The hoarse voice of the captain asked.


    ¡°Yes, leader¡±.


    ¡°Good, we¡¯re starting now¡±.


    As soon as he said this, he came down from the mini-cab, brought out what seemed to be a drilling device, and started soundlessly drilling away.


    Almost at the same time that he did this, Clark and the others also came out of the mini-train. Then the small train jerked a bit, started making the clicking noises again as it slowly retreated.


    Without saying a word, Clark and the others surrounded the captain who was drilling the hole. In less than 2 minutes, a hole was drilled to the surface.


    Captain Drake activated a device, then he boldly came out of the hole. Clark and the others quickly followed. As the captain worked on filling the hole back, Clark finally took in his surroundings.


    The capital city of the Radan republic, Arial City.


    With just a glance, Clark didn¡¯t need to see much before he confirmed that the difference between here and other places in the republic was as vast as that of heaven and earth.


    They emerged from the ground at a relatively deserted street. Though some people were on the street, they couldn¡¯t see them due to the strange device that Captain Drake activated.


    As soon as the captain closed the hole up, restoring it to its previous look, the group of assassins immediately divided into a pair of groups before moving out.


    Naturally, Clark paired with Albert as they both left and easily blended with the other citizens in the town. With the help of their camouflage devices, they were able to easily blend in without any trouble.


    As Clark walked down the street with his student, he suddenly grinned. Even from his location, he could already hear the hypocritic voice of the Radan minister.


    ¡°We remain dedicated to fulfilling the will of the citizens¡­¡±


    ¡°We will always remember our vow to put our citizen¡¯s wishes above all else, that is a creed that we¡¯ll always abide by¡­¡±


    Amid the voice of the Minister, Clark and his student quickly arrived at the front of the main gate of the Radan public development headquarters.


    ¡°Where is your invitation?¡± The stern-faced soldier at the gate asked.


    Clark fished out a gray card with golden linings. The soldier carefully scrutinized it properly, after confirming its authenticity it finally gave it back to them and allowed them entry.


    This was not the plan that was proposed by Captain Drake. But Clark was not obligated to follow his plans to the book, this was in the situation where he had a better and more efficient method to infiltrate.


    This was a low-grade country Afterall.


    With the level of his and his student¡¯s camouflage gadgets, though the country may buy high-quality gadgets from other countries too, Clark guessed that they were not in use here and he was clearly right.


    For a government that cared only for themselves, apart from the Presidential Villa, Clark doubted if any other place in the country was fortified all-round.


    Entering the public development headquarters, he finally arrived before the sheer number of people who came to listen to the minister spout nonsense today.


    The land territory of the headquarters was very big, but it was filled to the brim with people. Not paying attention to all these, Clark walked through the headquarters casually with his student in tow.


    Going around the corners of the headquarters, they immediately picked one of the numerous tall buildings around as their target.


    They didn¡¯t meet much resistance as they easily infiltrated the tall story building and climbed up to a sufficient vantage point. After climbing up to a position that satisfied him, Clark finally stopped.


    ¡°Lock the door¡±. He instructed his student.


    As Albert went back to hack the door and lock it both virtually and mechanically, Clark went to the nearby window before smoothly bringing his bag down from his back.


    He unzipped the bag, sprawled it on the floor before carefully arranging the scattered parts again to form a sniper rifle in less than a minute.


    He kneeled to have easier access to the window, then he opened his windowpane with his free hand while putting the small muzzle of the sniper rifle through to face outside.


    After doing this, he relaxed his mind. Albert silently arrived beside him, not daring to make a noise lest he disturbed him.


    Clark suddenly felt like chuckling. ¡°Actually, this is the first mission that I had to start with a sniper rifle¡±.


    Quickly removing all errant thoughts from his mind, he tried to visualize his target on his mind who was kilometers away. In seconds, his visualized image stacked with what was being reflected by his sniper¡¯s telescopic vision.


    The Minister of Finance of the Radan republic had a smile on his face as he gesticulated while explaining his revolutionary ideas to the masses. ¡°I believe that this charity bill will change lives for good¡±.


    ¡°There are too many poor in this country, people are suffering, that is why we took this measure again to fight poverty!¡± He stretched the word poverty and clenched his fists at the air.


    ¡°Will this charity bill, more charity organizations will be opened to feed and help the poor. I believe that this is the first step to heralding a new era in our dear country¡±.


    He suddenly took a pen and placed it on paper, all the cameras focused on the paper. ¡°With the authority of the President, I now sign the public development charity bill¡­¡±


    Whoosh!


    The sniper bullet arrived so fast that before people could blink, it already hit the minister. But at the last moment, it didn¡¯t hit completely, a bright blue light erupted and an energy shield materialized to protect him.


    The space suddenly seemed to have frozen. The nearby alarmed soldiers immediately rushed closer to protect the professor, but another high-caliber bullet came from a different direction.


    Despite dimming from the first shot, the shield was still able to hold firm.


    Seeing this from afar, Clark narrowed his eyes before finally pulling the trigger. The sound accompanying his shot was clearly different from the first 2, a silvery streak of thunder seemed to have struck the minister.


    Bam!


    The high caliber bullet tore through the shield and into the minister¡¯s head, but the expected blood did not fly about, what instead flew out from the points of impact was metallic shrapnel and screws.


    Clark¡¯s pupils constricted. ¡°A doppelganger robot!¡±

 Chapter 376: entering the laboratory building

    In one of the numerous-story buildings surrounding the public development headquarters, as soon as the first sniper shot was discovered, all the lights inside the building were switched off.


    A blue glowing shield surrounded the building from outside, then activities immediately began inside the building.


    All the soldiers secretly inside already had night vision goggles beforehand, so they were not blinded after the lights were switched off.


    As soon as the doppelganger robot shattered into pieces, the real minister of finance who was hiding here quickly dropped the virtual helmet that he wore over his head.


    ¡°Sir, this way¡±.


    Without batting an eyelid, he took the night vision goggles from the soldier and put them on. At this moment, an ugly irritated expression was on his face, his veins heaved up and down like they would snap from anger the next moment.


    ¡°Sir, we need to go underground¡±. The soldier stressed again.


    The minister suddenly grabbed the soldier who talked on the collar, his expression vicious. ¡°Find them, find them, or take off your head as compensation¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    Without hesitation, he obeyed the soldier¡¯s suggestion and started going out of the room, all the other soldiers in the room followed him immediately. When he got to the door, he paused for a moment.


    ¡°I give you the authority, blow this place up with a bomb if that is what is required to find them¡±.


    ¡°For the dead civilians¡±. He grinned crazily, a rare sight for an old man of his age. ¡°We can always blame them for the bomb, and it''s not like anybody can challenge our claim¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The soldier nodded again.


    The minister finally turned around, and the group of soldiers who were in the room with him surrounded him tightly before they began escorting him underground.


    Seeing that the minister left, the soldier who was addressed heaved a sigh of relief. With a complicated look on his face, he started barking orders into his comm.


    ¡°Hello! This is your leader speaking; the headquarters is now in a Grade- 4 alert lockdown¡±.


    ¡°Find the intruders by all means, and shoot on sight¡±.


    ¡°Sir, do we have clearance to use bombs?¡± A voice suddenly asked.


    The soldier clenched his fists as his face contorted, then he finally controlled himself and spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°No, not until I say so¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    ¡­


    Immediately after he shot and discovered that the minister speaking was just a doppelganger robot, Clark reacted immediately. He dismantled his sniper rifle at superhuman speed before rapidly stuffing the parts back into his bag.


    ¡°Laboratory building¡±.


    Captain Drake¡¯s voice suddenly rang out from his comm as he did this.


    Almost immediately, Albert already ran ahead of him and broke through the window outside. In the air, he brought out something that looked like a bomb, bit the lid open, and threw it into the air.


    The soldiers that were in the process of running towards this building stopped and jumped for cover immediately on seeing this, but the expected explosion of the bomb did not come.


    They were in the process of raising their heads but they immediately fell back down as loud sounds reverberated through the air, like a machine gun was being fired at them.


    When they raised their heads up again, their faces burned as they saw the bomb-like object explode to form fireworks in the air while simulating machine gun sounds.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the assassin?¡±


    By the time that they noticed him again, Albert already dropped into their midst. With one hand he retrieved his thin spear, then his battle began.


    Bam! Bam!


    He didn¡¯t stab nor did he slash at the 2 soldiers to kill them, but the force that accompanied the spear to slam at the 2 soldiers with its blunt side made them faint immediately in shock.


    Albert rolled forward the next moment as numerous bullets destroyed his previous location. They tried to retrace and shoot at him, but his agility left them in the dust.


    Only the sound of his spear spanking asses reverberated in the battlefield, mixing with the gunshots to form a confusing cacophony of noise that was grating to the ears.


    In just a few seconds to a minute, he stole all the attention to himself, successfully drawing all the attention away from his master.


    A few meters away at the back of the building.


    Thud!


    Clark dropped from the building and landed lightly on the floor. Without even sparing a glance at the soldiers all pouring in the direction of his student, he brought out a scanning device.


    Beep!


    In just 2 seconds he locked onto the laboratory building. Without hesitation, he broke into a sprint while keeping the scanning device back into his bag.


    As he ran, his multi-purpose boots calculated the vibrations on the ground and revealed the number of soldiers that were currently coming in his direction. With a calm face, he pulled his 2-form guns out.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    Immediately as the first soldier revealed himself from the corner, he pressed the trigger. The bullets flew out orderly in trickish manners, the soldiers didn¡¯t even understand what happened before they fell down.


    Bullet after bullet dug into the legs of the soldiers, it would not kill them immediately but it was more than enough to incapacitate them.


    Clark moved like a phantom, the few soldiers with guns among the soldiers could not even pinpoint his position. As he ran, he kept on revolving his guns, putting down any obstacle that appeared in his path.


    Like a hot knife cutting through butter, so did he cut his way through the disorganized ranks of the soldiers who were trying to apprehend him.


    Going a few more meters forward, he finally saw the laboratory building. He saw that inside the building was pitch black, but the energy shield surrounding the building made him confirm that this was it.


    Dozens of artillery turrets and machine guns turned in his direction immediately as soon as he appeared, but he was not deterred by this.


    Keeping his 2-form guns back, he unsheathed his 2 swords, rolled forward a bit to dodge the initial bullets before restarting his sprint and at a completely different speed.


    His swords rotated beside him, swinging like a windmill as he cut the bullets trying to hunt him down into parts and pieces.


    He didn¡¯t even look before cutting the bullets, all his attention was focused on the energy shield before him. After closing the distance enough, he ignored the bullets and jumped at the shield.


    Both his swords stabbed down at the same time.


    Boom!


    The shield flickered before dissipating into blue light, the resultant force from his sword shattered the door, granting him unrestricted access inside the building.


    He rolled inside immediately through the door.


    [I want to apologize for the late release today and the probable upcoming releases. My phone was stolen today, so a lot of things just became harder for me.]

 Chapter 377: cooperating to hunt down the minister

    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    Having expected such a situation already before he rolled inside the laboratory building, Clark did not stop in one place after opening the door. He rolled forward repeatedly, dodging tons of bullets in the process.


    As soon as he stood up and found his feet, he stumped on the floor and jumped, going straight to the ceiling as he finally did a sweeping glance through the corridor that was before him.


    Everything was reflected before his eyes; dozens of soldiers armed to the teeth with different weapons, 2 menacing robots wielding dual swords, and a blockade wall separating the corridor from inside the laboratory.


    As soon as he finished his observations, the soldiers recovered and aimed their weapons at the ceilings.


    Seeing this, Clark opened a port in his vest before plummeting down from the ceiling. As he fell, something like a magnetic field erupted from his vest, and dozens of daggers flew out of the open port.


    Whoosh!


    Taking advantage of the momentary shock revealed by the soldiers on seeing hovering daggers, Clark controlled with his mind and the daggers shot out at a mind-blowing speed.


    Before the soldiers could react, the daggers rapidly flew towards them but they didn¡¯t stab any fatal point in their bodies. The daggers slashed injuries through their legs, making them fall weakly.


    Clark raised his swords and started moving across. The few soldiers that remained standing suffered the blunt side of his sword, crisp sounds like those of slaps reverberated in the background as he slapped his way across.


    When the soldiers finally recovered, the black-clothed assassin was gone.


    Clang!


    Clark parried the powerful blow of the robot, but he did not flinch as his other sword swiped up tyrannically. The robot''s red glowing eyes rapidly flickered, but it was not fast enough to dodge the swift strike.


    Its glowing eyes slowly dimmed before completely losing their luster as its metallic head rolled to the side.


    The 2nd robot¡¯s eyes rapidly flickered as its enormous A. I processors calculated to arrive at the best strategy, but before a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, these were just charlatan-like techniques.


    As soon as his 2nd sword slashed down and cut through the metallic neck of the 1st robot, Clark¡¯s black vest tightened as his back muscles contracted before expanding outwards the next moment.


    Before the robot could react, his back slammed hard at its metallic frame, squashing it to become a metallic junk immediately.


    Boom!


    Clark finally stabbed his dual swords at the heavy blockade before him, cutting through the metallic wall immediately.


    Then he rolled forward again, arriving at the main heart of the laboratory amid a new rain of raining bullets. He was about to stand up, but at the last moment, he reverted his decision and jumped to the side.


    3 sharp metallic spikes jutted out of the ground from his previous location. He frowned but he could not rest yet as he rapidly ducked, dodging a slash from an enormous sword that just appeared from the wall.


    While still dodging the bullets raining down on him, he finally hastily observed the laboratory. In one look, he confirmed something after seeing all the soldiers standing at the very edges of the laboratory hall.


    ¡°A trap!¡±


    Despite knowing this, he did not panic. He could bulldoze through all these with his strength alone, but the minister would have probably escaped by then. He made his decision instantly.


    He spoke into his comm. ¡°This is 10 speaking, I¡¯m inside the laboratory and I need ranged support¡±.


    ¡°Got it¡±. Captain Drake¡¯s voice reverberated.


    ¡°6, 2, provide ranged support immediately¡±.


    Bam! Bam!


    The captain didn¡¯t even finish before 2 sniper shot sounds reverberated.


    One of the bullets embedded itself into the wall, deactivating a hidden mechanism, while the other dug itself into a soldier¡¯s head that was intending to circle behind Clark.


    Almost immediately as this happened, Clark dodged another hidden spike trap before stabbing the first soldier to death.


    As these soldiers were not ready to cooperate, he could play with them. If he decided to babysit them and not kill, there was a high chance of the minister escaping and he was not ready to take that.


    Having let loose, nothing in the laboratory could stop him.


    Following his instincts developed from raids and battles, he guessed that the minister was upstairs.


    Slashing 3 soldier¡¯s heads apart at the same time, he ran forward, dodged another hidden trap, and jumped at the wall. Kicking at the wall, he propelled himself upward and dug his 2 swords through the hard ceiling.


    Boom!


    He left the first story immediately and arrived at the second story. And as he expected, another group of soldiers and traps were here waiting for him.


    Another 2 sniper shots reverberated, and 2 trap mechanisms were destroyed. Taking advantage of that, Clark rushed towards the hall before the soldiers could even press the trigger.


    Boom!


    He used the same trick and broke through the ceiling. He arrived at the 3rd floor and did the same, after doing these 2 more times he finally arrived at the highest floor.


    He ducked and rolled immediately as soon as he arrived on the 3rd floor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot, this is the leader of the soldiers¡±.


    From the force, technique, and speed of the blow, Clark immediately identified that this fellow was a 2nd rank high-grade soldier so he warned his teammates before they could snipe him dead.


    Seeing that he dodged despite the speed that he attacked with, the soldier was stunned for a moment but he quickly went in pursuit.


    He slashed again but Clark no longer dodged this time.


    After rolling the first time, he stood up. His eyes gleamed coldly as he glared at the soldier; he calmly threw one of his swords up while extending his hand out to catch the opponent¡¯s sword.


    Bam!


    Blue energy erupted but the sword could not penetrate through, Clark held it firmly in place as he glared at the soldier.


    At this same time, his thrown sword finally dropped down, smoothly entering the port that was created for it in his back. Seeing this, the soldier shuddered subconsciously.


    ¡°Where is the Minister?¡± Clark¡¯s voice echoed coldly.


    ¡°I¡­, I¡­¡± The soldier stuttered for a moment, a pained expression overcame his face as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Then he suddenly exhaled like he made a decision.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±.


    Clark was about to move forward and teach him a lesson but he stopped as his comm sent him new intel.


    ¡°10, the Minister is currently escaping through an underground route. Its entrance is directly under the laboratory building¡±.


    Bam!


    Clark slapped the side of the soldier¡¯s face with his sword before he could react, making him faint immediately. And without hesitation, he rolled backward before diving down through the holes that he created when coming.


    In seconds, he fell back to the first floor but he didn¡¯t stop as he held his sword with both hands before stabbing at the hard metallic covering of the floor.


    A hot force field surrounded the sword before it came into contact with the floor, a bright light flashed to illuminate the darkness for a second before everything went back to the normal black.


    When the soldiers focused, a hole was now on the floor and the assassin was gone. They all became alarmed immediately.

 Chapter 378: the minister is dead

    Thud!


    As soon as Clark landed on the underground floor, the impact transmitted to his body made him arrive at a ton of deductions immediately. This underground route was recently dug, and it was a rail just like the one he came through.


    As his brain made all these discoveries, his eyes were already alert as he rapidly surveyed the overall layout of this underground escape route.


    From the corner of his eyes, he saw what he was looking for. A mini-train just like the one he came on was currently moving into the distance, and a group of soldiers armed to the teeth sprinted forward with it to protect it.


    Behind the mini-train stood another group of soldiers. From their stance, they were clearly ordered to stay behind and to intercept any assassin that was able to get here.


    Seeing Clark break into the underground rail so swiftly not long after they came down here, the soldiers were clearly shocked.


    Taking advantage of their shock, Clark rolled twice before standing up, now his back faced the walls of the underground route. His multi-purpose boots erupted in a blue glow, then they suddenly stuck to the wall.


    Seeing his actions, the soldiers pulled the trigger without hesitation.


    Before the convergence of bullets could get to his position, Clark¡¯s hands suddenly touched the wall, and just like a wall gecko, he scaled the wall with superhuman speed, dodging all the bullets in the process.


    Before they could adjust their aim, his multi-purpose boots carried him through the air with such speed that he arrived before them in just a little more than a second.


    Then he plummeted, his sword still with its forcefield slashed down with him as a soldier was immediately divided into 2 equal parts. 3 consecutive slashes followed, and 3 other soldiers lost their heads.


    His eyes were cold, ruthlessness shining from their depths as all his attention was focused on getting through all the obstacles and arriving before the minister.


    The soldiers were not completely helpless before his bullying. They were elites, despite not being able to match his strength, they still caused him problems with their teamwork and gadgets.


    Two 2nd rank high-grade soldiers suddenly appeared, they pooled their strength together and brought out a heavy device.


    Seeing the device, Clark¡¯s eyes narrowed as his intuition warned him of danger. In his dilemma, the device was activated.


    The air squeezed and hot air was suddenly pumped out at such speed that Clark was caught off-guard, the pressurized air pushed him backward, making him lose his previous momentum.


    Despite the speed, he was able to land on his knees but when he raised his head, an exotic grenade was flying through the air towards him.


    His eyes narrowed into slits and without hesitation, he threw one of his daggers at it and jumped backward. The dagger accurately struck the grenade in mid-air.


    Boom!


    The explosion from the exotic grenade spread the fire rapidly through all the corners where the small battlefield was, scorching a few of the soldiers in the process as they were thrown into chaos for a moment.


    The still standing soldiers did not help their burning counterparts, their eyes were still alert as they cautiously watched the burning fire.


    Suddenly, a black shadow jumped out of the fire. Having anticipated it, they all opened fire immediately but Clark didn¡¯t stand on ceremony this time as his movements became as fast as the wind.


    He didn¡¯t even dodge again, metallic ringing sounds reverberated in the cold underground rail as the bullets dropped harmlessly after coming into contact with his exotic armor.


    His 2 swords swiped across and 2 heads followed. The two 2nd rank high-grade soldiers dodged at the last moment but 2 of their subordinates paid the price.


    The 2 soldiers had shock and unwillingness in their eyes as the color being reflected in their eyes slowly dimmed.


    The remaining soldiers were horrified at the speed and technique that Clark just revealed, they became even more horrified as the assassin disappeared under their watch.


    ¡°Stealth!¡± The 2nd ranked high-grade soldiers recognized it immediately.


    Even more, alarmed now, they tried to search but Clark was nowhere to be found again, he directly mended with the shadows. They finally felt panic.


    Their attention was drawn away when the ground suddenly started vibrating,


    A metallic drill head first appeared from the ground, following it was 3 other assassins. With Captain Drake as the leader, the 3 assassins rushed into the midst of the soldiers with the sole purpose of causing a commotion.


    Bam!


    Both parties collided without hesitation.


    As the mini-train moved forward, the expression on the minister¡¯s face gradually turned from confident and disdain to shock and fear.


    He guessed that the old warriors club would attack today, but not even in his dreams did he think that they¡¯ll bring such experts.


    ¡°Lunatics! What came over them?¡± He was now really afraid.


    ¡°Move faster! Move faster!¡±


    He yelled, making the soldiers protecting him feel even more spooked by the situation. Seeing their comrades dying steadily behind them, they felt bad but they didn¡¯t dare stop sprinting with the mini-train.


    Suddenly, a cold face supported by a calm head appeared above the mini-train. Half of the face was covered by a black veil, and the top of the head was covered by a black band reading 10.


    His body was firmly supported to the top of the underground route by his hands and feet that stuck to the feeling, the figure emitted a feeling like he was a spider who could move unimpeded in a ceiling.


    By the time a soldier finally noticed the eerie figure above them, he already struck. The soldier couldn¡¯t even shout in alarm before dozens of daggers fell down, penetrating the top of the mini-train.


    The minister had an anxious expression on his face, thinking of what was happening outside as dozens of daggers suddenly appeared before him, a tangible magnetic field surrounded them.


    Whoosh!


    Before his eyes could blink, the daggers attacked. They slashed left and right through his face at superhuman speed, then they retreated back through the hole that they bore through the top of the mini-train.


    The minister¡¯s face first showed a crack, then it fell apart like a lump of goat meat that was sliced into shreds by a butcher.


    Clark¡¯s cold voice sounded in the comm. ¡°The minister is dead!¡±


    When the soldiers finally reacted to what happened and looked up, the face was gone. They reflexively raised their guns and shot at the air, but the bullets harmlessly flew randomly.


    The assassin disappeared as eerily as he appeared.

 Chapter 379: a showdown between the radan army and assassins

    ¡°The minister is dead!¡±


    All the assassins of the old warriors club heard this word reverberating on their head in echoes of various alternating frequencies and this seemed to have lit a hidden spark on their heads.


    They didn¡¯t think deep into it to process it or to even understand it, they directly reacted according to the plan like it was already instinct to them. Captain Drake brought out a grenade and threw it down.


    Poof!


    No fire or explosion was seen or heard; only thick gray gas surged out and immediately diffused the air after the grenade made a sound-induced by its lid popping open.


    The Radan soldiers held their noses to avoid inhaling the gas while rushing inside the gas center to look for the assassins, but they saw no one. The assassins were gone as swiftly and efficiently as they came.


    This is when they finally came to their senses. The leader of this protection mission, one of the 2nd rank high-grade soldiers had a grave expression on his face as he brought a communication device to his mouth.


    He exhaled. ¡°The minister is dead; the assassins are on the run¡±.


    ¡°Got it¡±.


    ¡­


    Outside the laboratory building, inside the public development headquarters, all the guards in the headquarters were already aroused and were out after the information of the assassination spread.


    Under the leadership of the few unit leaders, they hunted the assassins that they could see after searching through the headquarters.


    6 assassins were now fighting against this horde.


    Under the leadership of a slippery assassin with a thin spear, the 6 assassins managed to battle all of them to a standstill despite the huge number difference, nullifying all their advantages.


    ¡°The minister is dead!¡±


    As soon as Albert heard this, all complacency left his face and as one, he and the other 5 assassins changed their battle technique immediately.


    Poof!


    6 grenades were thrown down, and thick gray gas quickly started diffusing the air from 6 different directions. By the time that the guards could take countermeasures against it, the assassins were gone.


    ¡­


    Outside the public development headquarters, the commotion that was originally in the streets started being thwarted at such high efficiencies that could create goosebumps.


    Seeing the heavy military vehicles speeding through the road from the direction of the presidential villa to the public development headquarters, all the civilians became as meek as lambs on the slaughter ground.


    Immediately after the news of an assassination attempt got to the presidential villa, Commander Cable ordered one of his Captains to go thwart the efforts of the assassins.


    Having been given all the authority that he needed; the captain mobilized a significant number of soldiers before immediately rushing in the direction of the public development building.


    As soon as the first group of military vehicles stopped, soldiers, trouped out and rushed into the headquarters in organized units.


    In the skies, 3 helicopters hovered as sniper units had their sniper rifles trained on the ground in search of the assassins.


    A tense atmosphere immediately descended on the public development headquarters as the gloom of a battalion of soldiers being mobilized spread, the nearby civilians were directly petrified.


    Thud!


    The captain¡¯s expensive boots made a loud noise as he stepped out of the military vehicle that convened him.


    He was dressed in the trademark blue and white uniform of the Radan army, his military badge proudly adorned his uniform on his left chest.


    He had a stern expression on his face as he brought out a device from the military vehicle. After activating the device, electromagnetic waves mixed with high-luminous waves spread across at the speed of light.


    His eyes suddenly shone brightly. ¡°There¡¯s an underground rail at this street, go bomb it to shreds immediately¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    The soldiers who he addressed saluted and immediately went to fulfill the order, they all had a serious expressions on their faces.


    After giving this order, he turned to face the helicopters hovering in the air. ¡°Minister Nani is dead, bombard the laboratory building and environs¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±.


    The soldiers piloting the helicopters accompanied their words with actions immediately as their turned the weapon armaments of the helicopters to face the laboratory building, then the destruction started.


    Boom! Boom!


    Amid the loud explosive sounds being made as the helicopters bombarded the area, the captain raised both his hands and 2 teenage soldiers immediately came out of the military vehicle.


    After handing his weapons to him, they went back inside.


    He brought his huge electric rifle to his face and blew at its muzzle, then he strapped it to his back. After this, he felt his exotic spear. He flexed the weapon some more before finally moving inside the headquarters.


    An elite group of soldiers tightly followed him in.


    With the scanning device with him, he didn¡¯t need to search blindly before he pinpointed the position of the assassins. Around a certain radius, the scanner could vaguely present a picture of everything to him.


    From a walk, he started jogging, and from a jog, he started sprinting.


    He circled 3 buildings in the headquarters with his elite group of soldiers still following him, then he suddenly held his rifle properly and aimed.


    Electric sparks converged around the rifle¡¯s muzzle before it shot out something that seemed like a silvery blue bolt of lightning mixed with thunder.


    The ground was directly breached, revealing the escaping assassins that were under it passing through another underground route.


    Before Albert and the other 5 assassins could comprehend how they were discovered, they felt a spear surrounded by a hot force field slashing down at them from above.


    Boom!


    All of them dodged, but Albert who was originally at the front of the group suffered the brunt of the damage. His exotic armor was breached as blood flew out from his chest, but he survived the blow.


    ¡°We met a 3rd rank high-grade soldier¡±.


    Being someone who sparred with his master almost every day, Albert was super familiar with the strength of 3rd rank high-grade soldiers so he reported it without hesitation.


    As he reported it, all 6 of them were retreating too. Before a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, who was ready to kill them ruthlessly, they had 0 chances of surviving in a head-on battle.


    As the Captain was about to continue forward in pursuit, he suddenly stopped after being warned of danger by his intuition.


    A high caliber bullet paired with a bright blue energy beam suddenly appeared, raking through the metal walls as easily as a hot knife cutting through butter.


    Seeing this, his eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked at the air.


    There, he saw a black vested assassin falling down towards him. His face was partially covered by a black veil, he had a number 10 headband on his forehead, the most eye-catching fact was his 2 sharp swords.


    He immediately raised his spear to parry.


    Clang!


    He felt shocked as the power transmitted through the swords to his spear pushed him backward, a lot of thoughts went through his mind as he felt suspicious immediately.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Clark did not pay attention to him as he turned to his student.


    ¡°Escape, now!¡±

 Chapter 380: the radan captain got robbed

    Even without needing Clark¡¯s reminder, Albert and the 5 assassins already knew better to begin running for their life. As soon as he clashed with the Radan Captain, they all swiftly scurried away.


    Seeing that 6 of the assassins were already escaping and that the one standing before him refused to reply to his question, the Radan Captain¡¯s face darkened in fury.


    Before he could attack, Clark rushed closer and attacked first as his 2 swords left afterimages behind, rapidly striking at his face.


    He was not a weakling so he was able to hold his ground, but this was in exchange for his previous unstoppable dignity that he had when he just came.


    The force accompanying the assassin¡¯s strikes kept pushing him back which was shocking.


    ¡°This is not Drake¡±. He deduced immediately. ¡°So, who is this?¡±


    As Clark attacked with his swords, his eyes were always on his surrounding as he keenly observed the elite group of soldiers who accompanied the captain and were in the process of surrounding him.


    Captain Drake already gave him detailed information about this Radan captain¡¯s fighting style and all, so he was able to devise the best strategy to tie him down the easiest way.


    Bzzz!


    Feeling the tiny electric sparks, he immediately jumped to the side though he¡¯s not seen it yet, narrowly dodging the shot from the Radan Captain¡¯s electric rifle.


    During the process of dodging, from the corner of his eyes, he noticed that his student and the other assassins already escaped, so he immediately switched to plan B.


    The already irritated captain swiped wide with his spear again, but his eyes suddenly narrowed as the suspicious assassin disappeared before him.


    ¡°An exotic stealth armor¡±.


    He first felt surprised when he came to this conclusion as even his superior did not have such a stealth armor that his scanner could not detect, then he felt suspicious, before finally feeling alarmed.


    ¡°Form a circular blockade!¡±


    He yelled an order immediately at his subordinates while feeling like he was being toyed with. Urged by this treatment, he no longer held back as he activated his battle art the next moment.


    Like a raging tiger, he started hacking at the surroundings with his spear tyrannically. The air felt like it would crack the next moment as his powerful blows repeatedly hit the surroundings, yet this was not enough to elicit a response.


    In just 30 seconds after he started, he calmed down again as he was more or less sure that the assassin already escaped.


    Trying hard to suppress his anger, he suddenly heard a sound that surprised him. A sound of a machine gun battering at opponents, and a sound of commotion which could only be induced by battle.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t escape?¡±


    Without even thinking, he rushed out immediately but what he saw only left him feeling more anger.


    The assassin was nowhere to be seen, but bullets kept emerging from the shadows and wiping his soldiers out at a visible speed. Almost every second, a soldier died to the precise shots from the invisible opponent who could not be seen.


    Ahh!


    Blinded by rage and humiliation now, the captain rushed forward with his spear in his right hand while his rifle was still in his left shooting out consecutively.


    He tried to control his shots not to hit his subordinates, but the movements of the invisible assassin left him no choice but to follow him, hitting his subordinates in the process.


    When being hit by an invisible assassin that you cannot retaliate against, and suddenly your superior starts hitting you too, what do you do? Escape for your life.


    This was exactly what the soldiers did, they were not ready to throw away their lives so meaninglessly so they had to grope for the only alternative for survival that was available.


    As the soldiers broke ranks, more commotion came to the battlefield as the team leaders found it harder to control the magnitude of the chaos.


    5 minutes later, Clark got the latest news from his comm.


    ¡°We are out already, do not take the rail route, it has been blocked¡±.


    ¡°Affirmative¡±.


    Amid the chaos that was still on because of the chaotic escape of the Radan soldiers, the mysterious machine gunshots finally stopped, bringing temporary peace to the already spooked Radan soldiers.


    This was when the basic discipline of a soldier finally came back to them. They stopped, looking blankly at their still raging Captain and their dead comrades who littered the ground with their corpses.


    The physical injuries that they received were trivial at this moment, the psychological injuries from what just happened were what really tormented them.


    ¡°What type of enemy is that?¡±


    ¡­


    Besides the laboratory building that was already demolished by the shots from the hovering helicopters stood a middle-aged soldier.


    His vision felt blurry as he looked on at the destruction wrath by this single assassination attempt. Seeing his comrades lying dead on the floor, he felt an urge to yell at the skies in frustration.


    Thinking of the circumstances and extreme conditions that they had to go through while still being made to undergo such dangerous missions, he felt like going crazy immediately.


    Putting all his intense emotional fluctuations together, they all devolved to a single question in his mind.


    ¡°When did the old warriors club have such powerful experts?¡±


    As a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, he knew more things than most of the soldiers who only knew the basic information about this freedom-fighting club.


    He knew that the club had no expert as powerful and versatile as the one he faced today.


    Thinking of the black-dressed assassin, with the codename of 10 attached to his headband, he just felt goosebumps crawling underneath his skin.


    As he thought, he suddenly stiffened as real goosebumps started creeping under his skin. A sharp dagger was placed to his neck from behind, his neck was already bleeding slightly from the sharpness of the dagger.


    What made him alarmed was that he didn¡¯t know when this assassin arrived behind him. A lot of thoughts went through his mind as he immediately matched this assassin with the code number 10.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that. All you need to do is to keep quiet and follow me, I promise you that you will be safe¡±.


    A lot of thoughts went through his mind immediately on hearing this, after going through a fierce mental battle he finally sighed.


    ¡°Ok¡±.


    ¡­


    The Radan Captain looked at the scene of destruction before him with pure anger and hatred emanating from him. His facial muscles twitched repeatedly, evident of his rapidly fluctuating emotions.


    ¡°How was he able to evade the scanner?¡±


    Thinking of this, he suddenly patted his military trousers but his expression darkened further the next moment.


    He frantically searched for a few more seconds before the realization finally came to him, he closed his eyes with a pained expression as his facial muscles twitched again.


    The assassin stole the scanning device without him knowing.


    Perhaps, to the assassin, his rage for the last few minutes made him look like a clown. He thought he was playing the game, but he was not even in the game.

 Chapter 381: a captive

    Neon City, South Ville District, Orion Street, Oliver mansion.


    50 minutes after the successful assassination, 2 white cars drove into the street in a leisurely manner. With pop music blazing out of the car¡¯s sound amplifiers, the 2 white cars cruised into the Oliver mansion.


    The car in motion had such a carefree vibe to it that it would seem like the least likely car an assassin could escape with, everything about it had the natural charm of rich spoiled brats who spend money lavishly.


    As soon as the car drove inside the mansion and the gate was closed, the music was switched off immediately as the 2 cars quickly drove inside the garage.


    From there, the assassins alighted and with brisk steps, they quickly navigated their way inside the mansion. After resting their back on the sofas in the large living room, they finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    All of them closed their eyes without exception immediately after their backs rested on the sofa as they tried to rest a bit.


    Throughout all their actions, none of the other assassins in the room spoke nor did they do any action to disturb them. After confirming that their nerves finally relaxed a bit, Captain Daniella stood up and silently went closer.


    ¡°1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9¡­¡±


    Her face suddenly became solemn when she couldn¡¯t count all the assassins that went for the mission, she didn¡¯t disturb the resting assassins though. She went to a similar sofa and sat down, seemingly in wait for them.


    Her waiting was not unfruitful as 5 minutes later, Captain Drake finally woke up. Opening his eyes, the first thing that he saw was the female Captain sitting opposite him.


    ¡°9?¡± Captain Daniella asked calmly.


    Like he suddenly came to a realization after hearing that, Captain Drake swept a glance through the still resting assassins before his face sank.


    ¡°10, he didn¡¯t leave with us¡±.


    ¡°There were complications and the assassination was only successful because of him, and we also escaped successfully because of him¡±.


    Keenly feeling the regret and guiltiness now emanating from her superior, Captain Daniella took in an exaggerated deep breath to attract his attention before asking.


    ¡°Did he say anything during the time of your escape?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he said that he¡¯ll arrive 10 minutes after we get here¡±.


    Knock! Knock!


    At the same time, both of them immediately turned their heads to the door to guess who was knocking. As was instinct to them already, they felt their muscles tense up in preparation for an enemy attack.


    ¡°Did the government discover our disguised hideout?¡±


    Captain Drake doubted it the moment that the thought came to his mind.


    Throughout all his dealings till now even after he allied with the Spartan soldier, he was extremely careful not to let any holes that could be used to guess at their identity.


    Feeling a little trepidation in his heart, he clasped his weapon tighter and went closer with Daniella alertly following behind him.


    In the living room, all the assassins were already alert for battle including those that just came from the assassination of the minister.


    Creak!


    As soon as the door opened, tons of weapons pointed at the intruder immediately. But these weapons retracted the next moment as they recognized the tag on the newcomer¡¯s headband.


    Clark gently nodded at Captain Drake before taking a step inside the living room, on his hand was an iron rope as he dragged a soldier inside with him.


    The assassins already heaved a sigh of relief but they all stood up in alarm again on seeing the extremely familiar blue and black uniform of the Radan army, suspicion was now visible on their faces.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Captain Drake frowned; his hand that held his weapon subconsciously tightening in preparation for battle.


    ¡°A captive¡±.


    ¡°Captive?¡±


    Clark smoothly removed the veil that was covering a part of his face, revealing his new disguised look that was formed by his mask.


    ¡°When I entered the laboratory building, he was the leader there. I left immediately after getting your information, but I kept him in mind as I noticed some strange feelings from him¡±.


    Captain Drake frowned even more as he directed a puzzled look at the middle-aged man that was beside Clark.


    Clark continued without paying too much attention to him. ¡°I¡¯m a soldier myself. Even if I may not know most things about female soldiers, I¡¯m pretty confident that I know male soldiers¡±.


    ¡°From his hesitation, his reaction on seeing me, and his reaction to my question, I keenly noticed that he was not in the right state of mind so I brought him¡±.


    ¡°Who knows, maybe he may have something useful to further your cause¡±.


    Hearing the last word that Clark used to end his sentence, Captain Drake¡¯s eyes glittered brightly as he seemed to have experienced an epiphany.


    Then he suddenly became depressed. ¡°He won¡¯t answer even if we ask him. If it was so easy, we would have captured other soldiers like him. We¡¯ve captured before, but they never answer our questions¡±.


    ¡°This one is different¡±. Clark said confidently before going closer to stand man to man with his captive.


    ¡°You can continue with the recovery procedures; I¡¯ll speak with him personally¡±. Clark directed this at Captain Drake without turning back.


    The captain heaved a sigh of relief on hearing that. Though Clark was currently using another face, having met the prodigy soldier before, he still deduced that he was Clark.


    After what Clark did in this mission, he already eliminated any other doubts in his heart about his motive.


    He left the captive with Clark, told his subordinates to monitor the surroundings properly to ensure that they were not followed, before turning to go to a secure room with Captain Daniella.


    For the other assassins that followed him, they were already led to other rooms to rest properly. What they just accomplished was not an easy feat.


    Before he left completely, he suddenly remembered something and turned to face Clark again.


    ¡°How did you escape despite the scrutiny of the Heimdall¡¯s eye scanner. That¡¯s one of the only 3 gadgets of high-grade country standards that the republic has, I¡¯m really curious¡±.


    Hearing what he said, Clark¡¯s face became strange. He turned his head while bringing something like a mini-printer with him.


    ¡°You mean this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Captain Drake¡¯s mouth was left hanging open in a big O shape.


    Once again, he was convinced that the promises that Clark made during their negotiation were not just baseless talk. But he still felt depressed, how can someone of the same grade be so much stronger than him?


    ¡°Forget it, Drake, he¡¯s an ally¡±. He placated himself with that.

 Chapter 382: the press conference and the dead country

    A few dozen minutes later, Clark cut off the metallic chains that he used to restrain the Radan soldier. After listening to his story and confirming that he didn¡¯t lie, he finally understood the reason why the soldier acted so uneasy.


    Right now, he didn¡¯t even know if he should cry or laugh. He thought that his life in the Spartan republic as a soldier was filled with thorns enough, but it seems that his experience was basically heaven compared to some soldiers.


    The soldier didn¡¯t want to devolve any secret to him originally but after using a shameless tactic, it surprisingly worked.


    Due to Captain Drake¡¯s reaction when he first saw him, he guessed that he was already gaining some fame in this region. And to his surprise, he was right as this soldier recognized him also.


    When he gave his promise that he would protect him no matter what happened, the soldier finally relented and revealed everything.


    According to him, as a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, he could already be considered as one of the higher-ups of the republic.


    Despite his higher-up status, this could still not protect him and other soldiers of his rank from the ruthlessness of the republic.


    According to him, his wife was dead already, leaving his daughter who was his most valuable relative that was still left in this world.


    And this most valuable relative was the tactic that the government used to hook him under their tyrannical hooves.


    Every 2nd rank high-grade soldier currently under the Radan republic was in the same situation, the government held that thing they valued the most in captivity and they control them through this.


    This was the reason why fewer and fewer soldiers¡¯ defects to the old warriors club, the high-grade soldiers couldn¡¯t bear the thought of leaving that most valuable thing.


    This was the same with him, he has not seen his daughter physically in about 8 months. She was kept in a secret building that was built by the government, and he only gets to see her occasionally virtually.


    According to him, the old warriors club didn¡¯t know of this yet as the republic was trying every means to keep it under wraps and this new system started 8 months ago.


    The reason why the gov¡¯t started the new system was not just to prevent more soldiers from defecting to the old warriors club, their ultimate plan was to obliterate the club completely.


    According to him, he remembered that the government scheduled the date of the attack for next year but it was not too long away now.


    After saying all this, he finally revealed what he really wanted.


    ¡°Please, Lieutenant Colonel, I won¡¯t mind even if you kill me now, but please save my daughter. She¡¯s the only thing that I cherish in this world, please I want her to live a normal life that is not behind bars¡±.


    Seeing the sincere emotions of the soldier, Clark asked. ¡°Do you have any idea where the secret building where she is kept is?¡±


    ¡°I¡­, I¡¯m not sure, but I once saw information about a secret building in the west side of Arial City. That¡¯s the only information that I know¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll be back in a moment¡±.


    Clark patted his shoulders before standing up. Trying hard to suppress the extreme disgust that he had for this country now, he smoothly navigated to the room where Captain Drake and the others were.


    Without excluding anything, he recounted all the details of everything that the soldier revealed to him.


    Captain Drake was stunned after listening to everything, he sighed and slumped down weakly to his chair.


    ¡°No wonder we¡¯ve not seen any new upper echelon recruit in months¡±.


    He suddenly turned to Clark. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I promised, so I¡¯ll save his daughter¡±.


    ¡°Ok, but be careful¡±.


    After Clark nodded, as he was about to go, he paused again as Captain Daniella came inside the room.


    ¡°The President¡¯s press conference is about to begin¡±.


    Without saying a word, everyone in the room stood up and quickly navigated their way to the living room where the Radan soldier still sat, waiting and hoping for a positive response.


    They didn¡¯t say a word to him as they quickly located seats and sat down, then a large holographic projection appeared before them.


    Clark squinted his eyes dangerously as the President of the Radan republic finally presented itself before him in a holographic projection.


    In the holographic projection, the mc tried to talk to the large audience to calm down with the help of the army soldiers in the conference.


    After restoring a brief calm, he grandly welcomed the President. The President didn¡¯t receive any grand applause as he climbed the podium, even the rich civilians recognized that he was not fit for that.


    ¡°My fellow citizens of Radan, it is of a pain in my heart as I announce the passing away of our diligent and honest minister of finance, Minister Nani¡±.


    ¡°And once again, it was done by the hands of our most hated enemy who are determined to fight against the growth of this country, the old warriors club¡±.


    ¡°This assassination once again reveals to us how vicious, dangerous, and filthy the old warriors club is. If we don¡¯t strengthen our defense, they may one day sink our precious country¡±.


    ¡°This is why I¡¯ve come once again to emphasize the importance of opposing this dangerous organization. They are heartless killers; assassins are the right term to address them¡±.


    ¡°Do not join them, do not aid them, do not have any relationship with them¡±.


    ¡°With God¡¯s help, we hope to eradicate this nuisance once and for all in the future, we hope that you as the civilians cooperate and help our efforts¡±.


    ¡°Thank you¡±.


    Seeing that the President was about to leave, the crowd erupted again as they started yelling angrily but their voice was repeatedly drowned by those of others.


    ¡°MR. PRESIDENT, WHY DID THE HELICOPTERS BOMB THE LABORATORY BUILDING?¡±


    ¡°MY SON DIED FROM THE BOMB¡±.


    ¡°MY WIFE DIED FROM THE BOMB, RESIGN!¡±


    ¡°RESIGN!¡±.


    Like he didn¡¯t give a f*ck about who the noisemakers were, the President walked off with a swagger in his steps until he disappeared from the civilian¡¯s sights.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sigh!¡± Captain Drake slumped down to his chair, he chuckled melancholically with a hard-to-read sad expression on his face.


    ¡°Radan is dead¡±. He muttered conclusively. ¡°I wonder how my dead father would have felt¡±.


    He sighed again. ¡°He served the republic all his life, my grandfather did the same, I followed their footsteps and served the republic for most of my life too. Now, this is how we¡¯re being repaid¡±.


    Nobody commented on what he said, the living room was submerged in a strange silence as they all thought over the just concluded press conference.


    Clark suddenly stood up and calmly went to meet the Radan soldier. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The soldier looked up at him. ¡°Ares¡±.


    Clark nodded. ¡°I will save your daughter¡±.


    The soldier was stunned for a moment before suddenly jumping up. ¡°Thank you, sir. Thank you, I don¡¯t know how to repay you¡±.


    Clark patted his shoulders again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to repay me, just be good to yourself and the people around you. That¡¯s the best payment that I can ever take from you¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, I will forever remember this favor¡±.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 383: first contact with the calibri intelligence agency

    After talking privately with Captain Drake to discuss a few issues, Clark finally left the Oliver mansion with his student in tow. Throughout, the Captain respected his wish and didn¡¯t reveal his identity nor that of his student.


    The other assassins didn¡¯t seem to care though. Apart from Estela who had a faint inkling of his identity, the others didn¡¯t know but they didn¡¯t show an over-the-top curiosity.


    They just appreciated the strength that they both displayed in the mission. Thanking them was the best way that they could use to acknowledge their strength.


    Clark didn¡¯t want to think too much about the assassination mission. Though it was successful, he still didn¡¯t want to think about it as he felt that it would only make him feel bad.


    Though it was inevitable, the fact that some civilians died because of their actions still left him feeling bad.


    He suddenly turned to face his student. ¡°Albert, you want a challenge?¡±


    Albert turned to face his master suspiciously. ¡°Which challenge?¡±


    Smack! Ouch!


    Ignoring his student who was holding his head painfully, Clark continued with what he was about to say.


    ¡°I want to give you your first mission, go rescue the girl¡±.


    Albert¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ares¡¯s daughter?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can do it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can, but what will be my reward?¡±


    Clark sighed exasperatedly like he already expected it. ¡°When I was your age, I was always content with anything that I received from my superiors. But youngsters now feel too smart, what a world!¡±


    ¡°But master, at my age you were at the Mediterranean¡­¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and accept¡±. Clark felt like slapping again but he restrained himself at the last moment.


    He dropped his hands. ¡°Ok, just do it, I¡¯ll find a reward for you¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Albert quickly nodded enthusiastically.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited, this will be my first mission under you, sensei¡±.


    Clark didn¡¯t answer his blabbering student as he smoothly opened his car and entered, after powering the ignition he finally cruised away.


    ¡­


    In the familiar underground base, Albert looked at himself with an excited gleam in his eyes as he fantasized about himself bulldozing through obstacles and opponents the way that his master always did.


    As if sensing his thoughts, Clark quickly doused him with a dose of water. ¡°Remember, not being discovered is your main mission¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. He answered, deflated.


    The deflation was temporary though as his mood quickly lifted again at the sight of himself being reflected in the mirror.


    He was dressed in his favorite black ninja outfit. All his weapons are where they should be, his heavy boots reflecting power and majesty stylishly adorned his legs, giving them an extra feeling of relevance.


    Though it was not exactly necessary, after this mission he already got a little enchanted with the code number 9.


    He had a red headband on his head to complement his black outfit, and on the red band was his code number 9. It didn¡¯t do much, but it gave him an extra sense of solemnity and seriousness.


    Overall, he felt badass.


    After making sure that every other necessary thing was in place, he finally took hold of his main weapon, the thin spear.


    He raised it up before smoothly pushing it down a port in his back. As the spear slid in, it slowly shimmered before disappearing like it was being melted by a thousand degrees centigrade fire.


    After doing all this, he turned to face his master.


    Clark did not disappoint as he gave him a wink and a thump up. Feeling more confident by that, he finally left the underground base and quickly blended with the shadows just like a real ninja.


    As soon as his student¡¯s figure disappeared from his sight, Clark slumped down on the sofa as a lot of thoughts went through his mind.


    From what Ares told him, it meant that the old warriors club needed to make a plan soon, or waiting for the government to take action first meant suicide.


    He wanted to decide for them, but he was not sure as too many variables were involved.


    For Albert¡¯s mission, he was not worried about it one bit as he was completely confident in his student. Albert¡¯s personal strength alone could make him a battle beast, and his gadgets were even more badass than his.


    To ensure the success of the mission, Albert took permission from him which he granted to take his ton of gadgets that had various miraculous effects.


    He originally banned him from using them so that he could train and improve efficiently, but in this situation, every boost that he received was welcome to increase the chances of his success.


    As he thought to himself, his eyes suddenly sprang open as his phone just rang a notification for a newly received message.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    He asked himself curiously as he went closer to take hold of the phone. He didn¡¯t remember expecting a call or a message from anybody today.


    As soon as he took hold of his phone and unlocked it, the first line of the message immediately attracted his attention.


    ¡°We¡¯ve compiled all the necessary information needed to know about Ms. Sonia Calibri to enable the smoothest rescue¡±.


    ¡°We learned that you are a citizen of the Spartan republic and you live precisely in Vatican City, so our meeting place will be there to make things more convenient for you¡±.


    ¡°Our meeting place will be in Vatican City, Low Ridge District, Ram Street, The Galloping Bar¡±.


    ¡°Before coming to meet us, make sure that you¡¯re ready to move out for the rescue immediately. This is to reduce the chances of any 3rd person party learning of our deal¡±.


    ¡°Sender: Calibri Intelligence Agency¡±.


    As soon as Clark finished reading the message, it was automatically erased from his phone. Seeing this, he guessed that the senders waited till he was alone before releasing the message.


    He didn¡¯t think about the fact of how they could monitor him so easily without him knowing, instead he heaved a sigh of relief. After suffering the torment of losing Sonia for years, he finally had a clue leading to her.


    And this message may have disrupted his plans a bit. He didn¡¯t want to waste any time again about it, which meant that he had to fast-forward the progress of the old warriors club¡¯s agenda.


    He instantly made his decision; he was helping them take the Radan republic back in a week and nothing less.


    Without hesitation, he stood up, went outside, and entered his exotic car.


    For discussions like this, it was better to meet man to man.

 Chapter 384: rescuing moana

    In the capital city of the Radan republic, Arial City, a luxurious blue car cruised through the streets at a leisurely pace. Albert with a new disguise on cheerfully waved at the people in the street as he drove across.


    Though the press conference where the President used to address the minister of finance¡¯s death left most citizens feeling angered, they quickly got over it as they were already used to such methods.


    Seeing this rich young man waving at them cheerfully warmed their hearts and they waved back with beautiful smiles.


    As Albert drove around leisurely, his free hand held a deep scanning device as he thoroughly surveyed all his surroundings for the signs of the building described by Ares.


    After driving a few kilometers more, when he was getting to the more remote parts of Arial City, he met a military checkpoint.


    Almost at the same time that he met the checkpoint, his scanner blinked a bright green color, indicating that a match for the described secret building was just found.


    ¡°Officers, good afternoon¡±.


    The soldiers coldly looked at him without replying, clearly intending to intimidate him. They were already used to such rich children driving wantonly around the city, so they were not surprised to see him.


    ¡°Umm¡­, I think I¡¯ll go first¡±.


    Albert impeccably acted in a way that was expected of any rich kid. He added some stutters in his speech to make his fear seem more real, then he steered his car and drove away immediately.


    10 minutes later, he casually parked the car at a remote alley before coming down with a luxurious designer¡¯s bag on his back.


    Turning into another alley, he disappeared.


    After deactivating the camouflage device that he brought with him, his real look in his ninja outfit was finally revealed.


    But none of the CCTV cameras caught him though, he decided to bring his stealth armor this time too after receiving permission from his master.


    Just like a ghost, he retraced his steps back to the military checkpoint.


