Chapter 130: I Will Never Be a Deserter

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: I Will Never Be a Deserter

Based on their initial expectations, given the Rebel Army’s usual tactics, they should have sent the Fierce Beast Army in first as the vanguard, waiting until Liang He’s forces were nearly depleted before sending in their human troops. To their surprise, the hotel building was the first to be bombarded.

Fortunately, to prevent unexpected beast stampedes from harming the guests, the hotel was built with highly reinforced structures. It didn’t suffer any substantial damage.

"Listen up, people inside! Hand over Liang He! Otherwise, I will bombard the hotel every ten minutes!"

Following the voice, Liang He’s gaze was drawn to the warship hovering in the sky. This was the first time she had seen a warship with her own eyes.

"Liang He, don’t just stand there! Hurry up and bring Cyril inside!" Hoder grabbed Liang He and called out to the Platinum Giant Lion. He only breathed a sigh of relief once they were safely inside the hotel.

"Is that thing very powerful?" Liang He poked Hoder’s shoulder, asking curiously.

Hoder, who usually looked unreliable, wore a grave expression. He realized that things had gone somewhat beyond their expectations. "The warship uses an Energy Cannon, and it packs a serious punch. No matter how sturdy the hotel is, it won’t survive eight or ten consecutive strikes."

It seemed the Rebel Army had realized that facing them directly would put them at a disadvantage. Instead, they planned to hold everyone in the hotel hostage, using public pressure to emotionally blackmail Liang He.

"Tsk, since when did they grow a brain?" Hoder curled his lips in frustration, feeling that they had been put in a passive position.

After the Rebel Army demanded Liang He in exchange, the people inside the hotel finally understood the purpose of the attack.

"Damn the Rebel Army! To think they’re trying to use us to threaten Liang He!"

The experts and professors, well aware of Liang He’s importance, gathered around President Lucas once again, condemning the Rebel Army with righteous indignation.

"We must never put Liang He in danger! For years, she has been the only hope for Evolutionary Beastmen!"

"Exactly! At worst, we’ll just fight these bastards to the death! Are we supposed to be afraid of them with so many of us here?!"

"Alright, quiet down. The most pressing matter right now is to contact the Federation and have them send rescue teams." As their backbone, President Lucas’s words were effective. Everyone quickly calmed down and began methodically contacting their superiors.

Greenfield Star did have a Federation Army garrison, but because most of the planet was animal territory, the troops were only stationed around the hotel. Their numbers were small, and all of them had already been mobilized to fight against the Rebel Army’s warship.

"Hoder, I have a question. Logically, Greenfield Star should be the best source to supply their Fierce Beast Army. Why don’t they just conquer this place directly?" Compared to smuggling animals out every time, wouldn’t occupying Greenfield Star be much more convenient? They could easily create a Fierce Beast Army tens of thousands strong.

"That question... I really have no answer for." Hoder was momentarily stumped by Liang He’s unpredictable train of thought.

One could argue that the Rebel Army gave up on establishing a stronghold here because infiltrating Greenfield Star required staying at the hotel and registering with their real names, making it impossible to blend in. However, following Liang He’s blunt and straightforward logic, they could just conquer Greenfield Star outright and make it their own territory. Wouldn’t that solve everything once and for all?

"The reason the Rebel Army only sets up strongholds on various planets instead of forcibly occupying an entire planet is probably that they’re afraid of the Federation laying siege to their headquarters," Hoder reasoned. It was like the old saying about putting all your eggs in one basket—it made it too easy to lose everything at once. The leader of the Rebel Army couldn’t possibly be that stupid.

"Besides, once they illegally land on Greenfield Star and are detected, they would be immediately bombarded without any questions asked."

After all, what kind of decent person would ignore the proper channels and take the risk of violating Federation laws? And every guest heading to Greenfield Star had their identity repeatedly verified from the moment they stepped off the Starship until the day they left. This gave the Rebel Army absolutely no chance to slip in. Unless they used fake IDs, but even then, it would only be isolated cases. A large-scale infiltration would easily arouse suspicion.

"Then why haven’t they been bombarded?" Liang He cast a faint sidelong glance at Hoder, feeling like he was just feeding her excuses.

Left speechless, Hoder didn’t know how to explain. They had anticipated that the Rebel Army would make a move, but they never expected the enemy to attack with a warship. Typically, the Rebel Army was only willing to deploy warships when initiating a full-scale war. It only went to show that Liang He’s weight in their eyes was growing heavier and heavier.

"Now isn’t the time to dwell on that. The Rebel Army is using other people’s lives to threaten you. They clearly want to put you at a disadvantage." Hoder was only good at fighting; he really didn’t know how to handle such despicable underhanded tactics.

"Yeah. If I refuse to show myself, even if there are no casualties, everyone’s psychological defenses will eventually collapse after repeated bombardments." This kind of psychological warfare genuinely took Liang He by surprise. It didn’t seem like the Rebel Army’s usual style. Could they have an expert advising them behind the scenes?

"No, you need to go around to the back of the hotel immediately and leave on a private jet. It’s too dangerous to stay." Once Liang He left safely, they could inform the Rebel Army. Perhaps the rebels would give up then. In short, Liang He absolutely could not be put in danger. This was Hoder’s duty as her bodyguard.

"If I leave, there’s no guarantee the Rebel Army won’t fly into a rage and take it out on all of you." Liang He rejected Hoder’s proposal without a second thought. "Besides, I will never be a deserter."

Since the Rebel Army was hellbent on making things difficult for her, there was no need for her to hide anymore. She might as well fight them head-on and show them what she was capable of.

"But..." Hoder tried to persuade Liang He again, but she cut him off. Her gaze was locked on the warship, her thoughts a mystery.

"The hotel should have an underground bunker serving as a safe house. Have them evacuate everyone into it first."

Whenever she arrived in an unfamiliar place, Liang He would observe her surroundings discreetly. She always managed to figure out the escape routes and even the hidden spaces. Hearing this, Hoder was a bit surprised. How did Liang He know this so clearly when even he wasn’t sure?

"Alright, I’ll contact the hotel manager right away."

Just as Hoder was arranging for everyone to be escorted to the underground safe house, the ten-minute time limit set by the Rebel Army expired. As promised, the Energy Cannon fired.

BOOM!

ROAR!

The blinding light made Liang He squint uncomfortably. Beside her, the Platinum Giant Lion was already brimming with fighting intent, roaring endlessly at the warship outside.

She turned around, intending to ask Hoder how long the evacuation would take, but inadvertently caught a glimpse of a mysterious black silhouette in the corner. Before she could process it, the figure vanished without a trace.

"What are you spacing out for? Is there a problem somewhere?" Seeing Liang He staring intently at a certain spot, Hoder followed her gaze but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

"It’s nothing." She would cross that bridge when she came to it; Liang He couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it. "Hoder, the evacuation still needs time. There’s no guarantee the Rebel Army won’t go back on their word. I’ve decided to take the initiative and strike first."

"Take the initiative? Are you thinking of—"