127 Battle Mobilization

"These Heavenly Ring People are really bold."

The footage transmitted back by the drone made Du Zexin click his tongue. "If we were to move along the Storm Edge, even Gamma-rank [Mechanic] probably wouldn't be able to detect us if it weren't for the detection module technology provided by Law Enforcement Division Three."

"But how dare they travel with a natural disaster? Have they gone mad?"

Li Aoz thought Du Zexin's complaints were a bit of an overreaction.

"What's this?"

Li Aoz said calmly, "Back then, at the Hojo Conglomerate building in Qiongan Capital, they were even planning to bomb their own city."

"That's true."

Although Du Zexin's thoughts may seem outrageous, they are the facts and cannot be denied.

The logic of the Heavenly Ring People and the Frostplate Citizen is completely different.

If the soldiers of Frostplate Army dared to bomb the capital, they would certainly be condemned and protested by the citizens, but so far, the Heavenly Ring People have not made any move.

Li Aoz wasn't concerned about that question. He turned and asked, "More importantly, the Heavenly Ring People will come to kill us sooner or later, Yuhelai is also at risk of coming to our door at any time. How long will it take for the machine modification you mentioned?"

Du Zexin raised the welding torch of the engineering robot, and his voice came over the loudspeaker. "It will take at least six hours... Future Watch is too badly damaged, and your Biochemical Pool is too big. If it is not modified, those Descendants who have played too much of the stealth game will definitely become Space Junk and drift into the black hole and evaporate."

"Six hours is too long. Judging from the current progress of the Heavenly Ring People, they should arrive in less than four hours."

Without hesitation, Li Aoz dialed the number of an acquaintance:

"Xiajian Jing, when will you arrive?"

"We are currently performing an operation. There are too many prisoners, and many of them are ill."

Xiajian Jing's terminal was casually tossed on the table, and she herself was busy. The Red Squad members around her were also extremely busy, and all of them were injured.

Li Aoz frowned. "In your condition, can you still fight?"

"Don't worry, I'll be there soon. Two hours."

Xiajian Jing wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, when suddenly a man's voice came through the call again:

"What's wrong, Jing?"

Xiajian Jing turned his head and explained to the man off-camera:

"It's nothing, you should go and rest. Gretvor, you've already performed surgery on bed 24, you won't be able to handle this."

"I heard fighting."

The terminal was picked up and immediately pointed at the holder's face. A composed man with black hair and blue eyes looked at Li Aoz in the camera lens. He was wearing a green surgical gown and a mask, but it was still clear that he was a very serious and gentle man.

"The video caption reads... 'The Great Injustice Li Aoz —Mirror,' is this your friend?"

"Roll!"

Li Aoz's eyes lit up and he immediately said:

"First time meeting you, Gretwar Night Song."

"You know me?" Gretvor was slightly surprised. "You're so beautiful, you're almost as beautiful as a mirror."

"Thank you for the compliment. To make a long story short, my Li Aoz, Mr. Jing's partner. I provided the information, covered up, and organized your plan to storm the prison."

Li Aoz chuckled and said, "My goal is to go to space, and for that, I've prepared one—now two—nuclear bombs."

"Going to space... sounds too far away, something that humans dare not even dream of."

Gretvor removed his mask, revealing a grateful expression. "Thank you, Mr. Li Aoz, you saved me and many other innocent people persecuted by the group. I sincerely thank you for your help to the Red Squad's cause. This is a great victory for the Heavenly Ring People. If there is anything I can do, I will do my best."

"I need you, Gretvor," Li Aoz extended a sincere invitation. "I need you, all the warriors who are willing to fight to save the world and conscience. Your actions will stand against the entire Old World, but I promise you, the stars will remember your courage."

As he spoke, he repeated what he had said to the players and N4, along with pictures and videos explaining it.

"Entropy Lord... Malefic Calamity... Abandoned Mist. GTB has actually monopolized so much important information. The Four Nations, in order to maintain their rule, are willing to let others hold them by the throat."

Upon receiving this information, Xiajian Jing Hazama's expression changed instantly. "These damned oppressors! Who do they think this is? The people could be living a good life, but they maintain the status quo, continue to oppress the Outland and shift the blame, allow the GTB to monopolize the land, and even wage war to fight for those insignificant resources."

"All wars are civil wars among mankind," Gretvor said in a deep voice. "If this is true, then we should all be brothers and sisters, relatives and friends. It is the Four Nations and the GTB that colluded with the forces of the Cosmic Civilization, but were unwilling to make this public, which led to so many tragedies."

"Frostplate has the Rose Army resisting, the vicious competition among the Red Arrow People is endless, Sky Ring has our Red Squad fighting, Zhengxu has given up the struggle—if we had GTB's technology, then the Outland could not exist, and they should have been our compatriots."

