Tempest of the Battlefield

"Things that happen next year will determine if the humans will make it or not. " Samantha said, surrounded by officers in a meeting room listening to the briefing from Mars.

The situation on Mars was highly unstable; however, uncertainties were better than defeat.

"Lie Jian and Michaux's actions are too reckless. If they are killed on their mission, the morale of the Martian resistance will be shaken beyond mending."

"Getting killed is still a better ending than being captured by the Zergs."

"I doubt that the dark ones will let them live if they capture them."

"Yes, they will kill any ordinary soldiers on sight, but they are not ordinary. They might transform them into dark ones. "

"General, why did Wang Tong suddenly disappear? What will be his next move?" A lot of the generals were friends with Wang Tong, but some had never met him before.

"Boss must have a plan. The quieter it is, the more fun there will be to watch for us. I am so excited!" Only Karl could make such statement without really knowing anything. The thought of seeing Wang Tong again had elated him greatly.

Everyone had seen what Wang Tong was capable of. However, what he had achieved so far was not able to change the course of humanity's destruction. Everyone at the table, except for Karl was convinced that Wang Tong had met resistance from the Zergs, and therefore, had retreated quietly back to the human territory. What happened to Lie Jian and Michaux was a good example of how deadly the dark ones were.

"Captain Karl, we respect your faith in Wang Tong. However, as a commander, you need to make a judgment based on facts, not feelings. I urge you to refrain from making such groundless claims in the future." An officer in his forties retorted.

"I agree with Captain Saint. Wang Tong is working alone, and we can't put all our eggs in one basket. Captain Karl, please watch what you speak. We don't need your optimism in this meeting."

"With all due respect, Captain Stain, I do agree with Captain Karl. Yes, Wang Tong is fighting by himself, but he is hell of a one-person army. If he succeeds and the Zergs pull their fleet back, we can chase them down with ease. But, the requirement is that we have a full fleet. I motion the board to order the fleet to stay put until we hear more news about Wang Tong." Cao Yi put in calmly. He was the chief adviser of Samantha, and therefore, his words carried more weight than Karl's.

"Hehe, Adviser Cao, where is your usual pragmatism? We all know that Wang Tong is the heir of the Blade Warrior, but so what? Even that title was a product of a PR stunt from the Templar's Court, wasn't it? It meant nothing. If Wang Tong was really as powerful as you claimed, why didn't he stop Patroclus five years ago? I think you all need to wake up and stop dreaming. Instead, think about what we could do for the people on Mars." Lun Deng refuted. He had been a captain of Martian battleship during the Confederation days and even now. His view on the war was more hawkish than anyone else on the board.

He was from Mars, and therefore he insisted that Mars should be the priority.

"The Zergs are prepared. If we attack them now, we will be walking right into their trap. One misstep and we might destroy everything that we have built up so far." Flash said coldly. He was the first promoted to the position of captain due to his unrivaled strategic sense.

"May I? I think you are both right. The situation on Mars has reached a critical moment. Therefore, we can't just sit around and do nothing. However, our help should be limited to containing the Zergs' air raids. We cannot afford to lose any marines." Samantha finally spoke.

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

"Very well! Everyone, set your course to Mars. Make some noise and make your intention as obvious as you can. Let them know we are heading to Mars." Samantha issued her command, her voice holding an unswerving conviction.

"Hehe, I could draft a call to arms and distribute it among other resistance forces." Cao Yi suggested.

"Good call! But, be wary of the immortals' sabotaging activities."

…

Meanwhile, on Mount Dynamo, the retinue had been waiting for Wang Tong for two hours. It had been the longest two hours of their life. The soldiers didn't waste their time while waiting, as they all started their cultivation to recuperate some of their soul energy.

Xiao Libie was amazed by the soldier's discipline. Everyone on the team was a force to be reckoned with; however, their teamwork was sublime. Not only did they carry out instructions to the letter as a team, but when they were alone, they also possessed incredible self-control and restraint. Xiao Libie remembered that his Shifu Zambrotta often lamented the lack of talent under his force. Now he knew where all the talent had gone to: they were all working for Wang Tong.

Two hours later, Wang Tong was still nowhere to be seen.

The leaders of the band gathered around to discuss their next move. "Let's wait for another half hour, and if Wang Tong still doesn't return, we should go save him." Guan Dongyang urged.

Yin Tianzong nodded. Although Wang Tong possessed miraculous abilities, there would always be a limit to his power.

"We should tread carefully. There is no way back." Vorenus said in a serious voice. As soon as they passed the midpoint, they had entered a passage of no return. The wind blew with a constant anguished keening as the snow and ice blocked their view. No one knew what lay ahead of them.

After a while, Bu Zhihuo broke the silence. "Let me lead a small group of rangers to scout ahead. It's too risky to march right into there."

"It's no use. Even if you could scout out a path for us, you won't be able to come back to us alive. This place is... cursed." Yin Tianzong said hopelessly, and then shook his head. If Wang Tong couldn't make it back, everyone would die.

"I believe Wang Tong will be able to make it back even if he can't find any plausible route. I agree with Brother Yin's plan. Let's move in together."

"Brother Xiao, we might not be able to make it to the other side. If you change your mind, I will assign a couple of soldiers to escort you back." Yin Tianzong said. He noticed that Xiao Libie had been very quiet, and was not sure if the new addition was up for his plan or not.

Xiao Libie smiled faintly. "Brother Yin, don't look down on me. If I were too afraid of danger, I wouldn't resign from my position at Zambrotta's force to join Wang Tong. Not only do I wholeheartedly support Wang Tong's plan, but I have also dreamt of conquering Mount Dynamo ever since I was a child."

Everyone nodded in approval toward Xiao Libie's determination. Xiao Libie also found the way everyone regarded him different; it was as if they finally consider him a part of their group.

"Very well! Since everyone is on board with our plan, let's take half an hour to prepare. I need every METAL warrior's full commitment to look after your mastery caster partner." Yin Tianzong issued the final announcement.

"Make sure you stay away from the natural forces without a specific order to do so." Xiao Yuyu reminded casters once more time, who nodded in response. The force field on top of Mount Dynamo was extremely unstable, and no one knew why. It was as if the energy had a mind of its own, a wild and savage mind. Wang Tong was the first to have experienced its feral savagery when he drew the natural energy, but he was able to escape the natural forces attack by using soul essence. The mastery casters had registered the danger that Wang Tong was in, and therefore, even Xiao Yuyu and Guan Dongyang dared not to test the waters.

However, the unsteady force field seemed more like an inconvenience compared to the nerve-wracking waiting.

…

It was fitting to call these warriors devils or demons, since they were capable of treading through hell unfazed.

In the narrow passage between heaven and hell, a retinue of human plodded on. The warriors only truly understood the difficulties of the journey that they had embarked on once they entered the treacherous path. The wind howled insistently in an anguished keening, dismantling the warriors' will one shred of nerve at a time. If not for the soldiers' solid soul energy, they wouldn't even be able to pass the test of the wild gales. The temperature had dropped down below minus forty, and the path seemed endless. Without a sound physique, one would quickly suffer hypothermia as the coldness nibbled away their frayed mind, and soon, they would feel the burning of coldness.

However cold it was, the soldiers could not stop; once they did, their feet would be frozen solid and they would never walk again. Every captain kept their eyes peeled for any warrior that had gone astray from the group.

Yin Tianzong, Vorenus and Xiao Libie led the way at the front of the column. Suddenly, Yin Tianzong shouted, his soul energy reverberating from the head to the tail of the line.

It was a warning.