    Easily bypassing the checkpoint, he came before a forest. With just a glance, he confirmed that the forest was artificially grown.


    Not fazed by this, he smoothly infiltrated inside without being discovered. When he went deep inside the forest, he finally came before a building. When he cross-checked, this was not the target described by Ares.


    Going forward, he met 3 more buildings like the first, and a few minutes later he finally arrived before the building that was described by Ares.


    3 military vehicles were outside the building, and it was heavily guarded by soldiers armed to the teeth. All the windows of the building were closed, locking it completely from the outside world.


    After confirming that this building was his target, Alber suppressed the disgust in his heart for the Radan government again before preparing for his infiltration.


    As the first mission assigned to him by his master, he didn¡¯t want to disappoint. He was not sure if he would be able to live with the embarrassment, and besides, he didn¡¯t want to endanger Ares¡¯s small daughter either.


    After making sure that he was ready, he finally made his move.


    With his stealth armor, he didn¡¯t have to make many complicated moves. He simply waited for another soldier to open the main door, and without letting any evidence, he sneaked in with the soldier.


    As soon as he arrived at the large living room, he saw a sight that made this building seem like an orphanage.


    Lots of children, not only children, there were teenagers and even some adults held in the building. Though they were currently not being manhandled, it was clear that they were not happy either.


    Quickly, Albert activated his scanner again for a more meticulous scan. After confirming that his target was not here, he scaled the stairs upwards. When he got to the 3rd story, he finally saw Ares¡¯s daughter in the living room there.


    The 9-year-old girl sat numbly with the other children, vacantly looking at the cartoon that was being projected on the air for them.


    Albert did not act immediately. He first stood still, carefully observed the 5 soldiers that were watching the children, made some calculations, before quickly arriving at the best strategy to use.


    Using his implant in conjunction with a device, he conjured a virtual screen. He quickly started inputting virtual orders rapidly, he stopped after 2 minutes.


    3¡­, 2¡­, 1. Now!


    All the lights in the living room suddenly switched off, prompting the guards to hold their weapons firmer as they looked around in confusion and alert.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± A male voice sounded.


    ¡°Conrad, contact technical¡±.


    ¡°Yes, boss¡±.


    As all this happened, Albert already arrived beside the 9-year-old girl as he gently patted her on the shoulders. She was startled but he immediately silenced her by putting his fingers to her lips.


    ¡°Moana, you want to meet daddy?¡± He tried to use his gentlest voice.


    The girl was confused for a moment, but she quickly nodded on hearing the attractive term ¡®daddy¡¯. She was intelligent though; she didn¡¯t make noise as she keenly noticed that this uncle was trying to remain unnoticed.


    Albert already activated a device to isolate the other children, so none of them could hear their conversation.


    ¡°I can meet daddy?¡± She asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Yes, daddy sent me to bring you home. You¡¯ll cooperate with me, right?¡±


    She felt suspicious, but the daddy term just kept melting her heart. ¡°Yes, I want to meet daddy¡±.


    ¡°Ok, take. Wear this vest¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. She agreed and wore it without hesitation.


    As soon as she wore it, the vest activated and she became invisible. Albert brought a robot and quickly activated it before carrying her up.


    ¡­


    ¡°Boss, it was just a glitch¡±.


    The soldiers heaved a sigh of relief as the lights finally came back on. This did not make them complacent though, they did their duties and thoroughly observed the children for any abnormality.


    The number of children was complete, nothing abnormal happened, and some of them were crying because of the light glitch which was normal for children.


    ¡°Nothing happened¡±. They heaved sighs of relief.


    At this moment, Moana¡¯s eyes revealed a robotic red light as it started scanning the surroundings. When the soldiers looked over, it immediately returned to being the 9-year-old girl.


    ¡­


    In a big mansion close to the Presidential villa in Arial City, a soldier with a badge indicating his rank as a Corporal knocked on the door of his superior¡¯s office who was the owner of the mansion.


    ¡°Come in¡±. A deep voice sounded.


    As soon as he stepped inside the office, he placed his hands above his head and saluted while greeting respectfully.


    ¡°Good afternoon, General¡±.


    The sharp-eyed General turned his rocking chair over as soon as his subordinate greeted. His eagle-like eyes scrutinized the Corporal, then he finally relaxed back on his chair.


    ¡°What is the problem?¡±


    ¡°There was an abnormal occurrence in the 5th control mansion at the west of the city¡±.


    The General placed his hands to his chin in thought. ¡°How abnormal?¡±


    ¡°There was a glitch which resulted in a temporary light interruption, and this is not supposed to happen as we used the best available resources to build the control mansions¡±.


    ¡°Did you discover any clear signs of intrusion?¡±


    ¡°No, General. The children are still complete and intact¡±.


    ¡°Then forget about it¡±. The General waved his hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me with such trivial matters again, all our focus now should be on the 1st of January next year. We need to wipe them out completely¡±.


    ¡°Yes, General¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±.

 Chapter 385: things are about to get hot

    ¡°Master, Moana is safe¡±.


    ¡°Good, well done¡±.


    Clark gave his student a thump up in his mind as he cruised through the streets of South Ville District in Neon City. This news from Albert enlivened his heart so much that he started ruminating about the name given to the city.


    ¡°Neon, that¡¯s a beautiful name for a city¡±.


    As he muttered to himself dreamily, he quickly steered his car into the familiar road of Orion Street. He went through all the high-rise mansions before arriving at his destination, Oliver mansion.


    He already alerted Captain Drake of his coming back earlier, so as soon as he arrived the huge gate automatically opened for him.


    He smoothly drove inside with familiarity, made a U-turn before steering in the direction of the garage. After parking the car, he finally came down and went directly inside the mansion.


    Inside the spacious living room sat Captain Drake, Captain Daniella, and some assassins who have not returned to their secret bases yet.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come back so early, 10¡±.


    ¡°I want to speak with the both of you alone¡±. He looked at the 2 Captains to emphasize his point.


    Seeing how serious his tone was, Captain Drake also became serious. He directed a glance at the other assassins, prompting them to leave before he finally turned back to face Clark.


    Clark sat down on the nearby sofa. ¡°A problem cropped up on my side¡±.


    ¡°Oh! Is it something that we can help on?¡±


    Clark took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s not that, I want you to bring the plan for your attack against the Radan government forward. Precisely, if we can do it in a week, I¡¯ll be glad¡±.


    Captain Drake frowned. ¡°You know that¡¯s not feasible, there¡¯s no way that we can organize ourselves enough in a week to deal a significant blow to the Presidential villa¡±.


    Clark sighed. ¡°I know this is abrupt, but I can help¡±.


    ¡°I am a joint owner of a mercenary organization, and it is already a force to be reconned with in the mercenary world. I will elicit their help for the attack, but you have to pay for their services¡±.


    Captain Drake kept quiet for a moment. He already thought about hiring mercenary groups, but he knew that mercenaries were always reluctant about putting themselves into struggles involving a country¡¯s government.


    If Clark could really bring such a mercenary group, he was ready to pay for their services. But the question was, will a mercenary group be strong enough to tip the scales of the battle?


    ¡°How strong is the mercenary group¡±. He finally asked.


    ¡°They have a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, and another 3rd rank high-grade soldier is also temporarily with them, bringing the tally to 2¡±.


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Captain Drake agreed without hesitation. 3rd rank high-grade soldiers were not commodities that could be easily found in the market, the mention of that term alone shocked the shit out of him.


    ¡°But still, a week is too much of a stretch. I think 1 month is the most feasible for an attack of that scale¡±. He argued.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll compromise for 2 weeks¡±. Clark countered.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Captain Drake was left speechless. ¡°Is this some kind of marketing?¡±


    ¡°Ok, 3 weeks minimum, please¡±.


    Clark frowned but it did not last on his face. ¡°Ok, deal. Do you have an exact date in mind to set it on?¡±


    ¡°No¡±.


    ¡°Then, leave it on the 25th then, Christmas day¡±.


    Captain Drake was surprised. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯ve done something like this before on the same date?¡±


    ¡°Good intuition¡±. Clark thumbed him.


    ¡°I was once in a squad that assassinated the governor of a middle-grade country, and the date was on the 25th December also¡±.


    Clark stood up to leave. ¡°Just try to gather any allies that you have, we¡¯ll need a sizeable military force to create a distraction before we strike¡±.


    ¡°For the main plan, leave that till my allies come¡±.


    Knock! Knock!


    Clark stopped as soon as he heard the knock, he turned his head back to the 2 Captains looking at him. ¡°Where is Ares?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here¡±. The soldier was just coming from his new room after he received the news that Clark came back.


    Clark smiled at him. ¡°Congratulations! Your daughter is rescued¡±.


    ¡°R¡­, Really?¡± The stunned man stuttered.


    It was at this moment that Albert opened the door after not getting any response to his knock, and holding his hands was a small girl.


    ¡°Moana?!¡± Ares blurted out in shock and joy.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    The girl quickly wriggled out of the grasp of the uncle before running towards her father. After getting close enough, she jumped for a hug and her father caught her accurately- just like the old days.


    ¡°Daddy, why didn¡¯t you come to carry me?¡±


    Ares wasn¡¯t even hearing a sound again. As his daughter spoke, he just kept on looking at her moving lips in a daze.


    Once again, he confirmed that he was holding his daughter in his arms physically, something he originally thought was a dream. Not able to control himself, he burst into tears.


    Every eye in the living room twitched and turned away on seeing this.


    ¡°Daddy, why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing, Moana, nothing¡±. Ares repeated consecutively as he hugged his daughter to his chest tighter.


    This was his daughter; this was his most valuable relative left in the world.


    ¡­


    At a remote area in Southern Sparta, at one of the small towns.


    A hooded man entered one of the small grey-painted buildings. After revealing his codename, he was finally allowed inside the restaurant to drink with the other drunkards.


    As usual, he drank casually with the drunkards for 15 minutes. After confirming that nothing was wrong, he finally stood up and went inside the kitchen after putting on a mask.


    Opening the refrigerator, the teleportation portal flickered to life. Without hesitation, he entered and immediately disappeared out of the restaurant.


    Immediately after he arrived at the secret building, he did not say a word as he quickly navigated his way to the small room upstairs.


    Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Come in¡±. A deep voice answered.


    The hooded man entered without hesitation before kneeling down.


    ¡°Good evening, Mr. S¡±.


    ¡°Mr. A said that the time is ripe for communication¡±.


    Without waiting for a reply from the Mr. S, he stood up, bowed respectfully before navigating his way out of the room.


    Mr. S¡¯s eyes flashed with an ominous gleam as soon as the message settled down to his brain. He immediately stood up, carefully opened his safe before bringing out a special communication device.


    After sending the signal, he waited for 30 seconds before a holographic projection of a hooded man appeared before him.


    ¡°Mr. A¡±. The projected man introduced himself.


    ¡°Mr. S¡±. He introduced himself also.


    ¡°What is the important information that the headquarters should know?¡±


    ¡°It is about a Spartan soldier, Vatican City-born. His name is Lieutenant Colonel Clark Pendragon, one of my subordinates recently had a clash with him and suffered terribly¡±.


    ¡°What did he observe and what do you have to report?¡±


    ¡°I have everything compiled in this virtual document, go through it and explain it to the leader¡±.


    ¡°Take this matter seriously, I believe the evaluation of Mr. Black¡±.


    ¡°Ok, I will, but don¡¯t expect an early response from the leader. You know that right now we have a lot in our hands, we have to prepare for the M.S plan¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Mr. S answered simply.


    After the conversation came to an end, the holographic projections flickered before disappearing. The communication device finally went dormant again.


    Mr. S carefully picked up the device and stored it back in his safe. After doing this, he sat down. Despite his face being covered by the hood, it could not hide the excitement currently in his eyes.


    ¡°Things are about to get hot¡±.


    [Hey, thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 386: planting a spy

    Due to the emotional reunion that just took place before him, Clark remembered something and therefore was unable to leave immediately. Seeing him stay, Captain Drake didn¡¯t ask for the reason, he just waited.


    Seeing that Clark was still not leaving after so long, Ares knew that the powerhouse had something to say so he took the cue immediately.


    ¡°Moana¡±.


    ¡°Yes, dad¡±.


    ¡°Please, can you follow this aunty? She¡¯ll lead you to your room¡±.


    The girl looked at her father with big puppy eyes. ¡°Daddy, do you want to leave me again?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll be there in a moment. I just want to personally thank the uncle that saved you, he¡¯s our friend now¡±.


    ¡°Go on, don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    The girl looked at her father, then turned to look at Albert who smiled back at her, before turning to look at her father again. Then, she firmly nodded her head.


    ¡°Yes, daddy, I trust you¡±.


    Without saying anything else, as soon as her dad rubbed her hair fondly, she turned and follow the said aunty inside the mansion cheerfully.


    Ares looked on with a smile until his daughter disappeared from his sight, then he turned to face Clark with a look of determination on his face.


    Clark coughed. ¡°Sorry, I just remembered something¡±.


    ¡°We are all in this together now, and I just recalled a way in which you can vastly help us. Though a few hours already passed, I believe that the Radan army is still searching the public development building for survivors¡±.


    ¡°If you go back, you can easily act as a spy for the old warriors club if you play your cards smartly¡±.


    Hearing this, Captain Drake and Daniella¡¯s eyes glittered as they finally came to an understanding. And almost at the same time, they turned their head expectantly to look at the middle-aged soldier.


    Ares closed his eyes, took a deep breath before opening them again. ¡°I¡¯ll love to do this, but my daughter¡­, I don¡¯t want to be separated from her again¡±.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this for her¡±. Clark replied without a change in expression.


    ¡°If you become a useful spy for this club, think of the possibilities that may emerge from it and think of how much easier the work for freedom will be¡±.


    ¡°You can decide to stay with your daughter now, but you still have no guarantee that one day you won¡¯t be separated from her if the Radan government attacks and wins¡±.


    ¡°But if you become a spy and we strike first, I promise that this battle can be won. Then, you¡¯ll have no other obstacle stopping you from staying with your daughter¡±.


    ¡°In fact, if you want, you can travel to Mars with her and build a lighthouse there to spend the rest of your lives living the sweet life that you always envisioned¡±.


    ¡°Your wife is dead and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. But the future of your daughter is now in your hands, all you need to alter it is to make a decision¡±.


    ¡°Choose¡±. Clark spread his hands to emphasize what he said.


    Captain Drake directed at Clark a surprised but knowing look. ¡°I never knew this guy was such a good orator, he¡¯s probably very popular with girls¡±.


    Feeling the weird gaze of the Captain, Clark¡¯s face almost twitched but he managed to keep a calm face as he looked on at Ares.


    His words probably stabbed Ares in the heart at that most sensitive point as the middle-aged soldier currently had his eyes closed like he was fighting a tough mental battle.


    Then, he suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±. Clark clapped for him.


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll be back in a moment¡±. He suddenly sighed. ¡°I want to speak with my daughter first¡±.


    Seeing Clark nod at him, he finally turned and left.


    When he arrived at the door, he raised his hands to knock but he suddenly felt like all strength left his body. His hands fell back down, and his eyes became blurry as he looked at the door in a daze.


    He didn¡¯t know when he staggered forward, hitting his head on the door.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Moana opened the door inquisitively.


    ¡°Hey, baby, I¡¯m back¡±.


    Ares immediately snapped out of his daze and hugged his daughter tightly.


    The girl melted in her father¡¯s arms as she revealed undisguised happiness. ¡°Daddy, can we stay together now?¡±


    Ares took a deep breath. ¡°Honey, I want to tell you something¡­¡±


    In a few breaths that strangely felt like lifetimes to him, he finally revealed his decision to his daughter in a simplified manner.


    What surprised him was that Moana didn¡¯t burst into tears as he expected, nor did she punch him angrily, nor did she even fall into a sad daze. She instead directed an understanding look at her father.


    ¡°Ok, daddy, Moana understands¡±.


    That was all she said, but that was enough to pull Ares into another daze.


    He didn¡¯t know when tears started pouring from his eyes despite all his efforts to avoid it, he instinctively hugged his daughter closer.


    ¡°Tha¡­, thank you, Moana¡±.


    At this moment, only one thought was on his mind. ¡°Moana grew up!¡±


    ¡­


    After settling everything with his daughter, Ares finally came back to the large sitting room in a completely different bearing and in his Radan army uniform. His sharp gaze was back, accompanied by his confidence.


    Corporal Ares was back.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Clark calmly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there personally¡±.


    After adding a few more touches to the soldier¡¯s look to make his fabricated story seem more true, Clark took him out before they both entered his exotic car.


    This time, Clark used a function of his car that he hardly used, its stealth function. With this function activated, he left the Oliver mansion and drove into the streets without drawing any attention.


    With much more familiar steering now, he pressed hard at the accelerators and quickly navigated his way back to Arial City, precisely the public development headquarters.


    The surrounding area of the headquarters was already sealed off by the Radan soldiers, but he was able to easily infiltrate with his means.


    And the Radan Captain was no longer here, making things much easier.


    He stealthily dug a deep hole into a part of the headquarters that have not been searched yet. He made it seem like a hole caused by a bomb, then Ares walked down there after getting his consent.


    ¡°How successful our attack is lies with you¡±.


    After solemnly saying this, as Clark was about to leave, Ares suddenly held his hand.


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel, thank you for everything¡±.


    ¡°If anything happens to me, please, please promise me that you¡¯ll take care of Moana¡±.


    ¡°I will¡±. Clark nodded solemnly.

 Chapter 387: special commission has been completed

    A few dozen minutes later, a group of Radan soldiers armed to the teeth with weapons and various scanning devices finally arrived at the hole which seemed to have been caused by a bomb.


    ¡°There¡¯s a soldier down there¡±. One of the soldiers quickly reported.


    Taking a cue from that, 3 soldiers wore protective vests before cautiously navigating down the hole with focus lights to quickly detect any danger.


    Entering inside, they saw a thick convergence of smoke. The thickness of the smoke was enough to choke any human but having worn protective vests and masks, they were not affected.


    With their weapons, they pushed the loose sand apart before quickly going in the direction that was indicated by the scanning device.


    After pushing a lot of loose sand away, they finally saw the familiar uniform of the Radan army. They quickly started removing the surrounding scorched sand until they saw the soldier who was buried underneath.


    ¡°It¡¯s Corporal Ares¡±.


    As they reported, the 3 of them already carried the Corporal and hastily started making their way back.


    ¡°Is he still alive?¡± The soldiers on the surface asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell¡±.


    The 3 soldiers advanced rapidly while pushing all the obstacles in their path away to create a faster pathway.


    When they got back to the surface, they quickly placed the Corporal down and the standby unit of medical practitioners immediately rushed over with their equipment to attend to the soldier.


    4 minutes after doing all their emergency treatment procedures, the Corporal suddenly coughed and came back to life.


    Affected by the thick smoke, Ares immediately erupted into a fit of coughing, choking in the process as the medical experts immediately brought out a tonic to his nose for him to inhale.


    A few seconds later, he finally calmed down.


    He looked around in a daze. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Signs of memory loss have been detected, transfer him to the Central military hospital¡±. The doctor quickly observed before giving his medical verdict.


    The other medical experts working with him immediately reacted to his order. They brought a human-sized stretcher, gently carried the Corporal on it before rushing to the nearby emergency ambulance.


    As this happened, a few kilometers away from the public development headquarters, an invisible man watched with binoculars.


    After confirming that no problem cropped immediately, Clark threw the binoculars back into his bag before going closer to his invisible car.


    After switching on the ignition, he smoothly drove away under the watch of the clueless Radan soldiers.


    ¡­


    Back in the Oliver mansion, as soon as Clark drove back to take Albert, Captain Drake heaved a sigh of relief as this meant that the drop was successful.


    He now felt anticipation about the subsequent development after this, he wondered when Ares would send them the first confidential government information.


    His excitement and anticipation did not mean that he abandoned his work though, he already knew that this period would be his busiest in years.


    Standing up, he went upstairs to his office where he had access to his special communication device.


    He sat on his rocking chair as he solemnly looked at the foreign contact number before him, seemingly contemplating if he should call it or not.


    His dilemma did not last as he quickly made his decision. Taking hold of the special communication device, he carefully inputted the foreign number before calling.


    He stood up so as not to feel nervous.


    As a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, he was experienced but being experienced did not necessarily mean being unable to become nervous.


    ¡°Hello!¡± A female voice suddenly sounded from the other side.


    He took a deep breath on hearing that. ¡°Good day. I¡¯m the leader of the old warriors club, the stranded dragon should have told you about me¡±.


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Can we negotiate our cooperation and the price now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re ready¡±.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    ¡­


    Driving through the streets of the Radan republic, Clark relaxed in his car as a lot of thoughts went through his mind. As a soldier, this was a problem that he could not escape from, he always had things in his mind.


    He didn¡¯t speak throughout the journey, nor did his student.


    As he drove leisurely, an impulse thought suddenly came into his mind and he could not suppress it no matter how hard he tried, so he succumbed to it.


    Making a U-turn, instead of driving to the district where his secret underground base was, he instead drove in the direction of the Sewers District.


    Along the way, his car¡¯s configuration changed to look like an old worn-out car. This was to better blend it with the community that he was going to.


    Despite his weird actions, Albert did not object as he was already used to his master¡¯s antics, he just watched calmly from the side.


    Getting to the sewers district, Clark purposely slowed down and drove through the streets of the district at a leisurely pace.


    In this not too pleasant tour, he was able to drive to all corners of the district, having a complete overview of the district in the process.


    He saw the ugliest parts of the Radan republic.


    He saw the poor, he saw the homeless, he saw the orphans, he saw the widows, he saw the mistreated, and the greedy in poverty.


    He saw it all; he saw all the multifaced version of the Radan republic.


    By the time that he completed the tour, a lot of things became clear to him and his mind became freer.


    He no longer felt as guilty about some of his decisions.


    He learned that for something good to be born, you have to make a lot of extreme decisions to fight all the obstacles that will emerge.


    This was the price of every good thing; this was the sacrifice.


    After emptying his mind, he no longer stayed in the district. Turning his car around, he drove out of the district at a steady speed.


    A few minutes later, he finally arrived back at the junkyard leading to his secret underground base. This sight never failed to amuse him, and it actually uplifted his mood a bit.


    As soon as he drove inside the underground base before he could come out of his car, he felt his special communication device ring a notification beep.


    He glanced at it.


    ¡°Special commission has been completed¡±.


    ¡°Commission target: A durable secret training chamber¡±.

 Chapter 388: a done project and improvement

    Seeing the message that was on his special communication device, Clark was stunned for a moment before revealing a smile. After weeks since he made this commission, a positive response finally came.


    This was the project that he had to take a loan from the Spartan army before he could complete. It was the project of a special training chamber made completely out of exotics metal where he could train freely with his mech.


    Of all his possessions, this was undoubtedly his most expensive.


    Seeing the smile on his master¡¯s face, a curious Albert came over and easily saw the message reflecting on the communication device.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s done already? That was fast¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought it would take a few more weeks before it¡¯ll be done too. This is good though; I love it more this way. Get prepared, we¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow to go check it out¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Albert replied simply before immediately going to his room.


    Yes, the underground base had rooms, precisely 3 rooms in total. 1 for Clark, another for Albert, and the last for any guest ally that may visit them.


    As it was already evening, Clark didn¡¯t bug his student further as he also went to his room to get that rest that he sorely needed.


    After an extremely eventful day like this, getting a good night''s rest was the best way for him to repay his body which did most of the work.


    Before he entered his bed, Clark brought the special communication device and typed a reply message.


    ¡°Received¡±.


    Then, he casually threw the device to the side before going closer to his bed.


    As soon as he fell down inside his bed, he gave a mental order and all the lights in the underground base switched off.


    The base went into hibernation mode.


    ¡­


    Blink!


    Opening his eyes in the morning, Clark felt a feeling of refreshment flood his body and mind. He felt energetic in a way that he¡¯s not felt in a while, his blood flowed smoother, and his body weirdly felt easier for him to control.


    Overall, his body felt more like it was his own. It was a weird but strangely satisfying feeling that left all his body feeling comfortable.


    Clark widened his eyes as he experienced all these sensations. Though he found it hard to believe, this was a clear sign that he suddenly improved significantly on the scale of 3rd rank high-grade soldiers.


    He was familiar with the feeling, though he didn¡¯t breakthrough, he knew that if he checked his attributes again in his implant, he probably improved by a lot.


    He didn¡¯t know the exact reason for this, but he guessed that it was because of the assassination attempt. Not only that, all the series of actions that followed, including going to the sewers district.


    He didn¡¯t have tangible evidence to support his speculation, but he somehow believed that he was right.


    Suddenly feeling more cheerful because of this discovery, he stood up from his bed, took his wristwatch to check the time while going out of the room.


    8:09 am; he quickly confirmed the time.


    When he got to the large hall of the underground base, he didn¡¯t see his student but he rather smelled an aroma that attracted his attention. His nose instinctively sniffed at the air.


    Immediately, he turned his head to the nearby kitchen.


    Walking there, he opened the door and as he expected, Albert was inside in a white apron frying eggs while mix-matching seasoning ingredients into the delicacy.


    ¡°Good morning, Master¡±. Albert cheerfully greeted.


    Clark directed a suspicious look at his student. ¡°You¡¯re cooking?¡±


    Albert rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°When did you know how to cook?¡±


    Albert¡¯s chest subconsciously raised on hearing that question. ¡°I recently learned how to cook a lot of dishes, Pinky thought me most of them¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Now, Clark was speechless. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Albert already entered the row of people who already fell in love¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. He answered in a depressed manner before going back.


    Albert didn¡¯t notice his master¡¯s feelings because of how engrossed he was in his cooking, he kept on nodding to the sizzling of the hot oil in the pan like it was some kind of hip-hop music.


    A few minutes later, the food was served.


    ¡°Hum, this is really sweet¡±. Clark praised sincerely.


    ¡°Haha, Pinky is a good cook, and a good teacher too¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Throughout the remaining period of the food, they didn¡¯t talk as they suddenly seemed to have turned to the most faithful observers of the table manner etiquette.


    After eating, both soldiers left and took their baths at various intervals. During this time, a few bots that Albert brought from his warehouse picked and washed the plates.


    They only needed a few minutes before they were done and set to leave.


    After entering the exotic car, Albert drove this time. After starting the ignition, he smoothly drove out of the underground base before quickly setting his sights in the direction of the Mediterranean Sea.


    Yes, the training chamber was placed under the Mediterranean Sea.


    As it was a portable training chamber, its location was not exactly a problem as Clark could just give an order and it would stand up after turning into a robot and navigate to wherever else it wants to stop.


    Before getting to the Radan harbor, Albert made the exotic car activate its stealth function. This helped them easily bypass all the defense of the harbor before silently entering the sea.


    He allowed the car to free fall taking advantage of its weight, this was to prevent the soldiers manning the Radan harbor to detect anything unusual.


    After it was submerged up to a certain distance, he finally switched on the mechanism that changed its configuration to that of a mini-submarine.


    Despite his many adventures and his billionaire dad, this was Albert¡¯s first time actually operating a submarine though it was a small one so he felt an above-normal level of excitement.


    Quickly setting the parameters of the mini-sub as directed by his master, he finally tamed the beast and brought it under control.


    After doing this, he activated the thrusters, making blue fire spew out of the mini-sub¡¯s exhausts as it sped under the seawater at an extremely fast speed.


    In just seconds, it was gone.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 389: the future training chamber

    At a certain part of the Mediterranean Sea, deep inside the seabed stood an extremely heavy structure that looked like a giant turtle being protected completely by its super tough shells.


    Though color diminishing measures were used to tone down its color and majesty a bit, this could still not stop its extremely eye-catching surface and body.


    At this moment, a whooshing sound reverberated and a purple-surfaced mini-submarine suddenly appeared beside the heavy structure.


    From inside the mini-submarine, Clark stood as he carefully looked at the structure before him with a mixture of excitement and anticipation.


    After putting the submarine into a hibernating state, Clark came down with his student before they both swam before the structure.


    Clark already knew the necessary password and everything to unlock it, so he was not left stumped when he saw the training chamber still locked despite him coming within close vicinity.


    He first went closer and placed his fingerprint on the heavy door, then a blue scanning glow flashed through his hands.


    [Biometric fingerprint sensor matching¡­, fingerprint verified.]


    [Welcome to the Future training chamber, Mr. Clark Pendragon.]


    [To get complete access to the Future training chamber, you have to complete the remaining 3-way verification process.]


    Hearing what the structure¡¯s A. I just said to him, Clark¡¯s mouth was left twitching. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any respect? How dare you call me by my name so smoothly? I¡¯m now your master, dammit!¡±


    The A.I did not pay attention to him though as it continued doing its work.


    Next, he did an eye scan, a blood verification, before finally ending it with a urine verification which was excess for a single verification process.


    The process was tedious but he didn¡¯t want anything to happen to this extremely expensive structure, so he approved this verification method.


    As the doors of the heavy structure slowly opened, he felt anticipation.


    After it opened completely, he finally took the first step inside. Albert quickly followed behind his master as he looked around with a curious gaze at the surrounding sci-fi-like environment that appeared before him.


    Inside the heavy structure was just a big fat rectangular hall, nothing else.


    Though the hall was the only thing in the heavy structure, it was so technologically designed and arranged that it left him feeling breathless.


    Inside it was coated with a grey exotic metal sheet all around. The floor looked like it was made from wood, but Clark knew otherwise that it was a special type of exotic material that was hard to obtain.


    Its body felt hard, and elastic at the same time.


    The ceiling looked like it was the blue sky filled with white clouds, but Clark easily recognized that it was an effect replicating a mirage to form a mysterious and serious atmosphere in the training chamber.


    These, and a lot of other physical add-ons added a lot of glamour, majesty, and sturdiness to the training chamber but these were not its best parts.


    The real most expensive goods of this project were in the virtual domain.


    After going to the middle of the training chamber, Clark gently swiped his hands at the air and unsurprisingly a virtual screen appeared.


    The virtual screen depicted a lot of things; things like how to operate and maintain the heavy training chamber, how to make it move, how to configure the different training difficulties.


    Not only was this manual on how to operate it recorded for him, but there was also a manual on every general knowledge that he needed to know.


    These were just the most basic features of the training chamber¡¯s virtual domain; apart from the virtual screen, it has a ton of other virtual features like the extreme realistic virtual simulation.


    The virtual simulation was not up to the level of the one that he experienced when he was in the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance yet, but it was still the real deal.


    This and a lot more effects made it the perfect training chamber for Clark.


    With eyes now glittering like stars, his imagination went wild as a lot of thoughts of himself achieving even more scientifically impossible feats flashed through his mind like a movie.


    Thud!


    Hearing the thudding sound outside, he was not alarmed. Instead, like he already expected it, he calmly walked outside and opened the doors to the training chamber wide.


    A pair of red glowing eyes first appeared, illuminating a part of the darkish blue seawater before the first metallic leg stepped into the training chamber.


    A few more thudding sounds later, the mech finally settled in the chamber.


    As he drove here on his exotic car in its mini-submarine configuration, he made the mech also activate its stealth systems before making it come here on its own.


    Seeing the mech standstill, Clark¡¯s hands itched as he felt the urge to jump inside the mech and start practicing immediately but he froze on feeling the fiery gaze on his neck from the side.


    He turned his head. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m still here¡±. Albert sighed exasperatedly.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, my bad. You already know the most common rules to follow to improve in your rank, you can take the exotic car back and train alone¡±.


    ¡°If you are stumped by any problem, you can always ping me¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Albert finally nodded his head with a smile.


    Before he could leave, Clark added. ¡°If not necessary, don¡¯t disturb me for the next 2 weeks. I want to engage in secluded training. If King or anyone calls, you can speak with them on my behalf¡±.


    ¡°Ok, is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°No¡±.


    As soon as Albert left the training chamber, Clark turned around with a fierce penetrating gaze in his eyes that could easily bore a hole through any metal.


    He looked at the mech for a few seconds before taking a step close.


    His secluded training officially began.


    ¡­


    Zoom!


    Albert leisurely switched gears, pushing the mini-submarine to a new speed as it cruised through the underwater environment like a fish in water.


    To complement the nice feeling of this experience, he put on one of his favorite music and started shaking his head to the beat.


    The days of freedom are always the best, and the next 2 weeks were exactly these kinds of days. There was no right word to express how happy he was.


    He would force himself to train of course, but he would also enjoy himself.


    That was the number 1. Albert''s rule that he formed for himself.

 Chapter 390: simulated training wave

    [Difficulty: Intense Level Mode Training Activated.]


    [Simulated Opponents: Soldiers {1- 4th ranks}.]


    [Maximum Duration: One Hour.]


    As the training chamber¡¯s A. I worked to set all the parameters for the training, Clark¡¯s eyes remained focused on the mech as the familiar feeling of having an extra body dominated him.


    It was not easy getting used to controlling a Giant body of such gigantic proportions, but everything could be done by learning and that was exactly what he was about to do.


    [Training starts in 3¡­, 2¡­, 1. Start!]


    Bzzz!


    The surroundings before the mech suddenly changed before being filled with soldiers. An elite battalion of soldiers suddenly appeared, armed to the teeth with weapons and having the support of artillery machines.


    Already used to this sight, Clark was not flustered. Before the soldiers could arrange themselves, he gave the mental order and the huge mech took a step forward with large strides.


    It raised its right hand, slightly bent it back to touch its metallic body before pulling out as a huge flaming sword quickly followed the pull.


    Taking another step forward, it slashed out with the sword.


    Boom!


    The flaming sword broke the sound barrier immediately, wiping out a significant portion of the soldiers in the process. Only the ones who reacted fast and dodged survived.


    ¡°Regroup! Attack from the flanks!¡±


    Though they were just simulated soldiers, they looked, talked, and moved so realistically that Clark took them as such- real soldiers.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    The few artillery vehicles that survived immediately aimed and started shooting at the mech, but they didn¡¯t even get to touch its metallic body as a shield generator was activated by the mech.


    As the energy shield shimmered to life and blocked all the damage, the mech stumped down with its left foot, crushing dozens of the artillery vehicles in the process with sheer power.


    The soldiers who rushed to its back to attack from there didn¡¯t get to do much as the mech suddenly inclined its body and slashed backward, they were all caught off-guard and died immediately.


    Despite its size, the mech¡¯s speed was something else entirely.


    In just a few seconds since the battle started, the first wave was already on the verge of being wiped out. this was not strange though as the first wave was entirely comprised of normal soldiers.


    [Wave 2 Simulation starting in 5 Seconds.]


    [Opponents Level: Including 1st rank high-grade soldiers.]


    [Starting in 3¡­, 2¡­, 1. Start!]


    Boom!


    As soon as the 1st rank high-grade soldiers appeared, one of them opened up the battle by shooting the electric handheld canon that she wielded.


    Despite the extremely fast speed of the kinetic-powered canon ball, Clark was able to react and give the appropriate mental order.


    The mech suddenly bent its body, raising its left leg in the process as it kicked at the canon ball. As it did this, a metallic chain was suddenly attached to its sword then it threw the sword outwards.


    Boom!


    The canon was kicked to pieces, while the sword impaled the 1st rank high-grade soldier who shot it to death.


    Before the soldiers could react to the changes in the battlefield, the mech suddenly held the chain that was attached to the sword and fiercely swung, swinging the sword in the process.


    Whoosh!


    Heads, shoulders, and limps were cut off at an extremely rapid pace before the soldiers could react as the flying sword spread death in their midst.


    As soon as they recovered, the few 1st rank high-grade soldiers tried to close the distance to the mech and fight a melee battle but that only accelerated their death. They died without understanding how they died.


    In less than 2 minutes, all the 1st rank high-grade soldiers died and the 2nd wave of soldiers was already on the verge of being wiped out again.


    [Wave 3 Simulation starting in 4 Seconds.]


    [Opponents Level: Including 2nd rank high-grade soldiers.]


    [Starting in 3¡­, 2¡­, 1. Start!]


    This time, under the lead of the 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, the soldiers¡¯ formation as a whole became more cohesive as they got prepared to present a proper resistance to the mech.


    As a soldier, Clark knew most battle formations and strategies before they were even fully executed. Before the simulated soldiers could complete their formation, he struck at their weak point.


    A port opened on the mech¡¯s leg where 2 pairs of gun muzzles emerged, before the soldiers could react the guns erupted with fire.


    Bam! Bam!


    High-caliber bullet after high-caliber bullet came out to the horror of the soldiers, battering them hard at where it hurt most as dozens of soldiers started dying every second to the newly reinforced massacre.


    The 2nd rank high-grade soldiers survived the onslaught of the bullets, but the mech hunted them personally with its flaming sword, leaving them no hopes for survival.


    This time, the wave was wiped out even faster than the second wave.


    [Wave 4 Simulation starting in 3 Seconds.]


    [Opponents Level: Including 3rd rank high-grade soldiers.]


    [Starting in 3¡­, 2¡­, 1. Start!]


    Clang!


    Immediately as these powerhouses appeared, one of them was able to dodge the mech¡¯s slash and roll to its sides before stabbing his sharp spear into the legs of the mech.


    Almost instantly after this damage was dealt, a port opened on the damaged leg and a torpedo bomb shot out.


    The 3rd rank high-grade soldier tried to dodge but this was an area of effect bomb. He survived the onslaught of the bomb, but before he could dodge a hammer crushed him to death.


    The enormous war hammer like those wielded by the legendary Titans was thrown at the soldiers¡¯ formation, hitting hard and crushing a few dozen soldiers immediately.


    The soldiers tried to hold it down, but it immediately rose up again after being pulled by its chain attachment to the mech.


    It slammed down immediately, crushing another dozen soldiers in the process. Despite the increased offensive power of the mech, 3rd rank high-grade soldiers were upper echelons of any army for a reason.


    Bam! Bam!


    After the death of the first one, only 5 remained but pooling their strength together, they were able to deal significant damage to the mech.


    With their intervention, their support artillery weapons became more effective as they repeatedly battered at the surface shield of the mech, waning its energy reserves at a rapid speed.


    With their intervention, the lower-graded soldiers had more room to roam about the battlefield thereby having more opportunities to deal damage.


    Despite all the competence shown by them, a mech was still a mech.


    Pairing such superhuman power with superhuman speed, it was only a superhuman that could stop it and none of the people here were obviously at that level yet.


    The mech advanced and retreated, it stabbed, slashed and hacked, it stumped down with its enormous metallic legs, it revealed hidden weapon ports every second, repeatedly catching the soldiers off-guard


    Its means were just too numerous to adapt to or be exhausted in a battle, which meant that despite the tyrannical resistance led by the 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, it still firmly held the upper hand.


    The 4th wave lasted for 30 good minutes, then they were all wiped out.


    [Wave 5 Simulation starting in 1 Second.]


    [Opponents Level: Including 4th rank high-grade soldiers.]


    [Starting in 1... Start!]


    The new wave arrived before Clark could blink his eyes.

 Chapter 391: score 72

    Ptui!


    As soon as the 4th rank high-grade soldiers appeared, they attacked without even taking time to observe and understand the battlefield and the outcome was as expected.


    The sword of the 4th rank high-grade soldier covered by its forcefield tyrannically penetrated the thick metallic hides of the mech, revealing its internal components for the first time since the battle started.


    [The Mach Augustus has lifted its shackles and is being liberated.]


    [Warning: The Mech will perform at its best now but this will bring a strong mental burden to the mech pilot.]


    [Do you wish to continue with this order?]


    As soon as Clark gave his consent, the mech seemed to have changed qualitatively in every statistical way possible.


    The raging fire surrounding its sword became hotter, the exotic armor protecting its metallic hide suddenly seemed to have become sturdier, and its hidden weapons armaments seemed to have gotten even more juice.


    Boom!


    The mech kicked at such a high speed that the six 4th rank high-grade soldiers were caught off-guard; the kick struck one of the Generals with such power that the air around him visibly squeezed.


    This was the power that could be exerted by soldiers of the 4th rank and above if they go all out.


    4th rank high-grade soldiers have the potential to exert power that may crack the atmospheric air if they go all out. But if 5th rank high-grade soldiers go all out, they cause natural disasters.


    These ranks were the main reason why normal humans revered high-grade soldiers, they were why in this era soldiers stood at the top and were the rulers.


    A few cracking sounds reverberated in the air after the mech¡¯s kick, clearly of the 4th rank high-grade soldier breaking a few ribs but the others were not fazed by this.


    They were just mildly surprised by the sudden increase in the mech¡¯s strength, this could put up a good fight against them but it was nowhere enough to intimidate them yet.


    Bam!


    They all attacked again as one.


    As Clark controlled the mech, perhaps due to the adrenaline surge and the excitement of fighting against such powerhouses, he felt like he was becoming more intoned with the mech.


    His flaming sword repeatedly slashed left and right, his legs kicked at intervals with such power that left the air screaming in panic, its hidden weapon armaments shot at such frequencies that the battlefield was already distorted.


    His scanners immediately alerted the mech of another lethal strike from one of the soldiers, so its legs quickly rose up to curb this damage.


    The mech kicked swift and hard but the tricky soldier was still able to dodge, the mech tried to dodge but it soon gave up as the soldier was already before it. Suddenly, it performed a strange move.


    As the soldier¡¯s sword came closer to its chest while wrapped up with its force field, the mech¡¯s head bent down and its red glowing eyes clashed with the rapidly advancing soldier.


    [Energy levels spiking: Overload Complete!]


    [Rapid Laser Shot Activated!]


    The mech¡¯s 2 red glowing eyes suddenly glowed fiercer, then 2 thick red laser beams shot out at the same moment as the soldier¡¯s sword stabbed into the mech¡¯s metallic chest.


    Boom! Boom!


    The first booming sound was that of the impact, but the second was that of the aftershocks as the air suddenly seemed like it was about to crack and open up for the emergence of a black hole.


    The soldier flew back like a cannon ball as the 2 red laser beams followed him. Before he touched the ground, he was evaporated by the staggering heat of the thick laser beam.


    The mech staggered backward, its glowing red eyes dimming in the process as a glaring opening was now in its chest from the sword attack.


    All the mechanical components inside were exposed, and electrical sparks were now flashing inside it.


    The mech¡¯s movements became jerky and inconsistent as it tried hard to delegate control of its metallic body to emergency systems, but it didn¡¯t have the luxury for this as there were still 5 opponents of the same level.


    The surviving 4th rank high-grade soldiers attacked at the same time.


    Boom!


    The mech exploded, then everything went white before suddenly calming down to the original grey color of the Future training chamber.


    [Intense Level Training Mode has come to an end.]


    [Score: 72%.]


    [Evaluation: A fierce battle filled with ups and downs, but your competency as a mech pilot has experienced quantum leaps of expansions. Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel.]


    [Highlight Achievement of the Training: Killing a 4th rank high-grade soldier.]


    As soon as the training chamber¡¯s A. I finished giving this evaluation and score, the cockpit of the mech finally opened and an exhausted Clark climbed out.


    Despite how exhausted he was, the excited gleam in his eyes could not be hidden. ¡°I killed a simulated equivalent of a General, damn!¡±


    Suppressing his excitement, he finally went to the resting pool at the side of the training chamber to rest and recover his strength while using the opportunity to also evaluate the training.


    Due to liberating the mech, the mental burden became so much that he now felt like his brain was in a pot of fire.


    Despite all the negative feelings, he was still excited as this was his first time in days that he was able to kill a 4th rank high-grade soldier with his mech in the training. This was a significant milestone for him.


    Now, he more or less knew how to control the mech like an extension of his body already. The intense training was stressful, but this was the right environment for him to be stimulated, which was his only way of improving at his level.


    When he looked to the side, he saw the damages done by the previous battle slowly melding themselves together as the special exotic metals showed their specialty.


    Despite the intensity of the battle, though the training chamber suffered damages from his attacks, his mech did not suffer any damage as the opponents were all simulated.


    Everything was simulated in a way that made it seem like all the damage was real, but in actual fact, only his mech dealt all the damage.


    He was not done with training for the day so after resting for a few minutes to recover, he stood up and took hold of his custom-made spear.


    As he trained with his mech, so also did he train normally to increase his strength as a high-grade soldier.


    In minutes, the virtual simulation started and he began another fresh phase of training. This would be his routine for 2 weeks.

 Chapter 392: the twin blades mercenary organization

    At sea, a huge mercenary fleet traveled at an adequate speed. Standing at the deck of the fleet¡¯s main ship stood 2 individuals, a man, and a woman. Their posture suggested that they were couples.


    If Clark saw these 2 people, he would easily recognize them as he spent a significant amount of time with them at a certain period- Aurora and Mark.


    These days, they were not known by their real name, rather they were known in the Mediterranean Sea as Daggers & Sword.


    As the owners and founders of the famous Twin Blades mercenary organization, they already amassed a certain amount of fame here at sea.


    Most of the significant forces with warships plying the seas knew them and their strength, so they were rarely randomly attacked unless the opponents were a fleet that they originally had grudges with.


    After their days together in the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance, they left as lovers. This love was not superficial in any way as they got engaged the next year, now they were a couple.


    Love sprouting in captivity; this was the perfect sentence to describe their relationship to anyone who wanted to hear of it.


    With the both of them being the captain and a pivotal member of the then iconic Roman Empire team, their strength could not be put into question.


    Immediately after they established the Twin Blades mercenary organization, it started experiencing an upward trend of growth and there has hardly been any significant setback.


    Right now, as the fleet traveled forward at an adequate speed, Aurora came closer to her husband before placing a hand to his chest.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go personally, right?¡±


    Mark turned to look at his wife before laughing. ¡°I won¡¯t, don¡¯t be so worried. Do you think I¡¯m a fool? I am too old to start courting death so courageously, I¡¯ll rather give the information to that guy¡±.


    ¡°You know, he has a fierce reputation now, and he is already a 3rd rank high-grade soldier. This way, he can owe me a favor¡±.


    He turned before holding his wife¡¯s face as his face curled up to form an exaggerated grin. ¡°Aren¡¯t I a genius? That¡¯s basically killing 2 birds with one stone, I¡¯m a genius¡±.


    Aurora rolled her eyes, pushed her husband a bit before turning to face the raging waters of the sea. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll agree to go? The mission is dangerous¡±.


    ¡°Is that even a question? You know that guy, he¡¯s still adamant about pursuing his goal. I really wish I could help him at times¡±.


    Aurora sighed. ¡°I wish I could help him too, he¡¯s pitiful at times. Because of this, he doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend yet¡±.


    Like she came to a realization, she sharply turned to face her husband. ¡°What kind of a friend are you? You need to advise him to get a girlfriend, this life is too short for him to be so nonchalant about the pleasures of life¡±.


    Mark spread his hands and smiled wryly. ¡°You know him, he listens to no one but himself. A stubborn cockroach, that¡¯s what he is¡±.


    Aurora sighed once again. ¡°So, when do you want to send the news to him?¡±


    ¡°Now¡±.


    Turning around, he went into his cabin and took hold of his special communication device.


    ¡°Dear ¡­¡±


    ¡°I got news of a Grade 4 mercenary mission, this is the codename you need to access and get information about it¡±.


    ¡°The Red Eagle- Stolen Pistol¡±.


    ¡°Yours Sincerely- Mark¡±.


    After doing this, he ordered the cabin¡¯s door to slam shut through his implant, hugged his wife who was beside him before they both somersaulted into the king-sized bed.


    ¡­


    Somewhere deep in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, inside the Future training chamber, Clark covered his burly shoulders with a white towel while going towards where he kept his special communication device.


    After another intense training session, he had his bath and rested well before he was able to stand up again.


    Getting to the position of the communication device, a smile lit up his face as he recalled memories of the person that he was about to contact.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate again as he inputted the contact details. The call rang for a few seconds before it was answered, and a feminine voice spoke from the other side.


    ¡°Clark?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t I call you?¡± Clark¡¯s lips curled up into an even more exaggerated smile.


    ¡°Ok, what is it? I told you that I¡¯m no longer as free as before¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize your voice yet, why is it hoarse? Tell me something to confirm that I¡¯m speaking with the Diana that I know¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Despite the huge distance separating them, Clark could imagine the growing frown that was slowly dominating the features of the fierce female mercenary so he stopped before it got out of hand.


    He chuckled. ¡°Why are you always so serious?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not serious, you¡¯ll die¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok, forget that. I have a commission for you¡±.


    ¡°Which commission?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big commission, I¡¯m joining too so be calm that it''s not something too big for you. Contact this number, tell him that the stranded dragon directed you, and negotiate your price¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Silence dominated a bit before she continued. ¡°Thank you¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was expecting, you¡¯re welcome¡±.


    After cutting the call, Clark did not leave the special communication device. He instead dialed Albert¡¯s contact details before sending a message.


    The message was very simple and concise.


    ¡°Come pick me up¡±.


    After 2 weeks of staying in this training chamber while undergoing hellish training, he was finally about to return to the outside world.


    For the duration of the training, he knew that he improved a lot. Now, he could not wait to put that strength to use.


    After sending the message, he quickly left to the corner to wear some decent clothes. In a few moments, he was dressed in casual clothes, blue trousers, and a blue polo shirt.


    Some minutes later, Albert finally arrived on the mini-submarine.


    In a few minutes, the Future training chamber became deserted again.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 393: the plan

    The same way that they left, that was how Clark and his student used to return stealthily to the Radan republic without arousing any suspicion from the soldiers manning the harbor 24/7.


    Still in its stealth mode, the mini-submarine smoothly changed back to its basic configuration of a car before taking the 2 humans boarding it through the streets of the Radan republic.


    12 minutes later, Albert finally steered the exotic car into the junkyard.


    The familiar scene of the road bending down happened again, and Albert smoothly drove down to their secret underground base.


    Throughout the journey, Clark didn¡¯t talk much as he just admired the scenery of the country. Though there were not many admirable sights in the republic, he just admired the feeling of humanity again.


    After staying far away from human community to train for 2 weeks, coming back revitalized his psyche in mysterious ways.


    As soon as the car came to a stop, Clark came down and immediately started walking towards his favorite boss chair. On the way, a surprised expression came to his face as he saw someone sitting on his chair.


    The familiar hair, the familiar gait, the familiar feeling of carefreeness, the familiar feeling of familiarity, he immediately knew who this was.


    ¡°King?¡±


    ¡°Yo! You¡¯re back from your secluded training?¡±


    As he asked, King smoothly controlled the chair to roll sideways, enabling him to look at his junior student with a wide grin on his face.


    Clark did not answer, instead, he asked his own question. ¡°When did you come? Why didn¡¯t I know of it?¡±


    As he asked, he was already going closer to King.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re a mafia boss now, huh? We need to report all our actions to you? Go get a girlfriend bro¡±.


    Now, this poked Clark where it hurt.


    All of a sudden, he forgot what he originally wanted to say. Sighing, he asked again in a humbler manner this time while sitting down on another chair.


    ¡°When did you come?¡±


    ¡°2 days ago, after our mercenary group completed our negotiations with Captain Drake¡±. As King replied, he directed a glance at the surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s a nice underground base you got here¡±.


    Clark ignored the latter part of his sentence, he instead focused on the first.


    ¡°We? When did you develop such a sense of belonging to my mercenary group? I thought you were only accompanying them for some time¡±.


    King coughed. ¡°Can¡¯t you be more understanding? I originally planned to do that, yes, but I later changed my mind. Can¡¯t I?¡±


    As they bickered, Albert already arrived at some point and sat across them while just looking at them like he was watching a blockbuster movie.


    Clark coughed before removing the carefree expression from his face. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°They all can¡¯t arrive yet, that would definitely alert the Radan army. I and Josh were the only ones who came first, the others would come when everything is planned and the time is right¡±.


    As if attracted by his name, Josh came down from the guest room.


    He waved on seeing Clark. ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Clark waved back.


    ¡°So, the plan, have you guys concluded?¡± He quickly asked.


    ¡°Yes, we followed your blueprint and devised a plan but we still want your input. And for the elite assassination squad, we left the plan for you to draft out¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Clark was left speechless, his mouth opened and closed but he couldn¡¯t say anything in the end.


    He sighed speechlessly. ¡°Ok, connect everyone here¡±.


    He originally intended to rest after getting back before contacting everyone but seeing King and Josh made him change his plans at the last moment.


    ¡°Ok¡±. King answered before standing up to take hold of his bag.


    He brought out a square-shaped device from his bag. After activating it, bright blue light flashed from it and in a moment, everyone in the range of the light had their orientation change.


    When Clark¡¯s eyes focused again, he was no longer inside the underground base. He was now inside a blue mist-filled world, and his chair was currently standing upon grey clouds.


    Besides him were 3 other chairs and people, King, Josh, and Albert who were all with him in the underground base.


    Clark was not surprised on seeing this, he already learned about this device from Emily. It was a special device that she bought under the name of the Pendragon mercenary organization, and there were only 3 of them.


    She held one, King held one, and the last was held by Josh.


