Noah looked around to ensure nobody was close by, then whispered, "The Sand Army has deployed three armored infantry divisions to the Death Desert battlefield in succession. According to my 30-minute route calculation, they seem to be planning to sweep through the central front."

"What are the current coordinates of these three units?"

"They are generally distributed in these three locations." The light screen flashed, and Noah's radar popped up three map screens, "Sadly, peaceful Mardis will probably fall soon. The fate awaiting us could be like fish in a trap."

Feng Yi gasped in surprise, "What's coming will come. How long will they take to get here at their current speed?"

"Less than three days time."

"I see..." Feng Yi nodded blankly, "According to your estimation, what are our chances of success against the three armored infantry divisions?"

"Very, very low."

"Hm, I thought so as well. Let's keep this information quiet for now."

With a puzzled look from Noah, Feng Yi quickly left Flame Corps. Despite soaking in the gentle sunshine and feeling the refreshing breeze while walking through the wilderness, nothing could ease his mental tension.

While pondering over the next plan, after several rounds of contemplation Feng Yi reached Phantom City, which used to be the capital of Vafidia and currently harbors the largest number of resistance forces.

As Feng Yi stood in front of the ancient Ola Road, the yellow walls of the city swept by the wind carried the traces of the passage of time. Destruction from war had erased all signs of its past prosperity. The collapsed houses, the hardened faces of children and women showing the harsh realities of life, all were testimonies of imminent ruthless crushing by three imperial armored divisions.

In the midst of the gathering place for injured resisters, Feng Yi hesitated, walking and stopping... The sorrowful wails of the wounded and the innocent laughter of children sounded clear…

Everything around him felt so real yet so unbelievable. Yes, in the face of the Imperial armored divisions, the Flame Corps could turn and run, but what about the suffering rebels? They could potentially end up enslaved or dead.

Feeling the immense pressure, Feng Yi knelt on the ground and continuously punched it in frustration… After a while, he became too tired to do so.

"Big Brother, your hand is bleeding." A child handed Feng Yi a dirty rag, stumbling over his steps. There was no sign of his parents or any relatives, they may have been dead, lost in warfare.

Staring blankly at everything, Feng Yi felt his eyes moisten, "Thank you."

After his wound was bandaged and he stood up, Feng Yi quietly left Phantom City. As icy raindrops hit his face, he roared out all his exhaustion and suffocation. Perhaps, that single 'ah' would drain his anxieties away. However, reality was not so kind, the problems that had to be faced still persisted, the Imperial soldiers were still advancing towards them.

So what should he do next? Should he continue to gather resistance forces for guerrilla warfare or... there was no other option, as a soldier, he could aim to win every successive battle, but as the Special Envoy and a federal military person, he had to do everything possible to save as many people as he could. That was the sworn duty of a soldier and the burden he had to bear.

In the Flame Corps council room, Feng Yi gathered all the core members, including the Great Elder. With a stern and even hideous expression, he briefly informed them about the three Saudi armored infantry divisions, then he ordered in a serious tone, "John, I'm giving you 2000 second-line soldiers and any transportation equipment you need. I command you to gather all the rebels and refugees at the southern front in Phantom City within two days, regardless of whether they are old or children."

"Commander, will they listen?"

"You can announce the Corps' number. I think they are clearer about the frontline situation than anyone else. Go now."

"Copy that."

"Great Elder, it's your responsibility to take the elite forces to obstruct the Imperial force's steps. Remember, safety first, focus on harassment and containment, no need to launch a strong attack."

"Understood." With a military salute, the white-bearded elder seemed almost comical, almost making the officers laugh.

"Noah, contact Bruce, I need to communicate with him directly."

"Copy that."

The Flame Corps radio set was turned on to its maximum power to receive the Star Domain Broadcast. As the fuzzy sonar signal became clearer, a subtle electromagnetic wave suddenly caught Noah's attention.

Bruce, a ruthless and terrifying person. Under his iron-blooded space plunder, countless rebels have turned to cosmic dust. Everyone from major forces to his own subordinates was wary of him. As a leader, Bruce had no need for non-contributors, even if their strength reached First-Order, they were not an exception. In fact, back when he was searching for light crystals on the Death Planet, he had contemplated leaving some of them there. Bruce would eliminate any potential threats to him.

Who could have imagined that the terrifying Pirate King was currently having his hair messed up by a girl.

"Karlo, even though I'm a notorious pirate king, later on, I'll still need to give orders, you're messing up my image."

"Don't care, Little BuBu has to accompany me." Karlo, not only didn't stop what she was doing, but even doubled her effort. As it turned out, even the famous Pirate King was helpless against her.

Oh God, what a terrible day. Bruce shrugged helplessly, suddenly, he embraced Karlo and started tousling her. This led to bouts of girlish laughter from Karlo which abruptly stopped the moment she noticed Noah.

Noah was taken aback, the fact that she could instantly defend against intrusion. Could she be an artificial intelligence?

Just because Noah didn't recognize Karlo didn't mean Feng Yi did not as well. In fact, the two had some dealings in the past. It was not delightful, but there wasn't much animosity either. They only had different standpoints.

"Karlo, we've met before."

"Eh, it's the handsome big brother." Karlo acted surprised, "Big brother, how did you find me? Could it be that you secretly adore Luo'er?"

"Hehe, don't joke around. Today Saudi has imposed a blockade and Bermuda might not be at peace. Seems like our jocular time is running short."

"Oh, big brother, you reminded Luo'er." She obediently nodded her little head, then quickly moved away from Bruce.

As beings of the same level, there weren't many in the world who could compete with them, what was left was few and far between. Bruce did not expect that the unexpected Heavenly Communication was from the cloaked warrior, both of them found it quite strange.

Bruce was the one who broke the silence: "You wouldn't have come without a reason. Tell me what you want."

"Quite simple, I want to discuss collaboration with you."

A Collaboration, huh. I wonder what kind of carrot you're trying to dangle. "What can you offer that is enticing enough for me?"

Feng Yi chuckled, "Are you not going to hear out the content of the collaboration first?"

"I'm all ears."

"I'll loot two Saudi Zeus Shield Class cruisers at X hour. If successful, I hope that during the ascension you could help me stall the Saudi Space Army—On the contrary, one of the Zeus Shield Class cruisers will belong to you."

Incentive of a Zeus Shield Class cruiser is quite alluring indeed. But Bruce didn't agree, and there were tones of a test in his words: "The price is too high, what if I say no?"

"I believe you will agree."

"What's the reason?"

"The reason is simple, this is a win-win collaboration."

"Your reason doesn't convince me."

"Maybe, but I can also reveal your Space Fleet's exact coordinates to Saudi, so you must and have no choice but to collaborate. Not only can you protect your coordinates, but it could also greatly influence future combats."

"You're threatening me."

"Not at all, I don't think this is a threat, it's just an excellent proposal."

Both were walking further and further along the edge of probing and threating. Of course, Feng Yi didn't fully trust Bruce, and neither did Bruce trust Feng Yi. Only tremendous interests can make two unrelated people suddenly cooperate, nothing else can replace it.

When asked if Feng Yi was confident, his answer was forty percent. But this forty percent was enough to make Bruce interested. Such a strong presence, Bruce didn't believe that he would dare to risk his life for a joke.

"Alright, I agree."

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