The two veteran soldiers had a much higher perspective and broader vision than Li Aoz and others. They were always talking about the suffering of Outland People or the impact of the dirty politics of the Four Nations on the future—which made Li Aoz and Du Zexin a little confused.

"Sometimes keeping things hidden can indeed help maintain stability."

Du Zexin explained:

"Technology is not Pandora's Box. As long as technology is used wisely, it can benefit mankind. But many times, because technology gets out of control, countries and people suffer even greater hardships."

"In our view, the suffering that Azure Planet has endured should not be borne by us."

The angle of the Xiajian Jing is ingenious, incisive, and succinctly reveals the essence of the matter:

"None of the Four Nations are good people now. They just want to maintain their rule and have transferred the suffering to others. The Four Nations have taken all the benefits, the technology monopoly is in the hands of the GTB, and the suffering has been transferred to Outland People —they are the most hardworking. Whether it is war, hunger, cold, or the pollution emitted by the Four Nations, they have deliberately divided and incorporated settlements into their territory."

"Technology isn't the problem. Even if the people of the Old Era were destroyed by the Malefic Calamity, they could still make life good for everyone in the world before that. The problem lies with those people, with the Four Nations and the GTB, with those rulers. They are the ones who deserve to suffer!"

Gretvor stood up and walked toward the door.

"Wait—Grey, where are you going?!"

"Fight," Gretvor said. "If Li Aoz can go to space and make contact with those Interstellar Civilization that are interested in Azure Planet, then Azure Planet will be saved, and we will no longer have to suffer the enslavement and exploitation of the Four Nations. So I will go to fight and help it resist the Sky Ring Army."

Xiajian Jing stood up and immediately stopped him. "No!"

"I must go to Xiajian Jing, only then can the suffering of people be ended."

"That's not how it is! Why don't you understand?!"

Xiajian Jing punched him in the chest, angrily grabbed Gretvor by the collar, and roared at him, "Gretworth, you shouldn't be killing people... You should be holding a scalpel, not a butcher's knife."

"Mirror. There's no right or wrong in this."

Gretvor calmly stated, "Medicine can only treat physical ailments, not mental ones."

"What do you think I did to break you out of prison? What do you think I did all this for? To pull you out of one hell and then watch you go into another?"

A silver glint appeared in Xiajian Jing's eyes, Order Ring around her neck trembled incessantly. She quickly composed herself and pleaded:

"Think about me, Gray. You are very important to me. I can't live without you, and the Red Squad can't live without you either. Without you, the world would be missing a color, and we would be missing courage, strength, and soul. I don't want you to leave. Stay here, and I will fight."

"Xiajian Jing," Gretvor suddenly called out, staring into his colorless pupils.

"Yes!" Xiajian Jing answered instinctively.

Would you trade a private for a leader?

"I would never do that."

"Gretwar Night Song, Red Squad Volunteer Private the Celestial Blaze Ring Crimson Squadron, requests your participation in combat."

Gretvor pounded his chest:

"You know what to do."

Xiajian Jing lowered his head, and the Red Squad warriors stopped, standing there, unsure of what to do.

On one side is the people's hero they painstakingly rescued, the soul mentor of the Red Squad, Gretwar Night Song.

On one side is their leader, their strongest warrior, and also the one who went to the front lines and fought alongside them until now: Xiajian Jing.

Neither side is a good choice.

However, the warriors of the Red Squad are different from the soldiers of the Sky Ring Army, and different from the Heavenly Ring Devils. They know what the battle is for.

At this moment, they rationally chose to remain silent, leaving the choice to their leader, believing that Xiajian Jing could make the right choice.

However, the pressure that the Xiajian Jing has to withstand is by no means small.

All the expectations were pinned on her shoulders. She didn't want Gretvor to leave, but the cooperation with Li Aoz was something that had been agreed upon from the beginning. If she went back on her word, then the order of the army would soon become a joke.

Besides, what would the soldiers think if Gretvor had special privileges?

Ah, so as long as you have a good relationship with the boss, you can avoid fighting.

Isn't this just like the Ring King and those corporate dogs in those corporations? "You've really given me a tough problem."

The Order Ring around her neck trembled violently, and the pupils of the Xiajian Jing shrank as she felt that voice calling her again.

The Hidden Society that calls itself Gaia... she is showing herself the dirty and dark side of humanity.

The guy seemed to be telling her that whatever she did was wrong because humans are beyond redemption.

"It's because everyone believes in you and believes in your ideals."

Gretvor said, "Give the order, Xiajian Jing. I will do my best."

"That's easy for you to say, you bastard."

"If it's a mirror, it definitely won't cause confusion."

"Use my car."

"Um?"

"I said, drive my car."

Xiajian Jing lowered his hand, smiled, and said, "Go find Li Aoz, our Black Knight."

Happy New Year!