    This blue mist-filled world was a virtual domain simulated by the device. It was just like a virtual server, and anybody could log in to it from anywhere in the world so long as they had the server code.


    Immediately after King activated the device, he already sent an invite code to all the needed people so they just sat waiting in silence.


    A few seconds later, another chair flickered to life, revealing Emily¡¯s figure.


    Seeing her already bulging stomach, Clark had a weird expression on his face but he was able to restrain himself from commenting. He just cleared his throat and nodded at her in greeting.


    Almost immediately after she appeared, 3 new chairs flickered to life. Occupying 2 of the chairs were people that Clark knew, Captain Drake and Captain Daniella, only the 3rd person was a stranger to him.


    Captain Drake spoke out at this moment. ¡°Once again, I want to thank you all for responding to my call at this period that I need it the most¡±.


    He turned to face Clark. ¡°Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel, the Radan republic will forever remember your sacrifice¡±.


    ¡°If there¡¯s no new emergency, I¡¯ll be simulating the detailed plan before the Lieutenant Colonel now¡±.


    Seeing no one respond, Captain Drake spread his hands and a virtual projection immediately appeared in mid-air.


    It was a large board like a map, and inside it had complicated patterns and lines making it seem like a building plan. This was the detailed plan that they came with after brainstorming for 2 weeks.


    5 minutes later, Clark finished going through the plan. ¡°I have no problems with it, this plan is completely under your custody¡±.


    ¡°What I want to dwell on is the elite assassination squad plan. But before I continue, Captain, do you care to introduce who this gentleman is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant Colonel¡±.

 Chapter 394: 4 days

    ¡°This is Captain Madara, an ex-soldier of the nearby Timber Republic¡±. Captain Drake introduced smoothly as the said Captain greeted the others harmoniously.


    Clark nodded in understanding after hearing that.


    After listening to Clark¡¯s initial plan that they needed a great distraction to have a higher chance of success, Captain Drake immediately started brainstorming on how to make this a reality.


    Though apart from the Pendragon mercenary group, no other mercenary group agreed to help them, he was not exactly cornered by that.


    Just like the Radan republic, most of the other neighboring low-grade countries were suffering from the exact same problem plaguing the republic, so those countries also had secret organizations opposing their government.


    In search of manpower to carry out the distraction, he went out beyond the Radan republic to contact these organizations and plead for help.


    Despite all his efforts, only Captain Madara of the Timber republic agreed to help him. He was the leader of the Secret Order organization that opposed the Timber government.


    He was not too surprised when only one person agreed to help him.


    Most of these organizations already suffered so much that they no longer believed in the feasibility of overthrowing their government, so they mostly saw his plan like that of a lunatic courting death.


    He didn¡¯t blame them though. If Lieutenant Colonel Clark didn¡¯t appear in his life, he would have been just like them.


    After listening to the captain¡¯s explanation, as Clark wanted to start talking about the elite assassination squad, he was interrupted by a new chair that suddenly appeared in the blue mist virtual world.


    Turning his head, he was surprised. ¡°Diana?¡±


    Diana politely greeted him and everyone else in the virtual world before going silent, she sat as still as a statue.


    Seeing her appear just a few hours after he told her of the commission, Clark could only marvel at how efficient Captain Drake was. The soldier really meant business, and they had the money too.


    He turned his head back before clearing his throat. ¡°For the elite assassination squad, I want the squad to comprise of only 10 soldiers¡±.


    ¡°This is not a war; it is more of an assassination attempt. So, I want us to strike fast and hard before the Radan army can react properly¡±.


    ¡°Leaving it at 10 people will make us much more flexible and adaptable¡±.


    ¡°For the elite squad, it will include me, Albert, Captain Drake, Captain King, Captain Josh, Captain Daniella, and Captain Madara. For the remaining 3, Captain Drake, I believe that you can provide them from your elite assassins¡±.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone who opposes my selection or the overall plan, you can present your reason now for revisions¡±.


    Seeing no one speak out, Clark nodded before he continued. ¡°We only have 4 days remaining, so we need to start our final preparations now¡±.


    ¡°I want everyone in this elite squad to converge in my underground base, we have to familiarize ourselves and understand each of our strengths and weaknesses before the D-day¡±.


    ¡°That is the only way for us to get the most efficiency¡±.


    ¡°For the elite squad¡¯s main assassination plan, this is my idea¡­¡±


    After explaining everything to the attendees of this gathering, Clark finally asked a question that has always been in his mind.


    ¡°Did any information come from Ares?¡±


    Captain Drake answered. ¡°Yes, he successfully infiltrated deeper, and now has access to the schedule of the President for the next 5 days¡±.


    ¡°Good¡±. Clark felt sincerely relieved.


    ¡°For this plan to be successful, we need individual brilliance but we need collective brilliance the most¡±.


    ¡°Everyone matters in this plan; I want sincere and undiluted cooperation from everyone who agreed to help. Only when we act as a unit can we succeed, that is our only hope for success¡±.


    ¡°I hope to see all of you in a few hours¡±.


    Then, he stood up. He was about to say ¡®for the Spartan republic¡¯ when he remembered that this was a different country, he quickly improvised with a smile on his face.


    ¡°For our planet, Earth!¡±


    ¡°For our planet!¡±


    The gathering finally came to an end.


    ¡­


    In Neon City, Oliver mansion, Captain Drake¡¯s eyes regained focus again as he immediately turned to face his female companion that sat a few inches away from him.


    Looking into each other¡¯s eyes, they could detect the excitement, relief, and gratefulness that was shining from deep within.


    They knew that the time was here. After 4 days, it was either they gained everything or they lost everything, there was no other alternative than that.


    This plan could easily lead to the annihilation of the old warriors club if any complication cropped up at an unexpected time.


    Despite the huge stakes placed in this, they were not deterred. No pain, no gain; this was firmly ingrained in their minds already.


    ¡°For Radan!¡±


    Captain Daniella echoed her leader. ¡°For Radan!¡±


    After chanting this, they seemed to have regained their strength. They stood up and started walking out of the office with boundless confidence radiating from their steps.


    As soon as they came out, Captain Drake gave his subordinates the go-ahead.


    In seconds, the whole Oliver mansion was aroused. In minutes, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd deep bases received the order and the old warriors club finally started a country-wide preparation.


    Just 4 days later, and a major upheaval will befall the Radan republic.


    ¡­


    In the Reagan republic, as soon as the virtual gathering came to an end, Emily sighed as she slumped down on her chair. For some reason, she didn¡¯t know exactly what she was feeling now.


    She knew that what Clark was doing was a good thing, but for some baffling reason, she felt sad for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever want to settle down?¡± She asked thoughtfully.


    Thud!


    Without even turning to look, she knew who was coming already. Jack entered the office naturally before coming to her chair, he hugged her from behind.


    ¡°How was the gathering?¡±


    Emily turned to face him. ¡°You guys will be there in 4 days¡±.


    ¡°Ok, but why do I feel that you¡¯re down?¡± Jack went to the front to look directly in the eyes of her fianc¨¦e.


    Emily sighed. ¡°It''s Clark, he¡¯s doing charity work now¡±.


    ¡°Is that not good, he¡¯s saving a country¡±.


    ¡°I know, but I feel that it''s at the expense of his happiness. He still doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend yet, and I don¡¯t see him putting in much effort into it. This life is short¡±.


    Jack laughed. ¡°I believe that he already has plans for that, a soldier of his caliber thinks ahead more than you can imagine¡±.


    Emily could not help but laugh. ¡°I hope so¡±.


    Jack brought a bottle of wine from the nearby cabinet and poured it into 2 cups. ¡°To saving a country!¡±


    Emily smiled. ¡°To saving a country!¡±


    ¡­


    Activities in the Radan republic went on like usual, the citizens still had no idea of the plans brewing in the dark. A great veil of upheavals was slowly covering them but they had no idea.


    Civilians went to work, as usual, the poor remained poor like always, the rich grew richer like always, and like these 4 days passed.


    It was the D-day.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 395: operation begins

    In the Radan Republic, Arial City, an enormous building stood on the Southside of the city. Its identity was directly written on its uppermost floor, carefully made by an artist to look like a signpost.


    >Traffic Control and Enforcement Building>


    At this moment, a courier drove a bike there and stopped before the building. The courier brought a description note from his delivery box, he crosschecked it thoroughly before bringing the box down.


    Carefully carrying it to the base gate of the building, he was stopped by a group of soldiers with stern expressions.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± One of the soldiers asked.


    ¡°I came to deliver this to Corporal Ares¡±.


    ¡°Ok, bring it over, you can go¡±. The soldier who questioned went forward to take hold of the box.


    The courier nodded, asked if they could sign on Corporal Ares¡¯s behalf which they nodded to. After the document of successful delivery was signed, he finally turned around to leave.


    After starting his bike, before he left, he turned to face the soldiers.


    ¡°Merry Christmas!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Corporal Ares? Why would a Corporal work here?¡± A man on suit questioned in confusion after the soldier handed over the box to him.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± His colleague came over to him. ¡°All these couriers are becoming more clueless by the day, just fulfill boss¡¯s orders and take it to the Naga Battalion headquarters¡±.


    ¡°Me?¡± The man scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much time to waste. If this is for him, he should come to take it himself. I¡¯m not scared of any Corporal¡±.


    He quickly stormed over to where his communication device was. He searched for a minute before getting the soldier¡¯s number, then he dialed it and waited patiently.


    ¡°Is this Corporal Ares?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°You have a delivery and¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there to take it, I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience. I just got the news that they sent it to Traffic control headquarters, couriers are really becoming more casual these days¡±.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡±.


    When the man ended the call, he was left stunned.


    ¡°What a polite soldier¡±.


    ¡­


    10 minutes later.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The same soldier at the gate asked the man in casual clothes with the same stern look on his face.


    Instead of answering, Ares casually dipped his hands into his pocket and brought out his badge before flashing it before the soldiers.


    Seeing the rank indicated there, the 3 soldiers were stunned. They immediately stood erect and saluted. ¡°Corporal!¡±


    Ares nodded casually before entering the compound. As he walked towards the main door leading inside the traffic control building, he casually swept a glance around his surroundings.


    With this one glance, he quickly got the whole picture of the compound in his head. He saw where the CCTV cameras were kept, and he also easily deduced all the locations with secret cameras.


    Knock! Knock!


    A female in a suit opened the door. Seeing the handsome man before her, the complaint on her throat faded before she asked politely with a smile.


    ¡°Sir, how may I help you?¡±


    Ares combed his hair with his hand helplessly. ¡°I was supposed to receive a delivery, but I just received news that the courier sent it here by mistake¡±.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Corporal Ares?¡± The lady¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Yes¡±. Ares nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Come in¡±.


    The lady smiled as she personally led the handsome soldier to where the delivery box was kept waiting for its owner. She engaged him in a small talk which Ares responded politely to.


    2 minutes later, Ares got his delivery box and left the building.


    As soon as he stepped out of the building, without even needing to sweep a glance at the compound again, he walked to a blind spot that was temporarily not being watched by the CCTV cameras.


    Quickly tearing the box open, he found a small mechanical device inside. He quickly attached it to his waist and activated it, the device spread a blue armor around him before he immediately disappeared.


    The delivery was an exotic stealth armor.


    He patiently waited for some minutes, when the door was opened again, he slipped inside the building without arousing any suspicion.


    Having secretly hacked and infiltrated into the records of the Traffic Control and Enforcement headquarters, he was able to navigate his way directly into the room where CCTV cameras are controlled.


    As soon as he slipped inside the room, he activated a function on a device with him and all lights in the room switched off.


    The confused workers could not react until something hit them.


    A minute later, the lights went on again but every worker in the room was fast asleep. Only an invisible figure shuttled across and immediately arrived before the control center of the CCTV cameras.


    He quickly typed his way to the cameras watching over the Radan Central airport, then he slightly altered them in negligible ways. He left all the other cameras to remain normal to not arouse immediate suspicion.


    After doing this, Ares slumped down on a chair and heaved a huge sigh of relief that relaxed his tense nerves.


    A few seconds later, he stood up again. He was not done.


    ¡­


    In the Radan Central airport, as soon as a certain order was transmitted, airplanes started descending into the airport in an organized and systematic manner.


    Clang!


    As soon as the door of the first airplane opened up, Jack came down out of the plane dressed in all-black clothes. All his weapons were already where they should be, his eyeshades increased how cool he currently looked.


    His coming down seemed like a signal because as soon as he came down, troops of other black-clothed individuals started coming down from the other airplanes.


    In moments, the airport was filled with strangely dressed individuals.


    The airport security and officials were startled by this sudden invasion. They tried to report the strange situation immediately but they could not. Of course, they could not put up a resistance also.


    A minute later, they were all put to sleep.


    ¡­


    After bringing down all the war weapons that they came with from the airplanes, as the mercenaries and freedom fighters arranged them, their 2 leaders went to meet each other.


    Jack exchanged a handshake with the stern-faced man. ¡°Corporal Jack¡±.


    ¡°Captain Madara¡±. The man smiled amiably. ¡°I hope for good cooperation between us¡±.


    ¡°I hope so too¡±.


    After this short exchange of pleasantries, they quickly turned around and started ordering their subordinates. Inside the airport, tons of civilian cars were already waiting for them.


    After everything was put in place, they systematically boarded the cars, and with intervals between each one driving out to avoid immediate suspicion, they left the airport.


    ¡­


    Don City, Sewers District.


    Christmas Day was supposed to be a celebratory day in the country but this was not the same in Sewers District. The district was as neglected as always, and the citizens were wallowing in hunger and poverty like usual.


    At this moment, assassins from the old warriors club already secretly infiltrated and blended in with the suffering civilians.


    At a crowded alley, a man suddenly brought out a sound amplifier from his bag before coming to a more conspicuous place in the alley.


    ¡°Fellow citizens of Sewers District, today is Christmas Day, a day of celebration but are we truly celebrating?¡±


    ¡°For years, we have been oppressed by the Radan government. They are currently celebrating Christmas in the comfort of their mansions while most of us can¡¯t even eat one set of meals today¡±.


    ¡°I say we are tired!¡± His voice increased in volume exaggeratedly.


    ¡°I say we are tired of this oppression!¡±


    ¡°We need to riot; we need to riot to show them that we are fed up!¡±


    ¡°We cannot let our unborn children come to this world only to face what we faced. I say no oh, this has to stop¡±.


    ¡°Today, I either live to see a better future for my child or die trying¡±.


    ¡°Who is with me?¡±


    ¡°ME!¡± His supporters from the dark shouted.


    Seeing the commotion, more civilian¡¯s attention was drawn. Quick asking around, they got the gist of the situation. They looked on at this man with complicated emotions in their eyes, the dead willpower was rising in them.


    ¡°WHO IS WITH ME?¡±


    ¡°ME!¡±


    Sewers District was aroused, the whole of Don City was aroused. Today, they were ready to go all out for an end to the oppression.


    Today, the whole of Radan was aroused.


    [Sorry for the late release.]

 Chapter 396: the drum beats of war

    ¡°We say no to President Kai!¡±


    ¡°We say no to Oppression!¡±


    ¡°We say no to Suffering!¡±


    ¡°We say no to Bad Governance!¡±


    Apart from the capital of Radan where most of the Radan army was concentrated, riots like this filled all other parts of the country.


    Every citizen with a brain in his head came out on this fateful day to fight for their freedom, to fight for what belonged to them, to fight for their right, to fight for their children, and to fight for their country.


    This was Christmas Day, the streets were flooded by people, but not in the way that was normal for past years. This year, everyone wanted a change.


    The country-wide riot continued for over an hour, and like expected, just like other similar riots in the past, the government ignored the plea of the civilians like they were bugs asking for freedom.


    In the past, this would have pushed the helpless civilians to the brink, and left with no choice, they would return to their homes dejected and hungry.


    But today was different, the conviction driving today¡¯s riot was vastly different. Today, Radan citizens were ready to claim back what belonged to them.


    From nowhere, the citizens pulled out guns and other weapons.


    Under the leadership of some people that could not be pinpointed, the helpless civilians were pushed to safety while the energetic and youthful ones pulled the trigger against the government buildings and mansions.


    You want to stay in your mansion and ignore us? Try it today, we will force you out of your comfy mansions.


    With that, gunfire erupted as bullets started pelting the hides of the government buildings that the riots were brought to.


    The government buildings were all the corruption and neglect started from, that was where the fight was brought to.


    The Radan army immediately responded, but the locations to pay attention to were too much for them to quell immediately.


    And they still held back, they didn¡¯t want to kill any civilians yet. But once the order came from their superiors, they were ready to obey and shoot at any civilians that they saw.


    This was how backward the governance of Radan was.


    ¡­


    Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Come in¡±. A deep voice sounded.


    As soon as the Corporal stepped into the office, he placed his right hand above his head and saluted while greeting respectfully.


    ¡°Good morning, General¡±.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± The General turned his eagle-like eyes to scrutinize his subordinate.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The Corporal replied before bringing out a projection device from his pocket. He projected a scene in the air.


    Seeing this scene, the General¡¯s eyes darkened in anger.


    ¡°Sir, a riot started this morning. According to our investigations, it started after being instigated by some people in the dark. It first easily took off in Don City, but now the whole country is practically crawling with it¡±.


    ¡°The old warriors club?¡±


    ¡°That is what we suspect sir, but we can¡¯t confirm yet¡±.


    The General laughed. ¡°They¡¯ve graduated to using weapons now since they are out of options¡±.


    He sharply turned to meet his subordinate. ¡°Prepare the army for an immediate counterattack and wait for my instructions, I¡¯ll speak with the President¡±.


    ¡°Yes, General¡±. The Corporal saluted again before leaving.


    Taking a deep breath, the General brought out a special communication device. As soon as he dialed a number, it took only a few seconds before a projection appeared before him.


    ¡°Mr. President¡±. He greeted respectfully.


    ¡°Why did you call me?¡±


    ¡°There is a situation¡±. Without mincing words, the General immediately explained everything that he learned about the riot to the President.


    The President flared up immediately on hearing the news. ¡°They dare?¡±


    ¡°Good, very good!¡± His face soon twisted into an evil grin. ¡°This is my order. Since they have the guts to use weapons, use weapons to suppress them¡±.


    ¡°By the time hundreds or even thousands of them die today, I¡¯m sure that they will come back to their senses. Also, I want you to fish out those who instigated this and execute them¡±.


    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t get anybody from the old warriors club due to their sneaky nature, take any civilian or soldier and kill him. I want someone to pay, they¡¯ve ruined my celebration already¡±.


    ¡°As you wish, Mr. President¡±.


    As soon as the General ended the projection call, a vicious gleam shone in his eyes. Without hesitation, he called for his subordinate again, the Corporal.


    ¡°Mobilize the army and retaliate¡±.


    ¡°Yes, General¡±.


    ¡­


    Some minutes after the order was transferred down, in the locations where the riot already peaked and most government buildings were already on fire, the Radan army finally arrived.


    Without speaking a word, the military vehicles formed a semi-circle formation around the civilians who were being unruly.


    Guns were pulled out, the soldiers aimed, then they shot.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    ¡°Aaah¡­!!!¡±


    The civilians were clearly shocked by the decisive action taken by the soldiers. Though soldiers killing civilians here was not rare, doing it on such a large scale was unheard of.


    Seeing the cold vehicles and cold faces of the soldiers who already started killing their fellow rioters, the citizens felt the zeal to continue in their hearts waning.


    ¡°Is this our fate?¡±


    ¡°Are we fated to live and die in oppression?¡±


    As despairing thoughts filled their minds, a hidden variable finally acted.


    ¡°You have the go-ahead to engage¡±.


    Captain Drake¡¯s unusually cold voice sounded in the military comm, radiating intense vengeance and the hunger for blood.


    As soon as the order was transferred down, the disguised mercenaries of the Pendragon mercenary organization and the assassins of the Secret Order organization finally acted.


    They reacted swiftly to the Radan army¡¯s rampant offensive, and they came out with a bang. They had the power to back their charge.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    From a casual routine shooting to kill civilians, it became a full-fledged war.


    Bullet shells fell, spreading pitty pattering sounds like falling rain as the Radan army and their aggressors came to blows with no one holding back.


    In moments, the originally silent Radan republic was aroused like an ancient Dragon finally waking up from a millennia slumber.


    Today, 25th December, the drumbeats of war were sounded in Radan.


    ¡­


    Deep underground, in a secret railway that was recently dug after the attack plan was finalized, a mini-train waited silently like a hibernating transformer robot waiting for that important order to attack.


    Captain Drake suddenly brought his head down to his communication device, a single sentence was sent to him.


    ¡°There is Chaos¡±.


    He raised his head to face his companions, he stopped at the assassin who had that headband tag of number 10. ¡°That¡¯s our cue to move¡±.


    Without hesitation, the engines of the mini-train started before it began pulling its metallic body down the rails.


    The Operation to get the Radan President¡¯s head finally began.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 397: general cable

    Boom!


    In the headquarters of the Radan Ministry of Finance, a fierce battle was currently going on as both parties directly abandoned all safety and let themselves become unrestrained.


    Machine gunshots filled the battlefield, heavy artillery vehicles released their loads without restraints under the control of the operators.


    The cacophonic sound of soldiers embroiled in a heated battle was dominant in this once diplomatic headquarters.


    All the workers in the huge headquarters were already evacuated underground by the soldiers. This created an undiluted atmosphere of battle for them to dine in.


    Jack kept on barking orders at the mercenaries as they adjusted into better positions to attack the weak points of the Radan soldiers.


    Right now, the more chaotic melee battle has not started yet as both sides were still trying out themselves from a safe range.


    Due to the proximity of the ministry of finance¡¯s headquarters to the Presidential villa, reinforcement was already coming in huge waves but the mercenaries were not flustered.


    Despite how heated the battle already was, they were still composed. Compared to battles that they¡¯ve encountered in the past, this was probably one of the easiest.


    They were more accustomed to battling against soldiers with gadgets and weapons of the same standards as them, suddenly coming to a low-grade country was like degrading the difficulty from hell to hard for them.


    Despite the overwhelming advantage that they had against the soldiers protecting the ministry headquarters, they did not push their luck and try to take it in one fell swoop.


    They fought like Night Rakshashas; calmly baiting their opponent with deliberate weak attacks until they exposed their weak point, then they will erupt and bite as hard as a Lion.


    Zoom!


    The first vehicle reinforcement from the Presidential villa finally arrived. Armed to the teeth, the soldiers dropped down from the vehicles like a colony of ants as they advanced in droves at their aggressors.


    Every unit had a designated leader that gave orders, the chain of command was systematic and organized as the soldiers advanced in clusters.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Jack finally growled out the order that all the mercenaries were anticipating.


    He pulled out his sword from its sheath, said a short prayer to his God, before rushing out into the CenterPoint of the battlefield with his comrades.


    The clash finally started for real, both parties quickly got embroiled in a battle royale that spread across kilometers.


    This was the same situation across the Radan republic as the notable government buildings were all subjected to unending attacks from the mercenaries, and the freedom fighters.


    Having operated in the country for years, some assassins of the old warriors club even knew the strategic crooks and corners of the country than the official soldiers.


    Paired with their valuable knowledge, they were able to direct and help their allies plan seamless advancements and retreats if the situation went contrary.


    Like this, they became akin to a bee hovering around the huge ears of the Radan army. Left with no choice, the army had to mobilize even more of its reserve soldiers to curb this country-wide attack.


    Slowly but surely, the soldiers were being pushed without their consent to follow the script that they wrote in their elaborate attack plan.


    ¡­


    In the Presidential Villa, a huge feast was currently going on in the outer court as the President and all his close relatives and friends enjoyed the refreshing aura of Christmas.


    The atmosphere had a harmonious vibe to it, food and drinks kept on being brought by the designated chefs with no end to them. The children had a banquet that was specially organized for them.


    Laughter filled the air; carefreeness and a sense of superiority filled all the participants of the feast.


    Unknowing to most guests in the feast, as they feasted, the country was already in flames but even if they knew they wouldn¡¯t have cared.


    What concerned them about the affairs of the country?


    If the situation became too serious, they could just travel abroad to the luxurious vacation countries and spend a nice time there.


    Amidst this atmosphere, they didn¡¯t know that they were already targeted.


    ¡­


    Click! Clack!


    After traveling a few kilometers under the ground, the mini-train finally came to a stop. As soon as the assassins came down from the mini-train, they saw a spiraling staircase that led up.


    Without saying a word, number 1 who was Captain Drake took the lead and started climbing the staircase.


    As they moved, they activated strong jamming devices that left the atmosphere around them filled with strong interference currents.


    Every assassin in the group was in stealth armor. Through the channels of the Pendragon mercenary group, Captain Drake just had to pay the money and the needed gadgets for the operation were bought.


    In 2 minutes, they got to the surface.


    Observing their surroundings, they were now before the enormous black gate of the Presidential Villa. Carefully covering the camouflaged opening back, all 10 of them rapidly started moving towards the gate.


    The clueless soldiers manning the gate had no idea as the assassins blatantly infiltrated the Presidential villa under their watch.


    Without letting out a single sound, the 10 assassins continued their infiltration. Avoiding the main road leading through the villa, they infiltrated through the garden which had slightly looser surveillance.


    They moved swiftly like ghosts in a haunted castle.


    ¡­


    In the big mansion belonging to General Cable of the Radan army that was close to the Presidential Villa, the General sat on his chair as he looked at a device before him with a serious expression on his face.


    Green lights flowed through the mirror-like device. As he patiently waited and watched it without blinking, the device suddenly beeped and the green lights distorted before turning to red at a certain point.


    Seeing this, the General was startled at first before a grin overcame his face. ¡°Drake, Daniella, the 2 of you really have the guts¡±.


    Having suspected Ares due to some reasons, he decided to put him under special surveillance. And to his surprise, the Corporal was really abnormal.


    Immediately after he caught this clue, he decided to use him as his iron rod to punish the old warriors club. He allowed the soldier to continue his spy work while he monitored all his actions.


    Through him, he was able to plan ahead and he installed a special detection device across the Presidential villa.


    Now, his speculation was confirmed. The club¡¯s target was the President. This action radiated a sense of stupid stubbornness, now he wanted to know what gave his old comrade the courage to take that bold step.


    He suddenly stood up from his chair. ¡°Bring me my weapon¡±.


    ¡°Yes, General¡±.

 Chapter 398: inside the presidential villa

    As the feast continued in the Presidential Villa, one of the guards protecting the President suddenly got a message. Without leaving where he was, he transferred the message to the President in a discreet manner.


    The President coughed with a smile before standing up. ¡°A situation just cropped up in my office, I have to go attend to it¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. President¡±. The guests in the feast immediately answered with fawning smiles on their faces.


    The President smiled wider, held his wife¡¯s hand before gracefully walking out of the feast. His children were also discreetly warned, and in minutes, every individual personally related to the President was escorted out.


    The others didn¡¯t question the strange actions, they continued their feast. Despite feeling that it was strange, it was not in their position to ask.


    To them, it was already an honor getting to participate in a celebratory feast with the President.


    ¡­


    ¡°The President moved¡±. Ares¡¯s quaking guilt-filled voice sounded.


    Hearing this, Clark raised a hand, making all the assassins in his entourage stop. He asked sternly. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he and his family are currently being moved away. Oh, I just lost footage of some of the cameras in the Presidential villa¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t act as a spy well¡±.


    ¡°Forget about that now, you did a good job¡±.


    Clark turned to the others. ¡°Ares was right, he¡¯s been discovered long ago. We are lucky that he also discovered the abnormality¡±.


    ¡°My guess is that we¡¯re already surrounded, we¡¯ll be switching to Plan B immediately¡±.


    Seeing that no one objected, Clark turned to face King. ¡°The success of this phase lies with you; I hope your collections are as potent as you claim¡±.


    King only grinned in reply.


    Seeing this, Clark said no more, he turned to leave immediately. Captain Drake and Captain Josh immediately broke out from the others and followed, they started sprinting through the huge villa immediately.


    As soon as this change was detected, the soldiers in the presidential villa were alerted and without hesitation, they rushed out.


    Seeing the ton of soldiers converging from all sides to their position, none of the 7 assassins left behind panicked. With smooth movements, they pulled out their weapons and prepared for battle.


    With his large-muzzled bomb launcher, King took a step forward to stand at the front of the group. He aimed carefully at the rushing soldiers, then he pulled the trigger, igniting the flames of battle.


    Boom! Boom!


    His specialty came into play immediately. Despite the overwhelming number of soldiers, when faced with pressure-filled bombs, shrapnel bombs, gas bombs, and a lot more, it was easy to falter.


    As soon as King acted, the others acted under the leadership of Captain Daniella and Captain Madara.


    They didn¡¯t proactively attack; they instead formed a defense perimeter where they set up a bulwark defense. From inside here, they battered hard at the Radan soldiers who were coming in units.


    In seconds, blood flew and soldiers started falling dead.


    In minutes, the sound of battle and explosions arrived at the villa¡¯s outer court where the feast was being held.


    Spooked by the sound of battle, chaos spread among the people who were originally enjoying their feast.


    In less than 5 minutes, chaos took over the Presidential Villa.


    ¡­


    Clark¡¯s eyes darted around like those of an eagle as he tried to trace where the President and his family escaped to through the last information that Ares sent before his access to the CCTV cameras was cut off.


    Some of the soldiers branched off to their position to hold them back, but he didn¡¯t even direct his attention to it.


    With Captain Drake and Josh with him, he didn¡¯t need to be worried about such small fry. Gunshots were rapidly exchanged.


    Due to the meticulous planning before today, Clark¡¯s work was vastly reduced as his search area was narrowed down. 2 minutes later, immediately after he went through another corner, he saw an underground door being closed.


    He reacted immediately and pulled the trigger of his sniper rifle but the shot only grazed the underground door without destroying it.


    He was not disheartened by this; he finally found his target which meant that a lot of things were now easier.


    He smoothly pulled out his spear from his back, kept his sniper rifle in the process before taking large strides to branch out from his 2 allies straight in the direction of the door.


    As he sprinted forward, the ground suddenly opened up to reveal hidden defense measures. Artillery vehicles drove out, ultra-fast automatic pistols revealed themselves from various ports, including machine guns of various types.


    Metal blockades grew out of the ground, demarcating the garden into various parts and isolating the soldiers who were trapped within.


    Seeing this, Clark was not flustered. He calmly flexed his spear while activating its force field, then he started swiping left and right.


    Boom!


    The first blockade was directly cleaved down, then the others followed.


    Seeing the defense measures, Captain Drake attacked swiftly with his exotic sword as he started dissecting the metal weapons and defensive structures apart.


    Josh already brought out his trademark sword and rifle. Pulling the trigger with one hand at the surrounding structures, his right hand hacked with his sword, forcefully creating passages through them.


    An assault from three 3rd rank high-grade soldiers left the defense structures faltering, but more simply came out from underground.


    All these showed how much money the Radan President splurged on the villa. He already turned the villa to his home, and it was practically his defense fortress.


    Despite the attacks from the elite Radan army units, the defense structures, and everything, Clark was still able to navigate his way to the location of the underground door.


    Getting there, he simply leaped up and stabbed down with his spear.


    Rumble!


    The foundations of the mansion were forcefully shaken, spreading shockwaves around as a hole was bored through the extremely durable door.


    Before the shocked soldiers could react, the assassin already disappeared in. They tried to go in and reinforce their President but Captain Drake and Josh stayed behind, firmly resisting any interruption.


    ¡­


    7 minutes after the assassination started, General Cable of the Radan army arrived at the Presidential Villa with a livid expression on his face.


    He did not expect the old warriors club to have the ability to invite so many 3rd rank high-grade soldiers¡¯ help, the efficiency of the attack in only 7 minutes already frightened him, he did not dare waste any more time.


    Seeing the Presidential Villa that was already caught up in flames, he held his sword more firmly before rushing inside.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 399: president robot

    Seeing the revered General of the Radan republic enter the battlefield, a change undoubtedly came like the wind. The Radan army soldiers felt their hearts swell with pride, they suddenly grew more confident due to this emergence.


    Despite their overwhelming numbers, the quality of their opponents was just too much for them.


    Against multiple 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, the advantage of numbers was severely limited. For minutes, they were constantly being spanked by the assassins, most especially the bomb fellow.


    Thinking of King only left them shuddering in fear, but this fear was abated by a lot after their General entered the battlefield.


    The effect of the General¡¯s emergence was vastly different among the aggressors. King and the others immediately became solemn on seeing the aging General, this was a real living 4th rank high-grade soldier, not a lifeless relic.


    Seeing the huddled-up group of individuals that were spreading trouble in his country, General Cable¡¯s anger peaked.


    As he sprinted closer, he raised his enormous sword before swiping down.


    From the point where the sword touched the air, ripples spread in the air like a natural disaster was imminent. The surrounding air stirred rapidly like it was being affected by an order from the creator himself.


    Seeing this, King and the others¡¯ hearts tightened but they did not panic. They huddled closer to each other before bringing out exotic shields and stacking them on top of each other to form a bulwark shield.


    Boom!


    The sword impacted the shield with a loud sound.


    It was completely impeded at first, then it started tearing through completely like it was an unstoppable tsunami.


    Like popping firecrackers, the shield started being cut through.


    When the sword was almost breaching through the shield completely, King¡¯s face became vicious as he brought out a bomb that was vastly different from the others before stuffing it in his bomb launcher.


    He aimed and pulled the trigger.


    Poof!


    The bomb first sounded like a gas bomb, but it soon graduated to sounds that drilled into the ears of everyone in the vicinity of kilometers around it.


    It first brought out black gas, then it erupted into an explosion of black flames of extremely high temperatures that soared into the sky like fireworks.


    Chaos Bomb!


    This was one of the best 3 bomb types that King got from the Aragan ruin. This was his first time using it and it pained him, but he was still happy that he found a situation worthy enough to force him to use it.


    In moments, the black flames spread, devouring the exotic sword of the General in the process as it formed something like a black hole.


    General Cable¡¯s eyes constricted in shock. ¡°What is this?¡±


    While questioning, he already rapidly retreated to safeguard his life. When the effects of the chaos bomb subsided, a significant part of the battlefield looked like it suffered from a nuclear explosion.


    Before the shocked General could react, under the leadership of Captain Daniella and Captain Madara, the group of assassins rushed to attack him before he could pull out another weapon.


    They could not kill him, but they had to at least tie him down and this was the main task that was assigned to them.


    Albert showed his hand for the first time, revealing how rich he was as gadgets of a standard of high-grade countries were released and used like the money used to buy them were mere paper.


    On this assassination day, this group of soldiers achieved another legendary feat of battling a 4th rank high-grade soldier to a temporary standstill.


    ¡­


    Thud!


    As soon as Clark landed inside the underground passage, he was prepared for the worse so he was not caught off-guard when the walls, floor, and everywhere turned into weapons to attack him.


    His always reliable exotic armor activated on time, protecting him from the barrage of bullets and explosions that followed.


    With firm determination on his face, he grabbed his spear and started practicing moves in this passage. He swiped left and right, stabbed everywhere, spreading destruction as he rushed through the passage.


    Others had their task in this assassination attempt, and his was the most daunting of all which was to assassinate the President.


    He agreed to take on this daunting task, and he was not ready to give up now. He fought with his all like he¡¯s not done in a long time, his spear rapidly bombarded his surroundings.


    The passage was already rigged with tons of explosives and traps. He felt like he was moving through a dungeon of thorns and needles on his barefoot.


    Despite all the challenges, with his spear in hand, he bulldozed his way through them all. The passage was already filled with smoke due to the destruction that he was spreading, but he could still see through his special vision goggles.


    For over a minute, he kept on bulldozing his way through the passageway at a mind-blowing speed without meeting any soldier.


    This stopped a few seconds later, the elite unit of soldiers was already prepared for the intruder. Under the leadership of a man with red hair, they attacked with all conviction.


    Captain Odin; Clark recognized the man immediately.


    But Clark¡¯s eyes constricted in confusion. Why would only one Captain stay to protect the President from this assassination attempt when the country had 3 Captains.


    And the other 2 Captains were not outside either, what did this mean?


    His brain rapidly analyzed but his movements did not pause. Like a phantom, his spear went boom boom, slapping the bullets and obstacles in his path to oblivion as he rapidly advanced forward.


    After his encounter with Captain Titus of the Persian tigers organization, any other Captain who was weaker could not put up a fight against him, and Captain Odin was clearly weaker.


    The captain put up a good commendable fight, but in the end, it was all naught as he beat him to the point of helplessness.


    Only 2 minutes since he arrived inside the secret underground passageway, and he already nullified all the forces protecting the Radan President.


    From the corner of his eyes, he could see the frightened wife and children of the President who shivered in fear at the corner. Only the President had a calm face, almost to the point of being spooky.


    Clark was not fazed as he walked to meet him, he looked him in the eye.


    ¡°What are your last words?¡±


    ¡°Operating systems¡­¡±


    Whoosh!


    Clark¡¯s spear swiped past and the President¡¯s head was separated from his body. The only problem was that the President¡¯s last few words kept on reverberating in his head.


    Shocked, he turned to look and discovered that what was left of the President¡¯s neck was wires, metal, and sparkling electricity.


    ¡°A Robot?¡± Morales¡¯s face showed confusion.


    The President¡¯s wife revealed horror on her face, his children revealed over-the-top horror. In seconds, his 2 daughters fainted in horror while his only son messed himself up.


    Thud!


    Clark turned to look at the newcomer.

 Chapter 400: battle

    Before having the confidence to start the assassination of the Radan President, Clark made sure that they left no stone unturned. He was confident that they considered everything.


    Even the problem revealed by Ares, they were able to improvise and look for a way to go through it without complicating the whole plan.


    So where did they go wrong?


    They monitored the President with advanced gadgets. He was confident that this was the President, this was the same person who has been sitting in the President''s seat since his first step inside this country.


    This was the same person who attended the Press Conference after the Radan minister of Finance was assassinated.


    There was no way that they could have gone wrong, unless¡­


    Morales raised his head to look at General Cable, a complicated expression now inside his eyes. He couldn¡¯t believe the conclusion that he just came to.


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve come to the conclusion yourself¡±. The General was extremely calm, not even paying attention to the robot who was originally impersonating the Radan President.


    Clark¡¯s face twisted complicatedly. ¡°You killed him¡±.


    He slowly raised his hands to scratch his smooth beards in disbelief of his own conclusion. ¡°You killed your own President?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±. General Cable answered calmly.


    ¡°He was not a good leader, so I killed him. Radan needed a better, stronger, and more ruthless leader, and there was no other best candidate than myself¡±.


    ¡°I simply replaced him with a robot, and I control it¡±.


    The General grinned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that glorious? That is what high-grade soldiers should do, not serving civilian leaders¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I like your country, you understand the times better. Commander Leonidas is my role model, I simply took a step further in becoming like him¡±.


    Seeing the look on the General¡¯s face as he spoke, Clark knew that he completely believed the crazy idea that he cooked up was right.


    The General already admitted it but he still found it hard to believe. In the end, he just ended it with a single sentence.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy¡±.


    The General grinned. ¡°Everyone is crazy, it just depends on the degree of craziness that we manifest in our day-to-day activities¡±.


    Clark deflated a bit. ¡°So, what will you do now?¡±


    ¡°What else? Create a new robot and continue the impersonation. Revealing the truth will only bring more riots from the brainless bastards of this country¡±.


    ¡°Do they know?¡± Clark pointed at Captain Odin who laid to the side, listening to the conversation calmly.


    ¡°Of course, they know, he is the only neutral one among them. The others are already infested with the civilian leadership, they all opposed my plan¡±.


    He grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t need cowards like them in my regime. I already told them, as they didn¡¯t come to help today, they should just f*ck off completely¡±.


    Clark paused. ¡°So, you caused all the suffering in this country, the suppression of soldiers too¡±.


    He suddenly laughed. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re afraid of a soldier overtaking you in the future¡±.


    The General revealed a glower on hearing that but he quickly suppressed it. ¡°Your special identity is your saving grace, or you would be a dead man by now¡±.


    Clark did not mind him. ¡°What will you do to me?¡±


    ¡°If you can promise to keep your mouth shut, you can return alive. But if you refuse, I can as well end your life here, including those of your friends¡±.


    Clark kept quiet for a minute before he answered. ¡°Ok¡±.


    ¡°You mean you can keep it?¡±


    Clark took a deep breath. ¡°I refuse to keep your crimes a secret¡±.


    The General was startled for a moment, then he quickly recovered.


    ¡°Then you leave me with no choice¡±. He pulled out another exotic sword.


    Clark held his spear tighter and looked him directly in the eyes.


    Feeling his fearless gaze, the General chuckled. ¡°What gives you the confidence that you can face me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon¡±.


    Boom!


    Clark exerted force on his legs, breaking the floor beneath him in the process as he rushed at the General with all the veins on his face popping out and moving like slithering snakes.


    In a second, he arrived before the General and swiped with his spear.


    The General had a calm look on his face as he used his left gloved hand to gently push the spear to the side, then he head-butted the unruly Lieutenant Colonel hard.


    Clark felt dizzy but he recovered in less than a second.


    His body moved with power, slamming at the General¡¯s side while his spear was already going for a comeback strike.


    The General was surprised by the strength exerted by him, but he quickly became calm again. He finally raised his sword and retaliated.


    Boom!


    The force made the walls of the underground passage shake before developing various fractures. The shockwaves spread through the floor, stirring the air and tearing the floor like an earthquake was imminent.


    The force almost pushed Clark back but with much effort, he was able to kick the floor and keep himself in place.


    Seeing his actions, the General kicked at his head.


    Clark could no longer control himself as he flew back like a cannon ball, hitting the floor with force as it caved in with his figure.


    As soon as he shrugged off the dizziness, he heard the heavy footsteps of the General sprinting towards him. Without hesitation, he activated his battle art- the frenzied maneuver.


    He leaped up slightly and easily got to his feet. Without hesitation, he rushed to attack the General again.


    This time, he added auxiliary supplements. His daggers came out of their hidden ports and hovered around him as they were controlled by a strange magnetic power, they all flew at the General.


    As soon as the daggers flew out, his body calmed down as he tried to siphon the ability that was hidden deep inside his essence as a high-grade soldier.


    His eyes suddenly blazed fiercely; he activated his self-created technique- Dragon breaks the ranks as he seemed to have turned to a hurricane.


    Boom!


    [Thanks for reading, and staying with me till chapter 400.]

 Chapter 401: the deitys fists

    Bam! Bam!


    The sound of battle was still raging in the now chaotic Presidential Villa. The soldiers of the Radan army were still trying their best to defeat the assassins, while the assassins just remained inside their bulwark defense.


    King kept on providing chaotic cover fire with his bombs for his group, making their job a lot easier.


    Under the leadership of Captain Madara and Captain Daniella, the others firmly held the Radan army soldiers to a stalemate.


    They didn¡¯t want to wantonly kill the soldiers, so they just held them to a stalemate to stall for time.


    As soon as the General escaped from them, they did not pursue him immediately because they were sure that Clark would finish the job. They could see what Clark saw through a special device that was distributed to all of them.


    The shock of finding out the truth hit them hard.


    When Clark decisively beheaded the President, they heaved sighs of relief but seeing that the target was a robot left them feeling goosebumps all over.


    Throughout Clark¡¯s conversation with the General, they were quiet, instinctively reacting to the attacks of the Radan soldiers while all their attention was focused on the conversation.


    When the General¡¯s secret was released, their minds went numb.


    Captain Daniella felt like she was living a life of deceit her whole life. The country that she thought she knew was now something else, her understanding of everything started experiencing huge upheavals.


    Captain Drake was the same. He originally blocked the underground passageway¡¯s entrance with Josh to prevent anyone else from entering, but they obviously could not stop the General.


    As soon as the General went down, they followed so they were able to hear everything from a first-person perspective.


    Captain Drake was left in a daze. For a long time, he could not speak, nor even think, he felt like his brain was being pounded on the mortar.


    He felt all strength start leaving his body as he discovered that a significant part of his hatred was directed at the wrong person for years. Now, he finally knew who his former comrade really was.


    Boom!


    Hearing this sound and experiencing the tyrannical shockwave that followed, he finally snapped out of his daze and focused.


    ¡°Clark is battling alone with General Cable¡±.


    His eyes widened in shock. At the same time that he came to this realization did the others also come to it. Without hesitation, they started sprinting towards the battlefield to lend a helping hand.


    As King and the others rushed in the direction of the underground passageway, Albert hesitated for a bit before going in another direction.


    In a moment, he was out of the Presidential Villa.


    ¡­


    Bam!


    Clark was slammed to the ground by the attack of the General again. Despite the protection of his exotic armor, he felt his bones, muscles, and internal organs shifting a bit from the force.


    He felt like his body was slowly becoming someone else¡¯s.


    When he attacked with his self-created technique, the power generated was mind-blowing but General Cable was still able to parry with his sword and impede all the kinetic force accompanying the strike.


    Since then, he was thrown into a quagmire of being thrashed.


    Having taken the battle seriously, every attack from the General left his blood and bones screaming for mercy. Since he started his journey as a soldier, this was his first time being so trashed completely.


    He was beaten black and blue, whipped like a ragdoll but all these were not enough to curb that zeal for judgmental vengeance that was burning in his heart.


    At this point, the underground passageway was already more or less destroyed. The shockwaves and force from the battle already tore all its foundations apart, leaving it bare.


    This and others were enough to show the level of the ongoing battle


    Clark was not completely hopeless yet despite the huge disparity in strength. Though the General has not used any self-created technique or battle art yet, he had some confidence as he had trump cards hidden.


    Not 1, but he had 2 hidden trump cards.


    Thud!


    As soon as King and the others dropped into the already dilapidated underground passage, Captain Drake finally led the charge forward as they all rushed forward to reinforce their comrade.


    Seeing the number of 3rd rank high-grade soldiers coming to battle against him, General Cable only snorted before swiping his sword around at them.


    In answer to this, Captain Drake and everyone else did not hesitate as they all activated their battle arts immediately. And as one, they struck out at the same time to parry this blow.


    Boom!


    The 2 opposing forces were held to a stalemate for seconds before that from the General overpowered in the end as his opponents were thrown away.


    Taking advantage of this opening, Clark rushed to attack him from the back but the General was too experienced for such cheap tricks.


    In a moment, the battle changed from a 1 vs 1 to a 1 vs 6.


    Only 3rd rank high-grade soldiers were qualified to take part in a battle of this level, the others stayed far away and provided cover fire.


    The chaos in the passageway quickly skyrocketed, causing even more accelerated destruction to the underground passageway.


    The Radan soldiers outside rushed to the entrance of the underground passageway but they could not also participate in the battle, they were relegated to spectators in this high-grade battle.


    Bam! Bam!


    The General¡¯s spear swiped, stabbed, and slashed repeatedly at mind-blowing speeds, sufficiently keeping all 6 Captains at bay.


    As Clark battled, calculations rapidly went through his mind with the help of his implant as he rapidly narrowed down his choices.


    2 minutes later into the battle, he made his decision. Just as the General turned his body to parry another joint attack from the other Captains, Clark¡¯s eyes focused as he executed his 2nd self-created technique.


    Executing the Deity¡¯s Fists changed the vibe around him immediately.


    ¡°Now!¡± He growled into his comm; his comrades obeyed as they all hastily backed off.


    Feeling the rapidly increasing heat behind him and the blinding light, the General felt a bad premonition immediately as he hastily turned around to parry the strike.


    Clark¡¯s face revealed countless veins as he exerted his all, he channeled this stubborn self-created technique into his spear before spreading it out.


    The bright light spiked in intensity, then¡­


    Boom!


    [Sorry for the late release.]

 Chapter 402: unveiling the mech

    The General was shocked when he felt the powerful feedback, he was receiving from the strike that he was parrying. He exerted more power in his sword, but he was shocked to see the spear winning the tug of war.


    This was the first time that he was being pushed back by an enemy¡¯s strike in years. Before he could comprehend everything properly, his sword was flung away from his hand.


    As soon as this happened, the spear continued forward with most of its power still intact. It breached his exotic armor, then it finally penetrated his skin tyrannically.


    For a moment, his brain drifted away, then the next he felt searing pain explode in his head like he was dropped in a burning fire.


    He felt the spear ravaging his internals, blood, organs, his face contorted in extreme pain as he felt an urge to die.


    Despite the pain, he was able to delegate some power to his body to control himself and minimize the damage.


    At the last moment, before the spear could penetrate all the way through, he slapped at it with all his power while throwing his body to the side.


    He survived the blow and finally jumped to the side for safety. All these happened in less than a second.


    As soon as the strike ended, Clark did not go in pursuit as he felt a little drained. Unable to stand upright, he bent and placed his hands to his knees to rest his exhausted body.


    Seeing the blood flying in the air and hearing the muffled grunt of pain from the Radan General, Captain Drake and the others sucked in a cold breath of air.


    Once again, their understanding of this world started experiencing upheavals and reorientations. They wanted to direct a gaze of respect at Clark, but they all stiffened as they felt the anger of the General.


    General Cable¡¯s eyes became bloodshot. He didn¡¯t know how this soldier was able to produce such an attack that vastly exceeded his rank, but he did not dare look at him superficially again.


    Not even putting effort to suppress the anger in his eyes, he raised his hands as a box that seemed like a suitcase suddenly materialized from mid-air.


    When he opened the suitcase, the contents inside it came out by themselves and attached themselves to his bulky Pugilistic form.


    In moments, he was cloth in a thick military vest that exuded a vibe like no metal on earth could cut through it. His trousers were the same, the only difference was that they had different conspicuous spots to hide weapons.


    As soon as this happened, he finally grabbed the sword that was hovering before him in mid-air.


    He was still General Cable, but he now looked strangely different.


    Without even speaking first like he was fond of, he reeled back to gather all the momentum that he could get before propelling his sword with a force that could almost propel a rocket to space.


    Immediately after the General brought the strange suitcase, Clark was already in the process of escaping to get his last trump card but the General was too fast.


    As the General rapidly closed the distance to him, his front suddenly shimmered as King disappeared from his position before directly appearing before him. His bomb launcher was already aimed, he only pulled the trigger.


    He used 2 trump cards at the same time; his short-range teleportation device and another of his chaos bombs.


    The tyrannical sword slash and bomb finally met.


    The air visibly squeezed, whiffs of black substances like smoke came out of the air then everything erupted outwards at once.


    Boom! Boom!


    The sound was like exploding dominoes as everyone in the scene except the General started bleeding from their ears. General Cable did not run from the chaos bomb this time, he directly clashed with it.


    The shockwave directly flattened the underground passageway, exposing its top while reducing it to shambles and dust as the earth cracked meters underneath.


    As the black fire of the bomb and the General grappled, a rope suddenly dropped from the air. Clark jumped and caught it mid-air, and in moments he was easily pulled into the air.


    ¡°Escape from the mansion!¡±


    Only his departing words reverberated in his ally¡¯s ears.


    They didn¡¯t know what he was up to, but after the previous strike from him, they gave him that respect that he was up to another mischief.


    Before the others could even comprehend what was said, King and Captain Josh already took to their heels. Seeing this, the others panicked and immediately followed.


    General Cable saw this but he was not able to intervene as he was still in the process of counter-destroying the bomb¡¯s explosion.


    By the time he was done, everything a few meters around him already turned to what looked like a ruin. His hair blew messily, his eyes were bloodshot; he was about to go in pursuit when he heard a whirring sound above him.


    Looking up, he first saw a helicopter hovering in mid-air, then he saw a heavy metallic machine falling towards him from above.


    In his confusion, the metallic machine pulled out a flaming sword from its body. It raised the sword high in preparation for an attack, this was when the mech looked down with its 2 red glowing eyes.


    Seeing this, General Cable felt his heart skip a beat.


    Without hesitation, he pushed out of the rubble and jumped away from the CenterPoint where the sword of the metallic monster would land on.


    The flaming sword of the mech struck down with power of epic proportions.


    Boom!


    From one boom, it quickly steamrolled to a series of booming sounds as the flaming sword wreaked havoc from the center of its touching the ground outwards.


    The sword dug a few meters deep into the earth''s crust on where it landed. Then from there, the shockwave spread out tyrannically like an envoy of death.


    The earth rolled speedily, nearby decorative trees were pulled off their feet, artillery vehicles were carried off their feet, Radan soldiers were directly torn to shreds from the force as the shockwave wreaked havoc.


    It was like the most terrifying hurricane ever.


    Woo¡­!!!


    The sound drilled into every ear across kilometers as a significant part of the Presidential Villa was directly leveled down. When it subsided, deafening silence descended into the villa.


    The mech¡¯s red glowing eyes turned over, and they clashed with the eyes of the angry and glowering General.


    Sparks were sent off in the air.

 Chapter 403: mech battle the fall of a general

    Seeing the destructive force that just wreaked havoc in his territory, General Cable felt an urge to laugh like a maniac but his vocal cords could not send the sound waves out.


