The next day, an overwhelming number of reports flooded in.
Some said the Zerg had evolved higher intelligence, tactically flanking the troops alongside the star beasts, which caused this massive casualty.
Others claimed there was a problem with the operational command, failing to evacuate at the most opportune moment...
Federal News broadcasted footage from the mecha of a soldier who had returned from the front lines.
In this video, the soldiers of the military district could be seen initially maintaining their formation while clearing out the star beasts. Those mutated star beasts were even more ferocious, with many thread-like things lingering around them that could neither be shot nor slashed apart.
Soon, dense swarms of Zerg flanked them from all directions!
The vanguard consisted of fist-sized bugs, but they grew larger and larger towards the rear, with some Zerg even matching the size of the star beasts! They continuously tore and bit at the soldiers' mechas...
Because everyone spared no effort in attacking the star beasts at the very beginning... the remaining firepower was simply not enough to deal with the Zerg. We gave it our all...
Tears streamed uncontrollably down the face of the soldier lying on the hospital bed.
The commanders... the commanders charged at the very front and couldn't make it back to the starship in time... They told those of us in the back to evacuate as soon as possible...
Selective internal mecha communications were also broadcasted.
Teammates in the rear, evacuate immediately! I repeat, leave us behind and evacuate immediately!
This was followed by a female voice.
The mecha's firepower output device is blocked by an unknown substance and cannot be repaired in its current state. The rest of you, evacuate while you still have power! We will fight until the very last moment.
Everyone, return to the warship immediately! If we cannot annihilate these star beasts and Zerg, use the large-caliber high-energy particle cannons mounted on the warship and fire at the center! We absolutely cannot let them land!!
Commander!
The soldier choked up, unable to speak any further...
In the video, the soldiers on the periphery rapidly retreated, leaving only a few hundred people in the very center still locked in a fierce battle with the star beasts and Zerg.
If their gun barrels were clogged, they switched guns... When thermal weapons failed, they used cold weapons!
One mecha even had its arm bitten off by a star beast but still did not stop fighting...
Before the warship's large-caliber high-energy particle cannons could fire, several mechas in the center of the battle successively pressed their self-destruct buttons. Brilliant flames engulfed more than half of the nearby star beasts and Zerg... followed by more and brighter flashes of fire...
The wailing and sobbing inside the warship were all magnified... The navigator continuously sent messages to the military district.
When the flames died down, no more star beasts ran out... The few remaining Zerg were also quickly wiped out by the soldiers.
Only scattered mecha fragments remained in the center of the battlefield...
Wang Tianwei exited the news, patted her somewhat numb face, and stared blankly for a while.
She clicked back into Feng Yi's social media feed... The pitch-black profile picture had posted an update, a group photo of him and Bei Liu, with the caption:
I will also fight to the very last moment.
Wang Tianwei went to the bathroom, washed her face with cold water, and then stood there for a long time with her hands covering her face...
Starting from the early hours of August 9th, all pages on the optical computers turned black and white.
The planets of the Federation flew their flags at half-mast, observing three days of silence for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in this battle.
They were posthumously awarded the title of martyrs. The collective funeral was semi-public, with only immediate family members and comrades allowed to attend.
The entrances of the major military districts were piled high with flowers spontaneously offered by the public, and articles written for the heroes could be seen everywhere on the internet...
But time stops for no one. The planets kept spinning, and life had to go on.
I'm heading back first.
Jian Jingyu tagged Wang Tianwei and Huang Yan in the group chat.
Be careful on the road.
See you when school starts.
Yeah.
Before the summer vacation was even over, the three of them became busy with their own affairs again.
As soon as Jian Jingyu returned to the Shuomo Planet, he plunged into intense training. The S-rank individual soldier pushed himself even harder than before, exchanging training plans with Zhang Lyra every day to supervise each other.
Huang Yan visited Taihe less frequently. He spent most of his time cooped up in the physical training room and the simulation cabin, or else reading books and deducing tactics.
