Chapter 801: Chapter 801: Undercurrents Beneath the Victory
"Ahhhh!!"
With a sickening crunch, the roaring chainsaw sliced through the Battle Axe held by the Mutants Champion, as well as its steel bullet-proof armor on the chest.
Taking a solid hit to the chest, the Mutants Champion let out a pained roar, its bloodshot eyes gradually showing a hint of fear.
With every ounce of strength, it used the broken Battle Axe in its hand to desperately bash the iron lump before it, trying to knock it unconscious, but it couldn’t stop the handle from opening its chest, only watching helplessly as its flesh and blood were thrown skyward by the high-speed moving saw blade.
"Roar——"
The sound of the roar gradually weakened, and the strength in its struggle grew smaller and smaller.
Finally, unable to withstand the immense pain, it collapsed like a rag on the players’ body.
Pushing away the fallen Mutants Champion, the player in the Exoskeleton suit gasped for breath, surveying the battlefield around.
Across the smoke-filled wasteland, there were no more standing Mutants in sight.
It seemed the one lying before him was the last!
A hint of excitement emerged on his blood-soaked face. With effort, he pulled the chainsaw from the Mutants’ chest and swung it into the air, scattering the torn meat and blood onto the ground where he had previously fought.
It’s over!
This battle in Heaven!
"Victory——!"
Looking up at the cloudy sky, he let out a hearty shout.
Soon, someone responded to him, cries of victory resonating throughout the battlefield.
"Victory!!!"
"Long live the Manager!!!"
"Long live the Alliance!!!"
"Awooooo!!!"
The continuous sound drifted into the distance, even scattering the clouds above, rising onto the deck of the Steel Heart...
Standing in the airship’s bridge, Chu Guang’s expressionless face finally showed a genuine smile.
"It’s finally over."
...
Just as Vanus foretold, the battle that ended the Torch Church unfolded before dusk fell on the summit of Luosong Mountain.
A warrior in an Iron Wall Exoskeleton planted the Alliance’s flag at the highest point of the battlefield.
With the fall of the last Apostle and Mutants, the final Bionic chip carrying the Hall ceased to operate, merging with brain matter and blood into the soil.
From then on, those pretentious Pioneers no longer commanded the people on the ground from above.
Their sinister actions and twisted ideals were utterly burnt to ashes in the flames igniting on the Wasteland.
Later that day, Chu Guang, as the Marshal of the Sticky Community Allied Forces, delivered a speech on the bridge of the Steel Heart.
"...Today is destined to be a great day, and our history will always remember it."
"In the past six months, our troops crossed grasslands, climbed hills, even sailed across oceans, deep into the most treacherous hell, fighting against the ugliest and most barbaric monsters..."
"Now, all the blood and sweat we have poured for justice have finally been rewarded, for we have thoroughly expelled the evil Torch from the land beneath our feet!"
"We have proven our bravery with our actions, proven that we are invincible!"
"Cheer for this moment! Celebrate!"
"For those saved!"
"For this hard-earned victory—"
"And for our union!"
The resounding voice echoed within the bridge and was broadcast throughout the Alliance and all parts of the Sticky Community Allied Forces via radio.
In this worthy moment of celebration, almost every TV and radio station played the same content.
At the Weifu City Military Base, the cries of victory rang out within the camp.
People turned on all the lights in the base, illuminating the entire sky, venting their inner joy.
Wounded resting in the hospital even pulled out their needles and ran from their wards, joyfully hugging fellow celebrating soldiers.
Whether from Ideal City or the Weilante people from Triumph City.
No matter what identity or origin, everyone was cheering for the same joy at this moment.
In the nearby bar to the military base, the lads of the Number 100 Mountain Division were ready to blow the roof off.
Having spent so long on the battlefield, witnessing so much life and death, their attitude differed from half a year ago. Once eager to fight, now they missed home just as much.
Tang Feng excitedly jumped onto the table with the wine bottle in hand as a microphone, loudly shouting to the heckling brothers.
"Praise the Manager! Praise the Alliance! Praise the ruthless warriors of the Storm Corps! This damn war is finally over!"
The bar in Ideal City, the nightclubs, and the most missed Endpoint Cloud!
Everything is coming back!
At this moment, his heart was filled with excitement, as if his thrilling emotions had grown wings.
He swore that once he returned as a war hero, he would take a good break, like bragging on the Endpoint Cloud for a whole week!
Of course, the most important thing is that he must bring back the popular game "Kun Cards" from the front line!