    He glared at the strange heavy machine. ¡°Whoever is controlling this, you and your whole family will be dead before the new year¡±.


    The mech did answer but not in words, it answered with action. Hidden ports were revealed all over the mech, from the leg all the way to the neck, heavy and light weapons came out from these opened ports.


    The mech jerked, then all the weapons started releasing their loads at the General who didn¡¯t cower but rather sprinted directly to meet the mech.


    Inside the mech, Clark felt his connection to the mech transit into a deeper level than ever before. As he expected, in a real battle, the feeling was entirely different.


    The mech raised its right leg and took a step forward, it raised the sword high before striking it down at the rapidly advancing General.


    Boom!


    General Cable dived in and got embroiled in a brutal battle with the mech.


    Their swords repeatedly clashed head-on without engaging in any complicated maneuvers, both parties quickly got absolved in the euphoric feeling of pure unadulterated melee battle.


    Every step from the mech sent the ground caving in and vibrating like an earthquake was imminent, every strike from it sent shockwaves that destroyed even more than the sword itself destroyed.


    In just a minute, it became clear that the Presidential villa as a whole was slowly going towards that path of annihilation.


    ¡­


    Outside the Presidential Villa, Captain Drake and the others stood while watching in awe and reverence. Though the bright lights of the battle were blinding, they could still get some details.


    They could see the heavy machine moving all around the Presidential Villa, constantly sending heavy blows at the General.


    They already guessed what it was but they found it hard to believe. In their knowledge, mechs were things of legends and sci-fi that were unrealistic, but seeing it in action left them feeling excited like kids and solemn like adults.


    Every step from the mech sent tremors in the ground that they could detect from their position despite the kilometers distance separating them.


    At this point, everything of importance was already destroyed, reducing the Presidential Villa to a rare ruin spanning kilometers.


    The symbol of glory of the Radan republic was already reduced to dust.


    Captain Drake and the others had complicated looks on their faces, most especially when they already guessed who was piloting the mech.


    They looked at King and the others complicatedly, King had a solemn look on his face while Josh had an equally lost look on his face.


    As for Albert, he was still in the process of finishing the daunting task of piloting his helicopter from the CenterPoint of the artificial disaster to safety.


    As the others watched reverently, King suddenly excused himself before going to a secluded corner as quickly as he could. He brought out a special communication device, sighed before activating it.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    The sword struck down again, hitting the General square in the face as he fell down and started coughing blood in waves. He immediately rolled away despite the pain to escape the follow-up attack of the mech.


    His armor was repeatedly being destroyed, and he had to repeatedly replace them lest he dies the next moment without knowing how.


    At this moment, most of his teeth were already lost to the repeated hits. At some point in time, rain started falling which further decorated the fierce battle.


    He was still left in shock. How was a machine this big able to move and battle so fast, just like a high-grade soldier? Is technology in higher-graded countries already so much vast than ours?


    The more he thought about this, the more he rejected it. It was common knowledge that heavy machines piloted by A. Is had many flaws, like slow reaction speed due to how heavy the machine was and a lot of others.


    Seeing the immaculate battle from the huge machine, he was repeatedly being drawn closer to a conclusion that he found even more unbelievable.


    ¡°A Mech!¡±


    Boom!


    He was struck on the face by the flaming sword again, this time his brain directly short-circuited for a moment.


    Before he could recover, the flaming sword was already cutting down. He was able to dodge and survive it, but he lost his right hand that wielded his sword.


    Feeling the pain and seeing the blood dropping in waves, he finally felt desperate. Without hesitation, he turned around and started looking for ways to escape from the already dilapidated Presidential villa.


    Already ready for this, Clark activated another function of the mech.


    Bzzz!


    The mech erected a shield in a dome shape around the villa, he strengthened it with the energy reserves of his mech before taking a step forward to finish the Radan General.


    Seeing this, General Cable despaired. He anxiously pulled another exotic sword out and frantically attacked the shield with his left hand but he was not able to get much of an effect.


    Bam!


    The flaming sword cut his exotic armor from the back, shearing hot pain exploded from his back as he opened his mouth at the air and gasped for breath.


    From the corner of his eyes, he saw the mech raise its flaming sword to finish him off. Seeing this, his bloodshot eyes radiated a sense of craziness to survive, craziness to live.


    As he brought out more devices to protect himself, he tried to extend a part of his virtual consciousness to the Radan Defense headquarters with the help of his implant.


    He wanted to activate the nuclear bombs of the republic.


    ¡°If I should die today, then Radan should die with me¡±.


    As soon as the General made the move, Clark detected it immediately. And instantly, he counter-attacked with the power of his implant.


    Both implant processing powers clashed, the battle couldn¡¯t even be called a tug of war. Clark¡¯s implant was of the standards of the big 5 while the General¡¯s was of a vastly lower quality, it was not even a battle.


    Crack!


    General Cable revealed a look of unwillingness and despair as the virtual defenses of his implant was directly shattered, impairing it completely.


    He tried other methods but nothing worked. 5 minutes later, he ran out of means and his body was exhausted from all the fighting.


    He could only look up indignantly as the huge flaming sword descended.


    Ptui!


    Blood spattered like rain; the General¡¯s body twitched for a few seconds before it finally went limp. The huge sword directly crushed his head to pieces, destroying every brain matter in the process.


    25th December, the tyrant of the Radan republic died.


    The mech finally stood upright as all its weapons were returned to their hidden points inside its massive frame.


    Amid the falling rain which added an even more visual impact to it, the mech went invisible, and just like the wind it disappeared into the rain.


    The battle was over.

 Chapter 404: elite commanders

    All over the Radan republic, absolute silence suddenly descended.


    No one knew who pressed the fuse to stop, but just like a movie, the riots stopped as abruptly as they started. The soldiers stopped shooting; the rioters also stopped shooting.


    As one, they all looked in the direction of Arial City where the greatest battle of all today was fought.


    For the mercenaries of the Pendragon mercenary organization and the Secret order organization, their superiors sent them the results of the battle and they silently retreated.


    For the soldiers of the Radan army, there was no explanation for them, they just received an order from one of their Captains that they should stop shooting.


    Even if they were dumb and could not deduce much, they could still read the atmosphere. They knew that something significant just happened.


    For the civilians that couldn¡¯t participate in the battle, their hearts skipped beats after the raging battle stopped.


    They didn¡¯t know what happened, but they knew that something happened.


    ¡­


    Arial City, Presidential Villa District.


    Unlike in other parts of the country, the civilians living in this district felt the impact of the battle more. They felt the intensity, they suffered from the shockwaves, and they faintly saw details.


    All of them living in this district were rich men and women, so most of them had access to gadgets that could see far into the distance.


    Though everything was blurry, they were still able to keep track of the battle. From the beginning, they saw how the assassins came to blow with the soldiers guarding the President¡¯s mansion.


    In the end, they saw what looked like a giant machine battling with a soldier.


    They felt like they were in a dream, the things that they¡¯ve seen today, to normal people were things that could only be imagined in fiction.


    As the repercussions of what they just saw started being digested into their brains, something suddenly appeared in mid-air without them knowing.


    Above the Presidential villa, a crack seemed to appear in the void, and through this crack, a burly man with the figure of a Pugilist stepped out.


    He was dressed in a special silver and blue uniform that looked like a work of science fiction. His boots glowed in a soft blue color, granting him the ability to freely hover in mid-air.


    His hair danced to the movement of the wind behind him.


    Elite Commander Titus surveyed the situation before him with a calm expression. His special glasses seemed like they could see through all concealments in the world.


    He could see the mech that was rapidly disappearing into the distance on stealth. He could see underground where the dead robot President was, and he could see the surface where the General¡¯s dead body lay.


    Then, he looked into the distance, at the nearby houses where the civilians who faintly saw the situation of the battlefield lived.


    He raised his hand which held a device, then he pressed a green button. Invisible blue lines seemed to spread through the air, covering the whole Arial City in less than 2 seconds.


    Suddenly, the rich men and women who were trying to digest the sight that they saw from the battlefield revealed confused expressions.


    They felt like they saw the details of the battlefield, but it kept on eloping them like their memory suddenly grew bad overnight.


    They kept on cracking their brains but they could not recall anything, so they just forgot about it and continued looking at the ruin of the Presidential Villa.


    ¡­


    For minutes, Captain Drake and every other soldier who participated in the battlefield looked on at the corpse of the revered General Cable in a daze.


    Everything that happened still seemed like a badly made movie to them.


    A mech, the fierce battle, the destruction of the Presidential Villa, a general dying, each of the different scenarios was more unbelievable than the first.


    Surprisingly, Captain Drake noticed that only he and the other Captains seemed to recall everything that happened. Except for Albert and some few exceptions, all the other soldiers revealed confused expressions.


    Seeing this, he seemed to guess at something.


    Without probing deeper into what happened, he stood out among his allies and addressed the Radan soldiers. With Captain Odin not opposing him, none of the soldiers did either.


    His voice was loud and calm like he was a veteran orator.


    As he addressed the soldiers, Captain Josh, Captain Madara, King, and the others from the Pendragon mercenary group and the old warriors club silently left the scene.


    King calmly excused himself mid-way from the others and left.


    ¡­


    ¡°Master¡±. Clark and King greeted the man in a silver and blue uniform at the same time.


    Elite Commander Titus was calm as he directed a scrutinizing look at Clark. ¡°You killed a 4th rank high-grade soldier?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master¡±. Clark answered humbly.


    ¡°He did it with my help¡±. King quickly butted in.


    The Elite Commander ignored what his senior student said before directing a look of approval at Clark. ¡°You did well¡±.


    ¡°I saw the battle; I didn¡¯t expect you to become so proficient in controlling a mech in so little time¡±.


    ¡°I followed your advice and trained hard¡±. Clark calmly replied.


    After nodding his head, Elite Commander Titus¡¯s face became solemn. ¡°You did well, but next time you should employ more measures to hide your secret¡±.


    ¡°You know the repercussions if people know that you can pilot a mech¡±.


    ¡°Yes, master¡±.


    ¡°Good. I helped you resolve it this time, you¡¯ll have to settle it with the 3rd rank high-grade soldiers who participated yourself¡±.


    ¡°Ok, master¡±.


    ¡°Take this¡±. The Elite Commander handed Clark 2 devices.


    ¡°The first device is for you to hide all traces to your mech, I believe that others like me from the big 5 will be coming to investigate soon. All you need to do is install it inside the mech¡±.


    ¡°The second device is for you to distort any observations next time when you¡¯re battling with your mech. That way, you can use it and most observations won¡¯t be able to see what exactly it is¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Master¡±.


    Elite Commander Titus finally smiled. ¡°I saw your performance with the Deity¡¯s Fists. Keep training hard, if you continue with this improvement speed, you may get to see my leader soon¡±.


    Clark was surprised. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for it¡±.


    Seeing his master nod and was about to leave, King asked indignantly. ¡°You gave him 2 devices, what of me?¡±


    ¡°You already have enough¡±.


    The Elite Commander calmly answered before he disappeared.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    King twitched his lips before sighing in exasperation.


    ¡­


    A few minutes later after emergency recovery methods were already started by the Radan army after being calmed by the presence of the captains, a new figure appeared in mid-air.


    The man had wine-colored hair as he surveyed the surroundings of the battlefield calmly. He brought out a device from his bag and swiped it at the dilapidated Presidential Villa.


    A holographic projection suddenly appeared before him in mid-air, and the scenes of the previous battle were all shown to him.


    His face suddenly became weird. ¡°A group of 3rd rank high-grade soldiers mobbed and killed a 4th rank high-grade soldier?¡±


    ¡°Strange¡±.


    He muttered in thought before disappearing.

 Chapter 405: radan till i die

    2 days later after the great battle.


    After so long, the real situation of the battle was already more or less disseminated to the whole Radan republic. The captains hid nothing, they revealed everything that happened.


    Of course, they left the sensitive parts behind.


    In the end, the summary was that General Cable was the antagonist of the republic. He killed President Kai, created an identical robot to impersonate him, while he manipulated from the dark.


    After the truth was revealed, the President¡¯s wife and children were all plunged into depression.


    Everything happened before them. Realizing that the husband she¡¯s been spending nights with was a robot dealt a huge blow to the first lady, even more so for the children.


    They were now kept in a special hospital where they were being attended to by a group of well-trained psychologists.


    The republic couldn''t recover from the damage dealt in a day, a month or even a year, but they would surely recover even if it was slow.


    Today, on the 27th of December, Captain Drake took to the podium to address the whole republic.


    All across the Radan republic, every privileged home switched on their television and was watching this. The unprivileged had access to the public projections to watch the hero of the republic.


    As all lights and cameras focused on him, Captain Drake who was dressed in a black suit finally came out to address the republic.


    Below the podium was filled to the brim with people. Soldiers, civilians, lawyers, doctors, engineers, politicians, every occupation had a representative on this day.


    Listening to the loud applause that followed as he walked to the podium, Captain Drake felt a lot of thoughts going through his mind.


    When he got there, he held the sound amplifier and paused.


    He swept his eyes around the people before him. His eyes suddenly seemed to have gained radar vision, he felt like he could see every nook and cranny of the republic right now.


    He clenched and unclenched his left fist. He had a speech all ready written for him, but in the end, he decided to abandon it.


    A speech was not enough to pour out his heart, he wanted to address the Radan republic from the bottom of his heart.


    ¡°Fellow citizens¡­¡± He paused.


    ¡°Fellow brothers and sisters of Radan, a new dawn is before us¡±.


    ¡°2 days ago, on the 25th December, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We decided that it was over for the suffering and pain¡±.


    ¡°2 days ago, we recognized and decided to fight for our rights¡±.


    ¡°Our ancestors founded the Radan republic with the zealous motive to create a better environment for everyone to prosper and grow¡±.


    ¡°In recent years, we discovered that this zealous motive waned¡±.


    ¡°I still remember when I was still a toddler. My Grandfather, who was a soldier then always said to me¡­, Radan till I die¡±.


    ¡°I took that phrase as I grew up, and just like him and my father, I joined the Radan army with the motive to create a better Radan for everyone¡±.


    ¡°That phrase was what gave me the courage to leave when I discovered that things were wrong. That phrase was what gave me the courage to rebel when I discovered that we already abandoned that zealous motive¡±.


    ¡°In this battle for freedom, I lost my wife and my only 2 sons in the process¡±.


    ¡°Despite all these, I never flinched¡±.


    ¡°The word kept on ringing in my heart¡­, Radan till I die¡±.


    ¡°It is every parent¡¯s wish to see their child grow up and prosper and have exploits better than they did, but this wish of ours was cut off by General Cable¡±.


    ¡°Seeing people die every day in the streets pained my heart, even more than the death of my sons did. Seeing citizens being exploited in poverty pricked my bone marrows¡±.


    ¡°Seeing children beg on the street left me rethinking my reason for existence¡±.


    ¡°Why? Because that is not how it should be¡±.


    ¡°Today, I pour my heart to you all and declare a new beginning for our country, our Radan¡±.


    ¡°We¡¯ve suffered enough, it needed to end that¡¯s why we stood¡±.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it alone, I had allies. The Pendragon mercenary group recognized our plight and helped when things became too bad¡±.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be forever indebted to them¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to dwell in the past, I want us to move ahead¡±.


    ¡°Our country fell, now we need to rebuild it. Those of us that can fight fought for it, now I want those that can build to help rebuild it¡±.


    ¡°Let us usher in a new era by our own efforts¡±.


    ¡°We have resources, let us make use of our resources. We have talent, let us make use of our talent¡±.


    ¡°2 months from now, we¡¯ll be having our first election after this independence¡±.


    ¡°Yes, 25th December is now our Independence Day¡±.


    ¡°Independence from the iron hooves of General Cable, independence from oppression, independence from suffering, poverty, and lack¡±.


    ¡°I am ready to die for Radan, and I wish every man can feel the same¡±.


    ¡°No man will build our country for us; we are the only ones who can and we should build it ourselves¡±.


    ¡°For the next 2 months, as we recover, the army will be in charge of helping any citizen in need till the next election day¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stay at home, come out and vote for the ruler that you want¡±.


    ¡°For as long as I, Captain Drake remain alive, there will be no election fraud in Radan anymore¡±.


    Captain Drake paused, a little out of breath now. He wanted to continue but the people below suddenly erupted in rounds of applause.


    The applause continued without pause, up to the extent where he forgot every other thing that he wanted to say.


    Seeing this, a smile lit up his face and his eyes became moist at the same time. He gently cleaned his eyes with his right hand, clenched it into a fist before hitting it at his chest.


    ¡°Radan till I die!¡±

 Chapter 406: the end of a journey

    Neon City, South Ville District, Orion Street, Oliver mansion.


    It was already a day since the hero of the Radan republic addressed every citizen of the republic, and optimism could be felt in the atmosphere for the first time in years.


    Currently, the country was now in a period of recovery on every facet imaginable. It felt like a previously malnourished tree that could not grow properly, but who now had access to good nutrients to grow.


    At this moment, a car suddenly drove into the street. Driving through the familiar road of Orion Street, Clark suddenly felt funny. He felt like this would be part of his story in the future when and if they discussed his legend.


    It was a shameless thought, but a man got to dream. Every high-grade soldier wanted to be seen as a legend in the future, and he was one of them.


    Throughout the ride, Albert who sat beside him was quiet as he silently observed the street. It was clear that he was also missing this country already despite not having left yet.


    Clark laughed on seeing him. ¡°If you remain adamant in following me, you¡¯ll experience such scenarios a lot, so you better get used to them¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you¡±. Albert replied solemnly.


    ¡°I like the experience here, it built me up in ways that I never expected. I don¡¯t know why I think so, but I think I¡¯m more mature now after this encounter¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For that, Clark didn¡¯t know what to answer for it.


    As he tried hard to ignore the awkward silence that followed, he finally steered his car inside the familiar Oliver Mansion.


    Unlike before where the mansion was heavily guarded like it belonged to an evil underground drug lord, the guards were reduced by a lot, and the mansion¡¯s atmosphere seemed much lighter and optimistic.


    Seeing such an atmosphere on his first time coming here after the battle made Clark nod with a smile. For the first time, he really felt that his actions were affecting the world.


    He was no longer the small Clark of yesteryear, he was no longer just the dreamer, he was now the doer.


    He¡¯s started this activity in a small country like the Radan republic, but he believed that he would one day get to the level where he could influence the top powers to change the paradigm completely.


    As he thought, he smoothly entered the building with his student.


    ¡°Yo, you came?¡±


    Captain Drake greeted with a smile as soon as he saw the 2 people who entered his mansion.


    ¡°Yeah, I came¡±. Clark mimicked the captain¡¯s tone, earning a laugh from him as he shook hands with him in a buddy-to-buddy manner.


    He always thought that he knew this captain, but the speech yesterday gave him a new impression of who Captain Drake really was.


    Despite his fierce and unyielding attitude, he did not expect this man to be a victim too who suffered the death of his wife and 2 sons. Since he knew the truth, he discovered a newfound respect for the captain.


    He really wished to ship a relationship between him and his assistant, Captain Daniella, but the word just couldn¡¯t leave his mouth.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here, I thought you would be busy with the governing of the country, Mr. Hero¡±. Clark struck a joke as he sat down.


    Captain Drake smiled. ¡°I actually don¡¯t want to put hands into the governing of the country, I¡¯m content with monitoring things from the dark, just like I did with my old warriors club¡±.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even rejoin the Radan army though Odin and the others tried to persuade me, I don¡¯t think I can return to that life anymore¡±.


    ¡°Oh¡±. Clark nodded in understanding.


    ¡°What of Captain Madara and the Timber government? Do you guys have any plans on how to go about it?¡±


    Hearing that, Captain Drake revealed a grin. ¡°You know, Lieutenant Colonel, I¡¯m actually a fake hero. You¡¯re the real hero¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a situation like my country will happen again. Though most low-grade countries still don¡¯t know who we got help from, they know that a powerful expert is opposing them already¡±.


    ¡°You know politicians, they¡¯re always afraid for their lives¡±.


    ¡°Immediately after the news from us spread, that same day, some low-grade countries started implementing reforms to herald a new era of good governance¡±.


    ¡°Killing our President was not the way I wanted to do it, but the situation left us with no choice. Now that they¡¯re repenting themselves, I think we can let them be¡±.


    ¡°The only condition is to make sure that they revert any stupid decision that they¡¯ve taken before now, like breaking their country¡¯s constitution¡±.


    Hearing all that, Clark was left stunned. ¡°I¡¯m surprised, I didn¡¯t expect everything to just snowball so easily¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said you¡¯re a hero¡±. Captain Drake laughed again. ¡°You know, the Radan republic wants to give you a gift as our country legend¡±.


    ¡°Ha-ha¡±. Clark laughed while waving his hand. ¡°I already told you, I didn¡¯t do this for money. The peace of heart and joy that it brings to me is the greatest payment¡±.


    ¡°I told them, but Odin and the others adamantly insisted¡±.


    ¡°To be sincere, I agree with them, it seems you don¡¯t really know the magnitude of what you did for us. You saved our country!¡±


    Now, Clark felt a little embarrassed when it was put so blatantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not something bad, and it won¡¯t affect our recovery procedures. They decided to give you 5% of our national income every year¡±.


    ¡°The f*ck!¡± Clark almost spit the drink that he was drinking all over the captain¡¯s face.


    ¡°And you allowed that? Do you know what that means?¡± Clark was flabbergasted.


    ¡°I know what it means¡±. Captain Drake smiled. ¡°General Cable would have doomed the country one way or the other, so this wouldn¡¯t even affect us¡±.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t think accumulating that sum for 5 years is still not enough to give a mercenary for hunting a 4th rank high-grade soldier¡±.


    ¡°And besides, it''s not up to the amount that our politicians previously stole every year¡±. The captain laughed dryly.


    Hearing the explanation from the captain, Clark wanted to retort but he found himself lost for words. In the end, after more persuasion from the captain, he agreed and put the pen to paper to sign the contract.


    He did the good deed because he felt like it and it was in line with his conscience, but if those that he helped insisted that they must pay him, he wouldn¡¯t reject. He was a mercenary Afterall.


    After finalizing everything, he finally stood up to leave the Radan republic with his student.


    Almost every notable assassin of the old warriors club came to wave goodbye to him. He saw Captain Daniella, Estella and her 2 teammates, and the assassins that he¡¯s followed for assassination missions.


    As he left, he divided a place in his brain to keep the history that he had with the Radan republic.


    It would be part of the legend that defined who he was.

 Chapter 407: back to the spartan republic

    Clark already finished every matter that he had in the Radan republic, so he immediately left by plane with his student after leaving the Oliver mansion. For his mech and his other valuables, he already moved them before now.


    For the secret underground base that he built, he originally wanted to take everything from it, abandon it, and leave it bare. But when he thought deeper into it, he decided to keep it.


    This was his first underground base, and it may be the first of many to come.


    He couldn¡¯t predict the future, there may be a situation that needed him to take refuge here in the future, so keeping it was justified.


    As he looked down at the Radan republic from the window of the airplane, he thought about the snowballing effects caused by the feat that they achieved.


    The effect on other low-grade countries as described by Captain Drake was the most exaggerated, but there was also an effect in the Mercenary world.


    Though the Pendragon Mercenary group already grew a lot with mercenaries numbering in the thousands, it was still a relatively small mercenary group when compared to the giants of the game.


    But because of the feat that was achieved in the previous battle, it directly skyrocketed in fame to the heights of the big mercenary groups.


    In every country, both the big 5 organizations, 4th rank high-grade soldiers were revered. A soldier of that caliber dying was such a shocking and amazing feat that the whole world would pay attention to it.


    Even if the mercenary group was not the one who killed the General, the fact that they participated in the attack alone was enough to make them soar high in terms of fame.


    For the past few days, an overly-excited Emily was already calling him repeatedly to notify him about the huge spike in the number of mercenaries coming to be recruited.


    According to her estimate, if the trend continued, the mercenary group had a tendency of crossing the 10,000 mercenaries cap in a month.


    At that level, it would finally stabilize itself as a big mercenary group.


    Thinking of that, Clark chuckled. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not as awful of a mercenary Commander as I thought. Even if I¡¯m a rare sight, I still work behind the scenes to make things easier for them¡±.


    He¡¯s always felt a little guilty about his inactivity in the mercenary group while still being its Commander, but this achievement alone wiped away his guilt.


    Feeling his mode improve, he hummed a nice song while sipping on his soft drink happily.


    ¡­


    Immediately after the plane touched down on the Spartan republic, Clark entered his car and cruised away. This time, he was lucky enough to get a plane that directly landed in Vatican City, making things a lot easier for him.


    Arriving back in his city, Clark breath in the fresh breath of a flourishing world. Optimism filled the air.


    Seeing this, he smiled. After the battle against the Persian tigers organization that destroyed a significant part of the city, the city was now on a trend of speedy recovery and development.


    Though everything has not been recovered yet, it was now hard for a visitor to know that the city once suffered the effects of such a fierce battle.


    He was originally afraid that the lunatics of the Persian tigers organization will retaliate after such a humiliating loss or even plan an assassination attempt against him, but he saw none of that.


    Of course, he was left surprised but he didn¡¯t think too much about it. As a perfectly sane man, he could not understand what thoughts go through the minds of lunatics.


    In his exotic car, he immediately started navigating the familiar roads of the city to the location of his mansion.


    In a normal situation, he originally wanted to head over to the location described by the Calibri intelligence agency and get the relevant information that he needed.


    But thinking about the warning that they gave, he could only give up in depression. He knew that he was definitely not ready to move out to an extreme region like the Sahara Desert now.


    For a frontier like the said desert, he knew that he could not underestimate it. His experience in the Everest Mountain was still fresh in his mind.


    Thinking of the fact that Sonia was now in such an environment left his heart aching even more. He felt a sense of urgency, his bottom line was to be ready in a week and leave.


    As these thoughts went through his mind, it did not take him long before he arrived at his familiar mansion.


    As soon as his car drove closer, the electronic gate detected it and slowly opened on its own. He already informed Rose of his coming, so the workers in the mansion were not startled by the sudden arrival.


    They lined up, welcomed, and greeted Clark respectfully before going back to their daily works.


    After parking the exotic car at the garage, Clark came down with his student. Walking through the mansion left him nodding in approvement, everything was still more or less the same as he left.


    The mansion was still super magnificent and well maintained.


    ¡°Welcome, boss¡±.


    Rose welcomed him cheerfully at the door. She welcomed Albert also in a tone of familiarity before she led the both of them inside the building.


    Going inside, Clark felt like complementing Rose once again. Not only was a sumptuous meal already prepared for them, but a nice hot bath was also waiting for the both of them to relax their nerves.


    After all the stress of the past month, the rigorous training, the battle, and the flight back, such a setting was the best to release tension.


    Rose didn¡¯t bother the 2 men; she knew that they needed rest.


    After eating to their fill and having a nice bath, Clark and his student went to their various rooms. Entering his familiar room, Clark felt like he finally returned to his life of luxury.


    While feeling relieved and happy, he plopped down on his king-sized bed before falling into a deep sleep like someone who just experienced an extremely interesting adventure.


    [I''m really sorry for the release problem on my part, I had some power outage and other issues. I''m really sorry, I''ll make up for it.]

 Chapter 408: revenge spree

    In one of the countries bordering the Spartan republic, Mako Kingdom.


    In the Mako central airport at the country¡¯s capital city, an airplane quickly descended from the air before going through the runway. A few minutes later, it finally came to a stop.


    The travelers verified their identity before being allowed passage by the security officials that were on the ground.


    In a blue polo shirt and blue jean trousers paired with a green face cap, King smiled at the traveler who came down at the same time as he did before he sauntered off into the distance with his big bag automatically rolling behind him.


    These days, he was a luxuriously rich man.


    Back when he was staying on the Everest like a barbarian, he didn¡¯t have access to so many luxuries though he had the money, now he could finally enjoy the blessing of life.


    To him, what remained now was to get a proper wife who was a good cook from the numerous fearsome female mercenaries in the Pendragon mercenary group.


    Thinking of their ferociously fearsome faces, he could not help but break into a smile, making his steps grab even more of a swagger.


    Unlike Jason and the others who returned immediately after the Radan General was killed, he decided to indulge in luxury for a few days. Participating in a mission that killed a General was a great achievement to him.


    After enjoying life for the past few days, he finally located his comrades. The Pendragon mercenary group came here for a big mission a few days ago.


    By the time that he left the airport, a car was already waiting for him outside.


    ¡°Welcome, Captain¡±. The young mercenary greeted as soon as he entered.


    King smiled warmly before patting the young mercenary¡¯s shoulders in reply. He casually glanced outside to admire the scenery of the city as the car drove away.


    ¡­


    15 minutes later, King arrived at a hotel.


    The Pendragon mercenary group already booked the whole hotel for a week, so there were no random strangers to disturb their activities.


    As he walked inside the hotel, he finally confirmed Emily¡¯s claims personally. The personnel of the mercenary group was busy as they screened the new mercenaries who applied to join this recently famous banner.


    Seeing this sight, he nodded in a satisfied manner to himself before quickly scaling the enormous hotel. 5 minutes later, he arrived at the uppermost hall which was where Emily¡¯s office was.


    Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Come in¡±. A feminine voice replied.


    As soon as he entered the office, he was about to crack a joke at the pregnant lady to lighten the atmosphere but he was stunned.


    Emily, Jack, Josh, and a few other high-grade soldiers of the mercenary group were currently inside the office which was not normal.


    Seeing the serious look on Emily¡¯s face, he eliminated the casualness in his heart as his face turned serious.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It seems we¡¯re being targeted¡±. Emily answered calmly. ¡°Not exactly us, it is precisely Corporal Tiver and the companions that he came with¡±.


    ¡°The former terrorist Commander that helped Clark?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Is he dead?¡± As he asked this, King already found a chair to sit on.


    ¡°Yes, he died yesterday¡±.


    Hearing that, King immediately felt his heart tighten as he blurted out a series of questions. ¡°Did the assassin threaten you? Did you get his identity? Do you know his motive?¡±


    ¡°Relax, I told you he¡¯s not threatening us specifically. He first struck a few weeks ago, it was a stealth act so we didn¡¯t connect it to an assassination immediately¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s after yesterday''s assassination that enabled us to finally connect the missing dots. The victims were either Corporal Tiver or his companions¡±.


    ¡°For the assassin, I think he¡¯s from the Persian tigers organization. It may even be that Commander Titus¡±.


    Hearing that name, King freaked out. ¡°The heck! Have you told Clark?¡±


    ¡°I was in the process of sending him a message¡±.


    ¡°Then send it now, and we need to enter a state of high alert. That man is a freak¡±. King quickly added.


    Emily was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re so afraid of him¡±.


    ¡°Yes¡±. King was not ashamed.


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably feel the same if you clashed with him or even just saw him in action¡±. He added in his mind.


    ¡­


    Beep!


    As Clark did his routine morning exercise in the training chamber that he built in his mansion, he heard the beep from his communication device. Without wasting time, he went to check what it was.


    As soon as he opened the message, he first saw Emily¡¯s name flashing in the tab designated for the sender. He quickly skimmed through the message and devoured its contents.


    ¡°Terrorist Commander Titus?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, this man actually has the same name as my master¡±. Clark lampooned before his face turned serious.


    Though he didn¡¯t pay much attention to the matter after the great terrorist purge in the city, he remembered that he promised Corporal Tiver and his close comrade¡¯s safety after they betrayed their former organization.


    The fact that the Corporal died due to revenge from the Persian tigers forces meant that he failed already, and he now had to remedy it.


    From the description from Emily, it was evident that the terrorist Commander didn¡¯t want to stir a huge commotion which was why he waited so long for the perfect opportunity before he struck.


    And from the pattern, he clearly didn¡¯t intend to stop until the Corporal¡¯s comrades also died.


    He couldn¡¯t protect the Corporal, but he was obligated to protect his comrades. He quickly decided; he would go clarify things with the mercenary organization today before his heart would be at ease.


    He put this at the back of his mind before continuing with his exercise.


    20 minutes later, he got up and went to take his bath.


    He was already scheduled to go meet his commissioners in the government building, but he brought the time forward because of the message that he just received.


    The Persian tigers organization was already going on a revenge spree, who knew if they would decide to get revenge on Vatican City too?


    After dressing up, he informed Rose before leaving the mansion on one of his luxurious cars.

 Chapter 409: first virtual market

    In a certain underground military shelter.


    A group of soldiers under the lead of 2 burly soldiers that radiated fearsome auras entered the underground base as they quickly got their identity scanned before going deeper into the shelter.


    From the layout, setting, and construction of the underground shelter, it could easily be deduced that the materials used to build it were state of the art.


    Specially trained soldiers in black uniforms guarded the underground shelter. They practically filled everywhere like locusts, and they had devices that could detect immediately if a problem happened to any one of them.


    Hidden from plain sight were state-of-the-art weapons. Heavy weapons that could obliterate any high-grade soldier if the power is concentrated enough.


    Hidden even more deeply were the computer experts operating these machines of war. They were the best in the country, and getting to work in this underground shelter was the highlight of their carrier.


    These were computer geeks that could destroy a country if given room to operate. Give them a computer, and some of them were more dangerous than even the most dangerous high-grade soldiers.


    All these and more were packed together inside this underground military shelter, highlighting how important it was.


    This shelter was a bane for individual assassins.


    It was in such a manner that infiltration and assassination were virtually impossible. And from how it looked, it was built not too long ago.


    It did not take long before the group of soldiers that entered the underground base got to a door that was at the deepest part of the shelter.


    One of the burly leading soldiers knocked. After confirming their identity once again, the 2 burly soldiers entered, leaving their entourage behind.


    They had serious expressions on their faces as they answered. ¡°Mr. President¡±.


    Despite their exalted status, they politely greeted the 2 men that stood at the middle of the round table. The man on the right nodded slightly in acknowledgment, while the other chuckled darkly.


    ¡°No need to address me in such a manner, I¡¯m now your ex-President¡±.


    Quickly waving his hand to indicate that it did not matter, he finally asked a question that the 2 soldiers were waiting for. ¡°How is the plan going?¡±


    ¡°There are no complications¡±.


    ¡°Good, I want you guys to make sure everything goes well throughout. I¡¯ll be sponsoring 30% of all the military expenses, so do not hesitate to go all out¡±.


    The 2 soldiers tensely nodded.


    Seeing this, the ex-President finally chuckled. ¡°I hope to see all their faces in the expression that I want. Staying in a coma for 3 years is not a pleasant thing at all, they have to pay for all my suffering¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. President¡±. After answering, the 2 soldiers turned and calmly started walking away.


    ¡°Wait¡±. The man suddenly called. ¡°I want you to transmit a top-quality projection of the proceedings here, I want to watch everything clearly.


    The 2 burly soldiers only tensely nodded before they left.


    ¡­


    ¡°Welcome, Lieutenant Colonel¡±. Commissioner Patrick welcomed his leader inside the government building with a smile.


    Clark smiled in reciprocation while looking around. ¡°I can see that there are some renovations here, you¡¯re really not resting¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s all due to your help, sir¡±. The old commissioner replied politely.


    Talking in such a manner to a much younger man seemed weird, but after some time he got over it and was already used to it.


    As soon as Clark sat down, he turned back to face the head commissioner of his city. He did not beat around the bush as he immediately told him of his purpose of coming.


    He gave his warning for him to remain alert, which the head commissioner said that he was already working on.


    Apparently, a special emergency strike unit was already being created in the Vatican City military.


    After making sure that the head commissioner got his point, Clark finally relaxed. He casually asked the commissioner of the current state of the city, the ongoing projects, and any notable fact.


    Commissioner Patrick did not disappoint as he laid down every notable news and achievement in the city that should be known. A few minutes later, he was finally done so Clark stood up to leave.


    Because this was an unofficial visit, he didn¡¯t demand the other commissioners. He commended the head commissioner again for his hard work before leaving.


    As Clark drove through the streets of the city, he admired the scenery while deliberating if he should leave for the Mako republic now or wait a bit.


    After hesitating for a moment, he decided to wait a bit. He was sure that the terrorist Commander will not strike immediately after he struck yesterday, so he had time to think about his decisions properly.


    He didn¡¯t go back home to his mansion immediately; he instead drove towards the location of a new development in the city that his commissioner pointed out to him.


    According to the commissioner, an investor saw potential in the city and decided to open a virtual market here in Vatican City which was the first.


    The physical headquarters of the virtual market was here, which gave him more of a reason to want to go.


    Smoothly navigating through the familiar roads of the city, he arrived at one of the more developed districts. It only took him 2 minutes before he located the virtual market¡¯s headquarters.


    >Tom¡¯s Machinery>


    Seeing this, Clark smiled as he entered the machinery market. It was just like a simplified version of the weapons specialist town that he visited some time ago in the Landmark Kingdom.


    Before entering there, he changed his face with his mask so as not to draw too much attention to himself.


    For 30 minutes, he remained there admiring the scenery.


    As he walked along the sides of the transparent wall, he suddenly frowned as he felt something blanketing the sky, blocking the sunlight from shining into the machinery workshop.


    The other customers frowned and as one, they turned to look at the sky.


    Seeing the sight that presented itself before them, all the customers were petrified while Clark was shocked.


    He immediately put his hand into his bag and brought out a device. As he was in the process of activating it, something like a torpedo fell from the sky.


    Boom!

 Chapter 410: a major invasion

    Bzzz!


    Clark felt his brain vibrating for a long time as everything suddenly turned static to him. The air seemed to have become thick and muddy, making his thoughts turn slow, even the surroundings.


    In the virtual market headquarters, a blue glow surrounded the enormous building as it protected it from the aftereffects of the bomb.


    But this was not enough to block every damage as Clark only got to activate the shield at the last moment.


    All over the virtual market, individuals already sustained various degrees of injuries. Only the shield prevented them from dying immediately, and over 80% of them became unconscious.


    Some randomly flew in the air of the building due to the enormous kinetic power exerted by the bomb. Others collided with each other in mid-air, while the unluckier ones collided with hard metallic objects.


    The scenery was pure chaos in the headquarters, and this random gravitative movement in the air severely aggravated the injuries of the customers who visited.


    Even Clark felt his body being affected by the force of inertia.


    This was a terrifying state but his physique as a high-grade soldier enabled him to recover shortly after. His dazed eyes quickly regained their focus before darkening as he moved immediately.


    Most of his weapons were not with him as he was in casual clothes, but he still had the basic get-up befitting a high-grade soldier.


    Immediately after he started moving, he extended his mental power through the amplification of his implant to take over control of the headquarters.


    As the headquarters of a virtual market, they had the basic installations to protect their customers in emergencies.


    These measures were still inactive because the operators were also affected by the shockwaves of the bomb. They were probably unconscious too; he was the only one who could do it now.


    Immediately after he connected and got access, he gave the necessary commands and they came to effect instantly.


    The ceiling of the headquarters suddenly rolled in, and what seemed like air vents came out. With a mighty blast, what seemed like a gravitational force was sent down as it immediately pushed every customer down.


    Immediately after this happened, the lights in the headquarters switched on again as they were connected to another machine for electric supply.


    Also at the same time, a huge laboratory underground was opened, and robots started rushing out in droves.


    These were first-aid robots, they could apply the necessary first-aid to injured customers instantly before the doctors came to attend to them.


    Though the might of the gravitative field pushing down was powerful, it was nowhere enough to restrain and keep Clark in one place.


    As soon as he confirmed that the headquarters was stabilized, without hesitation, he broke through the transparent glass and jumped outside.


    Rumble!


    Another bomb was dropped, destroying other nearby buildings wantonly.


    As soon as Clark jumped out of the building, he finally saw the opponents. 6 helicopters hovered in the sky, and further higher in the sky hid 2 war jets armed to the teeth with state-of-the-art weapons.


    In the streets, soldiers that did not belong to the Spartan republic were patrolling with such confidence like this was their home.


    They were taking the civilians hostage, but anyone that resisted, they didn¡¯t hesitate to pull the trigger and kill.


    Seeing this barbaric action, Clark raged. Seeing the logo that he was extremely familiar with since he was a child in both the soldiers¡¯ uniforms and the helicopters hovering in the sky, his rage peaked.


    ¡°The Mocan Republic!¡±


    As he growled this, his body already took action even before his brain could process everything. Right now, he was like an irritated bulldog who had the chain restraining it cut.


    In moments, he tore his casual polo shirts open and reached out for his 2 long knives that were hidden inside his body.


    As he sprinted forward, his eyes were already dyed red with blood.


    The Mocan soldiers rapidly sweeping through the streets saw the anomaly that was approaching them immediately. They were surprised, thinking that the military units of Vatican City already responded to the attack.


    But they quickly got to the right answer, this was a soldier caught in the action. Without hesitation, they turned to shoot at him.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    The bullets lined up in such meticulous and arranged order like they were being carefully drawn by an artist. Despite this immaculate shooting, Clark weaved left-right and dodged them all.


    The soldiers immediately confirmed that this soldier was different and was probably a high-grade soldier, but that was where they got stuck.


    Clark decisively activated his battle art.


    Boom!


    His figure flashed forward, leaving afterimages behind as he arrived among the ranks of the Mocan soldiers immediately. They tried to react but his sickle-like knives of death were countless times faster.


    Slash! Slash!


    The first 2 soldiers died smoothly to the shot.


    His body, his legs, his head, his hands, they all moved in tandem at such frightening coordination and speed that all the Mocan soldiers could see was a blur.


    Consumed by rage, he gave his all. His twin knives flashed left and right, reaping life after life despite the countermeasures that the Mocan soldiers tried to employ to slow down his momentum.


    He was not on his exotic armor, but this was not a problem against soldiers of this caliber. Of course, high-grade soldiers were among them, but they also died to his knives.


    In less than 2 seconds since he arrived in their midst, dozens of Mocan soldiers were already lying down dead.


    Seeing this, the helicopters in the sky turned their weapons to target this man. Having seen everything through his implant, Clark reacted.


    His boots tore apart, revealing the multi-purpose boots that were under. Then the multi-purpose boots erupted in a thick concentrated blue glow, granting him so many Newtons of force that he flew upwards like a rocket.


    Before the nearby helicopter could react, he slammed into it. Clark tore the helicopter apart with the sheer power and physique granted to him as a 3rd rank high-grade soldier.


    Boom!


    The helicopter exploded, its remaining parts losing control in mid-air as it randomly rotated before crashing.


    Without hesitation, the remaining 5 helicopters retreated into the distance.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    Soldiers came from another side; Vatican reinforcement was here.


    As soon as Clark landed back down, he continued his massacre and made sure that the Vatican soldiers had a basic grasp of the situation before he retreated into the ranks of the soldiers.


    He already had a guess but he wanted to clarify.


    Changing his face to reveal his identity mid-way, he quickly got access to meet the Sergeant leading this counterattack.


    ¡°Tell me the situation¡±. He demanded sternly.


    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant Colonel, it¡¯s a major invasion from the Mocan Republic¡±.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 411: defense measures

    Almost at the same time that the Sergeant answered him, Clark got messages of confirmation from the Dragon military division and his head commissioner.


    As soon as he connected what he just saw, the given information, and the implication that they could cause together, he felt like a bolt of lightning just descended from the heavens and smote him.


    In seconds, he stiffened like he just fell under the gaze of the Gorgon Medusa, suffering petrification in the process.


    Then, his brain started working on its own, driven by his instincts.


    The first scene that came to his head was that of the black shadow covering the virtual market headquarters, then the bomb dropping down, then the numerous injured in the building despite his intervention.


    The next scene was after he came out of the building. The chaos in the streets, the screaming civilians as they were injured or shot to death by the advancing Mocan soldiers.


    The helicopters and war jets that were in the air, and the familiar emblem in the uniform known by every child of the Spartan republic- The Mocan army emblem.


    As soon as Clark connected all these, everything finally dawned on him for real- the Spartan Republic was now in a period of war!


    Seeing the revered Lieutenant Colonel stiffen after hearing his answer, the already nervous Sergeant did not dare speak as he also stood as stiff as a statue, striving not to let out any sound.


    Clark did not come out of his daze immediately after everything dawned on him. With a complicated expression, lots of memories surged into his brain.


    He knew that the situation was urgent, but he could not help himself.


    This time, the scene that came before him was from years ago. As a Spartan citizen, despite being just a toddler then, he already knew everything about his country¡¯s animosity with the Mocan republic.


    He knew of the invasion attempts from the Mocan republic, and he also knew of the fact that the Mocan republic always had an edge due to their technological advancement.


    Since he was 3 years old, he knew this, and then he was always horrified when he thought of it, picturing the Mocan republic as a Tyrant that cannot be stopped and would soon destroy his country.


    The Spartan republic also spread propaganda about their victories in the invasion attempts, but these were not enough to quell his fear.


    Unfortunately for him, just a few years later, he experienced it.


    When he was 6 years old, that was when he got his first invasion experience from the Mocan republic.


    None of his parents died to the first wave, which meant that they should have gone to the underground shelters to hide, but they could not as they were both soldiers.


    This heralded his first journey alone with strangers, waiting out the invasion.


    For a week, he lived with strangers in agony. Every day, he heard the exploding sound of bombs, machine gunshots, artillery machine bombardments, and these almost left traumas in him.


    During that time, he saw other kids like him sobbing in fear despite placation from their parents. Though he didn¡¯t cry, he felt the same way as them.


    Despite not being there, he knew that people were dying, he knew that children were losing their parents, he knew that wives were losing their husbands, and he may become one of them.


    This was the first thing that birth the protective spirit in him. That was where his ambition started to become strong to stop all the carnage.


    Boom!


    Clark¡¯s thoughts were jolted awake.


    Turning his head, he saw the Sergeant still waiting for him, and turning his head to the side again, he saw the destruction and death that was already being wrath by the Mocan soldiers.


    He came to another realization, he needed to act.


    ¡°Sergeant, go coordinate your soldiers¡±. He sternly ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The Sergeant saluted before rushing out to meet and help his soldiers.


    The city was already forming a proper defense against the invasion, but Clark knew that this was not enough yet. Turning into a corner, he connected to the government building and demanded footage of the whole city.


    Through it, he saw the force brought by the Mocan republic.


    Clearly, compared to the last invasion attempt that he lived through as a kid, the Mocans came with more power this time.


    ¡°Commissioner Patrick, give me an overview of the response from the city¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant Colonel¡±. The head commissioner wiped away his sweat on the holographic projection. ¡°The Dragon military division already mobilized, and with their help, we are slowly remedying the situation¡±.


    ¡°We already ordered a state of emergency around the city, and the civilians who survived the initial wave are already being rushed to the underground shelters¡±.


    Clark pursed his lips. ¡°Estimate?¡±


    ¡°We estimate that over 5000 individuals already died to the initial wave. Sir, I¡¯m sorry for our incompetent response to the situation, the Mocan republic attacked too fast and abrupt¡±.


    Clark didn¡¯t comment on his pleas. ¡°How strong is their force?¡±


    ¡°From what we already saw on the surface, the force attacking Vatican City compromises of 30 Helicopters and 7 fighter jets¡±.


    ¡°Their other forces are still not clear yet, but their temporary replenishment base is in the nearby forest bordering the city¡±.


    ¡°Got it¡±. Clark nodded heavily.


    ¡°Now, listen to me. I want you to activate all the defense measures of the city immediately¡±.


    The head commissioner was shocked. ¡°Including¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, including the great Bulwark Defense Wall, and the Dome Shield¡±.


    The head commissioner was even more flustered. ¡°Sir, but the cost of activating them, we¡¯re still in a state of recovery¡­¡±


    He stopped as Clark sharply turned to look into his eyes.


    ¡°Money and debt, we can recover from that, but Life, it cannot be recovered with any amount of money as soon as it''s lost. Not even the big 5 can do it¡±.


    ¡°Got it?¡±


    The head commissioner kept quiet for a few seconds, then he nodded firmly. ¡°Yes, sir, got it¡±.


    ¡°Good!¡± Without waiting for his reaction, Clark cut off the connection.


    Turning around, he saw his exotic car which already arrived for some time, and his student geared to the teeth in weapons waiting at the side. As soon as he came, Albert presented his weapons to him.


    Taking a deep breath, Clark got himself geared in his custom-made weapons.


    Then, the war began.

 Chapter 412: allout invasion

    All across Vatican City, a great mobilization of soldiers began. During a period of war like this, Corporal Cinnabar automatically got an increase in authority, granting him the ability to give much more directed orders.


    Without even hesitating, as soon as he got the information about the major invasion, he mobilized all the Vatican elite battalions.


    The Black Dragon military division and all the others under the orders of Vatican City responded to the summons.


    At the same time that they moved, the always closed military vaults of the city were opened for the first time in years.


    18 Helicopters and 8 Fighter Jets accompanied by tons of other war weapons came out of the military vaults. The trained soldiers manned these weapons of war, and in moments they took off.


    Just a few minutes after they left, they clashed with the air force of the Mocan republic who were already anticipating their arrival.


    Boom! Boom!


    Energy shots were rapidly exchanged in mid-air, while both air operators activated the energy shields of their vessels to weather the damage that followed.


    Seeing this development, the originally docile Fighter jets of the Mocan republic finally took action. Like streaks of lightning in the sky, they sped through the air as they finally started dropping their loads.


    In a battle of such epic proportions, whichever side had the air supremacy was one step ahead and closer to victory.


    Machine gunshots started battering the streets of Vatican City like drizzling snow in winter, bombs dropped occasionally, causing terrible problems to the field soldiers who were being mobilized on the ground.


    In retaliation to this, the Vatican City jets split into 2.


    A part of them rapidly sped out of the city into the nearby forest to cause problems for the enemy base, while the rest stayed behind to intercept the enemy jets running rampant in the city.


    From the helicopters, soldiers armed to the teeth with exotic machine guns operated the machines as they battered down at the opposing forces.


    Along the streets, soldiers already filled everywhere, moving on foot, driving exotic bikes, exotic vehicles, artillery vehicles, and others piloting heavy vehicles with exotic grenade launchers attached to them.


    The Mocan soldiers were not flustered despite this seamless reaction to their attack. They retaliated tooth for tooth, matching the city¡¯s counterattack with even heavier attacks of their own.


    In minutes, the terrain of the battlefield in the city was already being destroyed and changed.


    Under the urging from the superiors of the Dragon military division, the soldiers fought and pushed hard to fulfill the goal of driving the enemies from the inside of their city.


    This was the main part of the retaliation plan, but it was proving to be difficult as the Mocan army was a tough nut to crack.


    This was not a problem though; it was already confirmed that the highest-ranked soldier on the enemy side was a 2nd rank high-grade soldier.


    At this moment in time, Clark already confirmed that the assassination actions from the Persian tigers organization being timed so impeccably was aimed at drawing him out of his city to leave it defenseless.


    He shuddered thinking of how he almost fell for the ploy, but that was already in the past. Right now, he was ready for battle.


    Seeing the stalemate of the battlefield, he finally rushed out to join. His car¡¯s exhausts blazed with blue fire as it propelled the car at almost supersonic Newtons of force to rapidly speed forward.


    As soon as he arrived at the heart of the battlefield, chaos was unleashed.


    Boom! Boom!


    The canons of the exotic car announced the arrival of its master as they shot out 2 red beams of death, immediately breaching through a part of the bulwark defense formation set by the Mocan soldiers.


    Before the Mocan soldiers could react properly to this new emergence, Clark rolled out of his car mid-motion with his custom-made exotic spear already with him.


    Without hesitation, he activated his battle art.


    With one hand holding his spear, while the other held his 2-form gun, he decided on Josh¡¯s battle style as he tore through the ranks of the Mocan soldier like a hot knife cutting through butter.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    His hands vibrated as his powerful 2-form gun rapidly shot bullet after bullet in its machine gun confirmation. Still in this process, his right hand did not rest as he dissected opponent after opponent with his sword.


    The Mocan soldiers tried to contain him, but a soldier of his caliber was just too much for them.


    Clearly, they already knew of his identity as no high-grade Mocan soldier dared come out to confront him. What they relied on was their heavy machinery.


    Yes, some of the heavy machines could threaten Clark, but they were worth as much as fart if they couldn¡¯t even lock on to his swift figure in the first place.


    On the battlefield, he was like the flash.


    He spread death like a plague. The Mocan soldiers were numerous and professional, but having such an anomaly repeatedly slice through their ranks and kill their allies was not a pleasant encounter.


    After some time, an order was given, and one of the Fighter Jets locked on to this Vatican anomaly.


    Immediately as he was locked on, Clark¡¯s implant alerted him.


    Boom!


    He dodged, rolling and moving with the wind as he dodged all the aftershocks of the powerful shot without suffering much of an injury.


    Like a ghost, the extremely fast fighter jet did not relent as it haunted and pursued after him, trying all its best to isolate him from the battlefield.


    Despite feeling the urge to crush the pilot¡¯s head immediately, Clark was calm as he dodged left and right. He didn¡¯t order one of the Vatican fighter jets to intercept it, he had his plan.


