The Revenge Shadow Rider held a status in the hearts of the Atlan Federation far beyond just being a Saudi ace. Regarding this battle, he had not been supportive originally, but if the challenge came at this time, he fully supported it since it was clearly a fight that the Revenge Shadow Rider could not participate in. This would allow Saudi to elaborate greatly on subsequent issues.

However, one should never say never, because anything could happen with the miraculous Shadow Rider. If this guy really showed up, there was no choice but to hope for good luck for Saudi. Kexiao was well aware that this was a tactic by the Military Department to limit him. At the start of this political bet, his chances of winning were destined to be slim to none.

Jiu Ling was simply furious. The Military Department had forced Kexiao into a bet and had him choose a game he was bound to lose. Perhaps Kexiao and the Military Department had different political ideologies, but that didn't mean they could break the rules like this.

Kexiao shrugged helplessly, "Heh, compared to these issues, I actually hope that I am on the losing side."

"Kexiao, have you gone mad?"

"Perhaps, but if it is my loss, it will also indirectly prove my shortsightedness."

——

At the same time, after eighteen days of restless travel, the Blazing Flame Fleet finally made contact with Zana Republic in the border space on that afternoon.

Although present-day Zana and the Federation were no longer allies, the many years of established friendship had not changed. When the request to land of Blazing Flame Legion was received, the upper echelons took only ten minutes of emergency deliberation to grant the fleet permission to land on Chimera planet.

Planet Chimera, the Dream City surrounded by light purple aura with slow rotation, this Earth-like planet located at 53 astronomical units from Behe-3 at a 35-degree angle was also praised as a "super-Earth." Due to the lack of moons and such, Planet Chimera rotated very slowly, one could say almost not at all, with one orbit lasting only 280 Earth days.

Because of the Federation's star domain projection story, this struggling troop had also caught fire abroad. They didn't become universally known, but there was no shortage of discussions over meals. When the battered fleet from the foreign screens descended from the sky, the locals all experienced an illusion as if from another lifetime... Weren't they in Devil star clusters? How did they come to Zana?

The soldiers were astounded by the fantastical scenery here...

Feng Yi found these pathetic fellows speechless; was it so surprising that the trees were a little taller and there were a few floating castles? After landing, he simply had a brief chat with the local military leaders and then went to indulge in the beautiful scenery alone, without much ambition. Of course, Feng Yi wouldn't stay here long; he only needed some basic mecha maintenance and supplies before setting off again.

A group of pirate brothers completely lost their composure, looking at every blade of grass and tree, the dazzling array of buildings, and the lively fantasy city full of life around them. They had not expected this day to come so quickly, so suddenly. They were no longer the aimless phantoms drifting through the cosmic void but stood proudly on the soil of Zana Republic as prospective soldiers of the Blazing Flame Legion.

Of course, the inhabitants of this land did not recognize or welcome them yet because these men were not qualified to don Federal Army uniforms. They were still space pirates at present and had to go through a period of self-improvement until the day they were granted their ranks. Only then could they hope to truly step off the warships, onto the peaceful and auspicious streets, looking at the colorful crowd and feeling the vibrant world...

At that moment, the pirate hostages were moved to tears. A bright future was waiting for them, and they felt fortunate to have been hijacked by the Blazing Flame Legion, otherwise, their prospects would have been dark.

The elderly man with glasses and an apparent position of authority was experiencing dramatic fluctuations in his chest... However, he only took a brief look, then promptly signaled to the young men to keep it down, stop gawking, talk less and work more, train harder. They were also Federal soldiers, merely awaiting a commissioning ceremony. The treatment available to Federal soldiers would eventually come to them as well. In order to make that step, they just needed to bring their A-game and put in more effort than others to earn it. After all, space pirates also had rankings and distinctions of their own. They didn't think they were any less than those who had come before; on the contrary, they wanted to become Federal soldiers before those bastards got their commissions.

Once this rhythm was set, it was difficult to put a stop to it. In the indoor training field of the Blaze Corps' second main fleet, loud and clear numbers began to shatter the silence, their voices proud and forceful, even rousing the drunken human powder kegs!

These space pirates were all rounded up by a powder keg, and it indeed brought him prestige to showcase their standout performance. The powder keg, after years as a space pirate, had become adept at rallying people, "Train hard, brothers, and I'll give you an extra meal after a good training session!" Pointing at the group of space pirates, he said with a commanding presence, "Outdo those bastards!" which promptly enraged the leader called Wolf.

That's how people are: fighting for every bit of pride, not even for steamed buns. Before Wolf could respond, the other space pirates had already picked up the pace of their training without further ado.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man, looking something like a boss, strode over to Wolf's side and whispered something in his ear...

Upon hearing this, Wolf immediately challenged the powder keg side to a basketball game, loudly declaring, "Whoever the hell loses will hand over the training field for the next week."

The powder keg instantly withdrew into his shell. Oh, so you're good at basketball and want to play to your strengths, huh? He stayed silent, but his mind was already plotting against his opponents. The bespectacled elder began whispering to the powder keg, "Sir, we have a guy here, Fast Legs Henry, who runs like the wind."

As a result, the powder keg wanted to race, Wolf wanted a fight, the powder keg demanded mecha combat, Wolf insisted on basketball, then the powder keg again wanted to race. Back and forth they haggled until it was all a muddle, leaving John amused as he watched from the side, not interrupting, as the two went back and forth without reaching a conclusion.

"Things are lively here," remarked Feng Yi, walking curiously into the training base with Apophis. Once they inquired, the two blush-faced men recounted the sequence of events to them.

Seeing the Corps Commander had arrived, John also approached. In the end, it was Feng Yi who smoothed things over. Not that you could really say smoothed over—Feng Yi's approach was very straightforward. He proclaimed that if anyone felt their strengths were unmatched, they could challenge him, the Corps Commander.

Everyone knew the Corps Commander's strength was beyond question. Challenge him? Who would be that foolish? The powder keg shook his head and waved his hands vehemently, his cheeks puffing like Garfield...

John couldn't help but laugh, "Since the Corps Commander has said you can challenge him, it must mean everyone has a chance."

"Heh, John gets me," Feng Yi said with a laugh. His next statement instantly set everyone's spirits alight. The challenge he spoke of wasn't any basketball game. It wasn't about physical strength, nor was it a mecha battle, but military stratagem. This challenge involved strategic ability, something all staff had been exposed to, and he had just recently acquainted himself with it too.

So Feng Yi began to explain in a vivid, direct manner, using imagery everyone could understand. For instance, "Our forces are blue, the enemy's are red. Both the blue and red armies have 100 units each. To achieve an encirclement, we must form a pincer move on the electronic map. It doesn't matter whether the pieces are red or blue; if one piece is surrounded by two, it's trapped. Therefore, every move you make is critical and will have a domino effect on everything that follows."

Of course, there was no punishment for a failed challenge, but a victorious soldier would become a hero among their peers. Their victory meant extra rations for everyone. Certainly, commanders also had the right to challenge them, with special rewards guaranteed on success.

This talk got John's heart racing, but he knew it couldn't be that simple. Sure enough, his decision to not jump in immediately was wise. The old fools were thoroughly duped by Feng Yi, and their guts surely turned green with remorse.

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