At first, the criminal organizations on Icebird Star thought about trying to resist, bluffing and emphatically declaring themselves legitimate businessmen. However, they soon realized that this fiery army, who had come down from the battlefield, was of an entirely different nature from the local police and military forces.

It can be said that the local soldiers, when clashing with them, had many concerns. After all, during times of war, there was no time to deal with these issues. Usually, the border patrols merely went through the motions without causing much real damage; often, the ratio of ammunition fired to actual combat losses didn't even reach 10,000 to 1. In other words, it seemed as if 10,000 bullets were fired, but in reality, only one person was killed, which, even so, was much better than the hundreds of thousands of bullets per person during the Gulf War.

But this regiment was different; they were a fierce and iron-blooded force with strong execution. Initially, those thugs and villains tried to use the fact that they were legally-certified individuals as a shield to threaten the army. Unfortunately, the fiery legion, following the impatient style of their commander Feng Yi, would give one warning, a second severe warning, and as for a third, sorry, there wasn't one. They'd just pull out their guns and open fire without further ado.

In this lawless No Man's Land, were there any good people anyway? The criminals didn't have many choices, to be precise, only three: surrender their mechas, die, or fight then die, because such colossal machines as mechas simply couldn't be hidden.

This kind of unreasonable threat was exactly what the space pirates used to enjoy and excel at, but as soldiers, now there was nothing but cold silence and composure, without further discussion.

Under the threat of loss of life, most people began to fall apart and flee... As the resistance of several major illegal forces completely collapsed, those illegal warriors from civilian sects began to surrender their mechas one after another, raising their hands in surrender, truly without the qualifications to resist.

What they ultimately got was just one sentence, "The fiery legion supports legitimate business operations." At that moment, it seemed as though the civilian mecha sects finally realized who the boss of Icebird Star was. As for other mafia factions and such organizations, those that couldn't make a public appearance were simply dismissed as air.

This troop was not only exceptionally fierce in military discipline, but they also cleaned up and looted with swift efficiency: they would pack, box, load onto the shuttle and then leave without a glance back, looking every bit like experienced space pirates.

The local troops did not intervene, first because they couldn't, and secondly, because the fiery legion did not really do anything to the local civilians; they targeted only the criminal groups outside the jurisdiction of the city.

Of course, Greedy Wolf had not made any statement on this matter. On the contrary, apart from being shocked, he was more concerned about what the fiery legion was aiming for by doing this. Were they waiting for the Federal Army to send troops to arrest and handle the case? It was even more incomprehensible.

The officers of the Military Department were buzzing with discussion about this issue... Now, everywhere people were discussing the affair of Icebird Star, but undoubtedly, the most discussed was the eight out of ten chances that John had rebelled. Otherwise, why would he go to Icebird Star, a place where even birds don't bother to defecate, to loot mechas?

This idea made a lot of sense. Back when Feng Yi was around, the Federal Army would not touch the fiery legion, but now with Feng Yi's fate uncertain, it would only take one word from the higher-ups to call back the fiery legion.

John might have anticipated this point and was unwilling to have the fiery legion he painstakingly managed to be dissolved by a mere word from the Military Department bigwigs. John was the leader of the rebellion in the past, and should he be called back, what would he be then, a commander in title only with no real power? Rather than waiting to be phased out, John instead chose to take the initiative to strike first, to expand and strengthen his forces.

Mechas represent combat power, and military force is an important component to weigh the strength of a unit. The simplest way to enhance overall combat capability is undoubtedly just one—plundering.

There's an ancient Chinese saying that fits perfectly for the fiery legion—between two benefits, choose the greater; between two harms, choose the lesser. Applied to the fiery legion, it couldn't be more appropriate—Icebird Star is a well-known gathering place for civilian sects, filled with a mix of dragons and snakes, endless conflicts, and rampant thugs. However, when weighed against the military, the civilian organizations, lacking collective execution power, are undoubtedly like a piece of meat, a large piece dripping with fat, capable of fully reviving a dying man with a single bite.

Those seemingly disorganized soldiers could actually become a formidable and unpredictable force in battle. Therefore, John chose to strike first. Regardless, the Federal Army would become the main focus of international public opinion due to this incident.

In fact, the upper echelons of the Federation were in agreement with the officers' thinking. Before the Flaming Legion could even leave Icebird, the Right Faction had already issued an ultimatum without further ado. The face of the government couldn't be lost, nor could the Federation's. They had to retrieve the person, no matter what, and for this purpose, the Federation even dispatched a super soldier to assist and support.

This major incident became common knowledge throughout the city in less than half a day, causing great unrest among the people and it couldn't be kept secret from Kexiao. Kexiao even received this unexpectedly surprising intel before any feedback was given.

It must be said that with Feng Yi in the Flaming Legion, no one dared to rebel, but if he wasn't around, it would be a different story. According to the information available, John wasn't exactly what you'd call an honest chap. To sum it up in one sentence: he dared to talk, act, and rebel. Although this man was brave and cunning, he wasn't without ambition. If you have the ability, such a person would wholeheartedly serve you, but if you were to put a worthless drunkard as his superior, well...

Although the enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily my friend, they're most likely to become friends. Does this message imply something for me?

Now, the one who should be crying is the patriarch of the Apophis family. How could he sire such an unfilial progeny? The family had high hopes for him, but instead of building a homestead on Icebird, he became a criminal.

——

Well, for Feng Yi, this was just a cleanup operation. He considered himself a good person, just sweeping up a disorderly mob, thus fundamentally improving the public order of Icebird. From now on, trading would be fair. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Those civilian Mecha schools could still live on Icebird, of course, as long as they registered properly. No more of that crap about being from Jade Clear Sect or Nangong Family every two or three sentences—the Federal people would still treat them with sincerity and a friendly manner.

As for those Mafia factions, they couldn't stir up any significant trouble. His actions were entirely that of a good person. So why does the world still insist on making him an enemy at every turn? What had he done wrong? Feng Yi wanted to say, "Go to hell!" But he liked it; this was also an indispensable part of his plan.

He hoped the war would end soon. Feng Yi sighed with a rare sense of powerlessness, his gaze shifting to Hugo, "Let's get ready to set off."

"Yes, General," Hugo saluted with a standard military gesture.

At this moment, their relationship had changed completely from friends to a hierarchical one. Although Hugo's legs were not yet fully recovered, he was able to control the Mecha as usual.

Actually, controlling a Mecha didn't have stringent requirements on one's footwork, aside from the top-level combat where nuances could be crucial. In top-level battles, those details were vital; a single movement, a balance, the slightest gap could affect your performance. Hugo had not reached that level yet, so there was no need to worry about it so much.

As a member of the Federal Army, Hugo didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong. But if it was for the Federation, for victory, and for the greater good, he was willing to try and give up the beliefs he once upheld, to become the real him!

The moment he stepped back into the Mecha, a long-missed sensation arose spontaneously... He hadn't expected that one day after losing his legs, he would come back, back to the environment he used to love. Everything looked so familiar and dear to him, and unknowingly, Hugo's eyes began to moisten.

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