Chapter 896: The Yang Clan's Reparations

Humanity was more or less a joke with regards to the Void Cup.

The humans participated in the Void Cup year after year and returned home as losers time after time. The sudden upheaval caused by Zhang Lie and Team Zenith, who became champions in the year of their participation, ended the humans' shame.

It was after that point that humans were no longer considered weaklings among the races of the Milky Way. At this point, they were among the hundred strongest races of the galaxy.

Zhang Lie and the members of Team Zenith had brought fame and renown to humans throughout the Milky Way, and their achievements had even been used for instructional manuals for budding hunters.

Team Zenith's victory was a boon to all humans—save for the Yang clan.

When the members of the Yang clan saw Yang Ze's smiling face appear on screen, the elders and clan head's faces all turned green with envy and regret.

Everyone in the Milky Way learned of the Yang clan, who had thrown a talented hunter out of their clan, and who Zhang Lie fostered into a burgeoning genius.

Yang Ze was a rising star, but he wasn't affiliated with the Yang clan. The other great clans of Mars had made fun of the Yang clan head for this incident, and the more Yang Ze's fame grew, the worse the Yang clan's reputation became.

Yang Ze's name had first made waves during the Void Cup, and those waves had only grown larger since.

After the Void Cup was the founding of the kingdom of Limit. Although Zhang Lie's name was far more widely known, Yang Ze was someone that hunters all over the Milky Way would recognize—and whenever someone brought up Yang Ze, people would mention the Yang clan, who had discarded a veritable genius.

The Yang clan head thought that he had grown accustomed to being joked about at his expense, but when Yang Ze once again appeared before him, the Yang clan head felt so bitter a taste in his mouth that he couldn't seem to force any words out.

The hero that stood before them was meant to belong to the Yang clan—and yet his lack of foresight had caused him to sever ties with Yang Ze!

The Yang clan head briefly contemplated dying. If he could turn back time, he would surely kill his past self, who had tried to push Yang Ze away. Yang Ze was a member of the Yang clan; he should have been one from the beginning!

The Yang clan had continued to make attempts to contact Yang Ze, hoping that he would agree to return to the clan, but their offers had been completely ignored. Even now, despite Yang Ze being within sight of the Yang clan head, Yang Ze had refused to look directly at him.

One clan head who hadn't participated in ostracizing Yang Ze didn't know what the other clan heads did. His eyes lit up when he heard about the connection between Yang Ze and the Yang clan. "Clan Head Yang, it's great news that Yang Ze's one of us! Could you ask him about what's going on with the titan-class shuttle?"

Some of the Yang clan members nodded. "Right, Clan Head, would you ask if we can board the shuttle?"

One of the Yang elders also requested, "Clan Head, please see if Yang Ze's willing to send us away from Mars. If nothing else, we're related by blood—he might do us this one favor!"

"Yes, Clan Head! Blood is thicker than water, isn't it? We might have pushed Yang Ze away from the beginning, but he's still coming back to lend us a hand in our time of need! I'm sure he'd be willing us to offer assistance."

The Yang clan head rubbed his lower jaw, wishing to believe that the other members of the clan were right. If not for Yang Ze's familial connection to Mars, why would he have come?

The entire galaxy knew just how inhospitable Mars was at the moment. It was filled to the brim with bugs, and there didn't seem to be any help forthcoming. Even those who were willing to lend aid had to consider whether or not they would survive and be able to return—but while all those on Mars were trying to evacuate, Yang Ze had returned.

What did that imply? It meant that Yang Ze was still thinking of the Yang clan—it meant that he had returned to save them!

The reason he had refused to entertain any communication with the clan had to be because he didn't want to lose face. Now that the Yang clan was in danger, he couldn't sit still and do nothing.

The Yang clan head successfully brainwashed himself into thinking that Yang Ze still cared about the Yang clan. His mood brightened immediately.

He smiled. "Elders, you're absolutely right. Blood is thicker than water, and there's no other reason Yang Ze could have returned here."

"Thank goodness you agree, Clan Head! Please, ask him if he'd be willing to escort us out of here!"

The Yang clan head nodded. "As long as I make amends to him, I'm sure Yang Ze will be willing to return to the Yang clan given our shared blood."

White mist continued pouring through the battlefield as Yang Ze released his genetic energy. By then, the mist had covered up the entire military encampment.

.

The Yang clan head walked forward confidently, bowing and smiling at Yang Ze. "Yang Ze, it must have taken you quite some trouble to return here. If you're willing to return to Mars, does that mean—"

Yang Ze turned toward him and frowned. "Who are you?"

Who are you? Who are you? Who are you??Those three words echoed in the Yang clan head's ears. He found it difficult to keep groveling at Yang Ze, but he steeled himself and continued,

"I know you bear the clan and me ill will because of how I treated you in the past, but I did what I did for the good of the clan! Won't you forgive me on account of the blood that runs through our veins?"

Yang Ze glanced at the Yang clan head coldly. Even if Yang Ze had entertained the notion of returning to the Yang clan, he would have lost any intention of doing so after hearing the Yang clan head's words.

Ostracizing and harming Yang Ze 'for the good of the clan'? That was just an excuse—and he wanted Yang Ze to forgive him and the clan just because they shared the same blood? What kind of reason was that to warrant unconditional forgiveness?

The Yang clan head continued, "We were wrong. I was mistaken, and it's only to be expected that you would hold a grudge against us—but if there's anyone you're going to hate, hate me. I'm the clan head, and I'm willing to bear all responsibility for what you had to go through. The rest of the clan is innocent, however, and it's very dangerous on Mars at the moment. They need to be brought to safety."

Yang Ze ignored the droning Yang clan head. He had his own duties to contend with, and the overwhelming swarm of bugs before him was enough of a headache already. He had neither the time nor the presence of mind to deal with his estranged family, but just because he ignored the members of the Yang clan didn't mean that they would ignore him back.

"Yang Ze, what are you thinking? Don't you see how the clan head's all but begging you? Aren't you going to respond?"

"Don't be so arrogant, will you? We know that you came back to help us out! The clan head's willing to let bygones be bygones. Won't you forgive him?"

The members of the Yang clan, panicking at the thought of having to deal with these bugs for a moment longer, began to berate and harangue Yang Ze in hopes of pressuring him into succumbing.