Chapter 149: A Tug-of-War

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: A Tug-of-War

The five of them only managed to come here in their Mechas after a drawn-out argument.

Here’s what happened.

After the five of them woke up and went downstairs to eat, they ran into Yun Yiyou.

Yun Yiyou was also a bit surprised to see them. He frowned slightly and asked, "Why aren’t you on the battlefield?"

The question left all five of them completely dumbfounded.

"We were supposed to be?"

When Yun Yiyou heard they didn’t know, his entire face darkened.

"Didn’t they tell you?" Yun Yiyou pressed.

"They didn’t say a thing. We’re just a bunch of grunts, and we have to go back to the battlefield?" Shi Feng asked, sensing where this was going. He pointed at himself in astonishment.

"Right now, everyone in the First Corps who can go has already gone. Of course, you have to go too," the secretary following behind Yun Yiyou interjected. He wore a pair of glasses and a black uniform, looking handsome and charming.

The five of them, holding free Nutrient Liquids, were momentarily at a loss for words. They knew the situation was serious, but it shouldn’t be up to a bunch of greenhorns like them to go to the front, right?

"The other new recruits went too?" Mo Xuan asked.

The secretary said, "They’re responsible for logistics."

The five of them, who were *in* the logistics department: ...

’We woke up to find our jobs had been stolen!’

"Then we’ll go help too," Feng He said.

"You’re going to the battlefield. Logistics isn’t your turn," the secretary continued.

Now none of the five wanted to say another word. ’Isn’t this blatant discrimination?’

’We’re all new recruits, so why do *we* have to go to the battlefield?’

They were fed one empty promise after another, but nothing of substance ever materialized.

"We’re new recruits too." As the "big sister" of the group, Lin Jingjing knew it was time to fight for their interests. "Why do we have to go to the battlefield while they handle logistics?"

"Isn’t that blatant discrimination?"

At her words, the secretary’s expressionless face twisted with anger. He shouted at Lin Gou, "Insolence!"

"When the King issues a command, your only responsibility is to execute it!"

Having grown up in the Zhonghua Family—a world where everyone was equal—to suddenly be told something like that instantly ignited their rebellious spirit.

Even though they knew Yun Yiyou was the ruler of the entire Empire, hearing his secretary speak like that made them see him as some old, feudal emperor from the past.

"As his soldiers, he should also be looking out for us," Lin Jingjing replied earnestly, unafraid as she fixed her gaze directly on Yun Yiyou.

’Either way, I’m not letting my friends be put in danger again.’

"Your strength is there for all to see. This crisis requires you," the secretary said, his voice ice-cold.

"Then shouldn’t the King be the one to go?" Lin Jingjing asked with a frown. "The King’s power level is over 3S. What’s the point of him staying here, watching his soldiers go to their deaths one by one?"

Lin Jingjing couldn’t understand it. ’He’s so powerful. He could go up there and deal with those mutant beasts and monsters in a few swift moves. That way, everyone would suffer less.’

’But instead, he’s just leisurely waiting here for news of victory from the front, pushing those with low spiritual power out to die.’

’What’s the point of that?’

"He doesn’t even love his own people, yet he expects everyone to lay down their lives for him. He’s delusional." Mo Xuan, who kept up with online trends, had been browsing the Star Network ever since he woke up.

The Star Network was already in total chaos. The front lines were still being live-streamed, and countless people in the comment sections were asking if the Empire’s King would intervene.

Some soldiers were posting updates from the scene to the Star Network with captions like, "Don’t know if I’ll make it out alive, but please pray for me."

Others on the Star Network were tagging the official account over and over, demanding to know if the Empire’s King would step in to help.

But despite so many people asking, the official account remained silent.

"Insolence!" the secretary yelled. "It’s not the place of worthless, low-class soldiers like you to question any of the King’s decisions!"

’Worthless, low-class soldiers...’

The faces of all five darkened. They didn’t care who was standing in front of them; without another word, they turned and walked away.

’After all that hard work, we end up being called ’worthless, low-class soldiers’.’

If the secretary had just called them "low-ranking soldiers," they wouldn’t have reacted so strongly—after all, their positions were indeed low. But adding the word "worthless" was taking it too far.

"These ’worthless soldiers’ are done. Find someone else. We’re applying for discharge right now!" Lin Jingjing said, her face grim.

She had seen things clearly now. This Empire wasn’t like the Zhonghua Family, a place worth protecting. They were skilled and capable; they could make a living doing anything. Why should they stay here and be treated like this?

Yun Yiyou tilted his head slightly to look at his secretary. His eyes narrowed, and an invisible pressure bore down on the man.

The secretary was crushed to the ground, where he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Apologize," Yun Yiyou’s voice was glacial, killing intent flaring in his eyes.

The secretary hadn’t expected the King to suddenly unleash his aura on him. His entire body ached, and a sharp pain lanced through his head.

After hearing Yun Yiyou’s command, he struggled to his feet and said to Lin Jingjing and her group, "I’m sorry."

"Heh. Making heroes bleed and then shed tears." Shi Feng let out a dry laugh. He then gave the two of them a thumbs-up. "You guys are really something." Then he flipped his thumb upside down.

"Just go by yourselves." Even the normally even-tempered Gu Kaiwen couldn’t hold back his anger. ’After everything we went through, with Sister Lin almost dying out there, this is how we’re treated in the end?’

"Disgusting," Feng He muttered with a frown, his eyes filled with contempt for them.

"Let’s go. There’s no point arguing with them. We’ll go back, pack our things, and get out of here." Lin Jingjing had no desire to waste another breath on these people.

"Right."

The group agreed and started to walk away. Seeing this, Yun Yiyou knew they were truly angry.

He glanced at his secretary. ’I know how I’ll deal with him, but I can’t make a move right now.’

"Captain Li is on the battlefield. Are you sure you can leave him to fend for himself?" Yun Yiyou said.

’Captain Li is on the battlefield?’

Hearing this, the five of them stopped in their tracks. Lin Jingjing clenched her fists, forcing her anger down. Finally, she said, "Fine. One last time. After this is over, we’re applying for our discharge."

"We don’t believe a single one of your empty promises."

"Give us five Mechas," Lin Jingjing demanded.

"Done," Yun Yiyou agreed.

"I will keep the promises I made to you," Yun Yiyou added.

"We don’t believe you," Shi Feng said bluntly.

"I always keep my promises," Yun Yiyou said as he produced the Mechas for them from his Space Ring.

The group took them, boarded the Mechas, and headed straight for the desert.

After all the wrangling, it took them some time to finally depart from the base. It was only when they reached the edge of the desert that they began to ask for Captain Li’s location.