Chapter 486.1: Honey Badger Kingdom's Liberation

After ending the call with the New Alliance, Li Ke immediately sent a communication request to the Army. After passing through several layers of approval, he finally reached General Griffin, the Army’s commander in the Sunset Province.

However, when he presented the carefully prepared proposal, Griffin’s reply was far beyond his expectations.

"Dream on." Staring at the face in the holographic projection, Griffin sneered coldly.

Li Ke was stunned for two seconds and tried to persuade him. "You no longer have any chance of victory. If you sit down and negotiate now, you can still retain control over Oasis No.2."

Griffin stared at him for a moment, then curled his lips in mockery. "You think what we want is that patch of land?"

Li Ke pressed his fingers to his temple in frustration.

Negotiating with the Army was proving far more difficult than dealing with the New Alliance.

He believed he had done sufficient research and preparation, but even the offer he laid out failed to spark the other party’s interest.

It only left him with a growing sense of frustration.

"Then what do you want exactly? Surely we can talk about that?"

"What do we want? Hahahaha." Griffin suddenly laughed, as though he had heard a ridiculous joke. After a while, he looked at the man before him and continued scornfully, "You people... All you do it weigh the pros and cons. People like that will never understand."

Before the man on the holographic screen could respond, Griffin casually waved his hand and abruptly ended the call.

"Don’t report any more calls from the Academy," he ordered right after cutting off the communication.

A guard beside him in a bulletproof vest saluted respectfully. "Yes, sir!"

Griffin nodded calmly. "You may go."

The guard turned and left the command tent.

Inside the spacious tent, only Griffin remained.

Sitting in a chair carved from palm wood, he quietly looked toward the curtain, where shadows flickered with the firelight against the silent night sky.

Klaas...

McClennan...

The most zealous died first, followed by the fools.

Even though he disliked their methods, Griffin held deep respect for them.

Unlike traitors who surrendered or cowards who dared not advance, those two had fought to the end for Lord Marshal’s ideals. With their own blood, they paved a path of triumph for Wislanders.

"We once swore to plant the Army’s banner at the highest point of the Great Rift Valley and return to Triumphant City with glory..."

"It’s lonely now."

He reached for a brass flask and poured himself a glass of red wine. The swirling crimson in the glass rekindled a flicker of desire in his cloudy eyes.

"Monstrous and foolish as you were, neither heaven nor hell will accept you... So watch closely from where you stand."

Even if all his plans failed, he still held one final trump card up his sleeves.

He would show those two fools that caution was not cowardice. As someone who had always been loyal to the Marshal, he had never feared death.

As long as his sacrifice held meaning, he would cast aside his body without hesitation.

"... I will fulfill your last wishes..."

Even if he had to give up his life, he would accomplish what he promised.

He poured the wine into the fire pit, watching the embers and ash burst into the air, his face consumed by madness. "Come!"

Evil, ugly, chaotic barbarians... Surely, you’re prepared too.

...

Oasis No.3, in Honey Badger City.

Smoke curled from the towering levees, and the distant dusk fell alongside the fading artillery fire.

Before the ground forces arrived, the Heart of Steel had already bombarded the suburban defenses under the guidance of planes from the Goblin Corps.

The bunkers and trenches that stood in the wheat fields were almost completely buried under the dust stirred up by the shells.

After suffering nearly 1,000 casualties, the conscripted soldiers left to hold the rear could no longer resist their fear of death. One after another, they raised their hands and surrendered, emerging from the trenches.

Honey Badger City, which had stalled the Army for three days, was taken in just two hours by the Death Corps and the Honey Badger Kingdom’s Resistance Army.

Charging into the city, Sideline Slacking raised his rifle and yelled, "Brothers! Take the City Lord’s Manor! All the valuable intel and documents are in there. Don’t let the NPCs grab it first! Remember, don’t kill those who surrender, take them alive if possible!"

The strength type players behind him lit up with a green gleam in their eyes that could frighten children. The surviving locals were too scared to even step outside and welcome their liberators.

"Raaah!"

"Take them down!"

