861 Going Back Home

With that loud bang, a corpse wearing shiny golden armor appeared in front of everyone's eyes. The remnants of the crystal-clear tentacles radiated with a kind of faint power that would remain on the corpse even after death. All these pointed to the corpse's identity.

A Mizobudapi Sword Saint!

His left arm was gone, and more than half of his right foot was missing. Additionally, his head was also separated from his body. Judging from these as well as the remaining energy left on his body, there was no doubt that he had experienced a fierce battle before his death.

From the day the Holy Battle started till now, how many Sword Saints did the Holy City Army manage to kill? — There were only three. — And they were all killed by several Great Teachers having to join forces on the battlefield during the landing battle. Their bodies had long been collected by the Holy City Army, and this one was definitely not one of them. After the landing battle — even though there were several times when there were traces of Mizobudapi people who were at the Sword Saint level and several exploration teams joined forces to pursue and kill them — they were all unsuccessful. Instead, they had suffered heavy losses. After all, it was home ground for the Mizobudapi people, and they had more knowledge of the terrain than humans. If the Holy Land wanted to kill people at the level of Sword Saint, it was almost impossible to depend on the middle-class soldiers to do so successfully.

Everyone was stunned. The members of the Wanderlust Team also seemed to have experienced a psychological roller coaster as their worry turned into excitement.

Even Sophia appeared slightly stunned, and she sized Wang Zhong up.

Wang Zhong turned to face Sophia, appearing fully at ease, and began to speak with a deep and strong voice, "Your Excellency, while I have been slogging my guts out for the Holy City on the battlefield, my teammates were being attacked by a villain!"

As he spoke, he pointed to Hale, who had already become a pile of minced meat on the ground. "This guy was a shameless lecher and had the audacity to kill my good friend. God forbid if I don't kill him! I needed justice to be served!"

The bar immediately quieted down once again. Originally, it was a case of pure murder, but within a few words, the tides had turned. Who dared to say that this killing was uncalled for?

According to the law, Hale was the one who committed a murder first, and the Wanderlust Team merely took revenge. According to the hidden rules, compared to an expert who was able to kill a Sword Saint, how important could Hale or the Oceanic Beasts be?

Plonk!

Griffin's legs turned to jelly, and he fell to the ground. It was not just him. Several members of the Oceanic Beasts who were behind him were instantly reduced to silence and grew as pale as a sheet.

The truth seemed to have come out.

"Take the Oceanic Beasts' members away. Those who are not present here, arrest them on sight. Find out who else was involved in Mario's murder and send them to the tribunal." Sophia waved her hands before looking at Wang Zhong again. "As for you… Don't leave the base, or you will be considered a defector."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Cyrille respectfully carried out her orders.

Scarlet wanted very much to stay, but Sophia clearly had a lot of work to do, so Scarlet had to stay by her side. However, all the worry she had been feeling for the past few days had vanished. Before she left, she happily winked at Wang Zhong.

It wasn't until Great Teacher Sofia left that the bar resumed its normal operations. However, at this time, the way everyone looked at Wang Zhong and the Wanderlust Team was completely different. There was admiration, but fear as well.

Having killed a Sword Saint — no matter how he did it — was definitely enough to make everyone present look up to him. It was only now that everyone realized Hale's death was not because he was unlucky; it was not that he did not have time to react. Before Wang Zhong made a move, he actually asked for Hale. Of course, it also wasn't because Hale was really weak. It was because his opponent was a freak… One could only shudder when they thought about it!

In the Holy Land, only with strength, could respect be earned.

Wang Zhong lifted Sharmie, who had already passed out, from the ground as he continued to exude a murderous aura. If he had achieved his victory faster, Mario might still be alive. Everyone automatically made way for him to pass. There was no doubt that the name Wang Zhong would be redefined, starting from today. The Wanderlust Team would no longer be treated like crap ever again.

Oscar and the others hung their heads in shame. Why did people look down on them? Was it just because they were weak? No, it was because they were too chicken!

Napier clenched his fists. He always felt that he made the right choice to come here because Wang Zhong would never give up on his comrades. Even if he died, he truly believed that Wang Zhong would avenge him!

A slight smile remained on Grai's face. He had never doubted Wang Zhong, and he would always stand by him. He had an inexplicable trust in Wang Zhong.

Grai and Napier followed behind Wang Zhong, and they knew that things were about to change in the Holy Land.

The efficiency of the law enforcement team was amazing. On the same day, they had already begun to find out more and collect evidence regarding Hale's crimes. This matter went on rather smoothly as several Oceanic Beasts members who were arrested had chosen to rat out the seven people who were involved in the incident in order to protect themselves. These people were already rather clear of the fact that the seven people would definitely get found out since the higher-ups had already decided to open an investigation. Rather than covering for those people and ending up with a law-obstruction charge, it was better to save their own skin.

