Watching the Jambudvipa Rift drift across the night sky without ever ultimately "blooming and bearing fruit," Cao Feng wore an unwilling expression.
"It's gone. Just like that."
"Didn't the radar say the Jambu Realm Space was going to open?"
"Then open already."
Mu Cheng's voice rang out over the squad channel. "It's better that it didn't open. If it only deployed an Upper-tier Giant Beast, we'd have had to put in quite a bit of work."
"This is for the best."
"Let's go. Time to head back."
Since the Jambudvipa Rift gradually faded away in the end, the two mecha could only follow the prescribed route and begin returning to base.
On the way back.
Mu Cheng asked, "Cao Feng, weren't things pretty good for you in the Ziyang Mecha Legion? You'd even become a captain. Why did you still join the Dragon Riders?"
Cao Feng said casually, "You don't know how boring Ziyang is. There are barely any Giant Beasts all year round."
"The Ziyang Legion's authorized strength shrinks every year. Without Giant Beasts, even maintaining the mecha alone leaves the finances in the red."
Mu Cheng gave an "oh." He knew that the Strategic Affairs Department's allocation of resources to each Undercity's Mecha Legion was tied to the number of Giant Beasts that Undercity eliminated each year.
Eliminating more Giant Beasts meant that the Undercity faced a greater threat from them, so it would receive greater consideration when resources were allocated.
Conversely, it meant that the Undercity was safe and did not need as much support.
Without resources from the Strategic Affairs Department, maintaining a large number of machines with just one Undercity Legion was indeed no simple task.
"Besides, my ultimate goal isn't to become the commander of an Undercity Legion, nor to become a Dragon Rider