    Dodging another line of concentrated machine-gun fire, as the Fighter jet was about to propel itself back into the skies, he quickly turned back.


    As he turned, he threw his 2-form gun up as his hand drew out his exotic ax at the same time. Without hesitation, he aimed and threw it with all the strength that he could muster in one blow.


    The exotic ax flew as fast as a bullet, then it hit its target.


    Boom!


    A portion of the Fighter jet exploded from the enormous kinetic force and the energy force field surrounding the ax¡¯s blade, but it did not crash immediately.


    The pilot tried to take it to safety by activating its emergency measures, but the ax embedded in it suddenly pulled back under Clark¡¯s orders.


    In this process, it tore the main engine apart.


    The energy supply to the weapons and flight systems was cut off immediately, then the Fighter jet started spinning at extreme speeds before crashing down with force.


    In moments, it exploded again and everything was destroyed.


    Seeing such a fearsome display of power, the Mocan soldiers finally decided to be prudent and to retreat a bit to the border of the city to form a proper bulwark defense in preparation for an artillery battle.


    This was exactly in line with Clark¡¯s plan.


    As soon as they crossed the borderline, the main defense measures of the city finally got activated. The enormous, thick, and heavy defense wall erected itself in seconds, forming a sturdy blockade.


    The Mocan soldiers tried to react to this development, but they were completely cut off from the city when the Dome Energy Sheild was raised.


    Vatican City finally had a moment of respite to organize their forces, then they counterattacked with force.


    The war continued, it just turned from an all-out invasion from the enemies into a fierce siege battle.

 Chapter 413: warships the megalodon

    The battle becoming a siege battle meant that the Helicopters and Fighter jets in the sky had more room to roam and deal damage, and it also meant that the soldiers were more secure.


    As the counterattack began, the now unrestrained soldiers of Vatican City threw everything they had at their enemies in vengeance.


    This group of foreign soldiers were the archenemy of every Spartan citizen, getting to meet them now, and having gotten the upper hand after a series of actions, they could no longer hold themselves back.


    The Fighter jets and Helicopters became even more unrestrained, rapidly shuttling shells and machine-gun fire bombardment at the enemies.


    The field soldiers piloting the heavy artillery vehicles and exotic grenade launchers finally had room to debut properly on the battlefield.


    Every shot from them sent vibrations through the earth, perfect evidence of the enormous power packed behind every shot.


    All across the city, extremely loud booming sounds reverberated.


    The Dome Shield was made in a way that attacks from outside are blocked, while those from inside going outside are allowed unrestrained access.


    This was a perk of it that warranted its expensive usage every time.


    Facing such a rapid change of situation and counterattack, the Mocan soldiers suffered severely from it but they quickly improvised not long after.


    The regular field soldiers immediately brought out their batch of exotic shields. Stacking them all together, they interconnected with their comrades and were able to form a sturdy shield that spanned kilometers.


    With this, both sides got their reliable defense. Then, a proper siege battle started where only the hardest puncher would emerge victoriously.


    The battle continued intensely for 5 hours. And in this time, among the thousands of soldiers involved, hundreds already died among the Mocan soldiers due to the unrestrained attacks from their opponents.


    Apart from the first initial losses, Vatican City soldiers were fairly solid.


    An hour later, the intensity of the battle slowly reduced, this meant that the most difficult phase was already passed by the city.


    This did not mean that the battle ended though, it simply meant that they would cruise through the rest parts in unrelenting defense siege battles like this.


    In history, every main invasion attempt lasted at least a week with millions dying in the process. And clearly, this one was not going to be an exception.


    Despite the number of them that died to the Vatican soldiers, the Mocan superiors leading this offensive did not demand backup forces or even a 3rd rank high-grade soldier to restrain Clark which was strange.


    Clark suspected that a deep ploy was in play here, but he did not have the luxury to go deeper into it.


    As soon as the intensity of the battle lessened, leaving both sides in a stalemate, he left the main battlefield to go rest and confirm some things.


    ¡­


    In Savannah City, the city bordering Vatican City from the east direction.


    The main invasion attempt of the Mocan republic was so abrupt that it caught the city officials off-guard. The Mocans came, they saw, they fought, and they hit hard at them.


    Immediately after the leaders of the city confirmed that it was the main invasion attempt, they immediately ordered an evacuation of the civilians to the underground shelters, and they mobilized all the military forces of the city.


    They reacted fast, but the only problem was that they did not react fast enough which was fatal in such a country-wide war.


    By the time that the Mantis military division completely mobilized, the Mocan soldiers already molested the city completely for minutes.


    In this process, over 35,000 civilians died to the inhumane slaughter, and a lot of important anchor buildings and structures in the city were wantonly destroyed which was a significant loss to the city.


    Not only this, the Mocan soldiers already penetrated deep into the city during this time, enabling them to have a firm grasp over the city.


    They already discovered and occupied most strategic battle points in the city, which directly translated to more danger for the Mantis military division and all other military forces in the city.


    This became evident immediately after both sides clashed. The Savannah City soldiers died at such a frightening rate that it was enough to induce a heart attack to any commissioner in charge of the city.


    Slowly but surely, the Mocan soldiers penetrated deeper, posing even more of a threat to the existence of the city.


    The frantic city commissioners already sent for help from the Spartan army, but they were yet to get a response.


    Filled with despair already, they watched the city that they grew up in slowly fall into the hands of their archenemies.


    As the Mocan soldiers advanced, they also ruthlessly invaded the underground shelters, slaughtering every civilian hiding there.


    In less than an hour, the city began flowing with blood.


    Wails of despair and loss, blank looks of disbelief, these were the dominant sight in the city as the Mocan soldiers ravaged through them like a lion rushing into a pack of sheep.


    In most cities of the Spartan republic, this was the same situation. Only the big, rich, and powerful cities reacted and adapted as fast, or even better than Vatican City.


    Even as the war continued, more Mocan soldiers trooped into the country.


    ¡­


    In the capital city of Southern Sparta, Mexican City.


    This extremely prosperous city in Southern Sparta was already thrown into chaos. Though they reacted swiftly and appropriately to the invasion attempt, the Mocan soldiers attacking a strategic city like this were on a whole other level.


    Mocan soldiers continuously rushed into the city like a colony of ants, spreading destruction wherever they went.


    The Thunder military division was one of the most elite military divisions in the whole Spartan republic, but they were currently under a lot of pressure facing the unrelenting attacks of their archenemies.


    For the attack against Mexican City, not only did the Mocans mobilize dozens of Helicopters, Fighter jets, and other heavy field machines and weapons, they also mobilized a powerful warship for this attack.


    At this moment, the Megalodon was already mobilized also.


    Unlike the safe manner that it looked when it helped in Clark¡¯s graduation missions, this warship finally revealed its fearsome war state.


    It had exotic metals like spikes jutting out of its sides, its enormous cannons, and numerous other weapons extended out, aiming and shooting rapidly as the earth and air vibrated from every shot from it.


    Both warships were the undisputed ruler of the skies, and at this moment, they were already engaged in an aerial supremacy war of fire.


    Below their battlefield was like a black hole, pure destruction lingered below them as they engaged fiercely while still providing help to their allies.


    Every shot from them dealt damage in epic proportions, almost seeming like they could destroy the world if they battled long enough.


    At this moment, under the leadership of the head of Southern Sparta himself, General Vincent, Mexican City was mounting a great defensive battle against the mighty force of the Mocan republic.


    The General already experienced such battles before, not once, not twice, not thrice, so he was a veteran in the act.


    Paired with his exotic halberd, he was a ravaging Lion in the battlefield looking for the next victim to devour.


    The war continued raging on.

 Chapter 414: scale of the war

    Northern Spartan, in the Presidential Villa.


    At the war emergency building inside the Presidential Villa, a group of Spartan higher-ups was already gathered as they discussed the implications of the sudden invasion attempt from the Mocan republic.


    Even at this moment, the sounds of battle, striking at high decibels could be heard from outside as the Spartan army engaged hard with the Mocan army.


    The fact that the sound could reach inside this extremely fortified and soundproof building showed the proportions that the ongoing battle already climbed to.


    A tense atmosphere reigned in the building as each higher-up had different thoughts in their mind. The only thing common among them was that all of them had a solemn expression on their faces.


    Clang!


    The door suddenly flung open as a stern-faced Leonidas stepped into the meeting hall. His back was kept straight, his face was calm but this could not hide the certain dangerousness shining from his eyes.


    Seeing the President step inside in such a mood, all the higher-ups currently present immediately stood up to welcome him.


    As soon as he sat down, he did not beat around the bush. ¡°Rashford, tell me everything that I need to know¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. President¡±. Commander Rashford immediately stood up with an equally serious expression on his face as he projected statistical data in the air.


    ¡°The war is already going on for 2 days already, and at this point, we already more or less completed our observation of the Mocan¡¯s war strategy and pattern¡±.


    ¡°From the trajectory of the war, it is evident that they place more importance on this invasion attempt than previous ones, and their focus is on our higher-ups¡±.


    ¡°Not the soldiers, but mostly the civilian higher-ups that we have¡±.


    ¡°The invasion attempts first kickstarted in Odin, Naria, and Tempa City, and these 3 cities are the resident cities of our Minister of Technology development, Finance, and Implant Education respectively¡±.


    ¡°They were almost killed in the process, but they survived the initial wave¡±.


    ¡°After that, we escorted every willing higher-up of the republic to the Presidential Villa and in less than a day, over 60% of the Mocan forces converged here¡±.


    ¡°From the clues, this is clearly a revenge war for the Spartan Rage¡¯s operation¡±.


    ¡°From the sounds that we are hearing, it is clear that though our soldiers are holding up, for now, it won¡¯t take much longer before the Mocan soldiers open a breach and infiltrate the Presidential Villa¡±.


    ¡°The Mocans invested a lot in this invasion without caring for losses, this is a war for dignity and prestige¡±.


    ¡°Their intensity and conviction are frightening this time, and they invested all their 11 warships in this war which is an astronomical force¡±.


    ¡°Our 6 warships can not compare in any way, that is why we need to make a decision immediately to curb the effects of this war¡±.


    ¡°And besides, both Commander Naga and Commander Ash were mobilized¡±.


    ¡°I already tried to mobilize more soldiers from the Spartan army headquarters, but there are more than enough sacrificial Mocan forces in place to tie them down¡±.


    ¡°Mr. President, I suggest that we call back all out external soldiers before it becomes too late. And also, every 3rd rank high-grade soldier and above should come and reinforce the Presidential Villa after stabilizing things in their region¡±.


    After saying this, Commander Rashford sat back down.


    The silence of the other higher-ups indicated their consent to the plan. They were also frightened by the resolve of the Mocans this time, this was the first time that their archenemies were revealing all their trump cards so easily.


    President Leonidas rapped his hands at the side of his chair for some seconds before he abruptly stood up. ¡°Rashford, you have my orders, do it¡±.


    As he was about to leave, he stopped and turned with narrowed eyes. ¡°Armstrong, I want to give you this last reminder to know your boundaries¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to personally take action, but if I ever discover that you have any hand behind this, you know what I can do better than most people here¡±.


    His tone became deeper and dangerous. ¡°I can decide to kill you and all your subordinates, and there¡¯s nothing anyone can say about it. Read my lips and remember my words¡±.


    Without waiting for the General¡¯s reply, the President of the Spartan republic stormed out of the hall with heavy footsteps.


    ¡­


    Amid the sound of the raging battle, Clark walked into his makeshift office to rest. After 2 days of unrelenting battles and sleepless nights with the fear of infiltration from the opponents, all his nerves were stretched taut.


    Though Vatican City still held their enemy at a stalemate, their losses were slowly increasing as more of the soldiers became weary.


    The energy powering the Dome Shield was already dimming as the unrelenting attacks from the Mocan soldiers already severely damaged it.


    Now, attacks that were powerful enough could briefly breach it, resulting in more deaths among the Vatican City soldiers who were at the other side.


    Despite the number of deaths, Vatican City¡¯s situation was still good.


    During these 2 days, Clark was not kept in the dark as he already heard the news about other cities. And though the news was hidden from lower-ranked soldiers, he knew the situation in the Presidential Villa.


    The reports only made him more and more afraid of wars of such a scale, the deaths across the republic were already bordering towards a million just in 2 days.


    And according to statistical experiments from previous invasion attempts, the number of deaths would spike after the 4th day of battle


    The fact that the Mocan Republic mobilized all 11 of their warships also left him shuddering in fear. The thought almost prompted him to go retrieve his mech, but he knew that doing that was stupid.


    He could only hold his nerves, do his best, and hope for the best.


    The rest of the world already knew of the country-wide war, so no foreigner was entering the country as the whole of Sparta was already in a state of emergency.


    The whole world stood still, watching this spectacle between archenemies like the best action movie available. This was what soldiers loved in this era.


    Nodding in greeting at the soldiers that he met on the way, Clark quickly entered his room. As soon as he entered, he was attracted by his beeping communication device.


    Going closer, he immediately went through the message.


    His eyes narrowed in alarm. ¡°Is the situation so bad already that the President personally asked for reinforcements?¡±


    For the first time, he felt a sense of urgency. Due to the situation in Vatican City, he thought that the situation was not too serious but he could not be more wrong.


    He finally knew why the Mocan soldiers fighting against his city did not call for reinforcements despite how much they suffered on his hands.


    Clearly, the invasion started with a clear goal in mind.


    According to the message, it said that he should stabilize the situation in his region before going to the Presidential Villa in at most 24 hours.


    And his region meant Vatican City and environs.


    Without any hesitation, he informed his commissioners and Corporal Cinnabar, made sure that no complication appeared in the battle before boarding his exotic car.


    He secretly left the city to not alert the Mocan soldiers.

 Chapter 415: into savannah city

    Southern Sparta, Savannah City.


    After 2 days of the harrowing and constantly deteriorating battle encounters that the mostly unprepared city had with the Mocan soldiers, it was already on the verge of falling apart.


    Every few minutes, and every hour, bombshells shuttled across the air, raining down into various parts of the city, destroying property and lives altogether in the process.


    Encouraged by their unchallenged advantage since the country-wide war started, the Mocan forces became bolder here as they started engaging in even more deep infiltration attacks.


    In one of these attack raids, they succeeded in killing one of the three diplomatic commissioners who governed the city, successfully lowering the city''s morale even further.


    As they swept across, like usual, they took no prisoners.


    For the past 2 days, they already swept past and took over dozens of underground shelters, and these takeovers resulted in deaths ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.


    Over 70% of the enormous city was already taken by them, cornering the remaining forces of the city to one region.


    They ruled when it came to air supremacy, so also did they rule when it came to field supremacy. They marched through the city like they were the owners, while their opponents were the invaders.


    The only reason why they haven''t taken over the city yet was that the remaining forces of the city were cornered in one region, indirectly increasing the defense of that remaining region.


    At this moment, both sides were engaged in a siege battle where the invaders attacked in an unrestrained manner, leaving the owners of the city to defend pathetically.


    The situation was not looking good.


    ...


    Inside the government building, the remaining 2 commissioners and all the other diplomatic higher-ups of Savannah City converged here as they lived their possibly last days on earth.


    The main hall of the government building had a tense atmosphere to it, the diplomatic leaders were anxious and feared for their lives as the battle continued raging outside.


    The head commissioner of the city had a blank look on his face, his original authoritative and imposing vibe of being a city¡¯s higher-up was gone, his body looked lifeless as he sat on his chair.


    Right now, only despair and hopelessness could be seen on his face.


    He didn''t know how many times he had sent distress signals for reinforcements already to the Spartan army, but since then, he didn''t receive even one reply. It was like he and his city was abandoned.


    At this moment, he could not help but rage against the Spartan army. Though he knew that the army was probably occupied by other battles already, he still felt anger fill his heart.


    Every few hours, the statistical reports of the battle came to him, and the dead civilians recorded in the city already rose to over 60,000. He felt numb each time he saw the statistics.


    Boom!


    He heard another sound of a bomb being dropped in their last line of defense, doing a good job of shattering his last hope even more.


    As he looked blankly in despair, he jumped up, startled and alarmed as a figure suddenly jumped into the government building through the window.


    He looked on with wariness and hopelessness, thinking that the enemies were already here and he was about to die but when he looked closer, he found the face familiar.


    "Lieutenant Colonel". He hurriedly ran forward to meet Clark.


    Hearing what he said, the other higher-ups who already stiffened like the sword of Damocles was above their heads finally jolted awake. They hurriedly looked up with joy like their savior was finally here.


    Clark had a stern look on his face. To be sincere, when he came, he hardly recognized this city that he visited some time ago.


    He found it shocking that so much damage was already done by the Mocan soldiers in 2 days, which made him rage even more.


    He rapidly calmed himself down as he knew that getting angry would not help his situation.


    He looked straight at the head commissioner. He didn¡¯t give an explanation of why he was here or what he was here to do, even a fool could guess that he was working under orders.


    "I want control over all the forces of your city right now, and I mean now!"


    He was about to leave but he stopped at the last moment. "An enemy strike force has already infiltrated this government building to assassinate you, we''ll start from there".


    Without waiting for the head commissioner''s input or his reply, Clark turned around and left the hall.


    As he left, he looked at his time.


    23:34:07


    ...


    As the battle between both armies raged on, a group of Mocan soldiers led by a Corporal smoothly infiltrated the Savannah City''s government building.


    Taking advantage of the unstable state of the soldiers fighting for the city, they were able to see a lot of loopholes to infiltrate, enabling them smooth passage into the city.


    At this moment, they could already see themselves doing the glorious feat of assassinating the enemy commissioner.


    They could already see themselves receiving medals of honor after the war. Their Major already achieved a lot, having almost taken over the city in just 2 days, and this huge achievement would surely spill over to them.


    At this moment, they were already contemplating which city to go to and join to attack next after they ended their massacre here.


    "Wait!" The Corporal suddenly frowned. "Something is wrong, my scanner just had a strange pulse which..."


    Bam!


    Before he could finish, a spear struck out from the shadows and slammed hard at his face. Despite the protection from his armor, he lost a few teeth from the force.


    Still in the process of reacting to this sudden attack, the hand in the darkness was inclined, turning the spear to its sharp edge in the process as it forcefully swiped to the right.


    The spear easily cut through his head. In just less than 3 seconds, the leader of this operation, a 2nd rank high-grade soldier was killed.


    The other soldiers finally reacted in shock, trying to retaliate with various means but their fate was already sealed immediately after Clark arrived in this city.


    With less than 2 complicated moves and 8 simple moves, all the 8 assassins who participated in this assassination attempt were killed.


    It took Clark less than 10 seconds to do it.


    [Continuation into next chapter]


    As soon as Clark finished eliminating all 8 soldiers sent to act as assassins, he left the scene as he was quickly led to the headquarters of the Mantis military division without alerting the Mocan soldiers.


    Getting there, he finally got control over all the soldiers in the city.


    Before going to the government building, he already surveyed the city and the damage done so he was able to come up with a plan shortly after.


    Without hesitation, he laid down his plans before the soldiers. The main point was that all the soldiers were supporting, while he was the main anchor and attacker in the plan.


    The current condition of the city already showed the incompetence of the military division, he had no thoughts of giving them complicated tasks.


    After confirming that they understood his plans, they finally moved.


    ...


    In the new main camp of the Mocan forces which was boldly in the middle of the city after their recent exploits, the Major who was leading this operation looked into the distance like he was expecting something.


    A minute turned to 2 minutes, 2 minutes turned to 5 minutes, yet he still couldn''t see the commotion that he was anticipating. He frowned as his intuition told him that something went wrong.


    As he was about to order another of his subordinates to go check out what was wrong, a red flare was suddenly shot into the sky.

 Chapter 416: scale of the war

    Northern Spartan, in the Presidential Villa.


    At the war emergency building inside the Presidential Villa, a group of Spartan higher-ups was already gathered as they discussed the implications of the sudden invasion attempt from the Mocan republic.


    Even at this moment, the sounds of battle, striking at high decibels could be heard from outside as the Spartan army engaged hard with the Mocan army.


    The fact that the sound could reach inside this extremely fortified and soundproof building showed the proportions that the ongoing battle already climbed to.


    A tense atmosphere reigned in the building as each higher-up had different thoughts in their mind. The only thing common among them was that all of them had a solemn expression on their faces.


    Clang!


    The door suddenly flung open as a stern-faced Leonidas stepped into the meeting hall. His back was kept straight, his face was calm but this could not hide the certain dangerousness shining from his eyes.


    Seeing the President step inside in such a mood, all the higher-ups currently present immediately stood up to welcome him.


    As soon as he sat down, he did not beat around the bush. ¡°Rashford, tell me everything that I need to know¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. President¡±. Commander Rashford immediately stood up with an equally serious expression on his face as he projected statistical data in the air.


    ¡°The war is already going on for 2 days already, and at this point, we already more or less completed our observation of the Mocan¡¯s war strategy and pattern¡±.


    ¡°From the trajectory of the war, it is evident that they place more importance on this invasion attempt than previous ones, and their focus is on our higher-ups¡±.


    ¡°Not the soldiers, but mostly the civilian higher-ups that we have¡±.


    ¡°The invasion attempts first kickstarted in Odin, Naria, and Tempa City, and these 3 cities are the resident cities of our Minister of Technology development, Finance, and Implant Education respectively¡±.


    ¡°They were almost killed in the process, but they survived the initial wave¡±.


    ¡°After that, we escorted every willing higher-up of the republic to the Presidential Villa and in less than a day, over 60% of the Mocan forces converged here¡±.


    ¡°From the clues, this is clearly a revenge war for the Spartan Rage¡¯s operation¡±.


    ¡°From the sounds that we are hearing, it is clear that though our soldiers are holding up, for now, it won¡¯t take much longer before the Mocan soldiers open a breach and infiltrate the Presidential Villa¡±.


    ¡°The Mocans invested a lot in this invasion without caring for losses, this is a war for dignity and prestige¡±.


    ¡°Their intensity and conviction are frightening this time, and they invested all their 11 warships in this war which is an astronomical force¡±.


    ¡°Our 6 warships can not compare in any way, that is why we need to make a decision immediately to curb the effects of this war¡±.


    ¡°And besides, both Commander Naga and Commander Ash were mobilized¡±.


    ¡°I already tried to mobilize more soldiers from the Spartan army headquarters, but there are more than enough sacrificial Mocan forces in place to tie them down¡±.


    ¡°Mr. President, I suggest that we call back all out external soldiers before it becomes too late. And also, every 3rd rank high-grade soldier and above should come and reinforce the Presidential Villa after stabilizing things in their region¡±.


    After saying this, Commander Rashford sat back down.


    The silence of the other higher-ups indicated their consent to the plan. They were also frightened by the resolve of the Mocans this time, this was the first time that their archenemies were revealing all their trump cards so easily.


    President Leonidas rapped his hands at the side of his chair for some seconds before he abruptly stood up. ¡°Rashford, you have my orders, do it¡±.


    As he was about to leave, he stopped and turned with narrowed eyes. ¡°Armstrong, I want to give you this last reminder to know your boundaries¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to personally take action, but if I ever discover that you have any hand behind this, you know what I can do better than most people here¡±.


    His tone became deeper and dangerous. ¡°I can decide to kill you and all your subordinates, and there¡¯s nothing anyone can say about it. Read my lips and remember my words¡±.


    Without waiting for the General¡¯s reply, the President of the Spartan republic stormed out of the hall with heavy footsteps.


    ¡­


    Amid the sound of the raging battle, Clark walked into his makeshift office to rest. After 2 days of unrelenting battles and sleepless nights with the fear of infiltration from the opponents, all his nerves were stretched taut.


    Though Vatican City still held their enemy at a stalemate, their losses were slowly increasing as more of the soldiers became weary.


    The energy powering the Dome Shield was already dimming as the unrelenting attacks from the Mocan soldiers already severely damaged it.


    Now, attacks that were powerful enough could briefly breach it, resulting in more deaths among the Vatican City soldiers who were at the other side.


    Despite the number of deaths, Vatican City¡¯s situation was still good.


    During these 2 days, Clark was not kept in the dark as he already heard the news about other cities. And though the news was hidden from lower-ranked soldiers, he knew the situation in the Presidential Villa.


    The reports only made him more and more afraid of wars of such a scale, the deaths across the republic were already bordering towards a million just in 2 days.


    And according to statistical experiments from previous invasion attempts, the number of deaths would spike after the 4th day of battle


    The fact that the Mocan Republic mobilized all 11 of their warships also left him shuddering in fear. The thought almost prompted him to go retrieve his mech, but he knew that doing that was stupid.


    He could only hold his nerves, do his best, and hope for the best.


    The rest of the world already knew of the country-wide war, so no foreigner was entering the country as the whole of Sparta was already in a state of emergency.


    The whole world stood still, watching this spectacle between archenemies like the best action movie available. This was what soldiers loved in this era.


    Nodding in greeting at the soldiers that he met on the way, Clark quickly entered his room. As soon as he entered, he was attracted by his beeping communication device.


    Going closer, he immediately went through the message.


    His eyes narrowed in alarm. ¡°Is the situation so bad already that the President personally asked for reinforcements?¡±


    For the first time, he felt a sense of urgency. Due to the situation in Vatican City, he thought that the situation was not too serious but he could not be more wrong.


    He finally knew why the Mocan soldiers fighting against his city did not call for reinforcements despite how much they suffered on his hands.


    Clearly, the invasion started with a clear goal in mind.


    According to the message, it said that he should stabilize the situation in his region before going to the Presidential Villa in at most 24 hours.


    And his region meant Vatican City and environs.


    Without any hesitation, he informed his commissioners and Corporal Cinnabar, made sure that no complication appeared in the battle before boarding his exotic car.


    He secretly left the city to not alert the Mocan soldiers.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 417: reinforcements

    Southern Sparta, Vatican City.


    After their Lieutenant Colonel left them to go help other nearby cities, the soldiers of the Dragon military division and Vatican City as a general felt the pressure immediately but they still held.


    Unlike Savannah City, their situation was stabilized much earlier, granting them a good foundation to fight a defensive siege battle with the Mocan army.


    Due to this, they had an advantage earlier on. And also, compared to Savannah city, their 2 ace defense measures against invasion and war were on a whole other realm completely.


    Though the enormous Dome Shield''s energy was almost depleted already due to the relentless bombardment, it was still barely functioning but this was still more than enough help to the Vatican soldiers.


    The Mocan soldiers could not infiltrate further, nor could their opponents push them to retreat further, they were stuck in a stalemate.


    And besides, the Mocan soldiers were intimidated by the Lieutenant Colonel, so they didn''t dare to make more complicated moves as it would only result in defeat at the end.


    The Vatican soldiers tried as much as possible to hide and cover the disappearance of their ace soldier but after over an hour of not seeing him, the Mocan soldiers made a guess.


    They made a bold guess, an extremely reasonable guess. "The Lieutenant Colonel was gone to help other cities who were in dire states".


    As soon as he made this bold conjecture, the leader of the Mocan forces improvised immediately to confirm this. He ordered his soldiers to push wider and penetrate deeper.


    Immediately, the Mocan soldiers stopped their slightly cautious and cowardly approach to the battle. They started launching wave after wave of intense attacks at Vatican City.


    Their weapons pushed deeper, and their attacks became more frequent. The damage received by the Dome Shield spiked immediately, it rapidly siphoned energy from its reserves but they were being depleted rapidly.


    Though the Vatican soldiers were still able to stand their ground against this crazy offensive all of a sudden, they were under immense pressure.


    Doing this for 2 consecutive times and getting no response from the Lieutenant Colonel, the leader of the Mocan soldiers basically confirmed his guess.


    Even bolder now, the battle entered another realm of intensity. The Mocan soldiers once again let go of all their misgivings completely, hauling all their attacks without holding back at the Dome Shield.


    Just another 30 minutes later, the Dome Shield flickered before disappearing from the city as its energy reserves were finally depleted.


    Vatican City was mostly exposed again. Only one last line of defense demarcated both sides, the bulwark Defense Wall.


    Though the Vatican City soldiers still firmly held their defense after this, it was inevitable that the number of casualties rapidly increased.


    As this happened and the Mocan soldiers tried to penetrate the city again, a strange Fighter jet that belonged to neither side suddenly sped past the battlefield.


    None of the soldiers on both sides paid attention to it before, but this nonchalant attitude stopped when they suddenly saw drop cabins falling from the air like manna falling from heaven after the jet passed.


    Both parties became tense, thinking that it was reinforcement for the other side. In less than 2 minutes, the drop cabins landed with force.


    Boom!


    The inhibitors of these metallic constructs broke the cabins from inside aggressively to announce their arrival on the battlefield, immediately revealing their identities as some king of fighters.


    Every eye on the battlefield turned to them. When the uniforms of these newcomers were revealed to both sides, they were stunned.


    "The Pendragon Mercenary Group!"


    The mercenaries of this famous mercenary group rushed out with aggressive expressions on their faces, their direction easily showing that they were here for the blood of the Mocan soldiers.


    With thousands of soldiers reinforcing one side, including 2 fearsome 3rd rank high-grade soldiers, the Mocan forces had no choice but to retreat again in a pathetic order.


    This time, retreating was not as smooth to them though because Josh and King debuted in the battle with a bang.


    The former penetrated the ranks of the Mocan soldiers with his sword and rifle like a hot knife cutting through butter, while the latter spread bombs to induce mushroom-like explosions around the battlefield.


    In less than 5 minutes since they arrived, hundreds of Mocan soldiers perished and the number was still counting rapidly.


    The situation was quickly stabilized again, and not only that, they started pushing the Mocan soldiers to retreat further.


    ...


    Boom!


    Another impeccable sniper shot flawlessly killed another helicopter pilot, but this time as the helicopter span out of control, one of the soldiers was able to substitute on time.


    After putting in a lot of effort, he finally stabilized the airborne war machine but before he could heave a sigh of relief, another gunshot reverberated.


    Bam!


    The soldier died, and this time, the helicopter finally crashed for real.


    Since Clark made his debut on the Savannah battlefield, he was like a plague spreading across that could not be stopped no matter how much the Mocan soldiers tried.


    They tried every tactic to stop him, but it was not an easy feat to stop a versatile 3rd rank high-grade soldier like him who was a master both in ranged and melee battle.


    Whenever he activated any of his 2 battle arts, the Mocan soldiers experience true despair and helplessness.


    Left with no choice, they could only retreat out of the borders of the city and go back to their sturdy base that they created beforehand to fight a siege battle.


    After being forced back to the location where they originally prepared for this battle, they finally curbed Clark''s threat a bit though he still wreaked havoc among them. And this also meant that they were back to square 1.


    It was frustrating, but they could do nothing about it.


    After staying for 3 hours, fighting relentlessly and causing a lot of losses to the originally rampaging Mocan soldiers, and making sure that the situation was stable enough, Clark finally went to rest.


    He rested for 20 minutes, then he secretly left again to the next city.

 Chapter 418: the 4 cities

    Before Clark left Savannah City, he made sure to recharge the energy reserves of his exotic car as they were already bordering on the edge of being depleted which was something he didn¡¯t want to encounter now.


    As soon as he drove outside the city to a region not embroiled in the battle, he contacted Vatican City with his communication device.


    Throughout his duration in Savannah City, the more he felt bad for the thousands of innocents that already died to this war, the more he felt scared of seeing such a scene happening in his city.


    As soon as the call went through, the mere hearing that the Pendragon mercenary group was already there was enough to calm his heart.


    He didn¡¯t speak with Emily or King as this was not the time for that. As soon as he dropped the communication device, he started thinking of his next step.


    Despite being out of battle right now, he could still feel his blood burning hot in a hyperactive manner. His body remained tense like an opponent would appear immediately, prompting him to start another battle.


    He tried to control it but he could not as his hands remained shaking like he was someone suffering from Dementia.


    The difference was that his was not a disease, this was how his body reacted when he was in an emotionally riled up state.


    In just slightly more than a decade, the transition from the helpless kid in the previous Mocan invasion to the Lieutenant Colonel whose every action decided the fate of tens of thousands of lives was drastic.


    He could feel himself breaking down mentally already due to the pressure, but he did not let himself succumb to it.


    A lot of people had their hopes on him, deciding to chicken out now meant that a lot of helpless children like the former him would not get to live as an adult, they wouldn¡¯t get to have a girlfriend, a wife, a family.


    Thinking of all this, his brain was overwhelmed as he buried his head on his hands. He didn¡¯t stay like this for more than a minute, he forced himself up.


    Back when he was still the helpless Clark Pendragon, other soldiers just like the present him fought bravely to ensure that he would not experience a fate that was worse than dogs.


    Now, it was his turn to do the same. This time, he was the guardian of this region and he was not going to let his fellow countrymen down.


    Pumping himself with this, he quickly listed down his next targets.


    >Autumn City, Emerald City, Savannah City, and Iris City>


    These cities were the cities bordering Vatican City with Savannah City. He already did his job in Savannah City, now the next target was to move fast to reinforce these 2 cities.


    If he could help them and stabilize their situation on time, then he would contemplate going to other cities to help.


    Currently, the Spartan republic was basically on fire and it was high-grade soldiers like him that could supply the water to quench the fire and rescue the victims.


    Before leaving, he checked how much time that he still had.


    22:08:57


    ¡­


    Emerald City, main Government building.


    Boom!


    The Fighter jet jerked as a high caliber bullet tore through its tail side, penetrating directly into its engine port as the kinetic energy accompanying the bullet to produce friction ignited the energy powering it.


    The jet lost control immediately due to its already outrageously fast speed, the pilot could not stabilize it on time as it quickly span out of control.


    A few seconds later, it crashed, exploding into a cloud of mushroom.


    Clark rushed out in a concealed manner, closing the distance to a few Mocan war Helicopters before the pilots could recognize the danger.


    Bam! Bam!


    His sniper rifle never failed him, each shot equaled the death of a pilot.


    As the helicopters spiraled out of control, the shocked Mocan soldiers finally discovered the new reinforcement that was spreading this sudden destruction among them.


    Immediately, they retaliated but Clark already formed a meticulous plan to curb all their retaliatory actions.


    Compared to Savannah City that was already on the verge of destruction when he arrived there, Emerald City held much better to the invasion. Their soldiers and those of the Panda military division reacted impeccably to the invasion.


    Despite their perfect reaction, the forces of the Mocan republic were still superior so they were originally slowly being pushed back until Clark arrived.


    Faced with such competent allies, Clark no longer needed to be the only anchor of the plan. He had a lot of strong helpers this time, which meant that his plan was much more effective and efficient.


    Paired with a soldier of his caliber, in just an hour and 30 minutes since he arrived, with the help of the Panda military division forces, they killed over half of the Mocan soldiers, destroying lots of their war resources in the process.


    Faced with such horrifying destruction, the Mocan soldiers could only retreat with their tails behind their legs.


    After going back to the strategic defense fort that they already prepared for the war, the situation finally reverted back to a siege battle.


    Clark joined in the siege battle for 15 minutes, killing even more Mocan soldiers in the process before he left the battlefield. He rested for 15 minutes before secretly leaving the city.


    ¡­


    Autumn City, the city outskirts.


    Compared to the previous 2 cities that Clark rushed to help, Autumn City and their Anaconda military division was so fierce that they already fought the Mocan forces to a stalemate outside the city.


    Getting there, all he needed was add the extra force, tipping the scales and resulting in a massacre of the Mocan soldiers.


    The battle reverted to a siege battle again, but despite that, the Mocans suffered so much deaths and material losses that they had no choice but to flee from the city.


    Clark only spent an hour there.


    ¡­


    Iris City, main Government building.


    Unlike the other cities, this was a peculiar city in the Spartan republic that placed more emphasis on diplomatic development than on military development and resources.


    They had the money in abundance but at this moment, money was not enough to save them from their predicament.


    The city was undoubtedly the worse of all 4 cities bordering Vatican City. The head commissioner was already assassinated, and the Mocan forces practically overthrew the city already.


    For this, Clark went all out again but he knew that the city was lost already.


    All he did was seek the cooperation of the Turtle military division to fight a defense-oriented battle, allowing the civilians who were still alive to be evacuated from the city to Autumn City that was in a much better situation.


    By the time that the few civilians were able to evacuate the city, the whole city was already submerged in blood, the blood of Vatican Citizens.


    Seeing this, Clark felt anger overwhelm him but he was helpless. He could not reveal his trump cards which only left him angrier.


    Fighting his guilt and sadness for the thousands of deaths that were recorded in the city, he drove out with his exotic car to go reinforce other nearby cities in need of help.


    ¡­


    All over the Spartan republic, this was the same thing happening as the high-grade soldiers took over the situation, rendering help left and right without rest just to stabilize the situation.


    There were lots of defeats, and some victories, and tons of casualties.


    This was war!

 Chapter 419: the art of war

    Northern Sparta, Spartan Army headquarters.


    Boom!


    The main cannon of the Destroyer released another shot at the enemy camp, sending shockwaves to the surroundings as the enormous force behind the shock made the enemy¡¯s shield flicker unstably.


    The Destroyer! This was one of the Spartan republic¡¯s 6 warships.


    Right now, due to the situation of the battle stemmed from the unrelenting ambition of the Mocan forces to kill Spartan higher-ups, only this warship guarded this main headquarters overseeing all military forces of the republic.


    The Megalodon guarded Southern Sparta, the Void Eagle guarded Western Sparta, the Realm Traveler guarded Eastern Sparta, while the Leonidas 1 guarded the Presidential Villa.


    Due to the intense situation at the Presidential Villa, the strongest, highest graded, and most developed warship of the Spartan republic also guarded there.


    The Star Shatterer!


    This was the undisputed ace trump card of the republic, apart from the President himself when it came to war. It was the most expensive war weapon of the Spartan republic with state-of-the-art technology.


    As a warship that was commissioned and made in the Drakran republic by Dakran weapon professors, the war machine was a beast in battle.


    Right now, though the Star Shatterer was not here due to the circumstances, the Destroyer was able to act as the ultimate defense anchor keeping the Spartan army headquarters intact.


    The enormous weapon of war hovered in the sky like a creature that lived and stemmed from the void. Its dozens of meters long body hovered silently, while its weapon armaments rotated rapidly.


    Boom! Boom!


    Each shot from its main weapon armaments left the air vibrating in reverence, showing the power packed behind it.


    As its main weapons shot occasionally, the subsidiary weapon armaments rapidly battered the Mocan forces without any rest in between them. Its energy reserves were more than enough to cover these expenditures.


    As it spread destruction at the enemies, inside of it was busy as a beehive as the professional military operators smoothly controlled this enormous weapon of war to resist the push invasion from their enemies.


    Opposite the Destroyer in mid-air was 2 opposing enemy warships, sending 2 warships here while their main target was elsewhere showed the extravagance of the Mocan republic when it came to war resources.


    As all 3 warships battered at each other¡¯s field forces, so also were they embroiled in a fierce firepower battle, tainting the sky with orange-red explosions, and spreading heat everywhere.


    Each movement from them in the air was like the stump of an ancient Giant, spreading destruction everywhere like a raging wildfire.


    Below them, Mocan and Spartan soldiers were embroiled in battle.


    As the headquarters of the main army of the Spartan republic, the Spartan army was not lacking soldiers or high-grade soldiers.


    Soldiers formed rows upon rows of defensive and offensive lines, battering hard at their counterparts with such energy like they were injected with chicken blood which was a fierce adrenaline med dose.


    Ranged soldiers rapidly shot at their opponents without holding back. Melee soldiers timed their moves, then they rushed at each other to duck it out in a battle to the death.


    All around the battle spanning hundreds of kilometers was chaos.


    Despite the chaos from the fierce firepower being exchanged in the battle and the explosions, there was a certain order to the battle as both sides implemented different strategies and mind games behind the scene.


    Leading both armies were Generals, veteran 4th rank high-grade soldiers that were already tempered by it and knew the art of war.


    Despite being the leaders of the battle, they did not act haughty and stay behind to give orders behind the scene. They were high-grade soldiers; the heart of the battlefield was their home.


    Boom!


    Generals from both armies clashed in the middle of the battlefield without a care of the world, spreading apocalyptic destruction of epic proportions to the surroundings.


    Each of their movements was like a god was walking the land.


    Their gadgets were even more exaggerated, generating so much power that the shockwaves alone cracked deep into the earth''s crust.


    The battle remained fierce, the intensity not reducing for a second as both archenemies battled to their heart¡¯s content.


    Each death from the enemy side was like a motivating drug to them. Getting to stab their swords into the enemy¡¯s chest gave them such adrenaline surges that they erupted with even more power.


    Some of the veteran soldiers of this battlefield were those who already experienced previous invasion attempts.


    And in those previous invasions, the lost comrades, they lost family, they lost their loved ones. They¡¯ve kept the urge hidden for over a decade, but now getting the opportunity to exact revenge, they did not hold back.


    This was the only ambition pushing them forward for over a decade now, they were not ready to botch that chance at this last moment of truth.


    Motivated with such ideologies, the soldiers on both sides battled with their all, trying every means available to them to eradicate the other.


    Even though both warships of the Mocan soldiers exerted huge pressure on their psyche, the effects were not too significant as the Spartan army headquarters was not just for show.


    No matter how fierce the Mocan forces pushed, they could not completely breach even a single one of the Spartan defensive lines.


    Each second, the defense measures of the headquarters would activate, revealing such defense structures and machines that could calmly put the threat of the 2 warships to the barest minimum.


    This way, both parties remained in an oscillating stalemate.


    At this moment, inside the Destroyer, Professor Monkey Hands worked with his group of personal mechanic assistants as they made sure that the warship did not botch at a critical moment and was in order.


    This Professor who had weird tendencies had an abnormally serious expression on his face at this moment, every of his actions exuded solemnity, which affected his assistants, making them more focused.


    As he worked seriously inside the warship, he was secretly paying attention to the battle situation of a young man.


    ¡°War!¡± He sighed inwardly in a melancholic manner.

 Chapter 420: 004723

    Delhi City, Python military division base.


    Boom!


    Amid explosive sounds of bombs and gunshots, the soldiers of the military division moved back and forth with serious expressions, mobilizing more weapons of war to aid the frontline soldiers.


    Delhi City was one of the few cities in the Spartan republic that repelled the invasion attempt properly, keeping the rabid soldiers of the Mocan republic at bay.


    As one of the bigger cities in the country, not only did it have a well-developed emergency response unit and proper military forces, the Python military division was renowned in the country.


    As soon as the invasion was confirmed, Captain Daniel did not hesitate to lead his soldiers out to clash with the Mocan forces.


    He was a soldier who already lived through 2 Mocan invasion attempts, he¡¯s lost a lot of comrades and friends during both wars so he did not even contemplate wasting any time.


    As a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, under his leadership, Delhi City mounted a firm defense against the invasion attempt.


    Up in the skies, the Fighter jets and other aerial machines of both sides hovered, battling for that important dominance of air supremacy that could turn situations around.


    There was no significant damage done to the city, the soldiers of the military division fought the Mocan forces to a stalemate at the border of the city.


    Captain Daniel fought in an unrestrained manner, a luxury that he didn¡¯t have the opportunity for in years serving as the leader of the Python military division.


    His spear was like a reaper of death, penetrating through the ranks of the enemies in an extremely aggressive manner.


    His aggressive battle style meant that the opponents revealed a lot of clumsy mistakes, and his subordinates did not hesitate to capitalize on these mistakes.


    Despite fighting the battle without a 3rd rank high-grade soldier leading them, the Mocan forces were able to hold the military forces of Delhi City to a stalemate which showed how much they researched about the Captain.


    As this stalemate continued with war resources and money being depleted like water, with the occasional deaths from both sides, Leo led a special unit of soldiers as they fought aggressively at a corner of the battlefield.


    With his current rank, he was no longer the na?ve Leo of yesteryear, he was now a veteran soldier who could lead other soldiers to war.


    Just like his Captain, as a soldier who was mainly a melee specialist, he had an extremely aggressive battle style.


    The name of his special unit was ¡®the Bull Chargers!¡¯


    All the soldiers in the unit wielded swords as their main weapons, but like the name of their unit suggested, they specialized at aggressive battle charges which were more of a specialty of lancer-wielding units.


    Though the Mocan soldiers did well to tone down their lethality in the battle, each of their charges was still plentiful dangerous.


    And with a leader like Leo, the charges were even more potent.


    Right now, Leo retreated with his unit again as they started hovering at the edge of the battlefield, reorienting themselves for another charge.


    At such a moment, the Mocan soldiers were supposed to rush attack them to disrupt their tempo but they were not alone, other elite units of the Python military division helped them.


    In such a manner, they were able to engage in seamless cooperative charges, dealing astronomical damage to the enemy in the process.


    After organizing themselves properly, Leo yelled a battle cry as they charged into the enemy ranks again. With eyes as sharp as an eagle, he dodged the initial attacks and dove in with his sword.


    Mid-movement, he activated his battle art, enabling him to apply even more force and technique in his charge.


    Whoosh!


    He dodged the nearest enemy soldier¡¯s attack, then he swiped with his sword to the side, cutting into the soldier¡¯s abdomen which his exotic armor blocked.


    Before the fellow could react and retaliate against his actions, he elbowed him, turned around, and threw him to the floor before striking 2 consecutive blows at the same location.


    The armor was finally breached through, then another Mocan soldier died.


    With his subordinates holding the other Mocan soldiers down, he was able to move from his first target to the second. He killed 2 ranged soldiers in the process before arriving at his target¡¯s position.


    He clashed aggressively with the leader of this Mocan military unit.


    Boom!


    Both of them quickly got embroiled in a heated melee battle. As they were both 1st rank high-grade soldiers, it was difficult to see who had an obvious advantage, leaving them in a stalemate.


    As this stalemate continued, even though he was slowly being surrounded by Mocan soldiers already, Leo did not retreat to regroup with his soldiers.


    A few seconds later, he suddenly pulled a strange move, making his body stagger forward as he head-butted the Mocan high-grade soldier.


    During the brief moment of dizziness, he suddenly ducked. A soldier who was standing a few meters away from his battlefield aimed and pulled the trigger.


    Bam!


    Before the Mocan soldier could react, he felt something sharp drill into his brain, then blood blossomed. The bullet directly penetrated his armor whose energy reserves were already being depleted.


    He didn¡¯t die immediately, but Leo who ducked to evade the shot finished the job. As soon as he killed the high-grade soldier, amid chants from his subordinates, he smoothly retreated.


    After retreating, he turned to see the soldier who shot the bullet, Smart man, flashing him a thump up.


    Seeing this, he smiled, regrouped with his soldiers before preparing for another charge into the Mocan ranks.


    ¡­


    Ptui!


    After adding another Mocan soldier to the thousands of casualties that already suffered under his sword, Captain Daniel finally retreated into the city like he was about to rest.


    But as soon as he entered the city, he used a device to cut off the opponent¡¯s surveillance of him. Then, he handed authority to his second in command before stealthily leaving the city.


    In just 2 minutes, he was out of the city.


    ¡­


    Danika City, the outskirts of the city.


    After another fierce battle that spanned 2 and a half hours, during which he helped the city forces to repel the Mocan soldiers and stabilize the situation, Clark finally retreated.


    To others, he was going to rest but he secretly left the city. As he drove away, he looked at his time.


    00:47:23

 Chapter 421: the presidential villa

    As Clark¡¯s exotic car cruised at its maximum speed through the deserted highway, a lot of things went through his mind. Due to the lockdown in the country, he could only travel in his car as the airports were closed.


    During the 24-hour duration that he was given to render help to nearby cities, he was able to meet up to 7 different cities.


    Though he felt happy that his actions saved so many lives, he also felt sad as he encountered the deaths of thousands.


    He already over-lamented about the casualties, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it again. What was currently in his mind was the situation of the people close to him.


    How was Leo? How was his wife? How was the kind old woman that he called his mom? These 3 were just a few of the many people in his mind.


    He was not exactly good with relationships, but he cherished everyone that he had. Just the thought of losing any one of them was unacceptable to him.


    At this moment, he could not help but think of the Calibri Intelligence Agency. From the message that they sent to him, he guessed that they already had a base inside Vatican City.


    He didn¡¯t think too much about them though. He knew that no matter what happened, nothing would happen to such an agency secretly sponsored by a billionaire of Mr. Calibri¡¯s caliber.


    After putting all these behind him, he finally set his sight to the Presidential Villa. What exactly was the situation there? Is the Mocan army gaining ground? His questions were numerous.


    Despite his rank as a Lieutenant Colonel, he didn¡¯t know much as apart from the summoning message, he didn¡¯t get any other message from the higher-ups.


    With a heavy heart filled with trepidation, he continued his speedy journey.


    ¡­


    Immediately after Clark arrived in Northern Sparta, he felt the change.


    Unlike in the other regions of the Spartan republic, the whole of this capital region now looked like a deserted ruin in space left by an alien civilization.


    Nothing and nobody could be seen in sight, only gray color dominated.


    All the civilians were already evacuated underground, but they had even more measures in place to protect them.


    At this moment, a thick gray metallic covering already covered the whole of this region of the republic. This thick metallic covering was the first line of defense for the civilians, while the underground shelters were the second line of defense.


    Not only was this metallic covering extremely thick, but it also had a lot of other defenses against the intrusion of scanning devices and a lot of other gadgets.


    Despite the advanced tech of his exotic car, Clark could not see more than an inch into the metallic covering, showing how expensive it was.


    He found it unbelievable, but these characteristics confirmed to him that this metallic covering spanning the whole capital region of the Spartan republic was made from exotic metal.


    This realization was extremely shocking and mind-blowing, his small brain could not even comprehend the amount of money that the republic needed to get this project done.


    As his car drove with extreme speed through the vacant gray road, he quickly came to another realization why this metallic covering was made.


    Bzzz!


    Even in his car, he felt the vibration in the earth shaking his exotic car, spreading through his body as what seemed like a thick bolt of lightning and thunder flashed hundreds of kilometers away.


    He was nowhere close to the Presidential Villa yet, but he was already seeing such a sight. Imagining the effects in the center of the location where it happened left him shuddering in fear.


    This was his first time seeing such a sight, but he did not cower, it only made him put more pressure on his accelerator to make his car move faster.


    The closer he got to the Presidential Villa, the more detailed effects affected him. At this moment, his brain was already turning slightly numb from the shock.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    He didn¡¯t know what was causing the loud noise, but the extremely loud sounds like those of exploding dominoes reverberated across the closer he got.


    Stil some distance away, he finally saw the silhouette of the Presidential Villa and the center of the ongoing battle that was causing so much commotion.


    The booming sounds never stopped, the sounds like those of clapping thunders never stopped as his brain pricked him painfully like drums of war were being beaten in his head.


    Gritting his teeth and focusing, he was able to see more.


    The Presidential Villa that he was extremely familiar with already and knew its layout was no longer the way that he knew it, all that he saw was an enormous grey metallic dome.


    Clearly, this was the defense mechanism protecting the Presidential Villa.


    The thick dome made entirely of exotic metals stood as sturdily as an elephant, with its outwards shell as hard as that of a Primordial Tortoise.


    Right now, attacks with force of epic proportions kept on hitting this defense structure, spreading fierce shockwaves and vibrations through the earth but it held still.


    Above the dome-shaped defense structure was a world of red and orange.


    In this world of red and orange hovered 7 enormous weapons of war, weapons of war that Clark recognized as warships, and they were the ones spreading the main destructive damage to the surroundings.


    Below this 7 hovering warships was the battlefield, but Clark could not see much as the shockwaves of the battlefield obscured everything from his vision.


    From the little that he could see, he only saw one word dominating- War!


    He could not see the main battlefield but from his estimate, the scale of this battlefield already spanned across over 4 kilometers from the Presidential Villa.


    Machine gunshots were the least adding to the noise of battle, gunshots that seemed like they were directly harvested from a mechanic kingdom dominated the battlefield on every side.


    Boom!


    A stray cannon shot hit the ground, sending his exotic car somersaulting in the air as he was not able to react in time due to his shock.


    When his car finally landed, though it was not destroyed directly, it suffered significant damage. With much effort, he finally kicked his way out of the car, and he saw 3 Spartan soldiers standing before him.


    ¡°Report¡±. The leading soldier demanded in a loud voice.


    With a solemn expression on his face, Clark brought his military badge. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Clark Pendragon¡±.


    ¡°Follow me¡±.

 Chapter 422: the situation of the war

    Walking forward became a herculean task, Clark felt like he was walking through a trial ground filled with pins and needles.


    He needed to activate his exotic boots to prevent himself from tripping.


    Every booming sound made from the battle left him feeling light-headed and dizzy, the vibrations went through his body, penetrating his organs and making his blood abnormally active.


    He was not participating in the battlefield yet, but the intensity reaching him already forced his brain into overdrive, pumping adrenaline surges through his body as he felt the urge to throw himself into the fray immediately.


    The 3 soldiers leading him did not take him to the battlefield, they took him through a hidden tunnel that led underground.


