Translator: BeetleBarker Editor: Efydatia
“You have to calm down, sir. Our facilities and equipment have cost a lot. If you break them, we wouldn’t be able to contact the outside world,” said a slim middle-aged man. Although he looked handsome and refined, his presence was as sharp as a knife.
When Chief Instructor Lu saw the man, his original fury subsided a bit. He took a deep breath before he fumed, “I’m just being bitter. We are all part of the Eight Armies of the East. We all defend the Da Alliance! Why are they treating the Rising Dragon Army this way?”
Chief Instructor Lu’s words caused a lot of similar reactions. All the men present were part of the Rising Dragon Army, so they naturally didn’t like being treated with discrimination.
“Let’s not discuss this now. What are we going to do?” the slim middle-aged man said indifferently. “The Atlas Army has produced seven geniuses and claims that each one is more exceptional than the other. They don’t have enough A-grade source fluid, so the Military Headquarters decided to transfer A-grade source fluid to the most talented martialists. That seems reasonable.”
The slim middle-aged man spoke extremely calmly, as though he was speaking about something totally irrelevant. However, anyone who was familiar with him knew that, the calmer he appeared, the more furious he was deep down.
“The Altas Army is the Headquarters’ favorite child. They get to pick outstanding martialists and huge advantages first. They even got to pick their base first!” a middle-aged officer added. “Whenever there is an emergency though, it is always the Rising Dragon Army that gets selected first. The Rising Dragon Army is like a stepchild treated differently than a biological child!”
“I… I may not be talented, but I still have to advise the commander not to concede on this matter!”
“Yes, we can’t concede!” Xu Zhong bellowed. “I awakened a grade-three source core back in the day, but I only got to use the lowest quality of source fluid. Damn it! What right do they have to do this?”
“If we accept this now, they will walk all over us and sh*t on us! We can’t just swallow our anger and suffer in silence!”
Chief Instructor Lu still hadn’t said anything, when the slim middle-aged man replied, “So what then? Do we fight?”
Fight?
Even though these were just words, when they were uttered by the middle-aged man, everyone suddenly went silent. It was as if they all had something clamped around their necks.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
The military personnel of the Da Alliance was practically prepared to face death head-on every single day. No one know when the space barrier would crumble after all. When that happened though, they would have to face those colossal source beasts.
Just the thought of those source beasts, which were as big as mountains, was enough to fill anyone with immense dread.
However, the constant pressure of dying also kept the armies’ values and might extremely high. If there were any disputes regarding resources, the various armies would just fight it out.
Although fighting might sound like a very straightforward method, the Rising Dragon Army didn’t consider it a very sensible choice.
The Rising Dragon Army had already lost too many times, so it had practically become the underdog. Of course, there were many reasons and aspects that had resulted in this.
For example, Base 7 couldn’t be compared to the other army bases. The Atlas Army Base oversaw the divine capital and had access to vast resources. Plus, Base 1 possessed a top-notch solution that could improve the bodies of younger generations, so they were able to attract exceptional martialists.
All these conditions had helped the Atlas Army win all the time. The other armies could only lower their heads before the Atlas Army.
Were they really going to initiate such a humiliating fight?
“Let’s fight!” Xu Zhong patted his own head. “We are all men of the Rising Dragon Army! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
“Let’s fight! The Rising Dragon Army could lose, but we aren’t scared!”
“Let’s fight! The Rising Dragon Army has to press forward courageously!”
The entire room had stirred up in no time. Numerous shouts rang out in the command center as countless pairs of determined eyes turned to look at Chief Instructor Lu.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he watched his subordinates growl like a group of bears. All his men should have this kind of valor!
However, when the time to go into battle came, it wouldn’t be these men fighting, but the younger generation. Would they be able to do it?
“Let’s fight!”
Chief Instructor Lu suddenly thought of someone. There was only one person who made him feel at ease.
A howling sound was suddenly heard. It hadn’t come from Xu Zhong or his comrades, but from the vast forest facing Base 7.
“Damn it! Is that Black Lin Ape going insane? He keeps howling like crazy every day! I can’t even go to sleep anymore! F*ck! If it dares approach the base, I will bombard it to death!”
As Xu Zhong cursed loudly, his face became even more sinister.
The other officers in the command center didn’t utter a single word. They weren’t afraid of a Black Lin Ape. It was only a C-grade dire beast after all.
“The Black Lin Ape is guarding that Jade Peach Tree. What’s wrong with it this time?” the slim middle-aged man asked in confusion. “Could someone have messed up its nest?”
“Impossible! The Black Lin Ape is extremely fast. Plus, it is a formidable fighter. We wouldn’t be able to deal with it, even if we went ourselves, let alone if we sent those young fellas!”
Xu Zhong patted his head before he added, “Besides, Yi Chen is in seclusion and Lin Changjian is still recuperating. Ha ha!”
Xu Zhong had started to dislike Lin Changjian ever since he had challenged Luo Yunyang. Reminiscing Lin Changjian’s unfortunate experience made him extremely happy.
When he noticed Xu Zhong’s delight over Lin Changjian’s misfortune, Chief Instructor Lu pointed at him. “Don’t treat others like jokes. You better hurry up and improve your abilities, because if a day comes when Luo Yunyang and the others surpass you, you will leave without delay, return to the city and lead a peaceful life!”
“You can’t treat me this way, sir. I…” Xu Zhong grew worried when he heard this.
Chief Instructor Lu, who suddenly seemed to realize something, said, “I have an assignment for you, Xu Zhong. Go find Luo Yunyang immediately. Got it?”
The armies could communicate through the internet, so Base 7’s challenge was answered in no time.
The reply of the Atlas Army was a single aggressive word: Fight!
Listed under this word was a set of rules. This wouldn’t be a simple competition. The two armies’ source fluid allocations would be written down on a small tablet and placed among groups of dire beasts. Then, the members of the respective elite classes would head out and fight over them.
Chief Instructor Lu’s face turned green when he read these rules.
Although they appeared fair, the motive behind them was obvious. The Atlas Army wanted to move a step forward and squeeze the Rising Dragon Army dry of any source fluid.
Among the Atlas Army’s elites were seven martialists at the peak of their abilities. They were called the Atlas’ seven pillars, and an individual at the apex had even proclaimed that they would become the pillars of the Da Alliance in the future.
Although Luo Yunyang was a member of the Rising Dragon Army’s elite class, Chief Instructor Lu could see that he still had a lot of flaws.
The flaw that gave him a headache was Luo Yunyang’s lack of actual combat experience. Plus, he didn’t come from a big clan, nor was his family supported by a rich corporation, so his cultivation conditions hadn’t been very good growing up.
The hope of coming out victorious under this sort of circumstances was too slim.
However, now that the bow had been stretched taut, there was no reason not to fire. If they chose to withdraw, then the entire Rising Dragon Army would become a laughing stock.