He had watched the battle of the Ninth Military District countless times but still couldn't think of a better solution... Sometimes, watching it too much even made him unconsciously want to vomit...
The mecha data in his simulation cabin had been adjusted to the one Wang Tianwei built for him. He needed to adapt to mecha combat faster.
Wang Tianwei had already completed the production of two Super A-rank mechas; logically, the third one should have been a breeze.
However, she still spent a long time repeatedly polishing every detail... It had to be a little better, it had to be stronger!
The three of them didn't communicate in the group chat as frequently as before, but everyone was working hard in their respective directions.
This incident shocked the entire Federation.
Several arguments broke out between Wang Yi and Cheng Yin, all out of their children's sight.
It wasn't that they didn't want to contribute to the Federation, but both their son and daughter were in military academies... Seeing such news, it was hard not to project it onto their own children!
But even if they disagreed now, it was too late... Both children had strong minds of their own, and neither of them backed down after seeing the news!
Tianwei's eyes were swollen for a week before she bounced back with vitality, though she became increasingly busy.
Seeing Kaiyu's training volume, they felt their son was simply not treating himself like a human being...
What more could they say? How could they persuade them otherwise? The stability of the Federation had always been maintained in this exact way...
Before school started, Wang Tianwei finally had time to sit down with her parents and family for a proper meal.
Dad, Mom, we discussed it a bit. Huang Yan and I plan to return to Shuomo Planet two days early... We want to go to the cemetery to pay our respects to the martyrs of the Ninth Military District.
Hearing this, Wang Yi only felt a pang of heartache.
Sigh... go ahead, it's the right thing to do...
Right before leaving, Wang Tianwei specifically went to her parents' bedroom door.
I didn't spend much time with you guys since I came back this time, Dad, Mom...
Wang Yi and Cheng Yin smiled with relief.
Weren't you focusing on your proper duties? How many parents wish for their kids to be this motivated but can't get it?
Don't worry about this. If we miss you, we'll go to Shuomo Planet to find you. It's not far!
If you miss me and your mom, just say the word!
Wang Tianwei pursed her lips and was pulled into her parents' embrace.
Remember, Mom and Dad will always have your back. If anything happens, just tell us...
Mhm.
After a summer vacation, the muscles on Wang Kaiyu's body were even more pronounced. He leaned against the doorframe.
...Waiting for you to come back and compete.
There were various inter-university mecha leagues in the Federation, and the First Military Academy would participate in any that had a bit of reputation! Moreover, the venues were usually set on Tianshu Planet.
Not only could they accumulate experience, but they could also earn credits. With good luck, they might even be scouted and recruited by military districts in advance.
Even though they were all still freshmen, there would always be a time when they would cross paths.
Absolutely. When the time comes, I'll let you witness your sister's prowess!
Alright.
Returning to Shuomo Planet, they still took Huang Yan's family spaceship.
You've fiercely saved me another sum of money.
Remember to treat me to a meal with the money you saved.
Huang Yan's mullet had been trimmed a bit shorter.
Wang Tianwei had also cut her hair before leaving. The black roots had grown out a bit more, making the black and white contrast even more obvious now.
Is Feng Yi doing alright?
Huang Yan let out a long breath.
"I don't know... you can't really tell much from messages. We'll see when we meet."
"Yeah... Lyra boarded the ship last night, so she should get there before us today."
"Jian Jingyu will take her to my place first, and she can just crash at yours tonight."
"Huh? You're actually letting Goldfish go to your place alone again? Did you two catch feelings for each other when you were living together recently?"
Huang Yan took a sip of his drink, glancing at her helplessly.
"He visited once, and suddenly there were three new access permissions on my door... Would it even do any good if I said no?"
"Look at you, it's great that you've finally come to this realization!"
"Just get some sleep for now. Churning out three Super A-class mechas over a single summer break... even the mecha engineers at Taihe wouldn't dare pull a stunt like that."
"Alright, I couldn't sleep last night anyway... Wake me up when we arrive."
