Chapter 500: Bring On The War
Chapter 500: Bring On The War
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"A*sholes, they are A*SHOLES!" Ross shouted.
Despite the urgency, Guan Dongyang didn't seem too worried. He would have been stressed out if he got the news a year ago. However, now that he had Wang Tong, he could afford to stay calm.
"Wang Tong, what do you think of this?"
"Easy… If they really want to come, let them come. We will make sure that they don't return."
Silence fell into the meeting room. Not even Lie Xuan could have made such a bold statement. Wang Tong's words sounded more like Ross's rant.
"Wang Tong, you know that we are much smaller than those two bands combined. Why don't you think about the bigger picture?" Lie Xuan rose against Wang Tong's plan.
Wang Tong stood up and said, "So tell me, what is the bigger picture? Is it being pushed around by bullies? Regardless of our strength, we always have only two options: stand up for ourselves or continue being bullied."
"That's fine, but the Battle Wolf is still too weak to fight back." Lie Xuan shot back.
"I disagree! As a matter of fact, Guan Dongyang and I had been talking about moving against the Zergs, and Captain Marcos has kindly provided us an opportunity to test our strength." Wang Tong said as he cracked a smile that showed his confidence.
No one understood where his confidence came from though.
Guan Dongyang remained clam. He knew Wang Tong had spoken the truth. With the increased power and their familiarity with the complex terrain around the camp, defeating Thunder Fire was not impossible.
Ye Zi wanted to put her two cents in, but she thought that since both Wang Tong and Guan Dongyang had already made up their minds, there was no point in saying anything. She reckoned that Marcos' move was courting death, since he had set himself up as the enemy of two of the most powerful men on Mars.
"Hehe, I agree with Wang Tong. We can't make others think that we are weak. I believe that this battle will be the one that will help us establish our dominance in Maersa district." Guan Dongyang announced with conviction in his voice.
Hamir still thought it was a bad idea to fight the enemy head-on. He grinned and lamented the fact that ever since Wang Tong arrived in the Battle Wolf, Guan Dongyang agreed with everything he said, even if he was going to put the Battle Wolf on a suicidal mission.
Lie Xuan was an outsider, so she spoke no more and let the Battle Wolf sort it out by themselves.
"Boss, you finally said it! I have been waiting for you to make this decision. The Battle Wolf is ready for combat; no one will waver in front of our enemy! " Ross shouted. No one was surprised by his words, since fighting was the only solution that Ross knew to all problems.
Both Tan Bu and Duo Lun were Wang Tong's die-hard supporters, and therefore, they unequivocally supported his decision.
"Hehe… Lieutenant Ross, we will fight them for sure. But, the method will need more discussion. Our enemy not only has the advantage in numbers, but also their equipment." Wang Tong said.
"Even if we wanted to retreat, we would have nowhere to go. Therefore, fighting is our only option! We will teach the Thunder Fire a lesson." Someone chimed in.
Hamir furrowed his brows; he was convinced that without the aid of House Lie, Battle Wolf was doomed. However, he also saw the sense in Wang Tong's suggestion. If Battle Wolf kept on avoiding conflicts, it would never be able to establish itself among other resistant factions.
"Ok everyone, first thing first. We need to prepare for the battle. Second, the Blizzard was the one that gave us the information. They have extended their olive branch, and therefore, I think it's likely that they will side with us."
"I can talk to them on your behalf." Hamir volunteered. Since they wouldn't count on House Lie this time, they needed to seek other allies. Thunder Fire's rapid expansion had threatened Blizzard. As they said, 'An enemy's enemy is a friend.'
"Excellent! Ross, send a patrol out, and make sure everything is under control."
"Roger that!"
As everyone left the meeting room to go back to their posts, Wang Tong, Guan Dongyang, Ye Zi, and Lie Xuan were left alone in the room.
Lie Xuan stretched her arms and yawned, "This is too much talking for a poor soldier like me." She left the room with sassy footsteps. Guan Dongyang's eyes were glued to her firm and round butts.
"Ye Zi, don't worry. We will be fine, and Battle Wolf will weather this storm."
History had taught Wang Tong a lesson that crisis sometimes could be a ladder to power if used correctly. After he had got a grasp on the political scenario in the district of Maersa, he conceded that without uniting the scattered resistance forces, humans were doomed.
However, who would rise to the challenge to claim dominance in the region and unite everyone?
Life had taught Wang Tong many things, and one for them was that being nice sometimes would never get him anywhere.
His original plan, as he laid out earlier in front of Guan Dongyang, was to use the surprise attack on the Zergs to cast the Battle Wolf as the savior and leader of the district. However, Marcos suddenly gave him an even more direct solution.
Wang Tong wagered that as long as he could rein in the factions by displaying might, he should be able to form a united front against the Zergs. However, there would still be two more problems: first, the coalition would be cobbled together with the fear for Battle Wolf's power, so it would sooner or later fall apart; secondly, if he attracted more attention to himself, it would only be a matter of time before the Dark Lord noticed his existence. If Moye knew of his whereabouts, so would Patroclus.
Nevertheless, Wang Tong conceded that he had no other options. After much thinking, Wang Tong realized that although this would be a huge challenge for Guan Dongyang and his band, it would also be a good experience for Battle Wolf if they were able to pull through it.
Ross had sent in a few covert agents into Thunder Fire and quickly confirmed that they had been rapidly deploying their forces around the area of Battle Wolf's camp. Although Ross was still not sure what their motivations were, he could not exclude the possibility that they were preparing for a war.
When Ross' report reached Battle Wolf, Guan Dongyang acted without any hesitation. Although Battle Wolf had a disadvantage in numbers, they were more united than soldiers of any other factions.
Despite the superior forces, Marcos knew they he had to tread carefully after having seen the tremendous power of Guan Dongyang. If Guan Dongyang decided to use the same mastery that he had used on the Zergs, his soldiers would be reduced into ashes in a blink just like the Zergs did. However, Marcos had come prepared this time, and Wang Tong knew it.
Wang Tong wagered that Marcos' solution to Battle Wolf's mastery ability would be Nihlathak. Wang Tong had scared him away last time using his soul essence, so perhaps Nihlathak had realized something was amiss and came to find out himself?
Wang Tong knew that this time, he would have to make sure Nihlathak never returned. He would be the perfect touchstone as Guan Dongyang's level nineteen power.
"Boss, why do we have to warn them? We don't owe the Battle Wolf anything. Plus, you know that the Battle Wolf would be crushed by the Thunder Fire soon or later anyway." Hans, Aamir's adviser, lamented.
Aamir smiled and then said, "I like Guan Dongyang. He is the only person who thinks not only for himself, but for everyone on Mars. I am willing to save him. I hope he will choose to avoid the Thunder Fire instead of courting death."
"Captain, the Thunder Fire's expansion is too rapid, and before long, they are going to dip their fingers into our territories. If Battle Wolf was eliminated, the next one would be us. I have heard that even the underground world is warming up to Marcos."
"That's what they do, a bunch of fools on the fence. Anyways, have you investigated the area where Guan Dongyang's mastery landed on?"