    As soon as he entered the underground hidden base, 2 of the soldiers left while the leading one took him to a room.


    The soldier brought out his badge with a solemn look on his face to indicate his rank. ¡°General Imo Nakin¡±.


    ¡°Listen to me carefully, I am under the orders of Commander Rashford to tell you of the overall situation of the battle and our plan for calling you¡±.


    Clark nodded with an equally solemn look. Then, taking a deep breath, the General revealed everything to him.


    ¡°This is your preparation room; the armory is at the right of the hall. You have an hour to get yourself ready for battle¡±.


    ¡°Yes, General¡±.


    The information that was just revealed to him was so shocking that he answered the General¡¯s question instinctively. This revelation finally explained a lot of the theories that he had.


    According to the General, the republic was already in a cornered state from the conviction shown by the Mocans in this main invasion attempt. This time, it was like the Mocan republic was really advocating for war till death.


    Their conviction was like they would not stop until a side was annihilated.


    According to estimates, it has been deduced that the Mocan republic came for this invasion with over 70% of their soldiers and over 80% of their military resources, leaving their territory almost bare.


    Not only did they mobilize all 10 of their warships, but they also mobilized their only 2 Commanders, Commander Ash, and Commander Naga.


    Both of them were the leaders of this operation.


    According to the General, the dome-shaped defense structure currently protecting the Presidential Villa was the 2nd most expensive structure of the republic after Star Shatterer.


    Despite its enormous energy reserves, the bombardment from 5 Mocan warships was still too much for it to cope with. Its energy reserves would only be able to last one more day at this rate of bombardment.


    This was the main reason why the higher-graded soldiers of the republic were being mobilized from everywhere, to mount a counterattack.


    If the dome-shaped defense structure succumbed, it would mark the end of the Presidential Villa as there was no way that it was sturdy enough to withstand just the shockwaves of the battle.


    Another main fact of the battle was that the Mocan forces were adamant about hunting Spartan higher-ups, and they were already successful on 2 occasions.


    The first was an important minister of the republic who refused to respond to the summons to take shelter in the Presidential Villa on time. Before he could estimate the danger precisely, he was assassinated.


    The second was done here in this battle.


    Both Commander Rashford and Commander Arthur were active on the battlefield, focused on hindering the movements of the 2 Mocan Commanders but one of them was able to trick his way through the blockade.


    Taking advantage of that small opening, he infiltrated the Presidential Villa, breached the underground shelter, and killed 2 other diplomatic ministers before he was stopped.


    Such an action was a first since the history of the Spartan republic, which only made more higher-ups agree to the counterattack plan.


    All these were about the ongoing battle, but the most important secret revealed by the General to him was about President Leonidas.


    According to the General, the President suffered a terrible injury 2 decades ago when he explored the ruin of one of the big 5.


    This was the reason for President Leonidas¡¯s inactivity in recent years.


    Since the injury, he locked himself inside the Presidential Villa to recover and hardly came out. This was the impetus that gave the Mocan republic the courage to increase their invasion attempt frequencies for the past 2 decades.


    No one knew the real condition of the President currently, and the Mocans were clearly ready to bet that he was still injured.


    Connecting all these, Clark came to a lot of conclusions. He finally knew why the Persian tigers organization had room to act so unrestrainedly, even the faction that was trying to decrease the President¡¯s authority over the republic.


    Though he wanted to sit down and analyze further, he knew that he could not as the booming sounds of the ongoing battle were still echoing down.


    According to the General, he had an hour to prepare for the counterattack.


    Though he already had his custom-made weapons, he still decided to visit the special armory here to check if he would see better gadgets.


    When he went through the hall, he looked for familiar faces among the 3rd rank high-grade soldiers present but he could see none.


    Opening the door to the armory, he entered a hall that was built just like a modern library. It was rectangular, and all 4 sides had rows of shelves where different weapons and gadgets were kept.


    After checking through it, he quickly deduced that the weapons here were of fairly the same grade as his custom-made weapons so he left.


    Going back through the wide passageway, he saw new faces among which 2 were familiar. He saw Captain Daniel who was already prepared for the battle, and General Vincent who was speaking with a group of 3rd rank high-grade soldiers.


    The General was caught up by his words so he didn¡¯t notice him, but Captain Daniel did. They just nodded in greeting at each other before Clark returned to his preparation room.


    The solemn atmosphere in the underground base already infected him, making him much more serious subconsciously.


    A few minutes later, he finished his preparation and went out to wait.


    A few dozen minutes later, an hour elapsed.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 423: launch

    As soon as the hour elapsed, all the 3rd rank and 4th rank high-grade soldiers of the Spartan republic that were called gathered together in a room.


    Almost all of them were either external soldiers of the republic or those who were assigned as leaders of various territories. Every internal soldier of the Spartan army was already embroiled in the ongoing battle.


    Not all the external soldiers of the republic were here, some were too far away to arrive immediately but they were surely on their way.


    In a country-wide war like this, the Spartan republic did not leave any stone unturned that could turn the tides in their favor.


    All of the soldiers gathered already completed their preparations. Not only were they armed to the teeth physically, but their psychological state was also already finetuned to welcome the atmosphere of war that would embrace them soon.


    A solemn atmosphere was among them as they entered the room.


    Following them in, Clark felt his blood burning hotter. These were the Guardians of the Spartan republic, these were the Guardians that were ready to give their life just to make others¡¯ lives better.


    Now, he was part of this group of guardians.


    With a solemn feeling of determination blooming in his heart, he took a step inside the room. As soon as he entered, the first thing that attracted his attention was the soldier standing at the front of the room.


    Commander Arthur!


    The Commander¡¯s already sharp gaze was abnormally sharp this time. A silent atmosphere of solemnity also dominated his face. As soon as everyone entered, he opened his mouth to address them.


    ¡°Warriors of the Spartan Republic, this is the time to show our allegiance to our home country, and to show our strength to the opponents in the process¡±.


    He raised his hand which he already clenched into a fist, his tone increasing a few decibels. ¡°Today, let¡¯s show the Mocans what we are made of¡±.


    ¡°This is our army¡¯s current situation¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the plan¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll all be split into groups, and each group leader will be a General. Form your group and pick your groups now¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Commander¡±.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll meet you all outside¡±.


    Without saying another word, the Commander nodded at them, turned, and swiftly walked out of the room in a heavy mood.


    As soon as he left, none of the other soldiers were idle. Without hesitation, they stood up and started forming different cliques to join the group formed by a General that they were familiar with.


    Of course, Clark, Captain Daniel, and two other 3rd rank high-grade soldiers from Southern Sparta came under the group formed by their leader, General Vincent.


    With a stern face, the General addressed the soldiers in his group again, emphasizing some specific points to them before he led them out of the room.


    In less than 2 minutes, all the groups were formed. The soldiers were able to form 7 different groups, with each averaging 4 soldiers.


    As soon as this was done, as one, they all started moving in the direction of a secret passageway that was connected to the underground base.


    After about a minute, they met up with the Commander again. Following his leadership, they climbed a spiraling staircase upwards till they arrived before what seemed like a huge space shuttle.


    This huge shuttle was placed in a hall, and other shuttles of the same type lined the hall on other parts. The front walls of the hall seemed like a projection screen, but it was a one-way transparent glass wall.


    Through this wall, the real ongoing battle presented itself before the soldiers. Subconsciously, their expressions became even more solemn immediately.


    Though the loud sounds of the ongoing battle were blocked, they could still feel the intensity of the battle, making their blood burn hotter.


    From their position, they could not see the top that was already blanketed by explosive fire and shockwaves which was the battlefield of the warships but they could see the ground battle.


    At one glance, it was clear that the Spartan soldiers were at a disadvantage.


    It was not obvious if an ordinary person looked at it, but as soldiers, they were able to see much deeper.


    The metallic world now formed in the capital region of the republic was now a fierce battlefield. Tens of thousands of soldiers clashed aggressively like a pride of Lions encountering another pride.


    The elite soldiers of both countries clashed without caring for their lives. Each shot and strike from them were vicious, aiming for the head only.


    Each minute, despite the exotic armor protecting them, soldiers died from both sides like dead leaves falling in autumn.


    Putting the soldiers aside, the war weapons and machines alone from both sides were enough to invade and annex a low-grade country in a day.


    Though the warships were the main highlights representing this war, the other weapons of war were equally formidable.


    Gigantic machines of war that towered to the skies patrolled the metallic battlefield, huge artillery vehicles, and even war drones ruled the skies, raining their loads down at the earth without any remorse.


    The raging fire and enormous shockwaves induced by such a large convergence of soldiers and war machines distorted the surroundings, preventing them from observing everything but they got what they wanted.


    At this moment, despite their equally aggressive manner in the battle, the Spartan army was fighting a purely defensive battle against their enemies.


    Suddenly, the General pointed at the wall, zooming the sight before them to enable them to see the full layout of the battlefield.


    At this moment, the battlefield already extended to about 5 kilometers. The Spartan soldiers were represented by green in the zoomed layout, while the Mocan soldiers were represented by red.


    The Mocan soldiers were not exactly more than the Spartan soldiers, but their huge advantage in quality and quantity of war machines and weapons made the red dwarf the green in the zoomed layout.


    The Spartan soldiers formed a square defense battle formation. There were the North, East, West, and South nodes in the formation, and each of these nodes was under the leadership of Spartan Generals.


    For the Mocan soldiers, they formed a 4 directional lancer battle formation. Each lancer battle formation faced either of the 4 Spartan defense nodes and with the help of their war machines, they were already penetrating deep.


    Seeing this, Clark and the other soldiers frowned as a heavy expression came over their faces. It could be said that since the history of this feud between both countries, this was one of the biggest invasion attempts from either side.


    Having already explained the plan to them, Commander Arthur did not say more. ¡°Let¡¯s meet on the battlefield¡±.


    As soon as he said that, Clark turned and with his group mates, they left with their leader. They located another shuttle, then they settled down on the chairs arranged in the mechanical vessels.


    In less than a minute, all 7 groups located their shuttles. Commander Arthur also entered one of the shuttles with a group led by him.


    After confirming the status of the others, he took a deep breath before ordering through his implant.


    ¡°Launch!¡±


    The shuttles vibrated before they were propelled out of the hall.


    Boom!


    [Sorry for the late release.]

 Chapter 424: elite groups of spartan soldiers

    In the ongoing battle, the soldiers of both sides were already showing signs of fatigue but neither side could rest. Like it was instinct to them already, they just swung their weapons repeatedly at each other.


    The Mocan soldiers were determined to breach the Presidential Villa and deal damage, while the Spartans were adamant to protect the symbol of honor of their country.


    The damage, vibrations, and loud sounds induced from the battle alone were enough to make a normal human disabled.


    Despite these extreme conditions, the soldiers from both sides persevered, partly because of the protective gadgets that they wore and partly because they were getting used to it.


    Amid this tug of war, a loud sound suddenly reverberated in the air that was able to attract attention despite the other cacophony of sounds.


    Whoosh!


    The first shuttle vessel moved through the air at an extremely high speed before it was deposited deep inside the Mocan ranks as a loud booming sound accompanied it.


    Before the situation could be understood properly, 6 other shuttle vessels of the same type shot out from behind the Spartan lines straight into the depths of the enemy lines.


    The Mocan soldiers were given no time to react before the shuttles were exploded from inside out.


    Boom!


    Amid the shrapnel flying about, Commander Arthur stormed out of the shuttle with the soldiers in his group. With both his hands grabbing his broad sword, he penetrated through the nearest Mocan unit.


    As the enemy soldiers rapidly died to his sudden attack, the soldiers in his group stored out to reinforce his charge.


    Facing an elite group of soldiers like this, it was better to match it with the same quality of soldiers because quantity was as good as canon fodders before their might.


    Like a hot knife cutting through soaked butter, the Commander led the other soldiers as they started a massacre deep inside the heart of the enemy formation.


    The nearest war machines reacted immediately to the enemy intrusion, the enormous processing power of their A. Is came to play as they turned to aim at the Commander but he already attacked before they could.


    With one stab and a rotating swing of his enormous broad sword, the Commander dissected all 3 war machines to become metallic parts.


    Bam! Bam!


    His attacks were like thunder, with his broad sword tearing the airspace apart to reach even farther. Each stump from him shook the earth, each step from him sent vibrations like those of an incoming earthquake.


    In just a few seconds after he created a hole in the enemy ranks, he turned, led his soldiers as they started sprinting in the direction where the rows of enemy war artillery machines shot without restraints.


    This was his main target.


    The Mocan soldiers had the advantage in terms of war resources and weapons, but the high-grade soldier advantage would always be dominated by the Spartan republic.


    The Mocan soldiers already started adapting to this sudden development, but he arrived at his destination before they could make targeted moves.


    With his soldiers accompanying him, he was unrestrained as his broad sword cut left and right without pause. None of the exotic armors coating the Giant machines could stop his sharp sword and the force propelling it.


    In just 2 minutes, he wreaked dozens of the enormous war machines to metallic parts with his soldiers, but this was the only time that he got to roam free.


    A soldier in pitch-black armor, holding a trident suddenly started falling from the sky as he stabbed at the location of this Spartan Commander.


    Boom!


    Commander Arthur blocked the strike, spreading shockwaves to the surroundings as his cold eyes clashed with those of the Mocan Commander, Commander Ash.


    Without hesitation, after the first clash came the second, then dozens as they both became embroiled in a fierce battle once again.


    The area surrounding them seemed to have become the epicenter of a natural disaster, the metallic floor caved in, the air squeezed, and the nearby war machines were destroyed without them putting any resistance.


    Commander Arthur was not frustrated, he knew that he would be restrained that was why he came with companions in the first place.


    As the shockwaves from their battle wreaked the surroundings, a Spartan General already took command from him naturally as he continued the destruction that the Commander started.


    As the commotion here escalated, so also did similar scenarios happened in the other 6 locations. Deep behind enemy lines, the Spartan soldiers did not cower as they started spreading destruction.


    From the periphery of the Presidential Villa, a part of the battle was now directly brought to the middle of the horde of Mocan soldiers.


    The 5 Mocan warships in the air could not intervene, bombarding recklessly would deal mutual damage to their soldiers so they were restricted.


    The Mocan soldiers could only depend on their foot soldiers and their war weapons to stop this massacre. In just 5 minutes since the new high-grade soldiers entered the battlefield, chaos spread through the ranks of the Mocan soldiers.


    Despite this strategical attack, the Mocan higher-ups did not improvise on the spot as they remained adamant in their determination to breach the defense of the Spartan Presidential Villa.


    It was clear that they didn¡¯t give much of a damn about mutual destruction. They were ready to sacrifice soldiers just to get to their goal.


    From chaos, the battlefield directly climbed to advanced chaos, and it was slowly climbing to epic chaos.


    ¡­


    As soon as Clark entered the battlefield, he quickly got overwhelmed by the burning fire for battle. With his comrades, they penetrated through the Mocan ranks, killing a soldier at a time at rapid frequencies.


    Other Mocan high-grade soldiers came to restrain them, but they could not do much as the difference between both sides was just too much.


    Like a sports bike invading into a track reserved for sports bicycles, they rush attacked the Mocan soldiers, eliminating them at a staggering frequency.


    For the first time, the battlefield came to a temporary stalemate. Despite this, the intensity of the battle did not decrease, it only increased.

 Chapter 425: the bleak future

    5th day of the Mocan-Spartan War.


    The first 2 days of the invasion were the days of shock and surprise, the next 2 days were the days of realization and despair to the normal Spartan citizens, while to the soldiers it was the days of the retaliation.


    On the 5th day, today, the battle at the Presidential Villa was still raging on. The only difference was that both armies now rotated shifts to rest, recover their strength, and battle again.


    The Spartan soldiers were able to hold on and stabilize the harrowing situation a bit, but they were still slowly losing ground to their enemies.


    On the 3rd day, the Mocan soldiers tried, making use of the advantage given to them by their 5 warships to batter hard at the Spartans but the defense of the Presidential Villa still held.


    Every other day, the defense of the Presidential Villa slowly withered. This was because as the Spartan war resources were slowly exhausted, their counterparts only revealed more.


    Both countries had the war resources to support a 20-year war if it was in normal situations back in the 21st century, but in this era, wars involving high-grade soldiers swallowed too much money and resources.


    Not only did the high-grade soldiers need expensive weapons and gadgets to express their power fully, but they were also able to cause destruction that could render millions of credits null.


    And besides, the intensity of the battle being pushed by the Mocans meant that the war resources were being depleted at least 20 times faster than normal.


    If not for the deep reserves of the Spartan republic and its sturdy foundation, there was no doubt that the Mocans would have overrun the country already.


    A week, that was the conservative estimate that the Spartan republic calculated that their war resources would last.


    To the Spartan republic, this was an unacceptable situation as losing all their war resources would leave them vulnerable to further invasion attacks from opportunistic countries if they ever survived the Mocan invasion.


    This was the law of this era where high-grade soldiers reigned; ally together to fight when a big enemy arrives but take advantage of your ally when the big enemy leaves and the situation is right.


    Though the meticulous plan led by Commander Arthur brought a significant difference to the battlefield, it didn¡¯t do much as there were Mocan Commanders to restrict him and Commander Rashford.


    For Clark and the others, after going at it with their all for over a day, the fatigue started seeping in and they had no choice but to rest and start battling in shifts.


    Since becoming a high-grade soldier, Clark has never felt so exhausted.


    It was like he was a bot; battle, kill, rest, then repeating the sequence was the only thing in his mind for the past 3 days. He feared that if this continued, he would soon lose his sanity.


    The last defense of the Presidential Villa was still standing, but it was now severely damaged and faltering at the edge of being shattered.


    The dome-shaped defensive structure was already at the brink of being shattered, repeated bombardments from the Mocan warships were not something that could be nonchalantly resisted.


    The Spartan soldiers still fought with conviction, but thousands of them already died and they were slowly being pushed to the edge of the dome-shaped defensive structure.


    If this trend continued, it would be less than a day before the Mocan forces breached the defense structure and officially invade inside the Presidential Villa.


    Perhaps, it was taunting or they were serious about it, but the Mocan President already started sending messages through his soldiers, demanding the Spartan Republic to surrender.


    The humiliation from this was so much that the Spartan soldiers fought in a more frenzied manner, but it hardly helped matters.


    Unless a miracle happened, it was already pretty evident that the Mocan Republic would emerge as the victors of this war though amid severe losses.


    Even the pride of the Spartan army, the Star Shatterer already suffered a blow that left a part of its enormous metallic body damaged.


    It could still participate in the battle, but the psychological damage from this to the Spartan soldiers was immense.


    This was even more prominent and morale draining when the damage was done by the strongest warship of the Mocan Republic- the Leviathan.


    The situation was bleak.


    ¡­


    Southern Sparta, Vatican City.


    Despite the reinforcement from the Pendragon mercenary organization, the condition of the city kept on getting worse as the days went by.


    On the 4th day, the Mocan soldiers barely resisting the Vatican forces finally received reinforcements. As the days went, more Spartan cities succumbed, and the Mocan soldiers from those areas became reinforcement to other areas.


    In just 5 days, cities have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people already died to the wanton destruction.


    Already recognized as a target by the Mocan republic higher-ups, most of the reinforcements came to Vatican City to put down this tough enemy.


    Vatican City was now a fragment of its former self. The city was still just recovering from the Persian tigers battle, this war was like adding salt to their injury when they needed to recuperate the most.


    Though the mercenary organization and the Dragon military division tried their best to stabilize things and keep all the civilians safe, the unrelenting attacks of their enemies undoubtedly resulted in more civilian casualties.


    Even some of the underground shelters were already breached, and the Mocans showed no mercy, massacring everyone, both children and adults.


    The fact that the Dome Shield¡¯s energy reserves were already depleted worsened the situation as it was originally the best defense structure of the city.


    With this gone, even more, soldiers died to the unrelenting attacks of the Mocan soldiers. Josh and King gave their all, but faced with the war machines of the enemies specially targeted at them, they could only be restrained.


    They still spread destruction and death, but the frequency was far lower than their normal frequency. Slowly but surely, Vatican City was also being taken.


    The future was bleak.

 Chapter 426: the victims

    In one of the underground shelters in Vatican City, the civilians huddled together in a huge hall, afraid of staying alone in the different cabin-like rooms built in the shelter for them.


    At this moment, the civilians had feelings of sorrow, fear, and horror for what tomorrow or even today had for them.


    The past 5 days have been the most hellish in some of their lives. Packed together in this underground shelter, they could not sleep nor rest as the sounds of the ongoing battle battered at their eardrums.


    The soldiers guarding them already offered them earmuffs, but it did little in alleviating the fear and trepidations in their hearts.


    The earthquake-like vibrations of the battle did not help matters either as it only made them more anxious and scared.


    Their nerves were stretched taut always, even in their sleep, they had no rest as they dreamt of Mocan soldiers storming this shelter and killing them all.


    The parents shivered while trying hard to put on a brave front before their children to encourage them. The children sobbed softly despite this, they could sense the hidden fear in their parent¡¯s emotions.


    They now lived more like refugees than citizens of this city. They had 3 meals a day, but the loss of appetite caused them to eat food ranging from 1 and a half to only 2 meals a day.


    At a corner of this hall where the civilians were gathered sat Mr. Trump and his family. The middle-aged man already experienced the Mocan-Spartan war before, but he still felt as scared as he was the first time.


    This was war, it was not something that you could get used to or acclimatize to, not even the soldiers who were battling could.


    The only comfort that he had now was his family, he tried to take warmth and courage from them but the supply kept dwindling as the days passed and the war continued.


    His wife kept on trembling despite putting efforts to stop it, she just couldn¡¯t help the fear that kept on magnifying in her heart.


    Whenever her scared children looked at her, she tried to look back with a brave face but the tears streaking down her face betrayed her each time.


    Whenever they saw this sight, little Dandelion and Prince could not help it as tears also streaked down their face amid sobs.


    They¡¯ve seen a lot of things, but their mom crying was the few rare things that they¡¯ve not seen. Even if they didn¡¯t understand what was happening, the sight of their mother crying alone brought out all the horrors in their minds.


    Despair and fear of the unknown filled their hearts, they wanted to help but they didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°I wish this is virtual Engineering¡±. Dandelion thought amidst her tears. ¡°At least, at least I can help and stop mommy from crying then¡±.


    As she thought, she could not help but raise her head to look at her mom, she called out softly. ¡°Mom¡±.


    ¡°Yes, sweetie¡±. Mrs. Trump involuntarily hugged her to hide her tears and the pain in her heart.


    ¡°Mommy, are we going to die?¡± She asked softly with a lingering sense of fear in her tone.


    Hearing this, Mrs. Trump felt the last piece of tenacious hope in her heart tearing apart. She hugged her daughter tighter as she could no longer help it, she started sobbing.


    Seeing this, Dandelion sobbed louder. Prince had tears on his face also, but he didn¡¯t sob, he just looked at this silently and clenched his fists.


    As the family sobbed their sorrows away, a loud sound suddenly reverberated through the underground shelter.


    Boom!


    The civilians were jolted by the sound as they stood up in a panic. They didn¡¯t know what happened, but they felt their hearts drop immediately.


    When the rubble and dust subsided, they saw a uniform that they¡¯ve always been seeing in their nightmares. A uniform that they could never forget, the uniform of the Mocan army.


    Immediately as the Mocan soldiers breached a hole here, they came to blows with the soldiers guarding the shelter as the civilians retreated deeper inside the underground shelter in a panic.


    Despite the resistance that they put up, it remained a fact that the forces of the city were already stretched thin and only a few soldiers were left here to guard the civilians.


    As soon as the few soldiers died to them, without hesitation, the Mocan soldiers started a massacre. The civilians screamed they pleaded, they did all manner of things but the Mocans did not relent.


    Minutes ago, this shelter was still silent and safe, but in just moments it turned into a scenario of blood, chaos, and death.


    Amid the massacre, a group of soldiers came down through the hole. Precisely, they were mercenaries of the Pendragon mercenary group.


    With orders already given to them, they did not hesitate to engage the Mocan soldiers to prevent and stop the massacre.


    15 minutes later, when about a hundred civilians already died in the massacre, the Mocan soldiers were finally forced out of the underground shelter.


    The mercenaries did not stop to look at the damage done and the corpses lying on the floor, they rushed back as there was still a battle to fight.


    So, the survivors stood, huddling at the back as they looked at the blood and corpses lying before them. Involuntarily, tears started streaking down their faces, both men and women this time.


    Mr. Trump cried but he didn¡¯t wipe his tears, he cried because his family survived and none of them died, he also cried because of the innocent families just like his own that didn¡¯t survive.


    None of them dared to move from their place, they just stood, watching the breached hole in fear and sorrow as the sounds of the ongoing battle kept on reverberating down.


    Prince bit his lips as all this was reflected in his eyes, he clenched his fists, his chubby hands becoming strained as his nails dug injuries in his hand.


    Just at his front laid the corpse of a small girl, just like his sister.


    He knew her after staying 5 days here together. Just like his sister, she sobbed a lot to alleviate her anxiety. She always asked her parents when this would end, and her father would keep on replying that it would end soon.


    He still remembered the fear always reflected on her face which he thought was cute at times. Such thoughts alleviated the fear in his heart at times, but now she was gone, gone forever.


    He could not control himself again, tears flowed freely down his eyes.


    Amid his tears, he turned to look at his father with an indignant but confused expression on his face.


    He clenched his fists. ¡°Dad, w-why is this world so cruel and wicked?¡±


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 427: this is sparta

    6TH day of the war.


    Inside the Spartan Presidential Villa now was a scenario of solemnity and silence, but outside was the exact opposite as the fierce war pushed by the Mocans kept raging on.


    At the main underground shelter where most of the diplomatic leaders hid, anxiety, fear, and anger were the main feeling as these men of power vented in different ways.


    After battling unrelentingly for 6 days with the same intensity and ferocity, it could be said that the Spartan defense was already dwindling.


    During this duration, tens of thousands of soldiers already died from both sides but neither side cared about the loss as one side was prepared to protect their home while the other side was adamant in invading.


    At this moment, the dome-shaped defense structure protecting the Presidential Villa already revealed cracks in different places. It won¡¯t be long now till it was destroyed completely.


    After repeated bombardment by the Mocan warships, not only the physical damage but the defense structure¡¯s energy reserves were already at the point of being depleted.


    Putting outside the tons of millions of credits already lost in the form of war resources, the recorded high-grade soldier deaths on both sides was staggering.


    Despite the mutual destruction, the fact remained that the Mocan republic had the advantage in this war.


    This was not the first time that the Spartan republic has been pushed to such a brink in the invasion wars, the only difference was that the country¡¯s most important war trump card was being held back by an injury.


    After confirming his mental state again, a blood-shot-eyed Clark took hold of his spear again as he stormed into the battlefield to fight for his country.


    After 6 days fighting in the war, with little to no rest in between, it was inevitable that his mental state would become unstable.


    Despite all these, he did not waver in his conviction to battle. He originally thought that his hatred for the Mocan republic diminished a bit, but this war successfully brought back all the extreme emotions that he was suppressing.


    Right now, if he had the power, he did not doubt that he would annihilate the Mocan republic to oblivion without batting an eyelid.


    During these 6 days of constant fighting, he¡¯s seen his comrades die so much that he was already numb to it. Despite being numb to it, the pain was still real and very much there at the back of his mind.


    The thought of the innocent civilians that were also dying angered him more, it made him feel like he would soon lose control.


    The only way that he¡¯s found to control himself and barely keep his mental state intact was to fight and kill more Mocan soldiers. The more he killed, the calmer he felt.


    As he fought, he could feel himself breaking invisible limits to enable him to draw even more power from his body but he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it.


    At this moment, the war was already brought to the doorstep of the Presidential Villa. Just one more push and the last defense would be breached.


    This made the Spartan soldiers including Clark even more frenzied, but it did little in changing the situation as the sturdy offensive of the Mocan army continued penetrating deeper.


    ¡­


    Inside the Presidential Villa, at one of the biggest mansions, a man stood at the balcony attached to the highest point of this mansion as he cast his gaze down at the ongoing battlefield.


    At times, he would look down at the field battle where soldiers died in the thousands and blood flowed like rain. At other times, he would look at the sky where the warships ruled.


    All the warships that participated in the battlefield already suffered damage of various degrees, most especially those of the Spartan army, but they were still functional and participating in the war.


    That was their nature, they were ships made for war.


    Despite the chaos, fire, and destruction, the man¡¯s eyes seemed like binoculars as they penetrated through all the random chaos to see through everything.


    Every Mocan soldier that died was imprinted in his brain, every inch of ground that the Mocan army pushed forward was imprinted in his brain.


    With his hands behind his back, President Leonidas sighed.


    From his position, he could feel the intense emotions being exchanged on the battlefield, the madness, the pain, the hatred, everything converged together and he could only sigh in reply.


    He received reports every hour of the situation all over the country, so he knew of the casualties and everything that happened.


    He knew of the death plague that was already sweeping through his country, and this was about to force him to make a difficult decision.


    He opened his hands and looked down at the letter that was inside it, this was the letter from the Mocan President demanding him to surrender. He clenched his hand and squeezed it.


    Then, he closed his eyes as a lot of memories flashed through his mind, memories of pain, love, family, military, and war.


    After he completed touring through all the memories, his eyes flashed open. They were no longer filled with indecisiveness; a certain sharpness came back to them as lightning seemed to slither through them.


    He ordered without turning back. ¡°Get me my sword¡±.


    ¡°Leonidas, you haven¡¯t recovered completely¡±. An elderly man who seemed like a scholar came to the balcony as he advised softly.


    He wanted to say more but seeing the look on the President¡¯s face, he held back on what was originally in his mind and instead decided to say something else.


    ¡°This may be a plan by the Mocans to sound out your condition, and they may have already planned out an assassination attempt against you¡±. The old man expressed his concern.


    ¡°If you die, Sparta will be as good as a low-grade country. Why don¡¯t you call Roland, he can help?¡±


    The President chuckled on hearing that as his sharp gaze became slightly blood-lust-filled. ¡°I¡¯ll rather remain injured than to call that fellow for help, besides, I already recovered enough to engage in such a war¡±.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if the situation really calls for it, I¡¯ll call him though I doubt it would develop to such a realm¡±.


    ¡°What of surrendering?¡± The old man was clearly not placated as he asked carefully without much hope. ¡°You know it''s not exactly surrendering, we¡¯ll just give them some compensation and that is all¡±.


    ¡°With that, the deaths can stop¡±.


    Hearing that, President Leonidas turned to look at his mentor with narrowed eyes which made the latter frown a bit.


    Before he spoke again, he calmly retrieved his exotic sword from the robot that was hovering before him. He expertly wore a thick war armor, put all the necessary gadgets in the armor before taking a deep breath.


    He finally turned to look at his mentor again.


    ¡°We can¡¯t surrender¡±.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°This is Sparta!¡±

 Chapter 428: beastmode

    ¡°This is Sparta¡­¡±


    The old man stood in a daze as the word of the President reverberated in his mind. He wanted to speak again but when he focused, he saw no one, the President was gone.


    Bzzz!


    Outside in the battlefield, thunder seemed to streak through the skies as another shot from the main canon of the Leviathan bore a deep hole through the already weakened defense of the dome structure.


    As the Spartan soldiers frantically rushed to cover up the opening revealed in their formation by this breach, a figure suddenly flew out through the hole.


    The battle continued, but thousands of eyes looked up to see this figure.


    ¡°Leonidas!¡±


    At the location of the battlefield where the 2 Mocan Commanders fought, their eyes constricted in slight trepidation and fear as soon as they saw this figure.


    Commander Rashford and Commander Arthur did not show much of a surprise on seeing the President. From the proceedings of the battle, they already more or less confirmed that he would participate at some point in time.


    And now, he really participated.


    Seeing the President which they¡¯ve heard legends of and always adored since their childhood days, the Spartan soldiers revealed frenzied looks of aggressiveness and fearlessness.


    As soon as he stepped into the battlefield, a strange change seemed to spread through the air that affected both armies in different ways.


    Immediately, the Mocan army started adjusting their battle formations.


    In the air, President Leonidas hovered with the help of his exotic war boots as he looked down at the ongoing battlefield without much of an expression on his face. Then, he turned to look at the air.


    At some point in time, 2 of the Mocan warships already pointed their main weapon armaments at this dangerous man but they did not shoot immediately.


    President Leonidas nonchalantly ignored these enormous weapon muzzles facing him, then he turned to look at the 2 Mocan Commanders who had held Rashford and Arthur down for 5 days.


    As he looked, his eyes shimmered as a strange bright golden energy force slowly started seeping from his body like it was an embodiment of his existence.


    Feeling his gaze, the 2 Commanders inclined their heads to look at him. They were stunned and alarmed on seeing the golden energy force and his stern gaze on them, then they focused and read his lips.


    ¡°This is Sparta!¡±


    Boom!


    The air clapped loudly like howling thunders and raging tsunamis as soon as the word was said, then Leonidas disappeared from his position in the air amid a spiking flare of the golden energy force surrounding him.


    Having been informed beforehand, Commander Rashford and Commander Arthur dodged out of the way before the President moved.


    Before the Mocan Commanders could react, Leonidas already appeared before Commander Ash. Covered with the golden energy force, his armored leg slammed down with force.


    Bam! Crack!


    The sounds of breaking bones reverberated as the leg pushed a visible depression on the Mocan Commander¡¯s shoulders, his face contorted immediately in pain as he tried to retaliate with his weapon.


    Leonidas used his free left hand to grab his opponent¡¯s weapon, holding it firm to a halt as his right hand propelled his sword straight through the Commander¡¯s abdomen.


    Amid gasps from the Mocan Commander, Leonidas elbowed him, grabbed his head before head-butting him viciously.


    Throughout all the chained moves, the Mocan Commander was not able to render an effective counterattack as he was thrashed completely like a lower-graded soldier.


    Amid his coughing blood, when his eyes finally cleared up, he looked at his opponent¡¯s face in shock and terror.


    The Leonidas¡¯s face that was presented to him widely dwarfed his imagination. The President¡¯s face was frighteningly cold, and his eyes glowed a bright golden color like he was an alien and not a human.


    Seeing this, the Mocan Commander felt horror grip his heart. ¡°You¡¯ve grasped the uniqueness?¡±


    Boom!


    President Leonidas did not answer him, his sword did the answering as they stabbed viciously into his chest. He did not stop there, he pulled out and stabbed again at the same location.


    With a warping sound reverberating, the shocked Commander Naga finally reacted and came to help her counterpart as her spear stabbed rapidly, leaving afterimages behind.


    Leonidas¡¯s golden energy force only flared wilder.


    Clang! Clang! Boom!


    He blocked the first 2 frenzied strikes from the female Commander, then he struck faster than her the 3rd time, twisting and stabbing viciously into her abdomen without mercy.


    In just seconds, the 2 Commanders suffered staggering damage as they coughed blood in mid-air but the Spartan President was not done.


    Leonidas chained 6 strikes consecutively, giving them 3 each without bias as they were both battered in mid-air without any chances of retaliation. At the 7th strike, he aimed for Commander Ash¡¯s head.


    Seeing the sword rapidly advancing towards his head, Commander Ash suppressed the pain already dominating every part of his body as he activated a gadget through his implant.


    With a poof sound, the Commander dissipated into thin air at the last moment, escaping a few meters away in the air.


    Commander Naga intended to do the same and slowly reorganize themselves, but Leonidas reacted faster than she did. Head-butting her, she became dazed for a moment which was all the President needed.


    Bam! Bam!


    In 2 strikes, the female Mocan Commander lost a leg and a hand. Her quick reactions were the only conditions that saved her from immediate death.


    Without hesitation, she activated a gadget and teleported a few meters away. Before they could even get a hold of their nerves, horror filled their faces again as the golden-eyed President arrived before them again.


    Boom!


    With his sword in hand, Leonidas was like a beast without a leash as he battered the 2 Commanders to pathetic states in just a minute.


    As he wreaked both Commanders, Rashford and Arthur were already free as they also wreaked havoc among the other forces of the Mocan army.


    The 2 Mocan Commanders tried hard to escape from his controlled wreaking, but they could not. They felt like kids dancing at the hands of their more experienced and stronger brother.


    After suffering another strike that almost resulted in his death, Commander Ash decisively activated a device and teleported out of the battlefield directly.


    Commander Naga did the same but she suffered worse. She lost 2 legs, an arm, and suffered numerous sword injuries before she left the battlefield.


    In just 2 minutes, Leonidas wreaked the 2 aces of the Mocan army.


    He was on beast mode!


    After doing this, his blazing golden eyes turned and focused on the 5 warships ruling the skies and spreading destruction.

 Chapter 429: peak highgrade power

    Seeing the outcome of the clash that just happened, both the Spartan and Mocan armies were thrown into a daze amid their fierce battle.


    Disbelief and horror could be felt from the Mocan army, seeing their 2 seemingly invisible Commanders get so beaten in just 2 minutes and forced out of the battlefield sprouted all the horrors in their hearts.


    They felt like they were hallucinating, but they knew that it was real.


    For the Spartan army, the soldiers only felt reverence and adoration on seeing this. The morale which was originally slowly dying rose again, spiked, and blazed like raging wildfire in harmattan.


    ¡°For Sparta!¡± They roared in unison.


    Then, like they received a strange buff, they became more effective on the battlefield immediately as they automatically switched their strategy from defense to offense.


    Every single Spartan soldier on the battlefield suddenly started punching harder, the ranged soldiers strangely started shooting sharper with more accuracy, they fought like a god of war possessed them.


    If the war was originally at an intense state, at this moment, it directly graduated to an apocalyptic intense state of war.


    Without even taking a glance at the change that happened on the battlefield due to his actions, Leonidas¡¯s face revealed a slight twitch of pain but he suppressed it as his eyes remained trained on the 5 warships.


    Already noticing the threat, the warships tried to adjust but did it mean much? The answer was up in the air as the President moved.


    With a loud whooshing sound, President Leonidas activated the same speed gadget, propelling him at tons of Newton forces as he rapidly moved towards the nearest warship in preparation to collide against it.


    Boom!


    His sword was held back by the sturdy defense shield protecting the warship, but his golden energy force erupted again, pushing the sword with even more force as a part of the shield popped into starlight.


    His hands did not stop, he quickly chained dozens of stabs and slashes with the first as the warship started shaking in the air.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    Without hesitation, the warship retaliated amidst its shaking. All its subsidiary weapon armaments bombarded this human, while the main weapon armaments tried to aim at him to bring him down.


    Amid the bombardment of bullets, energy beams, and fire, President Leonidas moved around the warship, flashing left and right like a phantom as his sword repeatedly flashed with him.


    Even the other 4 Mocan warships started providing cover fire, but all these were not enough to put down the Spartan President.


    Surrounded by his golden energy force, each attack from him squeezed the air, shredding the space like the tides of history and time were being rewritten.


    Darkness from the void covered the air, it felt like a black hole directly descended as the shockwaves of the fierce battle converged to form a thick black fog in the air.


    Amid this thick black fog, the lights of the warship suffering the attack illuminated some parts, while the other parts were illuminated by the occasional flashes of golden energy that accompanied each attack from the Spartan President.


    After a fierce battle where his blood was drawn, Leonidas finally succeeded in breaching a hole through the extremely durable energy shield.


    Before the warship could automatically repair it, he rapidly rushed inside, colliding with the exotic metal armor of the warship.


    His sheer power combined with his exotic sword meant that the armor could only do so much before him, the first stab from him cut through deep inside the thick armor of the warship.


    The warship sent warning alarms everywhere, alerting the crew manning it but it did not do much in changing the overall situation.


    After chaining together 5 attacks at the same location, the Spartan President finally got access inside the warship.


    With eyes still blazing fierily with a golden light, he swept a glance at the interior of the warship before he started his work which was destruction.


    The field soldiers guarding the warships inside tried to intercept him, but they were just like moths flying towards the fire. They were burnt without being able to deal any damage.


    The numerous defense measures of the warship were activated in a bid to stop the damage, but a 5th rank high-grade soldier like the Spartan President was a nightmare that should only exist in dreams.


    Boom! Boom!


    Outside, only booming sounds could be heard as the soldiers saw the constantly vibrating body of the warship.


    Its altitude slowly decreased like its energy reserves were being rapidly used up, its shaking made it seem like it would explode any moment from now and it did explode.


    With one last explosive sound, a part of the warship exploded as it finally lost all its propulsion force. The fire tried to spread, but the anti-fire systems worked rapidly to curb the remaining effects of the explosion.


    It didn¡¯t explode completely, but it was crippled completely.


    For the first time since the war started, a warship crashed. Amid the loud sounds of the ongoing battle, invisible ripples containing different emotions seemed to ripple through the air.


    As the warships crashed, falling down, a golden figure suddenly tore out a hole through the side of the warship and started rapidly advancing towards the next warship like a launched nuclear bomb.


    The crew of the warship was stunned, they tried to adjust but the meteor-like object already slammed at them.


    Boom!


    This time, due to the accumulated speed, force, and other factors, President Leonidas succeeded in drilling a hole through the warship just from one charge.


    The same situation that happened to the first warship started again. After a fierce tug of war between them that spanned 10 minutes this time, the warship succumbed as he finally infiltrated.


    The forces inside resisted him more fiercely, but no one could still stop him as he destroyed every obstacle like a bulldozer.


    In just 17 minutes since the Spartan President appeared on the battlefield, he made the 2 Mocan Commanders flee with their tails behind their legs and crashed 2 Mocan warships.


    While trying harder to suppress the twitching pain invading his body, Leonidas clenched his teeth, converged his golden energy force, and rushed at the next warship.


    In just minutes since he came, the originally dominant Mocan forces were thrown into chaos and a huge disadvantage.


    This was the power of a 5th rank high-grade soldier, a Commander who already grasped a little of the essence of his special ability or uniqueness- which was the golden uniqueness.


    This was high-grade power at its peak and just below the Elite grade.

 Chapter 430: the soverign of sparta

    On witnessing 2 of their warships being destroyed in the span of just over a dozen minutes, horror gripped the hearts of the Mocan army. Disbelief filled their hearts but they knew that they were not hallucinating.


    For years, the Mocan and even the Spartan soldiers believed that only warships could destroy warships. In their perspective, those were war weapons of technology that already transcended human capabilities.


    Now, this notion in their heart was ruthlessly cut off and replaced. Seeing the 2 crashed warships, they felt fear grip their soul.


    Despite the shock, the Mocan war leaders were able to react instantly.


    Immediately, they improvised in even more drastic ways. The Mocan army did not dare leave anything to luck and chances again.


    Blue fire spewed out of the sides of the enormous Leviathan, pouring out enough heat to propel it with speed as it immediately rushed to the side of the nearest warship closest to the Spartan President.


    Without needing a notification first, the last Mocan warship responded in the same way as the 3 warships formed a circular defense perimeter to protect themselves against this war god.


    With the Leviathan anchoring it, the other 2 warships joined as they formed an interconnected extremely sturdy energy shield in mid-air.


    Feeling a little safe with the shield erected, they ignored the 2 almost destroyed Spartan warships that were still attacking them and focused on the chaos bringer in this war- President Leonidas.


    All of their weapons, both main and subsidiary weapon armaments were aimed and focused on the Spartan President, but this still was not able to calm the trepidatious upheavals in their hearts.


    To them, this man was no longer a human but a monster. His glowing golden eyes reinforced this notion more as through the sensors of the warship, they could see everything clearly.


    Subconsciously, their impression of the Spartan President already transcended human understanding and comprehension.


    Below, the war continued, but most of the soldiers¡¯ attentions were up there to see what would happen and the subsequent developments.


    The battle that just happened already exceeded what they knew and imagined about high-grade soldiers. Below, Clark watched with glittering eyes as a lot of things went through his mind.


    He faintly understood the present state of the President, but he could not confirm it as this was his first time seeing it with his own eyes.


    In mid-air, feeling all those eyes land on him, Leonidas ordered his exotic armor to cover his face completely.


    As soon as it was covered, he clenched his fists as his face contorted in pain amid his flesh heaving up and down in eerie ways like worms were crawling underneath them.


    He took a few seconds to suppress the pain as the heaving flesh calmed down, then he finally opened his eyes, removing the shield from his face at the same time.


    Inwardly, he knew that he was almost spent but he did not let it show outwardly in his expressions or his mannerisms.


    After suppressing the pain in his body, he ignored the 3 warships that formed a defensive formation facing him and turned to look at the 2 Mocan Commanders who looked at him with grim expressions from afar.


    Ignoring the female Commander Naga, his golden eyes focused on Commander Ash and narrowed. Then, he slowly raised his left hand in the air, he paused for 2 seconds before clenching his fist.


    Seeing this, the Mocan Commander felt his heart skipping a beat but it was too late, his indecisiveness cost him severely.


    Boom!


    As soon as President Leonidas clenched his fist, the golden energy force surrounding him flared ever wilder as the Mocan Commander who was a distance away from him suddenly exploded into a shower of blood and golden energy.


    Amid the explosion, a device was activated, spreading pure blue energy as the Mocan Commander narrowly escaped the fatal blow.


    The him that escaped was far different than his normal self, his body was filled with blood like he was an embryo in a woman¡¯s womb. Only pure horror and fear could be detected from him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave!¡±


    Commander Naga didn¡¯t need his reminder, as soon as the President¡¯s remote attack succeeded, she hurriedly grabbed Commander Ash who was already hovering at the point of death, and teleported away.


    She appeared a few kilometers away, but still not feeling safe, she activated her exotic boots and sprinted out of the city at a mind-blowing speed.


    In 2 minutes, both Commanders left the country without hesitation.


    Just 20 minutes since he arrived, the 2 Mocan Commanders were beaten to the point of them escaping pathetically, and 2 Mocan warships were destroyed.


    In just 20 minutes, the tides of the battle were turned.


    This was the sovereign of the Spartan Republic, this was the leader of all Spartan life, this was the President and Guardian of Sparta, this was Leonidas.


    The battle was still ongoing below, but the explosions and gunshots only served as a better platform to emphasize the war heroism of the Spartan President.


    The last action from the President viciously crushed the remaining hopes of the Mocan army.


    Hum!! Hum!!


    The main Mocan warship, the Leviathan suddenly let out 2 extremely loud sounds which reverberated across the battlefield. This was the sound of a retreat, the Mocan army admitted defeat.


    As the sound for a retreat kept on blasting through the battlefield, a faint smile outlined Leonidas¡¯s face amid the pain that he was going through.


    Inclining his face to the side, he saw his 2 Commanders, Commander Rashford and Commander Arthur.


    He nodded at them and without saying a word, teleported out of the battlefield back inside the Presidential Villa.


    As soon as the President left, Commander Rashford took the helm over the battle again. With both hands holding his dual swords, he pointed at the tide of retreating enemies with a ferocious expression on his face.


    ¡°Hunt the Mocans!¡±


    ¡°For Victory!¡±


    ¡°FOR VICTORY!¡±


    The Spartan soldiers roared in response before rushing out of their defense formations in pursuit of the enemy.


    For 5 days, they¡¯ve hidden behind defense battle formations, and now for once, they had the chance to take the initiative. They were not going to waste it, they vented all their pent-up emotions.


    The battle ended prematurely, but the war was not over.


    The war would only be over after every single Mocan soldier was either killed or pursued outside the boundaries of Sparta, the Spartan soldiers were ready to pay their enemies with 10 times more pain as they inflicted on them.


    The war continued.

 Chapter 431: vengeful pursuit

    The same way that the Mocan forces infiltrated the Spartan republic in droves like an unstoppable tide, so also did they retreat like a tide of headless sheep without a shepherd.


    The Generals and military leaders who were part of the commanding brass tried to make it an organized retreat, but the vengeful Spartan soldiers did not let them.


    Now unrestrained, the Spartan air force finally had the opportunity to rule the skies. Spartan Fighter jets, War helicopters, airborne war machines all filled the skies in pursuit of the enemies.


    Bringing 80% of their forces for an invasion was an extremely risky venture from the onset, now the Mocans suffered the repercussions for real.


    Under the leadership of Commander Rashford and Commander Arthur, the Spartan army went on a rampage.


    Both Commanders did not hold back at all, they vented all their pent-up rage and frustration over the past 5 days, using all these to draw more power to massacre more efficiently and effectively.


    From Spartan blood dying the cities, Mocan blood started dying the cities.


    Defense structures in various parts of the city were activated without a care of their energy expenditures, all these were done to tie down more Mocan soldiers to make the revenge sweeter.


    Under the leadership of General Vincent, Clark and the others in his unit fought with gusto and fierce motivation as they massacred across the Mocan ranks.


    Bam! Bam!


    Clark moved like a heavy train, bashing hard and sharp at the Mocan soldiers with the sheer strength powering his body.


    His hands did not remain idle, neither did his legs. His spear-wielding hand wreaked havoc without rest, cutting left and right and killing tons of enemy soldiers in the process like a butcher machine.


    On his left hand which wielded his 2-form gun, he shot with frightening accuracy as soldier after soldier died to his bullets.


    As soon as the counterattack started, Commander Rashford transferred his orders to the 3rd rank and above high-grade soldiers.


    ¡°To inflict the most damage to the enemies and cripple their strength, 3rd rank and above high-grade soldiers are your targets¡±


    Clark and the other members of his unit took and acknowledged this order with fierce gusto. Their President already removed the tricky trees for them, now removing the stubborn weed was not too big of a task for them.


    Already guessing at their thoughts, the Mocan army¡¯s first reaction was to evacuate all their important high-grade soldiers but retreating was never so easy.


    Boom!


    Clark sniped at the escaping Fighter jet with his sniper rifle, taking a huge chunk from its side. The sturdy jet continued flying, but 3 other accurate sniper shots came from other sides, hitting it impeccably.


    If one could not do it, 2 or even more definitely could.


    After taking too much damage, the Fighter jet spiraled out of control as it crashed. Mid-crash, a soldier tore a hole out of it with the intent to escape.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    Clark shot immediately with his 2-form gun, releasing all its loads in conjunction with his bullet encyclopedia battle art as the various effects of his gunshots pulled the Mocan Captain down.


    Bam!


    General Vincent collided with the Mocan Captain like a moving train in mid-air before he even fell to the floor.


    Amid the sound of cracking bones and pained groans, the General hit the Mocan Captain¡¯s jaws with his knees, cracking the jaws in the process.


    Then, he grabbed the Captain and threw him down in a back throw.


    As soon as he fell down, Clark and the other soldiers in his unit surrounded him like a group of cats who just perceived the smell of catnip.


    Captain Oxford rushed forward and slashed at the enemy Captain with his sword, which he was able to block on time but the force pushed him back.


    Before he could stabilize himself, a huge lancer pierced directly through his ribs, spraying blood everywhere like rain.


    Amid coughing blood, he was able to move his body to the side, dodging the fatal sword slash from another Spartan Captain.


    He knew that his fate was already sealed, but he did not give up.


    He tried to put on a good struggle but the opponents facing him were too much. He was battered and shattered like a rag doll, Clark¡¯s ax dealt the last blow to him, directly splitting his head into 2.


    ¡°For Mocan!¡±


    These were the last words that he was able to say before his head split, scattering his blood and brain matter everywhere like rain.


    After killing the Mocan Captain, Clark and the other soldiers in his unit did not flinch nor did they reveal much of an expression on their faces as they went on the hunt for other prey.


    After killing 2 other Mocan Captains, they met a Mocan General.


    One of the Mocan warships tried to take this General out of the battlefield, but 2 elite war units like those of Clark¡¯s led by General Vincent intercepted this rescue mission.


    As the 2 war units battled with the Mocan General, the war unit led by General Vincent also jumped into the fray.


    General Vincent joined the 2 other Spartan Generals as they surrounded the Mocan General, cornering him and dealing astronomical damage with each blow.


    Clark and his companions dealt cover damage from the side. As a 4th rank high-grade soldier, it was a given that this soldier would have a lot of life-preservation measures but the odds were too much against him.


    He tried to take other Spartan soldiers down with him, but the 3 Spartan Generals firmly held him down and restricted his actions.


    In the end, General Vincent¡¯s sword pierced his head, snuffing all life away from him. Even to the point of his death, this Mocan soldier did not lower his head.


    ¡°For Mocan!¡±


    Scenarios like this filled the battlefield as the frenzied Spartan soldiers who were looking for war vented their anger.


    Of course, some of the Mocan Generals and Captains were able to escape, but still, most of them perished under the vengeful swords of the Spartan soldiers.


    In other parts of the Spartan republic, situations like this could be seen as the Mocan forces retreated while the Spartans pursued vengefully.


    The only parts that could not pursue the enemies were the cities that succumbed to the invasion before the situation turned around.


    For a whole day, the sweep revenge pursuit continued and blood rained.

 Chapter 432: i want to become a soldier

    When morning finally came, Clark and the other soldiers of Vatican City still didn¡¯t have the luxury of sleep. All the corpses in the city needed to be taken care of and they as soldiers were needed for the burials.


