"What? Saint Masente had already fallen? How was that possible?!" Ke Teng shot to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the messenger officer before him. Yet the officer's calm expression told him that this intelligence had certainly been verified several times before reaching him...
"Has Aubrey left yet?" Ke Teng immediately asked, his face darkening.
"General, Lord Aubrey was originally scheduled to return to the Protoss this morning, but for some unknown reason, his departure was delayed. He is still at the embassy..."
"Take me to him!" Ke Teng was suppressing a blazing fury. Although the Pusilan Star Region was not the main battlefield of the three races' struggle for supremacy, its strategic importance had become considerable. With control of the Pusilan Star Region, the Zerg could advance to attack or retreat to defend; the difficulty of exterminating the Zerg would more than double. More importantly, the Protoss had originally controlled the vast majority of Pusilan's territory, only to lose it suddenly. Ke Teng could not help wondering whether the Protoss were contributing troops without truly committing themselves.
One had to understand that once one side in an alliance contributed men but withheld effort, it would be fatal to the alliance. By then, not only might they fail to destroy the Zerg, but their two races might instead weaken each other through a deceitful alliance and be destroyed by the Zerg in turn!
By the time he arrived at the embassy, Aubrey was already waiting for Ke Teng.
"General Ke Teng, please don't lose your temper yet. First, hear my explanation regarding the Pusilan Star Region..." Aubrey seized the initiative, stopping Ke Teng before he could roar.
Aubrey's calmness slightly eased Ke Teng's anger. He sat down bluntly in a chair. "Fine. I'll hear your explanation!"
Aubrey immediately said, "In the