Such an interesting game deserves to be shared with everyone; otherwise, it would be a big pity!
Their officer said in the camp that tomorrow when the "Tiger Whale" transport plane lands at the military base airport, they can immediately board a flight home, leaving this damn place.
Looking at the excited, dancing Tang Feng, Edem from the Hound Special Forces also had a sincere smile on his face, raising his glass to clink with him.
"Congratulations to you all! Finally, you can go home!"
Honestly, these guys seem more like they came for an outing rather than a war.
But now that this battle is finally over, it should be considered a relief for them as well.
Clinking his glass with pleasure, Tang Feng downed the drink in his cup at once, then burped with a tipsy smile and said.
"Hahaha, congratulations to us both! Not just us, you all can go home too!"
Edem smiled at these words, with a faint trace of worry in his eyes.
"Us? I’m afraid it won’t be that soon for us... Even if we do go back, there will probably be new work waiting for us."
The Hound Special Forces is a profit institution; they don’t keep idle people.
As long as Wasteland exists, they have endless work to do.
Not to mention, he still had loans to repay.
Maybe, he might be less willing for the war to end than Mr. Sigma sitting in the Firestone Group building.
If the war truly ended, his once-decidedly decent life might really have him sleeping on the streets begging...
The sound of clinking glasses filled the air at the Weifu City tavern, and the same was true on the Loyalty Airship of the Army.
Standing by the porthole, Lucien savored the wine in his glass blissfully, his eyes squinting lazily at the south.
"...Finally, these disgusting cockroaches are all dead."
Although the battle on Ten Peaks Mountain was just a small episode in the entire war, he couldn’t forget the embarrassment he suffered on that hill.
He couldn’t understand what those expansionists were thinking, siding with such filthy creatures...
However, to be fair, the Torch Church did have a knack for biotechnology.
If they could combine the limb regrowth technology with the eightfold speed clone growth, it would be fantastic.
In that case, the Army could forge a true immortal legion!
Their footsteps would make the entire continent tremble!
Standing beside General Lucien, Centurion Modlin sighed softly, his eyes filled with some regret.
"...Such a pity that the institutes we occupied only had some scraps stored, the really valuable technology is said to be kept at a place called Shelter No.20."
"Shelter No.20..." Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly, pondering something.
Glancing at General Lucien, Centurion Modlin whispered very softly.
"I suspect that the Alliance and corporations have already secretly controlled this shelter; otherwise, they wouldn’t be so certain that the war is over... but unfortunately, we have no evidence, even if we pointed it out, they would deny it."
In fact, not just the Alliance and corporations, but even including the silent Academy, and even the Army itself, were secretly absorbing the research teams of the Torch Church.
This was a tacit agreement both sides reached at the beginning of the war—the controlled area in Haiya Province belongs to whoever occupies it unless the actual controller voluntarily withdraws; otherwise, others must not interfere.
The benefits of this are obvious—all sides were demonstrating genuine capabilities on the battlefield to increase their stakes, not just waiting for allies to exert themselves in the front while picking up scraps in the back.
However, now the war was over, and it was time to divide the spoils of war, the situation had changed.
Now, the other parties of the Sticky Community are not just allies to the Army, but gradually turning into competitors.
After listening to Modlin’s insinuations, General Lucien just chuckled lightly, looking as if he didn’t care.
"Evidence? Do we need that kind of thing?"
This is a battlefield, not a courtroom.
Now that the big trouble of the Torch Church has finally been solved, it’s time to settle old scores with the Alliance.
After a brief pause of contemplation, Lucien placed the wine cup on the ledge of the porthole and looked at the adjutant standing beside him, speaking in a calm tone.
"Later, go contact Centurion Bennott in the City of Dawn."
"Tell him on my behalf that the Civil Official Group has taken so many benefits in the back, it’s time for them to do some work."
The adjutant standing next to him stood straight and gave a military salute, with a solemn expression.
"Yes!"
...
The news of victory spread like wings, quickly throughout the entire Sticky Community army.
And just as everyone raised their glasses to celebrate this hard-won victory, an invisible undercurrent was restlessly stirring beneath the calm surface.
The threat to peace not only comes from within the Sticky Community but also from 1.5 million kilometers away.
To understand the situation at the Lagrange point, Chu Guang, following Yin Fang’s suggestion, summoned representatives from the Academy.
As one of the three factions that inherited the Post-War Reconstruction Committee’s legacy, the Academy is probably the most deeply involved in studying the Torch Church, and also the most likely to understand the situation of the "Lagrange point" and "celestial beings."