    With bloodshot eyes, Clark did not participate in the cleaning as he walked towards the Vatican government building after giving orders to the soldiers.


    He did not know the current state of his car as his implant could not connect with it. His mind was not focused on that now though, he had other more important pending matters.


    As he walked, his eyes subconsciously wandered randomly, taking in all the damage along the way until he got to his location.


    As soon as he got to the government building, he met the city commissioners. Head Commissioner Patrick looked a few years older, it was clear that the war took a toll on his health physically and psychologically.


    On seeing their leader, the commissioners greeted him but with much less enthusiasm than before. Their eyes were no longer vibrant, they looked dull like those of walking corpses.


    Clark stood for some time as he looked at the government building. Just like other parts of the city, the government building suffered unrelenting attacks. Though it survived the bombardment, it was left with countless damages.


    The fact that the shelters were built underground was the only reason why the commissioners survived the onslaught.


    On the floor, he could still see bullet shells lying about randomly. The blackened earth was a testament to the fire which raged here previously, all these were glaring facts that reminded him of the brutality of the war.


    Accompanying these remnants of war were flowing blood and the corpse of soldiers. Other soldiers were already cleaning up the mess, but this scene still made Clark raise his head and close his eyes.


    He did a lot in this war, he killed a lot, he protected to the best of his ability, he participated without qualms but at this moment he suddenly felt at a loss.


    ¡°Sigh!¡± That was the only sound that he could let out before he entered inside the government building.


    Entering the office that was designated for him, he locked himself in to have some alone time for himself to regulate his psychological state.


    As soon as he sat down on his chair, he supported his head with his hands as even more scenarios played through his mind.


    He remembered when he was inaugurated as the leader of Vatican City, he remembered the enthusiasm and hope of the citizens as they welcomed their leader with beaming smiles of happiness.


    Then, they felt that their leader would protect them from every single vice that was harmful to them, but this war proved otherwise.


    Clark ruffled his hair as his bloodshot eyes became even redder. He could not help but think back to the proceedings of the war.


    If the President didn¡¯t intervene, the trajectory of the war would have been entirely different. This war brought him back to the cruel fact that he still didn¡¯t have enough strength to protect his loved ones.


    Thinking of that, he quickly picked a communication device that was in his office before dialing his best friend¡¯s contact.


    ¡°Thanks, Clark, I¡¯m fine¡±.


    Hearing his best friend¡¯s exhausted voice, he heaved a sigh of relief as he slumped down into his chair. He said some other words of pleasantry before he cut the call connection.


    Then, he just sat on his chair and looked at the ceiling.


    An hour later, there were 2 knocks on his office door, jolting him out of his half sleeping-half awake state.


    ¡°Come in¡±.


    Head Commissioner Patrick entered the office, with a solemn face he presented a stack of books before his leader.


    Already guessing what the stack of books documented, Clark felt his heart being ripped apart but he still extended his hand out to take it.


    Opening it, the first line of words that appeared before him made his hand freeze. He took a deep breath and opened it completely.


    ¡°Civilian Record: Approximately 28,000 Dead and 45,000 Injured¡±.


    ¡°Soldiers Record: Approximately 11,000 Dead and 13,000 Injured¡±.


    ¡°Material [Financial] Record: Approximately 745 million lost¡±.


    Clark did not go through the detailed records, after sweeping his gaze through these main 3 he raised his head to face his head commissioner.


    He wanted to say that the record was good and that it was better than he feared but, in the end, he changed it at the last moment.


    He placed his hands to his chest and solemnly declared. ¡°For Sparta!¡±


    The head Commissioner said the same. ¡°For Sparta!¡±


    Before the head Commissioner left, he turned his head to look at his leader again. ¡°Sir, what of the civilian survivors? They are still in the underground bunkers¡±.


    Clark raised his head again. ¡°The city has been cleaned?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Then, release them¡±.


    ¡­


    As soon as the order was sent across, the Vatican soldiers went to work on it as they released the civilians who were still in the underground shelters that were spread across the city.


    After a week of fearing for their lives, having to endure the constant sounds induced by the war, and hoping for a better tomorrow, the citizens of Vatican City finally saw the light of day again.


    Coming out, though the city was already cleaned, the sight of the destruction alone was enough to tell them elaborate stories about the war.


    They could imagine others like them whose shelters could not be protected, they could imagine the brutality that raged through the city for the past 7 days, they could imagine a lot of things.


    Seeing the sun shining down on them, all the survivors broke down in tears. Couples hugged and cried their hearts out, parents hugged their children and cried, the lucky families cried.


    As these lucky ones cried, so did the unlucky ones also cry. The ones who lost loved ones in the war, the couples who lost their partner, the children who lost their parents, the parents who lost their children, they all cried.


    ¡°Thank God, thank God we survived¡±.


    Amid this cacophony of emotional outpouring, a family of 4 who also broke down in tears knelt as they all hugged themselves with no intention to let go.


    Little Dandelion let her tears run free, she stammered as she asked. ¡°M-mommy, are we safe now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, we are safe¡±. Her mother patted her head and hugged her tighter as her tears flowed faster, her eyes were already bloodshot from the tears but she didn¡¯t clean them.


    As the couple hugged their children, they noticed the silence of their son. Their hearts skipped a beat as they turned to look at the boy.


    ¡°Prince, is something wrong?¡±


    The boy bit his lip like he was hesitating about something, he wiped his tears before raising his head to look at his parents.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, I don¡¯t want to be an Engineer anymore¡±.


    Mr. Trump¡¯s heart dropped as he could already guess what his son would say next. With a heavy heart, he still asked as more tears dropped down his eyes.


    ¡°Son, what happened? What do you want to become now?¡±


    ¡°I want to protect Dandelion, I want to protect you and mom, I don¡¯t want something like this to happen again¡±.


    The boy dropped his head. ¡°I¡­, I want to become a soldier¡±.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 433: aftermaths of the war

    In the Presidential Villa, as the cities were slowly being cleaned by the soldiers in other to begin proper recovery measures from the war, the same thing also happened here.


    Before the sun brightened completely, the Spartan soldiers already engaged in a huge clean-up. With heavy hearts, the soldiers removed the corpses of their comrades and cleaned the blood of their friends.


    As this was done, a proper record of the war was also compiled.


    ¡­


    In the President¡¯s mansion inside the Villa, Commander Rashford and Commander Arthur whose war armors had cracks and were still stained by blood and dust walked inside the mansion.


    After the war ended prematurely, while their subordinates went out to hunt the Mocan soldiers vengefully, they both remained behind to arrange things and return everything to the normal order.


    Just like the other soldiers, they didn¡¯t get to sleep throughout the night. Only their physiques as 5th rank high-grade soldiers made them look unaffected.


    As soon as they stepped inside the mansion, they encountered no obstructions as they walked directly straight towards the special medical building attachment of the mansion.


    Entering inside, they saw a group of doctors walking around the medical building with serious expressions on their faces.


    Leaving the corridor, they navigated to a hall deep inside the building. At the end of the hall stood a big luxurious chair, and on this chair sat President Leonidas.


    The President currently had a pale expression on his face, nothing like the imposing one that he put on when he debuted on the battlefield.


    His upper body was exposed, and in the middle of his chest was a stack of bandages that almost covered all his chest.


    Despite the coverage of the bandage, the injury underneath it could still be faintly seen.


    The skin around the chest peeled off like they were suffering from corrosion, and the middle of the injury glowed a red light that the bandages could not conceal.


    Seeing the 2 people that entered the medical building, Leonidas forced a smile and told the doctor attending to him to leave.


    He grimaced as he sat upright, then he looked straight at the 2 Commanders.


    Neither Commander Arthur nor Commander Rashford said a word, they simply went forward and presented a stack of books before him.


    The President took hold of the books and flipped through.


    ¡°Civilian Record: Approximately 2.3 million Dead and 5 million Injured¡±.


    ¡°Soldiers Record: Approximately 450,000 Dead and 800,000 Injured¡±.


    ¡°Material [Financial] Record: Approximately 185 Billion lost¡±.


    ¡°Diplomatic Leaders Record: 4 Ministers Dead, 18 Commissioners Dead¡±.


    ¡°High-grade Soldiers Record: One 4th rank high-grade soldier Dead- General Joachim Manaz; Six 3rd rank high-grade soldiers Dead; Eighty-Seven 2nd rank high-grade soldiers Dead¡±.


    ¡°War Trump-Cards Record: 2 Warships severely damaged, including the Star Shatterer¡±.


    ¡°Country-wide Record: 4 Cities Annihilated, 2 Cities on the Brink of Destruction, 8 Cities mildly Destroyed¡±.


    ¡°Enemy [Mocan Republic] Record: ¡­¡±


    At this point, the President flipped the book over and closed it. Though he tried to tone it down a lot, there were clear signs of sadness on his face.


    ¡°Got it¡±. He nodded at the 2 Commanders.


    ¡°Start the normal Recovery Procedures, I¡¯ll donate 10 Billion Credits to help in the recovery procedures¡±.


    "For this period, I¡¯ll lock myself in for a long period of recovery. Please, do not disturb me unless it is absolutely necessary¡±.


    As he stood up to leave, he was interrupted by Commander Rashford.


    The Commander had an extremely complicated expression on his face as he looked at him. ¡°Are you really alright?¡±


    The President laughed. ¡°I¡¯m feeling better than I did in decades, I¡¯m more resistant to the corrosion now you know¡±.


    He waited, having sensed that Rashford would ask another question and the Commander did not disappoint his expectations.


    ¡°You grasped the uniqueness?¡±


    The President laughed again, this time with a hint of proudness tinging his tone. ¡°Yeah, I did, I told you that I¡¯m feeling better than I did in decades, right?¡±


    ¡°When you have the time, you can come in the future and I¡¯ll tell you my insights on the uniqueness and my special ability¡±.


    Seeing the look on Commander Arthur¡¯s face, he laughed louder. ¡°When you get to that level, come too, I¡¯ll explain my insights to you¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. Commander Arthur replied, feigning a poker face but he was not able to maintain it for long as he smiled.


    They waved at the President, then they turned to leave. When they got to the door, they both paused and turned back.


    ¡°Mr. President, we wish you a speedy recovery¡±.


    Leonidas grinned back at them.


    ¡­


    After the 2 Commanders left, a smile remained on Leonidas¡¯s face as a lot of things went through his mind. In the end, he simply bent down, put on a jacket before leaving the medical building.


    Going through the mansion, his workers greeted him as usual though with a tinge of sadness enveloping their voices.


    He nodded gently back at them until he entered his living room. Entering inside, he saw the elderly man who seemed like a scholar again.


    ¡°How was the treatment?¡± The old man asked.


    The President inclined his head to look at his mentor, he gave him a deep look before he continued forward. ¡°It was fine¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡±. The old man heaved a sigh of relief.


    The President walked towards the direction of the elevator that would take him up to his room. Before he opened the elevator, he turned and glanced back at his mentor.


    He sighed. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s still a secret?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The old man asked, surprised.


    ¡°When do you plan on disbanding the Persian tigers organization? Sparta has suffered too much because of it, I ignored it mostly because you took care of me years back when I still didn¡¯t know much about the world¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ve shown my strength in this war. Despite being injured, no soldier in the Mocan republic can match my strength¡±.


    ¡°Is this not proof enough that I can rule this country?¡±


    The old man was surprised, but he soon calmed down. ¡°When did you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Mentor Strange, I¡¯m the ruler of this country¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. The old man nodded calmly. ¡°I founded it to oppose your rule because I once sought a government like the Mocans, but your strength has made me change my mind¡±.


    ¡°The only problem is that I no longer have much control over the organization. Masked John took over, he¡¯s the leader now¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to help the Spartan army to intercept them, but I can¡¯t promise much¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡±. The President nodded.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s my punishment?¡± The old man asked calmly.


    ¡°Old man, I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t put my hands into it. The best I can do is to prevent it from being an execution, life imprisonment is the most I think they can reduce it to¡±.


    As he spoke, Commander Rashford already entered the living room with a group of Spartan soldiers behind him.


    The old man kept quiet for over a minute, he turned back to glance at the soldiers behind him then he looked back at the President. ¡°Ok¡±.


    Without resisting, he turned and followed the soldiers out.


    With a sigh, Leonidas entered the elevator as it took him upwards. By the time that he got to his room, he was already feeling exhausted.


    On opening the door to his room, he froze as a stranger was currently sitting down on his chair. He took on a guarded stance immediately.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 434: the lauren race

    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The Spartan President asked again as he did not get an answer the first time. While he asked, his hands already slid inside his jacket. After his fingers laid down on the daggers, he finally felt a little secure.


    Yes, he did not feel secure but only felt a little secure because this person sitting before him was like a different existence entirely.


    As a 5th rank high-grade soldier who was at the pinnacle, his perception was extremely frightening. Right now, the aura being released by this stranger was so crushing that he found it a chore to remain standing.


    ¡°Who is this? Who did I offend? Is it related to the war?¡±


    As he looked at the stranger warily, his brain already geared into overdrive as a lot of thoughts went through his mind.


    In this world, few existences could suppress him so completely with aura alone. He already had a guess but he did not dare confirm it.


    Seconds passed and still getting no response from the stranger, he gave an order through his implant. The next second, the lights in the room switched on.


    The stranger did not stop this, it was like he was even anticipating it.


    As soon as the lights switched on, the President finally had a proper overview of this stranger. The sight left his lips twitching.


    It was a man, an extremely burly man with buff muscles and chest. He was dressed in an all-black outfit, a black run-down coat, black boots, black gloves, and a black cowboy hat.


    At the middle of the black coat were written strange words in bold.


    >TCOE<


    Though the sight of this man alone was enough to induce dread in anyone which was the case with Leonidas, he was still able to stay calm enough to observe this stranger¡¯s face in a not-too obvious manner.


    He had black hair, a middle-aged face with a bit of playfulness in it though the stranger currently had a poker expression on.


    After observing more details, Leonidas¡¯s face became strange.


    ¡°Monkey Hands?¡±


    The stranger was taken aback as he almost revealed a frustrated expression on his face. After taking a lot of effort to prevent his face from twitching, he answered with a mafia-lord-like nod.


    ¡°It¡¯s my disposable identity¡±.


    Hearing that, Leonidas¡¯s eyes flickered as he made some connections and rapidly came to a conclusion.


    Without hesitation, he went to his knees. ¡°Esteemed Elite Commander¡±.


    The stranger who said Monkey Hands was his disposable identity did not answer him, he instead stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°You grasped the uniqueness¡±. It wasn¡¯t a question, it was like he was stating a fact.


    ¡°Yes, Esteemed Sir¡±.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ve been monitoring you for some time and you finally fulfilled the basic requirements to be recruited by me¡±.


    ¡°My name is Elite Commander Daman¡±.


    ¡°After watching your performance in this war, I became interested in you. I want you to become my student¡±.


    ¡°Becoming my student means that you¡¯re a candidate who can also become an elite in the future. Not only will this goal no longer be a dream to you, you¡¯ll receive my protection¡±.


    ¡°About your injury, you met a Lauren being?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Esteemed Sir. Then, I didn¡¯t know that aliens were in our world. I met him during one of my adventures, and I was corrupted by a skill used by him¡±.


    ¡°This has been plaguing me for the past 2 decades¡±.


    Esteemed Commander Daman nodded slightly. ¡°The fact that despite being plagued with such corrosion powers, you still grasped your uniqueness shows how talented you are¡±.


    ¡°Take this¡±. He threw 3 bottles at Leonidas who expertly caught them in mid-air. ¡°This is a tonic that can heal any corrosion powers caused by beings of the Lauren race¡±


    ¡°Start taking them tomorrow. Take each one in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The corrosion in your injury will be gone by the time you take the last dose¡±.


    ¡°How fast you recover depends on your physique¡±.


    Leonidas bowed lower. ¡°Thank you for your benevolence, Esteemed Sir. I will never forget this favor of yours¡±.


    ¡°You have 2 days to make your choice on deciding to become my student, I¡¯ll come to get your answer then¡±.


    ¡°Take this parchment¡±. He threw a parchment that Leonidas was familiar with at him. ¡°Even if you decide not to become my student, keep it, it¡¯s a gift for your talent and the hard work you put in to get to your current level¡±.


    ¡°Thank you, Esteemed Sir¡±.


    Seeing that the Elite Commander did not continue speaking, President Leonidas hesitated before he asked.


    ¡°Esteemed Sir, can I know your relationship with my subordinate, Clark Pendragon?¡±


    Hearing that, the Elite Commander smiled like he already expected that and turned to face him. ¡°You can¡¯t know about that yet¡±.


    ¡°Yes, Esteemed Sir¡±. Leonidas bowed lower without feeling frustrated about the answer given to him.


    ¡°You have a lot of talent, do not waste it¡±.


    These were the last words that the Spartan President heard from the stranger before he disappeared silently like he was erased from the world.


    President Leonidas remained kneeling for 2 more minutes to confirm that the Elite Commander was gone, then he finally stood up.


    Though he was calm like always, his eyes had a different twinkle in them as undisguised excitement filled his heart. The contents of the previous conversation kept on reverberating in his brain, sending him into a world of euphoria.


    He opened his palms and looked down to see the 3 bottles lying in his hand. Without knowing it, a complicated expression came into his face.


    It was strange of him, but he pumped his fists into the air and cheered himself this time.


    ¡°I did it!¡±


    ¡­


    Outside the Presidential Villa, amidst the recovery works that were ongoing by the Spartan soldiers, a middle-aged man dressed in an all-black attire suddenly appeared silently without drawing attention.


    ¡°F*ck! He actually recognized me immediately¡±. Elite Commander Daman cursed.


    He always thought that his disguise was impeccable, but he did not expect his recruit target to easily make connections and get his disguise identity so easily.


    For a moment there, he felt his dignity as a strange expert being sullied.


    ¡°I guess Titus is right, I¡¯m awful at disguises, I¡¯m only good with machines¡±. He lamented.


    The strange thing was that despite his words, none of the soldiers paid attention to him, they behaved like he was an invisible ghost.

 Chapter 435: a strange new year

    The day after the end of the war was New year''s day.


    The Mocan republic celebrated the new year like always, but the atmosphere in the country was strange and oppressive compared to recent years. It was like they committed an abomination.


    About wars, it was only normal for civilians of any country to hate it. Too bad that they were not the ones in the decision-making brass, the President of the country and the military Commanders were the ones in charge.


    Though during the war period news from Sparta was cut off from the whole world and only optimistic news of the Mocan army winning was sent back, most Mocan civilians could still imagine the brutality.


    Throughout the years, the Spartan republic hardly ever takes the initiative to invade but there are rare examples where they did.


    Those that lived in that period knew how it was, so they didn¡¯t want to see such a thing happening again.


    Only the true lunatics who craved violence enjoyed the repeated aggressive invasions of the country and the unstopping wars.


    Throughout the war, the territory of the Mocan republic suffered no damage but despite this most of the civilians suffered psychological damage of various degrees.


    You kill by the sword, you¡¯ll die by the sword. The psychological burden weighed on them so much that the normal celebratory mood of New years could no longer be found in the country.


    When the news came that their originally winning army was suddenly defeated pathetically and were retreating, they feared for the worse.


    They feared that the Spartans would retaliate, they feared that the invasion target would be reversed and they would suffer the same fate.


    This and a lot of other reasons were why this year¡¯s New year celebrations were subdued and oppressive. No official announcement was given by the President yet, so they could only wait anxiously in the dark.


    ¡­


    In a secret underground shelter that was hidden and heavily fortified.


    Commander Ash and Commander Naga walked into the underground base. The latter was weak but could still walk properly, but Commander Ash had an extremely weak aura.


    Walking was now a chore for him. His face was extremely pale like all blood was drained from him, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands shook like he was a dementia patient.


    The original imposing aura that was universal of every 5th rank high-grade soldier could no longer be detected in him, he was like a precious stone that strangely lost its luster.


    As he walked, he wavered just like a life free-falling in early autumn with nothing to direct nor support its descent.


    Despite all these that happened to him, he didn¡¯t say a word as he walked silently with his companion down the underground base.


    A few minutes later, they got to the door that was at the deepest part of the underground shelter.


    Commander Naga took a step forward and knocked. After verifying their identities again, they finally entered.


    This time, the 2 esteemed guests inside did not allow them to greet which was normal before they asked.


    ¡°Commanders, tell me what happened, our connection was cut off¡±.


    The ex-President of the Mocan republic was anxious to ask even more targeted questions, but he forced himself to be patient and listen as the current acting President already asked.


    Commander Naga gave a look at her companion before answering. ¡°This is what happened¡­¡±


    After everything was recounted, the 2 Presidents were speechless.


    ¡°Leonidas is still injured but he¡¯s that strong? Uniqueness? What¡¯s Uniqueness? Golden energy special ability, what¡¯s that?¡±


    Commander Naga did not answer the question, instead, Commander Ash finally spoke. ¡°The situation summarizes that with Leonidas, even though he¡¯s injured, there¡¯s nothing we can do about Sparta¡±.


    ¡°Our losses this time is a simple example of what we are liable to lose if we decide to engage in even more impulsive attacks¡±.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I have to stay in seclusion to recover from my current injuries, I think that is enough to tell you how terrifying the present Leonidas is¡±.


    ¡°If you guys push your luck, I have no doubts that he is capable of singlehandedly invading our country to return with the both of your heads¡±.


    Feeling the President''s glare at him, he did not flinch. ¡°This is not treason, this is simply a fact I¡¯m stating for the both of you to safeguard your lives if you love it¡±.


    ¡°For the term Uniqueness, us telling civilians like you about it is already breaching the confidential rules set by the big 5¡±.


    ¡°If you are not scared of attracting the big 5¡¯s ire, you can research it yourselves. It is a term related to a huge secret of high-grade soldiers¡±.


    ¡°My advice to you both, Mr. President, is that you temper your curiosity¡±.


    ¡°In summary, the main point in our report is that the Mocan republic no longer has the military force to invade Sparta without suffering staggering losses that will set us back for decades¡±.


    Without waiting for the 2 Presidents to speak, Commander Ash staggered and turned around. Then he left with Commander Naga.


    For a long time after they left, the 2 Presidents sat thinking over the information that was just revealed to them.


    ¡°Does those brats mean Sparta is uninvadable?¡± The ex-president gritted his teeth and asked angrily.


    The acting President only gave him a silent glance, then he also stood up and left the hall.


    Then, silence descended.


    ¡­


    Up in the skies of the Spartan republic hovered a lone warship.


    At the deepest parts of this warship, in the main operation room stood a man dressed in a black mysterious robe as he watched his subordinates operating the enormous A. I of the warship.


    This man had a blue clown-faced mask on, this mask was always on his face so few people knew his real face.


    At this moment, with a calm face, the computer geek subordinate below made some alterations and this room suddenly turned into a virtual kingdom.


    A few minutes later, virtual faces popped up around the room.


    ¡°Leader¡±. All the virtual masked faces bowed and greeted respectfully.


    The man who stood in the room was referred to by the people who knew him more as Masked John, he was the current leader of the Persian tigers organization.


    Without wasting time, he directly went to the point. His voice was deep with a tinge of mysteriousness in it. ¡°You all watched the war, you all saw Leonidas¡¯s state despite his injury¡±.


    ¡°This was the reason why I disagreed with the plan of us participating in this war, selling information to watch both parties kill themselves was the best decision¡±.


    He paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°Leonidas already grasped his uniqueness, this means that his indecisive mentor will finally be forced to make a decision¡±.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, hard days are coming for us ahead¡±.


    ¡°My order is- Minimize appearances in the country and try as much as possible to reduce our influence until the bad tides die down¡±.


    ¡°Understood, leader¡±.


    As soon as all the virtual projections disappeared, the man¡¯s deep eyes grew deeper inside the mask as his lips slowly curled up.


    ¡°Leonidas¡­¡±

 Chapter 436: meeting with the calibri intelligence agency again

    Vatican City, 5 days after the war.


    The city was now in full recovery mode as soldiers, constructors, architects, and engineers patrolled everywhere, measuring and calculating various statistics on how to best reconstruct the city.


    The recovery was not as fast as predicted, this was because of the huge money that the city lost in the war and there was little that can be done about it.


    Vatican City was among the cities in the republic that lost the least money, despite this such money was still staggering to them.


    After addressing the whole city, Clark finally convened with the citizens and a mass burial was organized 2 days ago to bury the dead.


    It was a sad atmosphere throughout but the deed was done and nothing could be done to revert it.


    After the burial, the city pooled its remaining cash reserves to compensate and support the families of the deceased soldiers, and also to slightly help the civilians. This was the best that could be done given the situation.


    After construction for the past few days, the main road leading through the city which suffered lots of damages was now more or less pliable again.


    The city simply focused on the more important things first, the others would be attended to later when the cash flow rate increased.


    Emily and the Pendragon mercenary group stayed for 4 days in the country after the war before they left. As a mercenary group, they had to continue with their lives to make money and maintain a living.


    Right now, in Clark¡¯s mansion, only his assistant Rose, Albert, and his workers who all survived the war were left.


    As one of the most expensive buildings in the city, his mansion suffered some damages after being focus-attacked but it was able to hold strong, protecting all the people that were inside.


    From leaving to visit the new virtual market headquarters built in the city, that was the last time that Clark caught a glimpse of his mansion and his assistant till the war ended.


    Some of the workers in his mansion were among those that mourned, some of them lost family members and friends in the war.


    Because of this and a lot of other reasons, Clark allowed most of them to go on a mourning leave. The war was over but his mind was still a mess.


    One of the main things that left the most trauma on him from the war was the death of the old woman he referred to as his mom. Thinking of it only left him boiling in rage.


    She didn¡¯t die from being shot or from the shockwaves of the war because she was perfectly protected, rather she died from a heart attack after being tense for the 7 days duration of the war.


    When he heard the news, he felt like a wrench was drilled through his heart. Once again, he felt the cruelty of war which only made him feel like tearing his brain out in pain and rage.


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    Albert¡¯s question jolted him out of his emotional battle as he turned to look at his student. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be back later in the day¡±.


    Without saying another word, he put on his jacket, went outside, and left on one of his luxurious cars.


    After the war, he tracked his exotic car, and unsurprisingly, his car got damaged completely due to its proximity to the Presidential Villa battlefield when it grew the hottest and most intense.


    At this moment, he already grew numb to the bad news that followed after the war so he didn¡¯t even bother to feel bad about it.


    Right now, he wanted to visit the address that was sent to him by the Calibri Intelligence Agency. He felt that doing this was the only way for him to retain his rationality, or else he would probably go crazy from the agony of the war.


    The next day was the main military burial that would be organized in the Spartan army headquarters, and he was obligated to be in attendance.


    He wanted to conclude matters with the Calibri Intelligence Agency before going the next day for the mass burial.


    ¡­


    Vatican City, Low Ridge District, Ram Street, The Galloping Bar.


    Silently confirming the address in his car, Clark finally switched off his car before coming down. With his mask, he already changed his face as he didn¡¯t want to draw unnecessary attention.


    The galloping bar was a normal bar where drunkards drank their sorrows away. At this moment, the bar was unnaturally full because of the people depressed from the outcomes of the war.


    With the intention to not draw unnecessary attention, Clark entered the bar and located one of the few tables that were not occupied yet.


    2 men already sat there, so he gave them a tip so they could leave. Seeing the money that was offered, the 2 men did not complain as they took it and calmly left the bar.


    Then, Clark offered 3 bottles of a soft drink. He placed all 3 on the table to form a triangular shape, then he placed his hand in the middle of the triangle.


    The ring on his finger was reflected in the smooth surfaces of the 3 bottles.


    This was the secret gesture that he agreed with the intelligence agency to make contact. 2 minutes after he made this gesture on the table, a man came and sat opposite him.


    ¡°C?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°I. E¡±. Clark replied smoothly.


    The man nodded, then he brought out a book and placed it on the table before him. He raised his head and looked straight at his eyes.


    ¡°When are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Less than 4 days from now¡±.


    The man nodded. Without saying another word, he stood up and left the bar. Clark tried to trace him with his implant but he soon left his range, it seemed like he disappeared completely.


    Shaking his head slightly, he held the book that was placed before him.


    >Medical Physiotherapy>


    This was written at its top. He looked at it for a few seconds before putting it inside his jacket, then he stood up and left the bar.

 Chapter 437: special ability imagination

    Clark didn¡¯t go back to his mansion immediately after leaving the bar. He instead took a cut and went to a boisterous corner of the city; his destination was precisely the company- Trailblazers.


    This was a place that he loved visiting when he was younger, he also brought Benny and Leo here when they were spending the week-long vacation given to them by the Python military division.


    He knew how unstable he currently was, he wanted to come here and see if the entertainment scene here could enliven his mood.


    Entering, he was surprised as the place was filled up. He quickly understood what was happening; just like him, some people also wanted to forget the trauma of the war and they sought help here also.


    After finding a chair to sit on, he tried to open up his mind.


    It did not take long before the show started. This time, it was for an hour as highlights of legendary footballers, and soldiers were shown to him.


    When the time elapsed, he walked out of the company building knowing that his condition slightly improved.


    Though it was only slightly, he was glad as this was the first step to a complete recovery from the psychological trauma.


    Not intending to waste any more time, he entered his car and drove home.


    Getting back to his mansion, he gave Albert a recorded virtual track of the highlights that he watched. He knew that Albert was also affected by the war, this was probably his first real war experience.


    After doing that, he went inside his room and locked himself up.


    He first made sure that his mood was right before he brought the book out of his jacket and opened it. On the first page was a pen, and besides the pen were some scribbled words.


    >This pen is a special device that can track the target¡¯s blood. When the target is in a region close to where you are, you will receive a confirmatory pulse from it.>


    >The number of pulses indicates how far the target is from your location.>


    Clark took the pen and held it up, he examined it but didn¡¯t discover any glaring abnormality about it so he simply kept it inside his jacket.


    He flipped the book over as words started appearing.


    >After elaborate investigations, our best guess is that the target is now acting as the subordinate to a Pirate King.>


    >We narrowed the target¡¯s location down to the Badlands of the Dry Snake in the Sahara Desert>


    >As you¡¯re a part-time mercenary, we prepared the perfect mercenary mission for you to cover the real goal of your mission>


    >You can apply for it virtually; the codename of the mission is- [The Red Eagle- Stolen Pistol]>


    Seeing this, Clark¡¯s eyes constricted slightly in shock as a lot of things went through his mind. In the end, he continued and flipped over.


    >This is all the information that we could provide. After applying for the mercenary mission, the rest part lies with you. Good luck, soldier>


    As soon as he finished reading the contents of the book before Clark could react, they ignited, burning into ashes in less than a second.


    Seeing this, Clark fell into a daze as the contents went through his mind.


    ¡°¡­The Red Eagle- Stolen Pistol¡±. This was the main thing dominating his mind because this was the same Grade 4 mercenary mission that he saw in his dream when he went to the Dakran republic.


    ¡°Everything I saw happened in reality¡±. He muttered, dazed.


    For a long time, he¡¯s been trying to understand and comprehend what his special ability was after getting the relevant information from his master.


    When he had the dream where he was completely conscious and he could even control by fast-forwarding the dream, he already had some guesses but he was still not sure.


    He guessed that his special ability was somehow related to dreams, but he was not sure as a dream special ability seemed too abstract.


    After seeing President Leonidas erupt in his full prowess, battling with his special ability he received an epiphany but he still couldn¡¯t get the point yet.


    But combining all these with what he just saw now, he seemed to have realized what his special ability was. The only problem was that it was even more abstract than a dream special ability.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but his intuition told him that he was correct. His intuition told him that his special ability was ¡®Imagination¡¯.


    He still didn¡¯t know much about special abilities but his soul was just so convinced that this was it. He resolved to contact and ask King, or even his master about it in the future.


    Putting that aside, he thought back to the contents of the book.


    He already received all the information that he needed. He was grateful as he didn¡¯t expect to receive such detailed information, this would make his subsequent work much easier.


    For the first time since the war, his heart felt strangely relieved.


    Immediately, he relaxed on his chair as his consciousness went through the virtual world with the help of his implant.


    As a mercenary already registered with the Mercenary Alliance and one who even had a mercenary group, it did not take him long before he found the virtual domain belonging to the mercenary Alliance.


    After logging into the virtual server, he went to the section for recent mercenary missions. He directly scrolled to Grade 4 and above mercenary missions.


    He only needed to search for 4 minutes before he found what he wanted.


    [Grade 4.5 mercenary mission: The Red Eagle- Stolen Pistol.]


    [Client: Unknown.]


    [Number of mercenaries who have taken the mission: 21.]


    [Danger Level: Dangerous.]


    Seeing this, Clark had no more doubts. This was exactly as it was depicted in his dream, he felt like he was reliving the dream.


    [Mission Description: A rich man lost his special exotic pistol that was custom-made for his son. The thief who stole it is extremely strong, and the rich man is ready to get it back by all means.]


    [Mission Reward: 100,000 Mercenary Credits.]


    [Spartan Currency Conversion: 1.1 Billion Spartan Credits.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Now, Clark was shocked. ¡°Really?¡±


    Without hesitation, he immediately lashed on to it and accepted the mission. After confirming that the acceptance was successful, he heaved a sigh of relief while lampooning about the spending ability of the really rich.


    In a happy mode because of the series of things that just happened, he laid back on his bed and slept in preparation for the next day.

 Chapter 438: burial

    Northern Sparta, headquarters of the Spartan army.


    After days of preparation and planning, today was the burial day for all the heroic Spartan soldiers that died in the just concluded main invasion war.


    Due to the war, the headquarters of the Spartan army suffered a lot of damage but as time went it was already almost reconstructed.


    As it was standing at the same level with the Presidential Villa as the symbols of honor of the Spartan republic, it was a given that priority would be given to it after the recovery measures started.


    Almost all the soldiers of the Spartan army seemed to have been gathered in the enormous military cemetery built inside the city-like territory of the army¡¯s headquarters.


    Outside the walls of the cemetery were gathered a large group of soldiers, their numbers were so much that they seemed like locusts flocking the skies.


    As all of them were dressed in black both men and women, they formed a uniform table formation of rows and columns that filled all the space outside the cemetery.


    Behind this large group of soldiers were vehicles, military vehicles that conveyed the soldiers here both those of the highest ranks and those of the lowest ranks in the army.


    The line of vehicles stretching across kilometers was enough to tell how important this burial was and how many soldiers came.


    At this moment, the original mood in the headquarters could no longer be seen, everywhere and everyone had a solemn mood.


    Some of the soldiers secretly felt sad, but they didn¡¯t show it outwardly. Spartan soldiers believed that dying in the line of duty was not something to be sad about, it was something to be proud of.


    Among this group of soldiers stood Clark. He stood at the row that was designated for soldiers from Southern Sparta, and General Vincent stood at the very front with a solemn look on his face.


    Besides Clark was his best friend Leo. Turning his head to the side, he saw Kate, his best friend¡¯s wife sobbing softly a great distance away from their location.


    Leo tried to persuade her from coming but she insisted. She was crying because of the large number of soldiers that died, but mostly because of the soldiers that she knew that died.


    As the wife of a soldier of Leo¡¯s caliber, it was a given that she would know other soldiers of the same grade.


    And in this war, tons of such soldiers died.


    She knew that crying while pregnant was unhealthy, but she just couldn¡¯t help herself as she kept on crying.


    She thought that escaping from her country was the end. She got married to a good, charming, and caring man here in the Spartan republic, but still, war was now haunting her.


    ¡°Why is this world so cruel?¡± She lamented in her mind.


    Unlike other military burial ceremonies that were organized in the past, all the 17 Spartan Generals who survived the war were present, including the 3 available Commanders of the republic.


    Yes, President Leonidas came for the burial ceremony and was the host who would be in charge of the speech to address the soldiers this time.


    As soon as everyone was gathered, the burial procedures started. Amidst a deafening silence, the numerous brave Spartan soldiers who died in this war were laid to rest.


    Seeing this, Clark was reminded of his friend Benny.


    His hands clenched and unclenched, he took deep breaths to control himself as his body subconsciously straightened in respect for these heroes.


    Bam! Bam!


    Amidst the gunshots for the dead heroes, all the soldiers present raised their hands above their heads and saluted solemnly.


    After all the procedures were followed and done, President Leonidas finally stepped up to the podium to address the soldiers.


    He held the sound amplifier in the podium and kept quiet for about a minute before he opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°We are Spartan soldiers¡±. He paused.


    ¡°It is our duty to protect our fellow citizens who are helpless in the face of war, it is our duty to serve our country to the best of our ability¡±.


    ¡°Nobody wishes for death, but we¡¯re not afraid of it either. Those that died in this war are a testament to our unity, our courage, and our unflinching determination in the face of overwhelming odds¡±.


    ¡°The Mocans provoked us for one last time. For as long as I live, I promise that a situation like this will not happen under my leadership again¡±.


    ¡°They tested us, but we stood to our faith. As the President of this country, I am proud of that. I¡¯m proud of the courage that we showed¡±.


    ¡°For those that lost loved ones in this war¡­¡± He paused as his facial features visibly tightened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±.


    ¡°That is all I have to say to you today, I¡¯m sorry¡±.


    ¡°All I want you to remember is that you¡¯re a Spartan¡±. The President patted his left chest with his right hand for emphasis.


    ¡°May their souls rest in peace¡±.


    Amidst solemn applause from the soldiers, President Leonidas stepped down the podium and the burial ceremony came to an end.


    ¡­


    Still, in the Spartan army headquarters, Clark sat with his best friend and his wife in a restaurant as they ate a custom-made dish from the chief chef.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t really phrase it that way, I¡¯m just going for a mission¡±.


    ¡°But you know how dangerous the earth¡¯s special locations are, you told us the dreadful stories of Everest yourself. Why decide to go to the Sahara Desert now?¡±


    Clark smiled at Kate. ¡°As soldiers, if we don¡¯t take risks, we¡¯ll never improve¡±.


    ¡°And besides, this is not an impulsive decision. I decided to go because of something extremely important to me that I want to retrieve¡±.


    Leo gave his best friend a deep look before he retracted his eyes. ¡°How much time will you spend there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, really¡±. Clark spread his hands. ¡°A month, 2 months, maybe even 3 months¡±.


    ¡°What of your city?¡± Kate pressed.


    ¡°I already have plans in place for how it would be run for the next few months. And besides, my commissioners are the ones who are in charge, I¡¯ve barely ever interrupted in their decision making¡±.


    Leo and his wife kept quiet for a long time, then he finally replied. ¡°Ok, Goodluck buddy. I hope to see you as a General the next time we meet¡±.


    Clark laughed at that as he stood up to hug his friend. He blew a kiss at Kate¡¯s bulging stomach, then he turned to leave the restaurant.


    Seeing his best friend leave, Leo remained standing with his wife as they both looked on with a lot of complicated emotions appearing in their eyes.


    In the end, they simply hugged each other.

 Chapter 439: humanity will fall

    At a certain deserted part of the continent, Antarctica.


    This was one of the numerous ruins left from the great battle of supremacy decades ago that was not restored to its previous state.


    Dilapidated buildings filled the surrounding, evident of the fact that this place was once a city. Some of the buildings were already completely submerged by the snow, only the taller ones could still faintly be seen.


    Over the years, the wear and tear of age already affected them and they now seemed like a fragile wood that would break with just a slight bend.


    Across the all-encompassing world of ice and snow that submerged this city, depressions could be seen on various parts which were a testament to the great war that wreaked havoc here decades ago.


    The chilly wind in the atmosphere blew at times gently, while at other times roughly, making sure that the temperature in this region was super cold 24/7.


    Structures like mini-mountains covered in snow-filled some parts of the city, while at other sides were filled with mountain-like icebergs formed entirely out of snow and ice.


    Few animals were in this region because of the chilly cold, but some were still able to thrive and survive here. They populated the region, filling it with vitality and the beauty of nature.


    A small freezing lake was at a corner of the city, and penguins could be seen jumping around it while others dove inside the chilly coldness of the water.


    On the surface of the lake, a tiny black object suddenly emerged out of the water. It was so tiny that the penguins swimming around it could not notice a thing.


    The tiny black object rotated slightly in place, it was like it was secretly observing and taking notice of any notable factors in the surroundings.


    As it rotated in a negligible manner, it suddenly paused in a certain direction. Then, slowly like it didn¡¯t discover anything, it continued rotating slightly before silently being submerged back inside the water.


    ¡°2 Lauren beings on patrol discovered¡±.


    ¡°Every other discovery negligible¡±.


    This mechanical and almost silent voice to the surrounding lake water resounded in the comms of some soldiers in military attire.


    Without needing to exchange any words between themselves, they activated their exotic armors and silently emerged out of the lake. They moved in sync like the perfect cogs of machinery.


    Emerging out of the lake, the nearby penguins were not alerted nor could they see anyone- all the soldiers were currently invisible. Without a word, the soldiers divided into 3 parts and went in different directions.


    A few meters away, a strange humanoid creature with a blue scaly body, glowing scarlet eyes, and buff muscles like a silverback Gorilla squatted close to the floor as it surveyed its surroundings alertly.


    Mysterious patterns flickered in its scarlet eyes, making them seem like the eyes of truth that could see through any illusion and disguise.


    Suddenly, its nose twitched. It instinctively raised its head a little higher to sniff at the surroundings. Its eyes slowly changed like it just discovered a terrifying enemy, it raised its nose higher to confirm the smell.


    Ptui!


    A bullet suddenly hit its scaly blue head. It subconsciously tried to turn and escape, but the paralysis bullet held it in place.


    Before it could recover, a sword was slashed 8 times and its blue body was dissected into 8 pieces. Its eyes flickered in agony and unwillingness for a few more minutes after this but it could do little as it finally died.


    A few dozen meters away, the same thing happened as the 2nd unit of soldiers easily finished the Lauren soldier who hid there on the lookout.


    Without a word, they continued their mission, penetrating deeper inside this deserted ruin. On the way, they met and killed 8 other Lauren soldiers.


    ¡­


    Underground, a group of Lauren soldiers was in what seemed like a military bunker. They seemed to be guarding something as they formed a circular battle formation around the protection target.


    The target of protection was another Lauren soldier, the only difference was that she was beautiful, slimmer, and less buff with muscles than all the others.


    Also, she had long antennas on her head that glowed with a gentle blue light.


    Right now, her beautiful fluttering eyes were shut tightly like she was in a deep sleep. Suddenly, her scarlet eyes snapped open as she jumped up while panting like she just woke from a nightmare.


    The other Lauren soldiers protecting her tensed upon feeling this but they did not turn to check on her, only one who was also leaner than the others turned to face her.


    He asked in an indiscernible language. ¡°0&%^$#?¡±


    The female Lauren soldier looked at him with unwillingness, frustration, and horror in her eyes. ¡°!@#%^($!¡± [Humans- Helix!]


    As soon as they heard what she said, the Lauren soldiers grew solemn expressions on their faces while the slim Lauren soldier carried her and started dashing towards a narrow tunnel immediately.


    Boom!


    A pitch-black sword with a dark energy force revolving around it tore a hole through the walls of the military bunker.


    Through this hole, 12 soldiers immediately rushed inside the secret Lauren base. 3 soldiers led this operation, Elite Commander Helix, Elite Commander Aragon, and Elite Commander Lam.


    This lineup alone was enough to tell the importance of the operation.


    Immediately as the human soldiers entered, the Lauren soldiers lunged at them with their weapons in hand.


    Elite Commander Aragon suddenly clenched his gloved hands, sprouting raging fire from mid-air as he punched his way through the Lauren soldiers.


    He was not left to go free for long though, a Lauren soldier who was more buffer than the others suddenly appeared. On his head was embedded a big (&) symbol, this was the symbol for Lauren Commanders.


    Raising his hands, the ice in the surrounding suddenly converged towards him then he rushed forward and punched hard at the Elite Commander.


    Boom!


    Shockingly, this Lauren soldier overpowered the Elite Commander in just one punch. Without a word, Elite Commander Lam went to reinforce his companion, and his uniqueness was similar to the Lauren Commander- Ice.


    As they both restrained the Lauren Commander, the 5th rank high-grade soldiers behind them were unrestrained as they hunted down the other Lauren soldiers.


    On the other side, before the slim Lauren soldier could escape with the female Lauren soldier, blacklight materialized before him and from this darkness stepped out Elite Commander Helix.


    His eyes were now a pitch-black color, his army uniform fluttered without any wind blowing as a black energy force kept on revolving around him.


    Seeing him, the 2 Lauren soldiers showed expressions of horror but they immediately decided to give their all.


    The slim male Lauren soldier controlled a Green uniqueness as his eyes suddenly turned dark green, and without hesitation, he rushed at the human Elite Commander.


    Unlike him, the slim female Lauren soldier controlled a gentle Blue uniqueness. It flowed gently like water streams containing hypnosis powers but they also had a hidden destructiveness in them.


    Without hesitation, she joined her comrade and clashed with the dreaded human Elite Commander.


    Boom!


    ¡­


    15 minutes later, the slim male Lauren soldier was already dead, including the Lauren Commander and all the underlings. Only the severely bleeding slim female Lauren soldier was left alive.


    Seeing the hated Elite Commander walking towards her, she bit her lips, grounded her lips, and called out.


    ¡°Helix!¡±


    The Elite Commander paused on hearing that, but it didn¡¯t last as he continued towards her with a poker look on his face.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get anything from me, just kill me¡±.


    As she spoke, her blue energy uniqueness suddenly flared, making her body bloat like she was about to explode herself but Helix still had a nonchalant look on his cold face.


    His eyes turned pitch-black again, he glared at his target as all her uniqueness powers faded like the wind, returning her to her normal state.


    Once this was done, she fell down, exhausted completely.


    Without a word, the Elite Commander bent down, hauled her over his shoulders before turning to leave with his companions.


    ¡°Last Lauren base has been cleaned¡±. He spoke into his comm.


    Hearing his words, the female Lauren soldier¡¯s expression twisted amid her exhaustion and pain.


    She spat out. ¡°Humanity will fall¡­¡±

 Chapter 440: leaving for the mission

    ¡°Master, please I want to tag along¡±.


    Albert pleaded again for the umpteenth time since he got the news that his master was about to go on another dangerous mission.


    Whenever he remembered Clark¡¯s stories about his adventures in the Everest, he always felt a yearning in his heart to experience the same. He wanted to fight and kill exobeasts, he wanted to experience such thrilling encounters.


    Unfortunately, his master kept on refusing adamantly to take him along.


    ¡°Master, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, the Sahara is too dangerous for a soldier like you¡±.


    Hearing that sentence that always left his head billowing with smoke again, Albert shifted angrily, pouted his lips before forcefully sitting down.


    Seeing his expression, Clark laughed. ¡°Do you know how funny you look with that expression? You¡¯re a big man you know, stop being so childish¡±.


    ¡°Instead of whining, use this period to train hard and become a 3rd rank high-grade soldier before I come back. That way, you would not miss other interesting adventures in the future¡±.


    As Clark chided his student, his hands were busy as he arranged the few clothes that he would be taking for his mission inside his bag.


    He already arranged all the weapons and gadgets that he would need for the mission. For those that he didn¡¯t have and were recommended by the Calibri Intelligence Agency, they secretly provided it for him.


    Just like every other person that was close to him, he didn¡¯t tell Albert his real reason for taking on this mission.


    According to a certain wise man, the fewer people knew a secret, the more secure that secret was. To not complicate matters, he decided not to tell a single soul about the real purpose of his mission.


    Hearing the last word that his master said, Albert was stunned for a moment before he raised his hands to his chin in thought. ¡°Master¡±.


    ¡°Yes, speak¡±.


    ¡°Do you think I have a chance of becoming a 3rd rank high-grade soldier before you come back?¡±


    Clark turned and flashed him a smile. ¡°Nothing is impossible¡±.


    Hearing that, his eyes lit up as fantasies started being created in his mental world. The more he imagined, the more excited he became as he could already see himself at the top of the world.


    Then, like he suddenly came to a realization, he deflated. ¡°You¡¯re doing this just to make me stay behind, right?¡±


    Clark kept looking at him with an amused expression now on his face. ¡°What did you think of before?¡±


    ¡°Damn! You¡¯re a wicked master¡±.


    Amid Albert¡¯s whining, there were 2 knocks on the door.


    ¡°Come in¡±. Albert and Clark said at the same time as they already knew who was the one knocking so early in the morning.


    Entering the room, Rose swept a glance at her boss then at the mischievous Albert. Seeing the black bag, she already understood that the time was here.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯ll be leaving this morning?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s obvious¡±.


    ¡°What of the commissioners, have you informed them of your plan¡±.


    Clark suddenly froze, then he facepalmed. ¡°Damn, I forgot¡±.


    While he rushed to get his communication device to contact his head commissioner, Rose expertly went towards the black bag and started meticulously arranging the other clothes.


    None of the clothes were conventional ones. Due to the treacherousness of Clark¡¯s destination, all the clothes that he prepared for the mission had some mechanical function in them.


    He needed water in the desert, he needed to keep himself warm in such a super-hot environment, and he had daily necessities also.


    These clothes were not a jack of all trade, but they all had useful functions that would help him during his duration in the treacherous Desert.


    A few minutes later, Clark came back having spoken with his commissioners.


    ¡°King called¡±. He casually spoke to the 2 people in his room.


    ¡°Oh, what did he say?¡± Albert asked curiously.


    ¡°Of course, it was just some random talks to keep himself from getting bored like always and he also talked about my mission¡±.


    As Clark explained, he placed the finishing touches in his bag, before patting to indicate that he was done.


    ¡°Thanks¡±. He flashed a thumb up at Rose who waved her hands in acknowledgment that it didn¡¯t matter.


    She led the both of them downstairs to the garage. To prevent unnecessary complications, none of Clark¡¯s workers knew of their employer¡¯s recent mission.


    After entering one of his exotic cars, Clark waved at Rose with a bright smile on his face as Albert put pressure on the accelerators, driving him smoothly out of the mansion.


    As he was driven through the streets of Vatican City, he leaned back on his chair as he looked at the city that was still in the initial stages of recovering from the war.


    After a lot of efforts on the government¡¯s part, the dying optimism in the city was already recovering slightly.


    As was normal after every major war recorded in the republic, more young boys and girls were enrolled into military training bases with the motivation to become soldiers.


    When Clark saw the statistics a few days ago, a complicated feeling engulfed his heart as he faintly felt like he was seeing his old self.


    Just like these teenagers, his yearning to become a soldier was also sprouted after the invasion war by the Mocan republic then.


    He still remembered when the news came to him that his parents died to Mocan soldiers after safely tiding through the invasion war.


    Then, he felt lost, confused, and a little afraid. But now, he was no longer that young teenager, he was now the one who protected other teenagers from losing their parents prematurely.


    He closed his eyes, letting all these memories fade away. Right now, the war was already gone, what he wanted to focus on was his mission.


    After being separated for years, he finally had a chance of reuniting with Sonia. To be sincere, he felt a little nervous, he didn¡¯t know what her current situation was nor did he know what her reaction would be on seeing him.


    In the end, he simply erased all these from his heart and focused on the present. He would do his best to find and rescue her, after doing that before he would think of any other thing.


    With such a mindset, his thoughts became harmonious again. Not long later, Albert drove him to the airport.


    He bumped fists with him before turning to enter the airplane that was already verified to take off.


    He was off to the Nirmir Republic.


    [Thanks for reading.]

 Chapter 441: the nirmir republic

    [Nirmirian Airline support reporting!]


    [Runway clear for landing!]


    [Airplane 224 Clear for landing!]


    Whoosh!


    A loud sound of depressurizing air reverberated in the large airport as the airplane dived down, followed by a screeching sound as its wheels finally made contact with the long runway.


    It swiftly moved forward a few meters through the runway using the momentum of the dive until it slowly started reducing speed.


    A minute later, it finally slowed to a controllable speed as the expert pilot carefully steered it towards the airplane landing lot.


    Swoosh!


    A few minutes later, the sound of depressurizing air reverberated again as the door of the airplane was opened for the passengers to come down. Clark was among the passengers who came down.


    He was dressed in black trousers and a light t-shirt.


    With his right hand in his pocket, a luxury pair of gold glasses covering his eyes, a gold wristwatch on his hands, and his bag in his back, he swaggered his way out of the airport while observing his surroundings curiously.


    Right now, this Spartan Lieutenant Colonel looked no different from the normal tourists that visited this country every year.


    The Nirmir republic, being the new country that was erected close to the famous Sahara Desert after the great battle of supremacy was a place steaming with tourists who came to visit its numerous sights.


    Just like the way tourists loved visiting the Everest, so also did they love visiting the Sahara and the Nirmir republic was the first stop point before getting access to the enormous world of gold.


    The attractions in the republic and the world of gold itself were numerous, but the main attractions were the rumors spread by lucky tourists who survived the thrilling adventure into the world of gold.