Soon enough, the seven perpetrators were brought to justice. Based on the testimony collected by the law-enforcement team from the other teams in the Exploration Team Department, they were charged with the crime of deliberately killing their fellow comrade. All of them, including Griffin, were sentenced to capital punishment and executed immediately. When they were arrested, everyone in the Exploration Team Department already expected this to happen; the only thing that had yet to be confirmed was Wang Zhong's punishment.

Although there was a reason for his actions — which was to avenge his companion — in fact, he could have chosen many other ways to avenge his friend, but he chose to commit murder directly in the military camp. This was not something that could be easily forgiven as it was considered breaking military law. His action could even be described as showing contempt for the military laws, affecting morale, and causing trouble for headquarters.

This matter could end in many ways. Under normal circumstances, one would be sentenced to 10-20 years of confinement labor, but considering that Wang Zhong had accomplished a great deed in killing a Sword Saint and that he was extremely powerful, the higher-ups would probably not act in accordance with the regulations. Furthermore, the next day after Wang Zhong returned, it was confirmed that Black Boulder Energy Mine was indeed blown up; the entire mountain had collapsed, and the Mizobudapi had been wiped out. This further corroborated Wang Zhong's words. He truly deserved the credit, especially when he did all these by himself.

Now, it was all up to the higher-ups to arrive at a verdict. To put it bluntly, it still depended on whether there was any big shot who wanted to protect him. If they went by the book, Wang Zhong would not be pardoned, no matter how great his achievements were.

It was likely that the rewards of the mission would be issued as usual, or even doubled. However, he also had to be punished for his murder on base. At best, he would be issued a mission that he probably would not survive instead of going to prison.

The Wanderlust Team had been worrying over Wang Zhong's punishment for the past few days, but before they could receive news of it, someone had decided to leave their team. In an open area near the base, Wang Zhong was observing Sharmie. After Hale's death, she seemed to have entered a different state. She seemed to have grown more relaxed, but she was no longer the same as before.

Sharmie was also staring back at Wang Zhong. This person seemed as irresistible as he was in the CHF and ever so reliable.

"Wang Zhong, did you know that in the beginning, the person I liked was actually you," said Sharmie, slowly. Wang Zhong did not respond because he knew that Sharmie only needed a listening ear. "But I knew that you didn't like me. You also didn't like Laura or even Scarlet."

Under the moonlight, Sharmie looked a lot more energetic as compared to the previous few days, exuding a kind of calmness that was definitely unlike her former personality. She seemed very peaceful, and beautiful as well.

"Choosing Mario was just me acting on impulse. I was always impulsive about everything. I thought I would continue like this my whole life. It was only until that day that I knew how important he was to me. Why do people always learn to treasure things after they lose it?" Sharmie released a long sigh. She had kept these words in her heart for far too long, but unfortunately, the person who needed to hear this the most was already gone, and she would never get another chance to tell him.

"Now that he's gone, there's no point in me staying here." She smiled slightly and said, "I want to go back home and live a normal life."

The path of cultivation was too cruel, and not everyone was suitable for it. This actually had nothing to do with talent. Sharmie understood this now, but unfortunately, the cost of doing so was too great. In fact, she was reminded of Barran. Wasn't it wise to retreat before the impossible? Compromise was actually a good way to avoid bad things from happening.

"Thank you for avenging me and Mario." Sharmier turned to look at him with a smile on her face. "Treasure Scarlet while you can. It's not easy to have someone who loves you in this world. Don't be like me. Don't regret it only when it's too late."

Looking at Sharmie's encouraging eyes and hearing her sincere wishes, Wang Zhong's feelings were stirred. The happenings of the past began to flash in his mind, and he recalled the Black Rose Society he was once a member of back in the Federation. When he was still a nobody, that beautiful and trusting smile was already there for him… It seemed like a lifetime ago!

The moon in the Mizobudapi World had the appearance of a huge white disc, and it shone brightly in the sky, lighting up the entire world.

The base had completed the docking project with the Holy City's teleportation team more than ten days ago, and it was very convenient to travel between the worlds now. Sharmie left early in the morning without telling the other members of the Wanderlust Team. She didn't want to cause unhappiness to everyone, seeing that their moods had finally turned for the better. She just asked Wang Zhong to convey her thanks and apologies to everyone.

When Wang Zhong informed them about Sharmie's decision, everyone in the team sighed. Sadness was inevitable.

Although Sharmie and Mario weren't as strong as the rest, they had a strong bond with everyone in the team. Usually, in the Queen's bar, she often called herself Sister Sharmie, and whenever there were any group entertainment activities, Sharmie was definitely the first to be up for them. She was a perfect match with Small Eyes, and they were very close to each other. As such, Small Eyes cried over her departure and used Asher as a punching bag to vent her frustrations.