"Heh, thank you, I'll be going to report back now."

"Take me with you, I'll go to the council to reason for you."

The confidential secretary hurriedly spoke up to remind him, is he thinking there's not enough chaos already? Hearing this, Xia Mu hesitated but eventually did not insist any further.

Heifeng rarely uttered the words, "I will not come to trouble you again." Having said that, he also left, without leaving a trace...

Still unsure of what the old men in the National Conference would say to him, Kexiao felt helpless, but one thing was certain, neither the Sand Emperor nor the council had a high opinion of him—after all, the Saudi political system included a unique structure. In this arrangement, the National Conference had the authority to interfere with the Sand Emperor's decisions, and the Sand Emperor likewise had the authority to interfere with the conference's decisions; the two were mutually constrained, somewhat similar to the dynamic between Bergheide's Space Fleet and the ground forces.

Since the Sand Emperor had not spoken up, it meant that he too stood on the same chariot as those old men, leaving Kexiao truly isolated and without support.

As Kexiao passed through a series of electronic doors, underwent a body search, took an elevator and finally reached the internal affairs hall, the first thing to greet him as he stepped through the threshold was a group of old men, who silently watched him with smiles that held scrutiny.

"Kexiao, you've finally come."

A high-ranking elder with white hair said, but the question he asked was not about punishment, nor was it about revoking Kexiao's authority. Instead, he was concerned about how to wrap things up with the media? The Military Department certainly wouldn't take the blame for this; if he couldn't settle the issue, they would have to consider dismissing and replacing him. Despite these words delivered with firm conviction, the old men's faces did not betray a hint of worry, but instead, they held a hidden smile and anticipation.

Kexiao, whose personal capabilities were beyond doubt and who excelled at command simulation, was originally the super-genius endorsed by multiple families in the National Conference. However, the loss of Mardis surely needed an explanation.

Having received the demand for an explanation, Kexiao was quite puzzled. Weren't Jiu Ling and the undead #2 still alive? Wasn't that his explanation? As Kexiao voiced this, the room fell into silence.

"Child, this explanation doesn't seem sufficient, does it?" another kind-eyed old man said. "Knowing the Revenge Shadow Rider's unfathomable strength, why did you still decide to send Jiu Ling into battle? Shouldn't you have gone yourself? Wasn't that the perfect opportunity to establish your authority?"

"The power of one person is always insignificant."

"What do you mean by that?"

Kexiao was even more confused, spreading his hands and saying, "I can establish authority at any time, but rare is the valuable experience of clashing with the Revenge Shadow Rider. Rather than keeping it for myself, isn't it better to pass it on to the soldiers who need it?"

"Experience is indeed valuable, but have you thought about what the loss of a super mecha signifies?"

"I am not shirking responsibility." After all, if it weren't for Xiuluo's emotional outburst, they would not have lost the mobile fighter. Kexiao didn't offer further explanation, if it weren't for the council's guarantee that the Four Deer milk powder was absolutely safe, he wouldn't have allowed Xiuluo to take it with such ease. As a commander, and as a perfect idealist, this was his—Roland's—mistake.

The elder sighed deeply, all of these things he could accept, and it couldn't be said that Kexiao was at fault, but regarding the fall of Mardis, the Military Department still harbored a grudge, "Child, your biggest mistake was losing Mardis, you must have your own plan, right?"

"Uh... I know you called me here for this matter."

"So how would you explain this incident?"

"It's easy to explain, I intentionally lost it."

The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet at these words, the onlookers hardly daring to believe they had come from Kexiao's mouth. The elderly man said, "What did you just say?"

"I said I did it on purpose."

"What! You... Kexiao, what are you saying? Do you have any idea how much effort we've put into this planet?" The old man's face turned green with anger, and after a while, it changed to purple, then eggplant purple, liver-colored, like a chameleon.

As people age, a bout of anger can actually stimulate blood circulation. Kexiao, unconcerned, said, "I'm merely stating a fact. To expend a nation's resources on a planet that remains unconquerable after so many years, I think it's a ridiculous affair and utterly worthless."