Looking at Yang Kai’s figure appearing in the holographic conference room, Chu Guang went straight to the point without exchanging pleasantries.
"What do you know about celestial beings?"
Hearing the term "celestial beings," Yang Kai’s expression showed a noticeable hint of oddity.
And this made Chu Guang even more certain that the Academy people indeed know something.
"I want to say I actually don’t know much... Although if I say this, I guess you won’t believe me."
Seeing his intentions to brush it off, Chu Guang stared at him unwaveringly and continued to speak.
"I am seriously asking you about this matter."
Seeing Yang Kai’s expression unchanged, Chu Guang continued with a serious tone.
"Based on the intelligence collected by our front-line troops, the Torch Church’s higher-ups have digitized their thoughts and uploaded them to a server 1.5 million kilometers away. And when our front-line troops attempted to capture these servers, we learned that a group called ’celestial beings’ had accepted them."
When Chu Guang got to this point, Yang Kai’s expression finally showed a hint of slack.
"Why are you so sure I know something?"
Chu Guang shrugged lightly, and said as if it was obvious.
"Isn’t it obvious? No one is more concerned about things outside of Earth than you all."
He paused and then continued.
"I understand you do not have the authority to decide whether to share this information with me, but I hope you think clearly; there is a group of people hostile towards us lurking somewhere in outer space, eyeing us warily. You all intend to leave the Solar System to find a new home, I don’t object to the choices you make after careful consideration, but do you think given the current situation, you can leave?"
Yang Kai fell into prolonged silence upon hearing this.
A moment later, he sighed and said.
"Celestial beings... Honestly, we really don’t want to provoke that bunch, and I advise you not to bother them either. Isn’t your goal to end the Wasteland Era? Now that the war is over, you should just do that, why bother with unnecessary issues?"
Utilizing the Alliance to eliminate the Torch was a decision made by the Academy’s higher-ups, and although being dragged into this war and playing a direct role was an unexpected twist, the final outcome was good; the Academy’s anticipated goals were completely met without compromise.
Neither the Chief Technical Officer nor Dr. Conclusion himself wanted this war to continue expanding; ending it here is the best result.
Although he did not understand the high-level decisions, he immensely agreed with the wisdom of the Chief Technical Officer.
However, after hearing Yang Kai’s words, Chu Guang slightly furrowed his brows.
He felt like there was a hidden message within this sentence.
"Your words actually make me more curious. What kind of guys are they, that even you don’t dare to provoke them easily?"
Listening to the slight taunt in the tone, Yang Kai sighed and said.
"I don’t deny your statement; we indeed don’t want to be enemies with them. Besides, you might as well consider a question... Why did that Saint Heir do so much unnecessary stuff when he was about to die? Not only revealing his whereabouts but kindly reminding you who sheltered them. Think about it carefully!"
Watching Yang Kai’s agonized expression, Chu Guang remained unmoved and continued.
"I know what that guy is trying to do; he wants to lure us into investigating the matter of the celestial beings."
Yang Kai’s brow twitched severely, unable to resist saying.
"You know it’s a trap, yet you ask so much?"
"Whether it’s a trap is another topic; I will naturally assess the risks based on the intelligence and clues I have," Chu Guang stared at him unwaveringly, speaking with earnestness, "However, what I cannot tolerate is a group of dirty things lurking in the shadows, always ready to surprise us. Compared to the already exposed traps, the hidden risks are more worthy of my vigilance."
Yang Kai fell silent.
Seemingly consulting his superior, he sighed a moment later and said.
"We actually don’t know much about them... I can only tell you the part I know."
Chu Guang signaled him with his eyes to continue.
After sorting through his thoughts in his mind, Yang Kai slowly began.
"If you understand the history of the United Human, you should be aware that two centuries ago, the United Human once sent an Expeditionary Army to South Gate Two."
Chu Guang’s heart stirred, and he immediately asked.
"Are those celestial beings descendants of the Expeditionary Army?"
"You could say that," Yang Kai slowly nodded, acknowledging his guess.
However, after receiving the confirmation, Chu Guang’s heart was filled with more doubts.
"...But I don’t understand. If they are the descendants of the Expeditionary Army, shouldn’t they be on our side? Why help Torch?"
Yang Kai did not feel any surprise at Chu Guang’s confusion and continued.
"On our side... What exactly do you mean by ’our’?"
