Chapter 626: Victory
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ten or so days later, the expedition force returned to Nest No. 77 again, and the entire tribe had become a region of death with the corpses of Subterranean Mutants littering the underground world.
Even the hardened Sunil soldiers could not help but take deep breaths upon witnessing the hellish scene before them. Many players felt their hearts tremble and could not help but feel pity.
With a solemn mood, Herlous instructed the mining of the Prophecy Stones to begin and all the corpses to be burnt.
They also began searching for the corpses of their deceased brothers.
After cleaning up the New Rock Tribe, the expedition mission did not meet with any further trouble. They continued to battle and persuade the other tribes with little to no trouble.
After a long period of battling, the final Subterranean Mutant tribe surrendered and Herlous returned to Forest City.
...
Outside Forest City, almost all the Sunils had left the city, and they waited in the rain to receive the victorious return of the troops.
Hu!
Ten or so spaceships flew over from afar and landed outside the city.
As the hatch of the spaceship opened, all the Sunil soldiers disembarked from the spaceship wearing their ordinary uniform with fatigue all over their faces. The players were in a better state, and they still looked pretty energetic.
Herlous stepped out of the spaceship and led the troops toward the crowd.
“Hero!”
All of a sudden, the Sunils broke out into a deafening cheer and rushed forward to surround the returning warriors. Their faces were full of agitation, excitement, and gratitude as they welcomed the return of the victorious troops.
Herlous was surrounded by countless individuals, and wherever he looked, he could see gratitude and reverence in their eyes.
The Sunils knew that the Black Star Army had only been willing to help them because of Herlous. In the eyes of all the Sunils, Herlous’ status already exceeded that of the rest; he was the hero and idol of every Sunil.
The crowd cheered loudly and were filled with endless praise toward the expedition forces, including the players.
More accurately speaking, the Sunils were extremely grateful toward the Black Star Army and Han Xiao was like a messiah to them. The prestige of the Black Star Army was also at its peak.
“We are truly extremely grateful to all of you.”
“All of you have saved Sunil!”
“Black Star Army, you are our benefactors.”
The Sunils surrounded the players and showered them with words of gratitude.
Many of the players were taken aback and had an inexplicable sense of accomplishment in their hearts. The mission this time was truly a meaningful one, and their collective effort had changed the fates of the Sunils.
This sense of accomplishment was truly a different experience for many. They felt both satisfied and enriched. This was something completely unrelated to benefits; it was a sense of satisfaction on a spiritual level.
Many of the young soldiers rejoined their families, and the joy of their families wiped away the fatigue of the soldiers, putting a bright smile on all of their faces.
Parents received their children, wives received their husbands, and children received their fathers.
This warm scene unfolded all around.
Every day, the families of the soldiers lived in fear—fear that they would one day receive a notice of death. Now, everything had ended, and there would not be any more war sacrifices.
There was no need to despair or fear. A beautiful tomorrow awaited them.
The darkness had gone, and the Sunils could see the light.
The day for peace and tranquility had finally arrived.
Upon looking at the smiling faces of their people, all the Sunil soldiers felt comfort. Everything that they had done for their people and family was worth it.
However, not everyone was happy.
With a heavy mood and expression, the officers handed the ashes of the deceased soldiers back to their families.
There were some who were filled with disbelief, others argued loudly, and some cried as they hugged the box of ash.
The cries of these families were a stark contrast to the cheering crowd. The light shower also seemed slightly depressing, and the temperature of the morning seemed to have fallen a bit.
Lana’s parents hugged onto his box of ashes and knelt on the ground as though they had lost their souls.
As Herlous saw such a scene, he went forward to help Lana’s parents up and softly said, “He was a truly exemplary man.”
Lana’s parents looked at him and did not say a word.
Upon seeing this, Herlous knew that any words of consolation would be useless. He turned around and walked away silently with his fists clenched tight. The Sunils had been through far too many life and death separations. Thankfully, this would be the last time.
Looking up, Herlous saw Han Xiao standing outside of the crowd with the officers of the army and walked over toward him.
Upon seeing Herlous approaching, Han Xiao said, “It’s finally ended. Only the final step is required for this mission to be completed.”