    According to some lucky adventurers, there were even modern pyramids built by the big 5 organizations which they used as enormous war fortresses in the great battle of supremacy which wreaked the whole world then.


    Most of these lucky adventurers spread rumors about these pyramids, painting them and inside them in such an attractive light that new tourists are always attracted each year.


    Not only this, according to some of them, there were also treasures scattered all over the desert which were relics from the great battle decades ago.


    If a mercenary was lucky enough, he may strike gold and become rich on one night just from one lucky treasure finding.


    As a soldier, most especially a 3rd rank high-grade soldier, Clark knew even more about the rumors though this was his first time visiting this country and the infamous world of gold.


    Most of the rumors were true, they were just distorted and overly exaggerated to make it sound more thrilling and exciting.


    This was not surprising though, it was from tourists Afterall.


    Despite the number of deaths and people who ended up being lost in the enormous world of gold, new tourists were still attracted every year which meant that the Nirmir republic was a boisterous and bustling one.


    Yes, the Nirmir republic was a middle-grade country at the bottom tier.


    As all this information flashed through Clark¡¯s mind, it did not take him long before he went outside the noisy and bustling airport.


    This time, he wanted to lie low so as not to reveal his identity easily to others. He didn¡¯t change his face with his mask due to various reasons, but he tried to make himself look different in every other way.


    Right now, only those who were close to him could recognize him at a glance.


    Getting out of the airport, he casually stopped a taxi cab like any other tourist. Removing his bag from his back, he entered the taxi cab.


    ¡°Take me to the city of the desert¡±.


    ¡°150 Nirmirian Credits¡±.


    ¡°No problem¡±.


    The taxi driver grinned on hearing that like his fishing line just caught a big fish as he stepped into his taxi¡¯s accelerator happily.


    He drove through the wide roads of the country with a wide smile on his face.


    ¡°Please, can you give me some information about the country?¡± Clark demanded softly as he wanted to act the part as a tourist, while also wanting to get a first-person perspective of the country from a local.


    ¡°Sure¡±. The taxi driver grinned. ¡°50 Nirmirian Credits¡±.


    Clark could not help but turn his head and give the taxi driver a deep look. In the end, he just shrugged. ¡°Ok¡±.


    The taxi driver immediately opened his mouth. ¡°The Nirmir republic is a b*tch¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Apart from the world of gold of course¡­¡±


    While preventing his lips from twitching, Clark listened with an abnormally serious expression on his face.


    ¡°You know¡­¡±


    Amid the taxi driver¡¯s lecturing, it took him about 45 minutes before the taxi cab finally arrived at the infamous city of the desert.


    A huge welcome metal signpost was at the first checkpoint in the city.


    >City of the Desert- The Road to the World of Gold>


    ¡°Your destination?¡±


    The taxi driver asked while looking at his rear mirror.


    Clark deliberated for a few seconds before answering. ¡°Take me to where I can join an expedition to the world of gold¡±.


    The taxi driver carefully scrutinized his passenger through his rear mirror, then another wide grin spread through his face. ¡°Sure¡±.


    Zoom!


    Taking a sharp turn through the corner, he put pressure on the accelerators again as the old taxi cab jerked forward with him.


    10 minutes later, he stopped at a huge company building.


    ¡°Thriller man, here¡¯s your destination¡±. His tone took on a sarcastic vibe as he turned to speak with his passenger.


    Clark turned his head to look at the building.


    >Sand Dune Expedition Company- Led by Pure locals who know their job>


    ¡°Ok, thanks¡±. Clark quickly counted the cash and paid the taxi driver. Before coming here, he already found a channel to exchange his money to get the Nirmirian currency.


    ¡°10 extra credits for taking you to the expedition company¡±.


    Clark turned to look at the taxi driver again, feeling the urge to smack him in the face now. In the end, he forced himself to stay calm and paid the money.


    Amid the sound of the taxi driver cruising away happily, he turned and walked towards the building where 2 men with weapons stood guard.


    ¡°I¡¯m here for an expedition¡±.

 Chapter 442: the sand dune expedition company

    Hearing what this stranger said, the 2 guards in casual clothes turned to scrutinize him without much expression on their faces.


    They recognized that he was a stranger at a glance, people who lived so close to the dangerous Sahara were different from those in other parts of the world in different ways due to the extreme environment.


    {Gold glasses, a gold chain, and a gold wristwatch}- Luxuriously dressed like a terrorist¡­, {An expression of anticipation and slight fear}- the curiosity universal of all tourists.


    {No weapon protrusions in his body, a flat bag with no heavy weapons either}- A na?ve tourist looking for some thriller adventure.


    {A burly physique but a na?ve face}- A lewd tourist training in gyms to get a good physique to attract beautiful girls.


    Check! They gave a thump up in their minds.


    As they observed him, Clark reciprocated. {The special mechanical hijab}- Dressed like those who frequent the Sahara¡­, {Expensive Sub-machine exotic guns}- A proper deep expedition company.


    {Normal guards but with the vibe only exuded by veterans who already dipped their hands in blood and battle}- A fairly experienced company.


    Check! He casually gave a thump up in his mind also, while grudgingly giving one to the greedy taxi driver.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±. The 2 guards finally answered in a reserved manner and separated, opening up a path big enough for him to pass through.


    Clark acted in the manner that was universal of every tourist- curious and always excited. With pretentiously confident footsteps, he walked inside the company with an exaggerated swagger in his steps.


    Inside the company was 3 buildings. One of them was enormous, being the main building where most of the activities in the company were done.


    The other 2 smaller buildings were the temporary resting lounge of the tourists who came to hire them for deep expeditions inside the Sahara.


    Clark would have simply decided to go alone, but that would have been a little suspicious as even soldiers prefer using the locals as the guide due to their familiarity with the desert and its dangers.


    Expeditions were one of the main thriving businesses in this city, and lots of companies were already specially made to make things easier for tourists.


    Without wasting time, Clark asked the first person that he saw for directions and he was directed towards the biggest building in the company territory.


    Getting there, after he laid down his plan for going for a tourism expedition, the beautiful lady who sat at a counter there showed him inside towards another lady who was inside the building.


    Clark tried to observe and secretly admire the enormous building. This was normal of some tourists, and he now wanted to act that way.


    Amid his secret observation and admiration, he arrived at the lady¡¯s desk.


    She gently brushed her brown hair behind her before raising her head on seeing the shadow. Seeing the handsome man before her, a bright smile lit up her face as she introduced sweetly.


    ¡°Welcome to the Sand Dune Expedition company, how may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Here comes the hard part¡±. Clark felt like crying but he steeled his heart to do it, he was not about to let any suspicion fall on him.


    He gently placed his hands on the lady¡¯s desk, leaned over slightly before winking at her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here for an expedition adventure beautiful lady¡±.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She exclaimed in a cringey exaggerated manner, placing her delicate hands to her mouth as she giggled softly.


    ¡°Then you came to the right place, pretty boy¡±.


    ¡°Here, take and fill this form¡±. She handed a form over to him before winking back at him.


    Quickly going through the form, Clark was already prepared to be extorted of his money but he was still dumbfounded by what he saw.


    [1,150,000 Nirmirian credits for going, 500,000 Nirmirian credits for the sights that would be visited, and 1,000,000 Nirmirian credits for coming back.]


    [Total: 2,650,000 Nirmirian credits only.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Clark¡¯s eyes nearly bulged and pulled out in shock when he saw the extortionate prices. 1,150,000 Nirmirian credits faintly translated to about 980 thousand to a million Spartan credits.


    This meant that for the full expedition, he needed to pay over 2 million Spartan credits for it. Right now, he felt like throwing a punch through this beautiful lady¡¯s face but he held himself back.


    From his research before coming, he already knew that all the ladies here were beautiful and would deliberately seduce male tourists to extort them of their money, both for the company and an additional commission for themselves.


    This was the same for female tourists, they had male CEO-type handsome attendants who would attend to these tourists.


    Turning his head back, he saw the lady smiling back at him in a suggestive flirtatious manner. He hid the irritation and urge to punch her smiling face in his heart before forcing a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s ok by me¡±.


    He leaned closer, and instead of grabbing other inappropriate places like other tourists did he simply grabbed her cheeks and pinched hard.


    The lady¡¯s face flushed as her expression became dumbfounded, with a little pain showing. While forcing a smile, she carefully removed her face from his strong grip before explaining things to him amid gently rubbing her aching cheeks.


    ¡°Pretty man, 20 tourists are needed for each expedition journey, and right now we only have 8 registered including you¡±.


    ¡°Please, I implore you to wait a minimum of 2 days for the number to be filled¡±. Her eyes sparkled as she pleaded.


    Clark already knew of this so he didn¡¯t make a fuss about it. ¡°Sure¡±.


    As he replied, his hands went forward to pinch her cheeks again but with experience this time, the lady laughed and swiftly dodged his hands.


    ¡°There you go, pretty man¡±.


    ¡°Why not pretty boy again?¡± While lampooning in his mind, Clark laughed, took his bag, and went out of the building after paying the required money.


    He felt his heart ache, but he knew that this was necessary.


    He could have paid for only going, but that would have easily blown his cover that he was here for something else so he simply bit the bullet and paid in full.


    Unlike what was expected of most rich tourists, he didn¡¯t leave to spend the 2 days in any expensive hotel. Shamelessly, he walked towards one of the other 2 buildings in the company.


    He showed his registration card and easily got access inside.


    Seeing that he already left completely, the female attendant finally had time to rub her aching cheeks properly. She had an expression of grievance, anger, and surprise on her face.


    ¡°What type of spoiled brat is it this time?¡± She grumbled.

 Chapter 443: entering the world of gold

    The sun peaked through the veils of the curtains, illuminating the room as Clark yawned before waking up to a new day.


    After staying 2 days in the Sand Dune expedition company, the number of tourists in this batch finally reached 20 and they were ready to go.


    For the past 2 days, Clark didn¡¯t just stay in the company as that would have aroused suspicion and he was also not so boring. He went out and used this time to check out the different sights in the country.


    He visited some interesting places at this time but none of them really registered an unforgettable memory in his head.


    After being to countries like the Dakran republic and the outer headquarters of the Seafarers alliance, any other thing that he saw in countries like this only seemed like already used substandard goods.


    As soon as the quota for an expedition team was completed, the lady who attended to him sent a message to inform him about it.


    As he stayed in the same company with her for the past few days, perhaps due to his actions, but she seemed to have developed a phobia for him.


    Anytime she saw him, she would shrink shyly like a tortoise that was poked before hurriedly scurrying away. He found it amusing but he made sure to keep a respectable distance from her as he was not an expert at such matters.


    As the sun already rose, he no longer slept as he quickly stood up to get ready. Before going to take his bath, he casually checked the time.


    [07:47 am]


    The stipulated time for meeting up was 8 am which meant he only had about 13 minutes left to get set. While hurrying a little now, he entered the bathroom and quickly had his bath.


    A few minutes later, he was ready.


    He was dressed in a black pair of trousers and shirt, while his whole body was covered with a strange silky mechanical hijab.


    This was the same mechanical hijab that the guards at the gate of the company wore. It was mechanically made, and it had functions to decrease body temperature and a lot of others.


    Also, it had a religious significance to Nirmirian citizens who believed that it was blessed by their god and could protect them from the dangers in the enormous world of gold.


    After Clark was done completely, he turned to check the time.


    [7:56 am]


    ¡°Efficient¡±. He muttered with a smile, put his backpack over his back before turning to leave the room that he stayed in for the past few days.


    Going outside, he was led inside a hall that was inside the biggest building in the company. Inside here, the other 20 tourists like him were already gathered.


    He was the last person to arrive but he was not late as only a minute was remaining before 8 am clocked. After sitting down, he casually swept a glance at his surroundings.


    He quickly locked his perception secretly at those that called for his attention. A wealthy family of a middle-aged father and 3 adult boys, and they have 2 bodyguards suspected to be 2nd rank high-grade soldiers.


    3 other mercenaries like him who were too lazy to act like him and revealed their identity just on the registration desk¡±.


    2 of them were not worth much of Clark¡¯s attention as they were more or less normal mercenaries looking for a way to hit the jackpot and become rich in one step, but the last of the three drew his attention.


    This lady was mysterious in a way that he could not explain, he decided to put her on his radar of group of people to be wary of.


    The last person who called his attention was a blonde-haired young adult. This fellow was the perfect definition of a curious tourist Casanova, and he was a sample of the tourists that he tried to act like.


    From the way the attendant behaved around him, he guessed that this bold unruly man probably already related with her in inappropriate ways.


    The main reason why the man drew his attention was his bodyguard, he guessed that the guard was a 2nd rank high-grade soldier which left him awed at how rich and powerful the tourists he was going with are.


    For this expedition, 8 locals would be taking them with 3 of them being 2nd rank high-grade soldiers. They were experienced veterans, which was the main reason why the money needed was so big.


    The local leading this expedition, Mr. Sandstorm suddenly went to the middle of the group with a solemn expression on his face.


    ¡°The Sahara Desert is peculiar, it is not like regular tourist locations that you¡¯ve been to before¡±.


    ¡°The Sahara is more dangerous than its attractiveness. Any reckless mistake from any of you and you wouldn¡¯t even know how you died¡±.


    ¡°To survive this expedition tour, you need to know a set of rules¡±.


    ¡°First, you must always listen and act accordingly to my instructions¡±.


    ¡°Second, you must not touch anything until you have received my permission to do so¡±.


    ¡°Third, no random talks, this is a real-life version of a horror movie¡±.


    ¡°Fourth, you¡­¡±


    After listing 9 rules consecutively, on the 10th, Mr. Sandstorm paused a bit like he had the intention to create a tense atmosphere.


    ¡°Tenth, watch each other¡¯s backs. Without cooperation, all of us, including myself will die and be engulfed in the enormous world of gold¡±.


    After repeatedly making sure that the set of rules drilled into the head of the tourists to most of their annoyance, he turned and finally led the expedition team out of the company.


    They were divided into 4 batches and they also entered 4 different military cars. Mr. Sandstorm confirmed for the last time that the tourists in his team were complete before setting out.


    The 4 cars drove for 3 hours until they arrived at the edge of the city. The desert was still not in sight yet, but the yellow air blowing rapidly in the distance could already be seen by the tourists.


    They got one last time to see the city behind them before the 4 cars drove into the midst of the flying yellow dust.


    They were off to the depths of the Sahara Desert.


    [Sorry for the late release, I had network problems.]

 Chapter 444: the tip of supremacy

    [Main Tourist Destination: The Tip of Supremacy.]


    After the great battle of supremacy, among the numerous battle ruins left behind after everything settled down, the tip of supremacy was the most popular and was the location most tourists yearned to visit the most.


    Like all other tourists, Clark¡¯s group of 20¡¯s destination was also this summit.


    After the supremacy battle where some locations on earth started mutating, turning them into earth special locations, some of the ruins left after the great war were also affected by this mutation.


    According to the information that Clark got before coming, the location of the tip of supremacy was a main battlefield in the great war.


    During one of these battles, 5 pyramidal war fortresses sturdier than most warships of this era duked it out in a battle to the death.


    In the battle, 3 of the pyramidal war fortresses were destroyed completely but 2 survived and became ruins after all their inhabitants died.


    With the passage of time and the strange mutation, both pyramids combined to form the iconic tip of supremacy. It formed a strange sand-metal pyramid structure that towered towards the heavens.


    Despite the technological breakthroughs of this era, rumors said that the tip of supremacy was still the tallest structure in the whole world.


    Though it was the most attractive tourist location, as the years passed, dangerous exobeasts were now residing in it. Most tourists saw the astonishing sight but they didn¡¯t live to tell the story.


    Despite this, others still visited yearly for the sight. Also, rumors spread by Nirmirians was that their god now resided in the peak of the tip of supremacy which only increased its mysteriousness and allure to tourists.


    One of the main reasons why Clark paid and followed this expedition team so readily was because the tip of supremacy was close to the Badlands of the Dry snake territory.


    Due to the special territory of this place that even the big 5 abandoned it, the pirates who were unafraid of death made this place their territory.


    According to rumors, there were numerous pirate factions, alliances, and empires in the world of gold, and most of them, about 80% were all concentrated in the Badlands of the Dry snake territory.


    The name ¡®Badlands of the Dry snake¡¯ was given to it by the first pirates because of rumors of an encounter that they had.


    According to legends, there was a legendary creature in the territory that was the divine protector of the tip of supremacy, a legendary Basilisk.


    According to legends, it could not only control the sand in the world of gold to fight, but it could breathe poison, spit purple fire, and could also move at speeds faster than a modern airplane.


    Such a description made it worthy of its title as a divine beast.


    Clark didn¡¯t know if these rumors were true as the Spartan army could not confirm it. All he did was to make use of the available knowledge to the best of his ability and improvise when the situation calls for it.


    During the past 3 days since they entered the Sahara Desert, Clark was already pretty sure that the money he spent was not wasted as the locals escorting them already showed their competence.


    Their claims that their knowledge of this world was unmatched in the whole world were finally verified personally by him.


    For the past 3 days, though they didn¡¯t really encounter any life-threatening encounter and all the tourists were fine, Clark knew that all these were possible only because of the knowledge of the locals.


    The perfect evidence for this was his intuition. Since entering this world, his brain was always tense like he entered the mouth of a beast, it felt just like what he experienced during his journey to the Everest with his team then.


    He knew that dangers were all around him but they just didn¡¯t appear, or precisely, they avoided them completely.


    Mr. Sandstorm and his companions not only knew where most exobeasts in this desert were, but they also knew tried and verified ways to avoid them.


    The closest that they¡¯ve come to against monsters in this desert was when one of the members of the team accidentally fell into a pit that was crawling with strange underground pigs with sharp teeth.


    The locals called them ¡®Pigxies¡±.


    One of the 4 car¡¯s tires accidentally entered the hole, and with it bending was the avenue for the tourist to fall inside it.


    Despite the dangerous encounter, Mr. Sandstorm was able to react appropriately, organizing the tourists to escape despite some of them reacting excessively and forgetting the rules that were hammered into their heads.


    While some of his companions stayed behind to fight and slightly hold back the dangerous creatures, he entered the military vehicles and drove off with the tourists far away.


    After an escape that spanned almost half a day, they finally lost the pigxies, escaping their pursuit.


    When most of the tourists were already feeling bad that some of the locals died, they were surprised as Mr. Sandstorm calmly asked them to wait.


    Just 3 hours later, the 4 locals that were left behind caught up back to them. This encounter raised the respect that the tourists had for the locals, and it also made them calm down, having realized the dangers of this region.


    Their next encounter was against 3 enormous exobeast Scorpions. The 3 dangerous creatures were so big that it was hard to see them as scorpions.


    This time, the team was forced to stop and fight as the scorpions cut off all their escape directions with their enormous body.


    Under the leadership of Mr. Sandstorm, and with the bodyguards of the richer tourists joining in to help, they fended off the scorpions, killing 1 in the process as they finally escaped.


    Right now, another morning dawned on them as the tourists in the team got prepared for another day of moving through the boundless world of gold.


    As they got themselves prepared to continue their journey, the tourists were stunned as a loud sound suddenly started reverberating from the distance like thousands of horses were galloping their way.


    The vibrations that followed in the golden sand only spooked them the more. Worriedly, they all turned their attention to the omniscient Mr. Sandstorm.


    This competent leader of the expedition who already knew that this was a beast tide, without caring for his dignity laid on the floor as he put his ears to the sand to listen to know the specific monsters.


    A few seconds later, he stood up with a grave expression on his face.


    ¡°Scavenger Rats!¡±

 Chapter 445: scavenger rats

    Crii¡­!!!


    A loud sound that seemed like the croaking of a frog and the creaking of a cricket at the same time reverberated from the distance, spreading shock through the fragile hearts of the tourists.


    The galloping sound in the distance intensified as soon as Mr. Sandstorm identified the enemy. Clark already researched a bit and knew this creature, so a lot of thoughts rapidly went through his mind.


    In this part of the Sahara Desert, Scavenger rats were part of the set of monsters that could be more frequently seen or were more or less the locals of this part of the desert.


    Individually, they were not as strong as the weakest exobeasts but their strength was in their number. They never moved alone, they lived and moved in large hordes.


    The largest ever recorded horde of Scavenger rats recorded that more than 200,000 of the mutated rats swept across the desert like a plague.


    For the largest recorded disaster of Scavenger rats, the mutated rats swept across and invaded the nearest city which was the city of the desert.


    Then, the terrifying rats weren¡¯t put in much regard yet. With inadequate preparations and nonchalance from the humans, the Scavenger rats were able to wipe the city to the floor like a horde of locusts sweeping through a cornfield.


    Just like a swarm of locusts, Scavenger rats eat anything that they see in an even more terrifying manner than locusts.


    They eat normal human-grown food, they eat sand, they eat metal, they eat rubber, they eat humans, they drink blood, they eat virtually everything chewable by their fork-like teeth.


    During the disaster, some people survived and escaped from the town after recognizing the danger first but they could bring nothing with them. Every material good, building, and everything standing in the city was leveled to the ground.


    The current people living in the city of the desert were actually foreigners who came and settled in the city after the initial destruction.


    As all this information went through Clark¡¯s head, the effects of the incoming stampede were already escalating rapidly.


    In just seconds to a minute, the vibration traveling through the desert floor already intensified several folds. The sand started loosening up, threatening to swallow any unlucky tourist in the process.


    The sand shook like thousands of artillery vehicles were unleashing their loads without holding back.


    The dust in the air started thickening as dust rose into the air from a distance, covering the air like a thick brown fog.


    The sound made as the rats stampeded towards them was so intimidating that some of the tourists almost started messing themselves already.


    Seeing this, Mr. Sandstorm who originally had his head bowed in thought suddenly raised his head to look at the tourists. ¡°Right now, all I need from all of you is to remain calm and listen to my instructions¡±.


    ¡°Now, stand still and wait for me¡±.


    Without waiting for the tourist¡¯s consent, the local leading this expedition turned and started sprinting up a nearby hill made from sand.


    His boots glowed a brown color, enabling him to rapidly scale the hill like he was sprinting on a smooth track. In 2 minutes, he got to a high height in the hill where he could see far away.


    Looking to his front, all he saw first was dust, thick dust billowing into the skies like smoke coming from a huge industrial oil company.


    Squinting his eyes, he finally saw the huge red-eyed rats that seemed like they were injected with chicken blood making them hyperactive and frenzied.


    They covered everywhere at their front like a huge curtain of death.


    Seeing this, his expression became even more solemn but he didn¡¯t just look at the horde, his eyes darted left and right as he searched for a breakthrough point.


    He tried to find a way through the horde but he found none so he instead directed his attention to the surrounding, looking for an error somewhere that may help his expedition team go through this horde.


    His eyes quickly lit up the next moment as he found what seemed like a huge metal pipe slightly jutting out of the ground. It was revealed as the sand was blown away by the wind.


    Seeing it, his implant quickly geared into overdrive as he started comparing the statistics in his head. He quickly arrived at his answer.


    [Tunnel route: U-29.]


    As soon as he got this, he heaved a sigh of relief but his heart skipped a beat as he thought of another thing. His thoughts were a little jumbled up due to the severity of the situation and how anxious he was.


    Trying hard to keep his heart calm, he quickly made some calculations which made his heart sank. If they set off for the escape route now, the horde would meet them before they got there.


    Facing the horde alone was not the real danger, the real danger was if other creatures in the desert decided to take advantage of the commotion and ambush them.


    He had an unwilling expression on his face but he instantly made his decision. Blindly deciding to go further was suicide, he was ready to have a bad record in his resume just to make sure no tourist died.


    After coming to his decision, he no longer hesitated.


    He rushed down the hill with the fiercely blowing wind and arrived before the tourists in about a minute this time.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to go through, we¡¯re going back¡±.


    ¡°What?¡± The blonde Casanova youth blurted out angrily as his expression became warped. ¡°Do you know how much I paid? I came to see the tip of supremacy, you have no right to declare that we¡¯re going¡­¡±


    Mr. Sandstorm ignored the youth and instead directed a look at his bodyguard. Understanding the look, the bodyguard did not hesitate to grab the youth as he started sprinting away.


    ¡°Run! Now!¡± Mr. Sandstorm yelled at the other tourists.


    Clark was a little dumbfounded by the sudden change in circumstances. He didn¡¯t expect the journey to end up like this. He wanted to curse like the youth, but he forced himself to stop.


    He knew that his energy would not be able to last if he decided to face the horde of Scavenger rats alone. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted after the leader of the expedition team who was already flying away in the distance.


    All the tourists were already warned of situations like this, so they were prepared. All of them ran after Mr. Sandstorm amid the raging sand and dust.


    The galloping sounds behind them seemed like the countdown to their death which only made the tourists more frenzied. For 2 minutes, they ran with all their might, covering a few meters in the process.


    Despite their efforts, the Scavenger rats were closing the distance.


    While feeling nervous, as they ran, a loud sound suddenly reverberated amid that being made by the rats. Clark noticed it first and stopped immediately, he wanted to raise an alarm but he was not fast enough.


    Whoosh!


    The sand which was originally slowly loosening up suddenly intensified and the ground opened up abruptly, catching everyone in the team off-guard.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Only yells of terror were heard from 2 of the tourists as the sand opening up swallowed them without any compromises, the Casanova youth almost fell down also but his bodyguard reacted fast and caught him.


    Amid the commotion brought by the widening of the hole, Mr. Sandstrom rushed to the edge of the hole and saved another tourist but briefly glancing inside the hole made horror grip his heart.


    ¡°The maneater?!?¡±

 Chapter 446: trapped in the horde

    In the middle of the loosening sand and the rapidly expanding sand hole, a huge snake as wide as 3 humans combined rapidly slithered up the hole, its pitch-black eyes trained on the humans.


    Just from a glance, Mr. Sandstorm¡¯s heart went cold in horror. He knew what this monster was, a desert snake that mutated due to the changes in the desert.


    Locals in the city of the desert referred to it as the maneater. Legends say that it descended from the legendary Basilisk, making it a terrifying monster in the world of gold.


    Most of them had the power of 2nd rank high-grade soldiers, but Mr. Sandstorm was sure that one as big as this definitely had stronger power, which directly translated to 3rd rank power.


    ¡°Turn back!¡± He roared in horror.


    Without even confirming if the tourists heard his order, Mr. Sandstorm rapidly turned and started sprinting away as he muttered some words to his 7 companions in their native language.


    Hearing him, the others revealed horrifying expressions also as they turned to escape without caring for their dignity at all.


    The tourists were confused. Turning back meant clashing with the Scavenger rats, they were confused and scared but the looks on the local guide¡¯s faces spooked them more.


    Clark didn¡¯t see the monster but his intuition already warned him of the danger. He was 80% sure that the monster had 3rd rank strength.


    ¡°Run!¡± He roared to emphasize the words of their local guide.


    Having heard it a second time, the tourists no longer hesitated as they turned to run. As the tourists started running, the ground broke off below one of them as a huge mouth opened up below him.


    Crunch!


    The huge snake came out of the sand, swallowing half of the female tourist as its long teeth dug into her waist, injecting poisonous toxins into her bloodstream.


    The lady wanted to scream but her eyes immediately rolled back, her body twitched like a stroke patient as she became paralyzed immediately.


    Crunch!


    Another gulp and the lady was swallowed completely by the snake.


    Seeing this, pure horror gripped the remaining tourist¡¯s hearts as they activated all their trump cards without reservations to escape. As this happened, a storm already kick-started in the desert.


    As tourists who were rich enough to pay the money for the expedition, they were not petty not to have come prepared with escape gadgets.


    As they escaped, the sand flew rapidly in the air like flying knives, hitting the tourists with their swift sharp edges but the mechanical hijab protected their bodies from damage.


    The maneater snake was completely unaffected as its abdominal muscles contracted to swallow and digest its first prey, then its pitch-black eyes locked on another target.


    It revealed its 2 dagger-sharp teeth as a spray of purple liquid was sprinkled out. Before the spit could reach its destination, a blue shimmering shield appeared that blocked it.


    Bam!


    A bullet shot reverberated in the sandstorm. The bullet accurately hit the huge snake¡¯s left eye, destroying it to form a rain of blood in the brown sand.


    Hiss¡­!!!


    The snake hissed loudly in pain before rapidly burrowing back under the sand before the second bullet was shot. As the sandstorm now obscured their vision, Clark finally had the freedom to act.


    ¡°Follow me! I¡¯m here!¡±


    In the almost impossible to see through sandstorm, only Mr. Sandstorm¡¯s voice was the catalyst keeping and motivating the remaining tourists to continue persevering through the storm.


    The sandstorm hindered their movements severely, a horde of Scavenger rats were in their front, and a maneater snake was beneath them in the sand, their situation was practically hopeless already.


    For the next 2 minutes, they suffered no further attacks from the snake but they were all tense with the knowledge that the snake was still tailing underneath them which only left them feeling like dying immediately.


    These 2 minutes of freedom did not last, a minute later they collided with the horde of Scavenger rats.


    Crii...!!!


    Without hesitation, the rats lunged at the juicy meat before them.


    Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!


    Mr. Sandstorm and the bodyguard protecting some of the tourists immediately opened fire. Amid the raging sandstorm, blood flew randomly as metal and flesh collided.


    Despite the first few initial deaths, the Scavenger rats pushed forward unrelentingly like a tide of mechanical war machines that were unafraid of death and never got tired.


    Boom!


    At this tense moment, the maneater snake burst out again and its target was Clark having locked onto the scent of the attacker who blinded its eye.


    As he was already alert against ambushes, Clark was not caught off-guard. His multi-purpose boots glowed a deep blue as he jumped up, with his armor activating in the process, he smoothly retrieved his spear and cut down.


    Bam!


    Surprisingly, the thick skin of the snake held and kept the first strike at bay but the second, third, and fourth quickly followed.


    The third and fourth strike drew blood, but the fifth strike directly stabbed deep inside the snake¡¯s body. It hissed loudly, spooking the tourists even further before decisively burrowing away.


    It escaped directly this time, it knew that it met a tough opponent.


    As Clark dropped back down, his eyes flickered as a pair of energy glasses materialized in front of his eyes. The next moment, the glasses penetrated the thick dust and he saw the Scavenger rats.


    The horde of rats already surrounded them completely, and 2 other tourists were already dragged down. They were directly torn apart by the fork-like teeth of the rats which craved human blood.


    He wanted to take the stage this time but he heard a voice that made him calm down. It was the voice of the mysterious lady that he suspected to be a high-grade mercenary.


    ¡°Mr. Sandstorm, show me the direction. Everybody, converge together, form a circular defense perimeter, and follow me¡±.


    Her voice had such authority in it that all the tourists subconsciously obeyed like she was their only fortress of escape.


    As the tourists converged together, so did Clark and Mr. Sandstorm. The local didn¡¯t reveal where the pipe was immediately but instead just pointed in a direction, the human mind was unpredictable.


    With a weapon that looked like a whip, this lady mercenary showed the strength of a 3rd rank high-grade soldier as she whipped her way through.


    Under her leadership, the group of tourists was able to form a slightly proper defense against the ravaging Scavenger rats that were out to destroy them.


    Slowly, they started pushing forward through the sandstorm. As they moved through the storm, one of the tourists suddenly kicked something hard and screamed loudly in horror.


    Everybody in the team turned to look at the object.

 Chapter 447: treasure impure exotic metal

    Hearing the scream, the other tourists felt their hearts tense up as horrifying scenarios were cooked up by their mischievous brain but they did not break their formation.


    Mustering all the courage that they could, the other tourists finally turned to look when Clark and some others already looked since.


    At this was a tense atmosphere, they were obviously not about to stay in one place for long so all of them acted fast while still fending the relentless attacks from the Scavenger rats.


    The almost invisible eye lenses on Clark¡¯s eyes silently flickered, then a deep scan was performed, outlining the object that was below the sand. Clark¡¯s implant worked rapidly and quickly arrived at the answer.


    [Ding! Object Identified: Impure Exotic Metal.]


    [Type: Daniphite Metal.]


    [Size: 2 meters.]


    [Value: Approximately 500 million Spartan credits.]


    Seeing this, Clark¡¯s eyes rapidly flickered as he felt a bout of greed strike at his heart. His legs almost moved forward already but he was able to hold himself back after exerting all his willpower.


    Right now, keeping his disguise was the priority. He was not ready to botch his chances of finding his girlfriend for 500 million Spartan credits though he was severely tempted.


    As he thought, others already moved towards the object with speed.


    The 2 other mercenaries that Clark recognized moved with speed like phantoms. They may not understand the value of this metal, but getting it first and appraising it later was a basic mercenary rule.


    What surprised Clark was that apart from these 2 mercenaries, another tourist that he didn¡¯t suspect before joined the fray too and she was the fastest.


    The 2 mercenaries already pulled their weapons intending to attack each other to vie for the first to get the treasure.


    Seeing the 3rd party, they subconsciously turned their attention to deal with the petite lady tourist first but this seemingly harmless lady was indeed harmless, but she was as flexible as a leaf drifting in a windy storm.


    She bent, rolled, ducked, and dashed forward like a veteran rat collector, leaving the 2 mercenaries to the dust in just a few seconds.


    The 2 fellows were dumbfounded but they did not give up as they rushed closer in pursuit. With vicious expressions now on their faces, they pulled their guns and shot at her.


    Already predicting that the lady rolled one last time, her hands gently brushing against the glowing metal slightly poking out of the ground and it disappeared with her hands pulling back.


    Immediately, she gave up on going further with the expedition team as she rolled into the midst of the horde of Scavenger rats intending to escape through the chaos.


    Boom!


    A sword suddenly stabbed down, sending countless Scavenger rats flying while killing a ton of others as the sword stopped slightly at the lady¡¯s neck.


    The lady paused at the last moment, just a step further and she would have lost her head. With a bitter expression on her face, she inclined her head up to see who it was.


    The mercenary lady who volunteered to lead the expedition looked down at her coldly. The next moment, she tapped her hips, activating a blue energy shield that shimmered to life around the both of them.


    ¡°Hand it over and come back to the expedition team¡±. She coldly demanded.


    Hearing her tone, the petite lady bit her lips. She wanted to argue but she knew that it meant nothing before someone stronger than her. While gritting her teeth, she produced the metal out of thin air.


    ¡°The real one¡±. The mercenary demanded even more coldly as she pressed her sword closer to the petite lady¡¯s neck, drawing even more blood.


    ¡°Ok, please, take¡­¡±


    As she blurted out, she suddenly rolled backward, not stopping mid-way, she rolled to the side intending to mix with the horde of rats again but a powerful force suddenly impacted her back.


    Bam!


    The mercenary viciously kicked at her back with force, sending her slamming to the ground as she coughed out blood in waves.


    ¡°Here it is¡±. She quickly threw the metal object down amid her coughing blood as the mercenary was already ready to deal the death blow.


    Without saying a word, the female mercenary picked the object up and kept it in her bag. She shot the petite lady a cold look before swaggering away, her exotic shield dissipated with her as she left.


    Already expecting that, the petite lady did a backflip, jumping to her feet as she immediately scurried her way back to the expedition team.


    While fending off the Scavenger rat horde, Clark and the other tourists in the team looked at the 4 of them who participated in the treasure hunt with mixed expressions on their faces.


    After grouping back with them, the lady said coldly. ¡°Let¡¯s continue¡±.


    No tourist in the team said a word, her show of power already planted a psychological cue in the hearts of the other tourists in the team. Even Mr. Sandstorm was quiet as a light bulb as they followed her lead.


    Even though such a strong lady kept most of the danger away from them, such a horde of Scavenger rats was still powerful in their own rights which gave them a lot of problems.


    After everything that happened, the youth Casanova already mellowed down a lot and the family of 4 were already showing some regret for why they decided to participate in such an extreme horror and thriller adventure.


    The death of 4 of their teammates already left a trauma in their hearts, the only thing saving them from not going crazy immediately was the fact that they already heard of such situations before embarking on the expedition.


    For the remaining part of the escape, with no intruder like the maneater snake coming for their flesh, they persevered through the horde of Scavenger rats in exchange for paying a huge price.


    If not for the energy shield that Mr. Sandstorm erected around them when the going went too tough, more of them would have died.


    Under his expert directions and understanding of the region, they persevered through the tide of beasts and finally arrived at the man-made pipe which was slightly revealed after the sandstorm started.


    On getting to the location of the pipe, Mr. Sandstorm ordered the others to form a protective formation around him while he went to work.


    He searched through the whole pipe and found what he was looking for a few minutes later written on its surface.


    [Tunnel route: U-29.]


    The guide visibly heaved a sigh of relief before summoning what seemed like a virtual master key. He pressed a strange depression inside a part of the pipe, then a virtual screen opened before him.


    After rapidly inputting some strange figures out of the sight of the tourists, he finally inserted the virtual key in a virtual hole.


    Click!


    The pipe snapped open with a sound, revealing a rusted metal interior to them. Mr. Sandstorm heaved a sigh of relief and turned to them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in¡±.

 Chapter 448: inside the pipe

    Seeing an entrance open up inside the huge metal pipe, the tourists audibly heaved sighs of relief as they rushed inside with Mr. Sandstorm who deactivated the exotic shield in the process.


    The lady mercenary stayed outside to fend off the attacks of the Scavenger rats until everyone entered the pipe before she also jumped in.


    Clang!


    With a pull of a lever by Mr. Sandstorm, the opened parts of the metal pipe closed shut again with a loud sound. With the metal pipe closing up, the huge noise made by the ravaging Scavenger rats became muffled and suppressed.


    Bam! Bam!


    The Scavenger rats immediately started bashing hard at the metal pipe from outside but they couldn¡¯t breach it, it stood as solid and heavy as a wall of metal.


    Seeing that everything was fine, no complications happened and they were safe now, a tense-hearted Mr. Sandstorm staggered as he leaned against the walls of the metal pipe to rest from the exertion of the past few minutes.


    Seeing him like this, the tourists heaved another sigh of relief as this confirmed that they were temporarily safe.


    Some of them felt like singing a song but they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to. Without hesitation, the family of 4 fell down directly to the metal floor while the others leaned at the wall to rest.


    Though their encounters from first hearing the galloping sounds, to retreating, to seeing the maneater snake, and then going back through the Scavenger horde only took about 30 minutes, they felt like it was lifetimes already.


    The intense emotions in their hearts throughout the encounter now left them shaking in either fear or excitement, the thrilling encounter was a first in their lives though they already expected it.


    The only thing about the previous encounter that really made them feel afraid was the fact that 5 of them died. It felt like a nightmare, but it was real and 5 humans died so nonchalantly like they were mere animals.


    It was a horrifying reality that they found hard to believe.


    Like in horror movies, they knew that some of the side characters always died but they didn¡¯t expect to see this so early into their expedition inside the world of gold which was undoubtedly nightmarish.


    In this era, the numerous wars, invasions, and internal civil wars in countries already made most civilians develop extreme views towards life.


    For most rich people now, with the knowledge that even their money could not save them if the mad soldiers decided to start a war, why not enjoy that money and gamble with their life ahead of time by seeking thrills.


    If they died, it meant that they were unlucky but if they survived, they would hathe an experience to brag with for the rest of their lives.


    Then, even if a war swept through their country, killing them in the process, they would die and sleep in peace knowing that they already enjoyed their money to the fullest by seeking thrills across the world.


    This was the main reason why despite this being an era of war, tourism was still a main facet of every economy and most rich people still went on tourism expeditions.


    ¡°Hahaha¡±. The Casanova youth suddenly laughed loudly, attracting attention and alarming the other tourists in the team. ¡°I survived, I f*cking survived, that was f*cking awesome!¡±


    Hearing what he said, the other tourists heaved sighs of relief before having different reactions to it. In the end, as they were all exhausted, they simply lay on the cold metal floor of the pipe.


    Like the others, Clark sat on the floor to rest so as not to draw unnecessary attention to himself. While doing this, he constantly kept an eye on the 4 people who participated in the treasure hunting.


    Though none of the other tourists said it, he knew that they were now already afraid of the lady mercenary who got the treasure which was evident in their reactions since entering inside the pipe.


    All of them, including the locals, kept a certain distance from the cold lady who no longer bothered with disguising her real self since entering the pipe.


    With the leader of this expedition being a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, and him also being scared of this lady indirectly revealed her rank to each tourist which only made them grateful and wary of her.


    They were grateful for her strength which helped them tide through the storm, while they were wary if she would use it to harm them.


    As Clark silently observed all these, he could not help but sigh. The description from his implant about the found treasure still occupied his mind.


    Though he already confirmed before coming that treasures which were relics from the great battle decades ago laid randomly in the desert, he did not expect to encounter one so early in.


    ¡°Perhaps, this is really a world of gold in figurative and realistic terms¡±. He muttered silently with a sigh.


    So smoothly, this lady already pocketed a treasure worth approximately 500 million Spartan credits. Of course, he didn¡¯t give up on the treasure yet, the time was just not right yet.


    ¡°I say we just rest for the whole day here to replenish our strength completely. What do you all think?¡± Mr. Sandstorm suddenly asked, breaking the eerie silence inside the huge pipe interior.


    During this time, Clark also observed the interior of the pipe. Most parts of its walls already showed signs of rust but it was still a sturdy, mechanical functioning tunnel-connecting huge pipe.


    He already confirmed that it could deal no damage to them which was the reason why he was able to sit down so freely.


    As soon as the tourists heard the question of the leading guide of the team, they did not hesitate to give their consent but they suddenly paused like they remembered something, then they turned to look at the lady mercenary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest¡±. The lady simply commented coldly which made them all heave sighs of relief. But before they could lay back down, she asked a question.


    ¡°Who fought and injured the maneater snake?¡±


    As she asked, her cold pair of eyes were already scrutinizing the tourists as if she was a judge in a courtroom. When her eyes swept past Clark, the tourist responded exactly like the others.


    ¡°The maneater snake was injured?¡± The other tourists were surprised.


    Seeing their reactions, the lady kept quiet with no intention to say further as she folded her hands and finally closed her eyes. Unlike the others, she didn¡¯t sit down on the floor, she remained leaning on the wall.


    The tourists observed each other warily as they could make some deductions from the lady¡¯s question. In the end, they simply succumbed to their exhaustion and laid down to rest.

 Chapter 449: inside the pipe

    Seeing an entrance open up inside the huge metal pipe, the tourists audibly heaved sighs of relief as they rushed inside with Mr. Sandstorm who deactivated the exotic shield in the process.


    The lady mercenary stayed outside to fend off the attacks of the Scavenger rats until everyone entered the pipe before she also jumped in.


    Clang!


    With a pull of a lever by Mr. Sandstorm, the opened parts of the metal pipe closed shut again with a loud sound. With the metal pipe closing up, the huge noise made by the ravaging Scavenger rats became muffled and suppressed.


    Bam! Bam!


    The Scavenger rats immediately started bashing hard at the metal pipe from outside but they couldn¡¯t breach it, it stood as solid and heavy as a wall of metal.


    Seeing that everything was fine, no complications happened and they were safe now, a tense-hearted Mr. Sandstorm staggered as he leaned against the walls of the metal pipe to rest from the exertion of the past few minutes.


    Seeing him like this, the tourists heaved another sigh of relief as this confirmed that they were temporarily safe.


    Some of them felt like singing a song but they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to. Without hesitation, the family of 4 fell down directly to the metal floor while the others leaned at the wall to rest.


    Though their encounters from first hearing the galloping sounds, to retreating, to seeing the maneater snake, and then going back through the Scavenger horde only took about 30 minutes, they felt like it was lifetimes already.


    The intense emotions in their hearts throughout the encounter now left them shaking in either fear or excitement, the thrilling encounter was a first in their lives though they already expected it.


    The only thing about the previous encounter that really made them feel afraid was the fact that 5 of them died. It felt like a nightmare, but it was real and 5 humans died so nonchalantly like they were mere animals.


    It was a horrifying reality that they found hard to believe.


    Like in horror movies, they knew that some of the side characters always died but they didn¡¯t expect to see this so early into their expedition inside the world of gold which was undoubtedly nightmarish.


    In this era, the numerous wars, invasions, and internal civil wars in countries already made most civilians develop extreme views towards life.


    For most rich people now, with the knowledge that even their money could not save them if the mad soldiers decided to start a war, why not enjoy that money and gamble with their life ahead of time by seeking thrills.


    If they died, it meant that they were unlucky but if they survived, they would hathe an experience to brag with for the rest of their lives.


    Then, even if a war swept through their country, killing them in the process, they would die and sleep in peace knowing that they already enjoyed their money to the fullest by seeking thrills across the world.


    This was the main reason why despite this being an era of war, tourism was still a main facet of every economy and most rich people still went on tourism expeditions.


    ¡°Hahaha¡±. The Casanova youth suddenly laughed loudly, attracting attention and alarming the other tourists in the team. ¡°I survived, I f*cking survived, that was f*cking awesome!¡±


    Hearing what he said, the other tourists heaved sighs of relief before having different reactions to it. In the end, as they were all exhausted, they simply lay on the cold metal floor of the pipe.


    Like the others, Clark sat on the floor to rest so as not to draw unnecessary attention to himself. While doing this, he constantly kept an eye on the 4 people who participated in the treasure hunting.


    Though none of the other tourists said it, he knew that they were now already afraid of the lady mercenary who got the treasure which was evident in their reactions since entering inside the pipe.


    All of them, including the locals, kept a certain distance from the cold lady who no longer bothered with disguising her real self since entering the pipe.


    With the leader of this expedition being a 2nd rank high-grade soldier, and him also being scared of this lady indirectly revealed her rank to each tourist which only made them grateful and wary of her.


    They were grateful for her strength which helped them tide through the storm, while they were wary if she would use it to harm them.


    As Clark silently observed all these, he could not help but sigh. The description from his implant about the found treasure still occupied his mind.


    Though he already confirmed before coming that treasures which were relics from the great battle decades ago laid randomly in the desert, he did not expect to encounter one so early in.


    ¡°Perhaps, this is really a world of gold in figurative and realistic terms¡±. He muttered silently with a sigh.


    So smoothly, this lady already pocketed a treasure worth approximately 500 million Spartan credits. Of course, he didn¡¯t give up on the treasure yet, the time was just not right yet.


    ¡°I say we just rest for the whole day here to replenish our strength completely. What do you all think?¡± Mr. Sandstorm suddenly asked, breaking the eerie silence inside the huge pipe interior.


    During this time, Clark also observed the interior of the pipe. Most parts of its walls already showed signs of rust but it was still a sturdy, mechanical functioning tunnel-connecting huge pipe.


    He already confirmed that it could deal no damage to them which was the reason why he was able to sit down so freely.


    As soon as the tourists heard the question of the leading guide of the team, they did not hesitate to give their consent but they suddenly paused like they remembered something, then they turned to look at the lady mercenary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest¡±. The lady simply commented coldly which made them all heave sighs of relief. But before they could lay back down, she asked a question.


    ¡°Who fought and injured the maneater snake?¡±


    As she asked, her cold pair of eyes were already scrutinizing the tourists as if she was a judge in a courtroom. When her eyes swept past Clark, the tourist responded exactly like the others.


    ¡°The maneater snake was injured?¡± The other tourists were surprised.


    Seeing their reactions, the lady kept quiet with no intention to say further as she folded her hands and finally closed her eyes. Unlike the others, she didn¡¯t sit down on the floor, she remained leaning on the wall.


    The tourists observed each other warily as they could make some deductions from the lady¡¯s question. In the end, they simply succumbed to their exhaustion and laid down to rest.


    [Sorry for the late release.]

 Chapter 450: sand warrior

    ¡°Are we safe yet?¡±


    Hearing the quivering voice of the tourist who came with his 3 sons for this dangerous expedition, Mr. Sandstorm nodded gently while motioning for him to reduce the volume of his voice so as not to disturb the other tourists.


    After a whole night of getting to sleep normally, the tourists finally recovered most of their spent energy but most of them were still asleep.


    The series of encounters that they experienced the previous day not only left them with physical damages, some of them also suffered psychological damages of different degrees.


    The only thing keeping them sane was their innate tendency to seek thrills.


    At this moment, only a few of the tourists were awake, who was Mr. Sandstorm, the tourist who came with his 3 sons, the 2 mercenaries who participated in the treasure hunt, and all the other locals who were their guides.


    The others were all still asleep, including the lady mercenary.


    Though Mr. Sandstorm reacted fast to tell the tourist to lower his voice, the slight sound was still able to startle the other tourists, disturbing their sleep.


    A few minutes later, all the tourists finally woke up. Due to the nature of the expedition that they were in, they didn¡¯t have to have their bath so no one made a fuss about it, not that they dared.


    Only a tense atmosphere suddenly descended in the huge mechanical pipe.


    Amid the other tourists stealing nervous glances at the female mercenary, Mr. Sandstorm cleared his throat before speaking with a raised voice.


    ¡°Madam, can we move now?¡± He asked carefully.


    The lady kept quiet for a moment. She stood up while secretly confirming the existence of her treasure again, then she turned and directed a stern glance at the other tourists before nodding her head.


    As a 3rd rank high-grade mercenary, traveling with such tourists was originally below her but she knew that traveling here without an experienced local was suicidal. She could only tone down her ego and move the normal way.


    Her original intention was to keep a low profile but as her strength was already exposed, she didn¡¯t mind bossing around the expedition team.


    After getting her consent, the other tourists heaved sighs of relief and finally stood up to arrange their stuff.


    Amid the arrangement, they finally saw the corpse of the creatures that were killed outside the metal pipe. Seeing such a sight made them freeze in fear, but seeing the calm Mr. Sandstorm made them relax.


    They didn¡¯t ask blatant questions about the corpses, they knew that their guide would explain the needful to them.


    In a few minutes, they were ready to move but Mr. Sandstorm stopped them to address them solemnly.


    The tan-skinned middle-aged retired soldier quickly explained their current circumstances and the dangers that were liable to follow taking their current route.


    According to him, this pipe was an escape route that was made by the city of the desert. They led to different underground passageways that could take them to their destination faster.


    He didn¡¯t explain more in-depth about the circumstances of the pipe and how it was created, that was a knowledge that was exclusive to him and his city.


    The only problem he revealed was that taking the underground route made them vulnerable to even more dangers.


    Just like other special earth locations, danger filled every part of the great Sahara Desert but patterns were already formed on how to bypass the most dangerous parts on the surface. The problem this time was the pattern.


    Most creatures in the land of gold were more active underground. Despite the countless efforts put in by the locals, there was no pattern to follow to avoid danger here, every step of theirs from here would be stemmed with danger.


    Underground, the dangerous creatures moved in such random patterns that it was virtually impossible to form a viable plan to counter them. And underground, they were faster and stronger.


    Pigxies, mutated spiders, mutated desert foxes, desert snakes, mutated desert hounds, this was just a small list of the numerous dangers underground. Also, the underground was the main home of Scavenger rats.


    For the option of going back up as the Scavenger rats were gone, Mr. Sandstorm directly shot it down before any tourist could suggest it.


    According to the experienced locals, when Scavenger rats cross like a plague, Scavenger Ostriches follow closely behind them like a shadow.


    He was pretty sure that if they decided to go back up, they would encounter a horde of Scavenger ostriches which were even more dangerous against humans compared to the rats.


    In the end, he finally said what he wanted to say. ¡°We have no choice but to continue our journey underground and face the dangers that follow unless you guys are ready to return and abandon the expedition¡±.


    The tourists fell silent, pondering for minutes as one of the mercenaries asked. ¡°What are our chances of going through to our destination safely?¡±


    ¡°50/50¡±. Mr. Sandstorm raised his right hand while spreading his fingers to form a five. ¡°I can¡¯t tell. At every step that we take, we may encounter danger immediately, or we may not even encounter any till we pass through¡±.


    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯ll be relying on luck?¡± A tourist asked, scared.


    ¡°Yes, luck¡±. Mr. Sandstorm nodded firmly. ¡°So, if any of you no longer wants to continue the expedition, you can indicate and you¡¯ll be allowed to leave¡±.


    Hearing that, most of the tourists revealed fearful expressions on their faces as they pondered about the way forward. In the end, despite the dangers involved, leaving everything to luck only increased the thrill derived from the journey.


    And for thrills, every tourist here was a thrill seeker.


    None of them decided to leave, they decided to continue with the journey and seek thriller adventures till death. At least even in death, they could die with pride having fulfilled a life-long dream.


    As soon as the tourists made their choice, Mr. Sandstorm solemnly acknowledged it like he already expected it.


    Without hesitation, the expedition team started preparations to continue their journey. Mr. Sandstorm confirmed the 15 tourists remaining in the team, then he finally took the lead towards the end of the metal pipe.


    On getting to the front of the transparent glass wall, he expressed his intention to leave and a deep scan was immediately performed on his body.


    The next moment, green words appeared in the glass wall.


    [Sand Warrior Recognized!]


    [Sorry for the recent release rate, I''ll try to return back to the normal as soon as possible.]