Hearing these words with deep meaning, Chu Guang couldn’t help but frown lightly.
"What do you mean?"
Yang Kai spoke succinctly.
"It’s exactly what it sounds like."
"This planet is filled with retro militarists, farsighted escapists, and hedonists already living the good life... Of course, there are also a variety of other messy things. Do you think they have any hope of ending the Wasteland Era? Maybe they haven’t even thought about ending the Wasteland Era, like us, thinking it doesn’t matter since we’ll leave someday anyway."
Chu Guang: "But there are people who care, aren’t there?"
Yang Kai smiled meaningfully.
"Are you talking about yourselves? In your view, of course, it’s important, but to us observers, it’s another matter. You did indeed unite some people, which is commendable, but concerning the broader Wasteland, you’re actually powerless... No offense, you are aware that some people cannot be united."
Chu Guang nodded.
"It’s nothing I can’t admit. We’ve prepared another plan."
Yang Kai shrugged indifferently and continued.
"Maybe, but whatever your prepared plan is, at least from an observer’s perspective, those plans might not be more efficient than the methods of the Weilante."
"Relying on the Weilante to end the Wasteland might take 500 years, and relying on you might be 400 years, or maybe 600 years... Who knows? I suspect even you don’t have an exact number."
Chu Guang neither denied nor interrupted him, just quietly waited for him to continue.
After a brief pause, Yang Kai continued.
"As for the Celestial Beings... In your view, they are the contemporaries of the Human Alliance Era, the inheritors of that era, but that is merely your assumption. In their view, they are not inheritors, but the Human Alliance itself."
"As for you, us, and everyone on this planet, in their eyes, we are just the ’children’ of the Human Alliance. They don’t care who will win, as long as human civilization can ultimately continue, that’s enough."
Chu Guang’s brow furrowed.
"Even if it means sacrificing everyone for continuity..."
Yang Kai chuckled.
"Respected Manager, haven’t enough people died because of the Wasteland Era? What we view as unacceptable costs, might seem like another issue to those true observers... It’s not impossible. However, in most cases, they wouldn’t directly interfere with surface matters, as long as you don’t act in a way that makes them feel threatened."
Chu Guang asked in a deep voice.
"Like?"
"I don’t know, maybe a piece on the board actively breaks down the wall separating observers from the board, or maybe they do something that makes them feel the end of the Wasteland Era is hopeless..." Yang Kai spread his hands with a helpless expression, "Our understanding of them is very limited, including what I said earlier; many are actually our speculation."
"But one thing is certain, these people are more impatient than we imagine, which might relate to their running out of time... In any case, they hope to end the Wasteland before their time runs out, and some alternative methods, in their view, are acceptable, including the approaches of Torch Church and Enlightenment Society."
"After all, according to our calculations, if Torch’s plan succeeds, it would take no more than fifty years to lead this planet into a new era... Of course, this price might be high, especially for us living people."
Pausing for a moment, Yang Kai looked at Chu Guang and continued sincerely.
"So I hope you better not provoke those guys. Pretending they don’t exist isn’t that hard... Anyway, Torch’s power on this planet has already been eliminated, even if those guys escaped to 1.5 million kilometers away, they can’t stir up any trouble, right? Moreover, if any fatal danger were to reappear on this planet, we would warn you, just like before."
Listening to these naive words, Chu Guang shook his head.
"...If the Celestial Beings’ ideas only make me feel they’re crazy, your ostrich-in-the-sand approach makes me feel foolish."
Looking at the angry yet speechless Yang Kai, Chu Guang unreservedly continued.
"Since you know these people are more impatient than you imagine, how could you conclude that ’they won’t interfere in surface affairs’ with such naivety?"
"Let me be direct. They’ve long been involved personally; those black boxes held by Torch are likely provided by them, you just don’t want to admit it."
"If we really leave them alone, this time it’s just Torch, next time something else may emerge!"
Yang Kai couldn’t help but ask.
"Then what can you do? They may have an entire fleet at their disposal, and you? You can’t even reach outer space."
He still hoped the Alliance wouldn’t provoke those "Celestial Beings", trying to convince Chu Guang to abandon that unrealistic notion. After all, provoking those guys is not practical, brings no benefits, and might result in greater troubles.
However, Chu Guang did not respond as he wished; instead, replied with a decisive tone.
"Naturally, we will use our methods."
"Whatever we ultimately choose, we certainly won’t sit idly by."
——
(Thanks for the reward from the Alliance Leader "BoliedFish"!!!)