Herlous looked at Han Xiao and suddenly bowed deeply. “I thank you on behalf of the entire Sunil race.”
“You don’t need to have such a big reaction. I have only fulfilled my promise to you,” Han Xiao said helplessly and raised his arm out to help Herlous up. However, Herlous refused to budge.
“No, let me finish.”
Upon hearing that, Han Xiao allowed Herlous to continue bowing.
Herlous then said slowly, “Your name shall be recorded in the history books of our Sunil race. You are not only the benefactor of our Sunil race but also my benefactor...
“In my eyes, this isn’t just a promise, transaction, or employment. This is a kindness that I will never be able to repay.
“Your Excellency Black Star, from today onward, I am willing to be your blade and follow you to the ends of the universe.”
As those words sounded, all the officers looked at Herlous with many different expressions.
Is he pledging loyalty to me? Han Xiao fell silent for a while before nodding. “Alright.”
Only then did Herlous get up and reveal a smile.
“The price of peace is always filled with blood.” Ginette shook her head.
“I hope that the Sunil race will always remember this war. I hope that all of them will remember what kind of violence we so-called heroes have committed,” Herlous lamented.
“This is natural selection. Every civilization will eventually become demons as they carry history on their backs and carry on their journey,” Han Xiao said casually before looking to the side. The upper echelons of the Sunils walked over, and this time, it was not Otis who spoke to him but the leader of the Sunils.
The Sunil leader personally expressed his gratitude, and Han Xiao replied appropriately.
After conversing for a while, the Sunil leader then expressed that the employment would only be considered complete when all the Subterranean Mutants were migrated off the planet.
After seeing the departure of the Sunil upper echelons, Sylvia smacked Herlous on the back and angrily said, “These fellows are so annoying.”
Herlous did not disagree. “I also hate politicians.”
At this moment, Feidin said, “Black Star, about the migration...”
Just when Han Xiao was about to reply, his communicator rang. Upon glancing at his communicator, he said with a chuckle, “Right on time.”
The next moment, their vision turned dark, and a gigantic shadow covered all of them.
The Sunils and players all raised their heads in astonishment.
More than a hundred large cargo spaceships landed from the sky and covered the sun.
“I called the movers.”
Han Xiao let out a long breath and smiled.
He had borrowed a large batch of transportation spaceships from the two financial groups to transport all the Subterranean Mutants. As long as these spaceships made a few trips, they would be able to transport all the mutants and Prophecy Stones to a designated uninhabited planet. Since the Subterranean Mutants consumed rocks for their survival, it was pretty easy to find a suitable planet for them.
The players had already been informed about the migration plan, and upon seeing the arrival so the spaceships, many of the players could not help but become excited.
“That should be the migration fleet, right?”
“Helping a population of billions migrate. What a spectacular sight.”
“The Subterranean Mutants won’t be exterminated. Black Star didn’t disappoint me.”
Upon witnessing their own faction putting on such a spectacular display, all the players welled up with a sense of pride and collective honor. At the same time, many players agreed with the decision of Black Star to relocate the Subterranean Mutants.
After a long period of battle and witnessing so many tragedies, the players felt that the Subterranean Mutants were the weak party.
Pitying the weak was a habit, and from the moment the players took pity on the Subterranean Mutants, they also began to agree with the plan to migrate. The outcome of this choice was to create a greater sense of belonging toward the Black Star Army.
Han Xiao was extremely clear of this point, and he also intended to make use of their compassion to leave a deep impression in the hearts of the players and increase their sense of belonging to the faction.
The outcome seemed pretty good.
By the side, Feidin also revealed a smile. He felt that this was the best way to resolve the problem for both parties.
Looking at Han Xiao’s back, Feidin was deep in thought.
His strength had grown rapidly, and he could already single handedly suppress Chen Xing who was inside of him. Furthermore, his conflict with Chen Xing had already been resolved, which meant that he no longer needed the help of the Black Star Army.
He had originally intended to find a time to say goodbye, but at this moment, he felt that perhaps staying in the Black Star Army would not be a bad choice.