"Kexiao, you, you..." The elder man pointed at his nose, having expected Kexiao to have some superior insight, only to find his words absurd, utterly absurd. Mardis was a valuable planet for developing blue crystals, priceless in value, yet he had referred to it as nothing more than ashes. The old man struggled to mutter, "Try saying that again."

"A single hair can move the whole body, and power is forever an important chip in measuring a nation's rise and fall. During times of war, we don't consider developing heavy industry; instead, we think of how to turn heavy industry into spicy strips, rice noodles, junk food, and even that white, flowery money. Isn't that laughable in itself? Money is just a piece of paper, one can print as much as one wants, and the invaluable blue crystals are no more than an ornament, like a beautiful vase. Resources will eventually run dry..."

"Guards, take him away!" Before Kexiao could finish his statement, two heavily armed soldiers quickly approached, forcibly escorting Kexiao out of the council hall.

The old man was clearly furious, his face color instantly transitioning from liver-color to eggplant purple, then pure purple, and finally to green...

The news of Kexiao being stripped of his authority spread like an autumn breeze. In no time, everyone in the Military Department knew it. Hey, the higher-ups were really exerting their power. Mardis had just fallen not even a year ago, and within this short span of time, the high-ranking commanders had been replaced over and over. First Vivian, then Kexiao—who will be next?

As a result, there was no one fit for command, or rather, there were plenty of potential candidates, as numerous as hairs on an ox. As the saying goes, "Heroes abound in this world of ours," looking at the present day, aside from the heroes of this generation, it's hard to know who else could be up to the task.

It's said he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Given the current events, the super soldiers were now completely on Kexiao's side, having reflected on this repeatedly to the upper echelons... Due to their special status, super soldiers naturally couldn't be viewed the same as common soldiers. At the outset, many big shots could indeed listen to their opinions, but who could have imagined they all ended up pleading on Kexiao's behalf?

Even the obedient and sensible Jiu Ling sided with Kexiao. Revolting, truly a nuisance to hear. In the end, the big shots grew tired of it as well. When anyone came, they got turned away without a word, refusing to meet with any super soldier. The Saudi Emperor, Shakespeare, showed no interest in the matter.

However, Kexiao seemed to have some foresight about the appearances of the Revenge Shadow Rider, almost as if he knew where it would show up. Does this imply some sort of resonance between the two?

It's rumored that Feng Yi is the Revenge Shadow Rider. Saudi also heard such gossip, which is downright melodramatic and unsubstantiated by either facts or science. It's pure speculation based on his status as a federal hero, one thing has nothing to do with the other.

But without a doubt, Kexiao was the most likely person to uncover the existence of the Revenge Shadow Rider, in fact, affording him a chance, as it wouldn't do to just leave the man be.

When the Saudi Military Department approached Kexiao, to their surprise, he flatly refused... Kexiao's refusal had only one reason: it wasn't that he couldn't uncover the Revenge Shadow Rider; clearly, that would be simple. The difficult part was how to deal with the Revenge Shadow Rider? Through numbers alone? That fellow couldn't be defeated by sheer numbers, at least not without making an escape, even if overwhelmed by many.

And he did not wish to see our soldiers sacrificed for no reason. According to Kexiao's estimation, at least three White Cloaks would need to take action simultaneously to suppress the Revenge Shadow Rider. That guy wasn't someone a few Red Cloaks could handle, and as for winning, it was a matter of luck, for he had no experience in fighting the Revenge Shadow Rider and couldn't specify how to beat him. Of course, outsiders didn't know that Kexiao could pilot a mecha, or perhaps some issues were such that Kexiao didn't want others to realize he could pilot a mecha, creating an illusion to that effect.

(Thanks to Brother 98 for the 10,000 reward, very much appreciated! As National Day is upon us, I wish my brothers a happy holiday. I intended to add more today, but I'm not feeling well, so I'll make it up later.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.