Taking a survivor city of hundreds of thousand in under two hours... MVP is mine!

Elsewhere, staring at the scarred capital within arm’s reach, Yard, Marshal of the Resistance Army, felt his eyes moisten as waves of emotion surged in his chest.

He dismounted and knelt on the ground, drawing the sword from his waist and planting it into the dirt like a tombstone. Pressing his palm to the blade, he prayed devoutly. "Father... Mother... I have returned."

The guards at his side also dismounted and knelt on one knee.

The next second, a messenger ran over.

Seeing Marshal Yard kneeling, he quickly dropped to both knees and reported, "Sir! While retaking the Levee, we captured several Falcon Kingdom lackeys... They were rigging explosives on it, the gift granted to us by the Spirit of the Desert. What should we do with them?"

Yard slowly stood up, pulled the sword from the ground, and handed it to the messenger. "Use this sword to chop off their heads and lay them below it."

The messenger’s eyes gleamed with hatred. He received the sword with both hands and accepted the order. "Yes, sir!"

The New Alliance did not kill prisoners, but those of the kingdoms weren’t bound by so many rules. For traitors who betrayed faith and soul, the desert people had their own ways to punish them.

After giving his orders, Yard mounted his horse again and led his guard unit into the city.

The fighting inside had already ended.

The governor appointed by the Falcon Kingdom’s royal family had long since fled. Only one accounting servant failed to escape and was captured alive by New Alliance troops.

The City Lord’s Manor was now under the control of the Death Corps. While Yard’s Resistance Army had reclaimed their castle and palace.

The soldiers who climbed the Levee tore down the Army’s banner and replaced it with the Honey Badger Kingdom’s royal flag, rewoven from Devil’s Silk.

As they watched the flag fluttering in the skies, residents poured into the streets to welcome the incoming troops.

Seeing the ragged clothes and sunken cheeks of the people on both sides of the road, Yard felt a pang of pain in his chest.

Famine on the blessed land of the Spirit of the Desert was nothing short of blasphemy.

He turned to his guard captain and ordered, "Open the granary and distribute the food to the people."

The captain’s expression stiffened and he replied softly, "The granary is under New Alliance control."

Yard was silent for a moment before mumbling softly, "Take me there."

"Yes, sir!"

The granary was not far from the City Lord’s Manor and had been seized by New Alliance forces at the same time.

Yard noticed the soldiers here weren’t from the Death Corps. Their uniforms and insignia indicated they belonged to the First Corps of the New Alliance.

"Who’s in charge here?" he called out, looking at the soldiers at the entrance.

To his surprise, the one who stepped out from behind the courtyard wall was not an officer, but a plainly dressed woman in jeans and a T-shirt.

"It’s me." Standing at the gate, Teresa looked nervously at the man on horseback.

Just as she expected, the moment her face appeared, Yard narrowed his eyes. The guards beside him gripped their guns tightly, eyes flashing with unmistakable hatred.

Several New Alliance soldiers stepped forward to stand beside Teresa.

They weren’t interested in the grievances of the desert dwellers. Their orders were to protect her, and no one would harm her under their watch.

"What are you doing here?" Yard asked coldly, signaling the cavalry behind him to lower their weapons.

Teresa took a deep breath and answered truthfully, "I’m the representative sent by the New Alliance’s Refugee Department. They’ve entrusted me with distributing the confiscated food to help the residents of this city, "

She didn’t get to finish before the guards behind Yard erupted in anger. "That food was plundered from our land!"

"The citizens of the Honey Badger Kingdom don’t need help from the Army’s lackeys!"

"Spit it out!"

"You see?" Yard gestured backward, narrowing his eyes at the woman. "The warriors of Honey Badger Kingdom don’t need your help. Hand us the keys to the granary, we’ll feed the starving."

"As for you, go wherever you want. Just stay out of our way."

He had no desire to trouble an unarmed woman. But that didn’t mean he would treat her kindly.

Sweat trickled down Teresa’s pale cheek. Though panic flickered in her eyes, she didn’t retreat. She stared at the man on horseback. "How do you plan to feed the starving?"