588 The Smile That Kills

However, even though all the soldiers had fallen asleep, the captains still had to prepare for the unit's next move. Meanwhile, some were at guard posts to make sure that they were safe. This was the Zerg's territory after all, and a moment of loosening up would mean complete annihilation. 

After they had made the camp, they gathered by the campfire and reflected on the battle together. This battle had claimed the lives of five soldiers. 

Each death was a heroic martyrdom that was worth commemorating. As the deceased rested in peace, the living would pick up where they had left off and continue the fight.

The flames danced on the pyre as the solider bodies was finally cleansed of their worldly burdens.

After the ceremony, Wang Tong walked to a supply tent and dragged a Zerg out, throwing it in front of everyone. Xiao Yuyu knew what Wang Tong was getting at; the mere thought made her stomach churn. 

"Ladies, you can excuse yourself. It's us gentlemen's time." Wang Tong cracked a smile and then said. His smile was so casual as if eating Zergs was not a big deal.

"Wang Tong, don't look down on us. All the women here are warriors, just like you." Lie Xuan was triggered. The field medics agreed with her wholeheartedly, but the disgusting smell and the grotesque image had kept them silent.

"Lie Xuan, this is not the time to play the heroine. Women are weaker than men physically by God's design. We don't want you to get sick after eating these pests' meat." Wang Tong said. "Let's give it a try. You will get used to it very quickly."

Wang Tong carved a slice of meat off a Zerg's thigh and then shoved it down his throat, blood and all. "You can eat it raw, but it might taste better once cooked."

The girl's faces paled after witnessed this gruesome scene; some even threw up. 

Tan Bu was the first person to follow Wang Tong's lead. He walked to the Zerg and grabbed another slab of meat, then started to chew on it. He was Wang Tong's most loyal follower, and if the latter thought he could do it, he could even if he couldn't. As the meat slid halfway down his throat, the brave soldier's face turned into a knot. He squeezed his thigh and rounded his eyes, then finally forced the contents down his throat. 

After Tan Bu gathered himself, he managed a smile and then said, "Haha! The taste is not bad. Come on everyone, this is food, not poison." 

Yin Tianzong and Vorenus each grabbed a morsel and put in into their mouths. Their face expression was very much the same as Tan Bu. 

"Yuyu, it's ok! You don't have to watch this." Wang Tong cracked a smile.

Su Yuyu turned around; however gross the meat looked, she didn't mind looking at it. She turned around because she didn't want others to see her tears. She was deeply moved by the warriors' sacrifice and what they had to endure for the sake of everyone on Mars.

Each one of these soldiers had been to hell and back. They would not be so squeamish as to be afraid of a few pieces of Zerg meat. A few minutes later, a strange munching noise rose from a corner of the camp. 

"It's not as bad as you guys made it sound like. " Lun Duo had eaten a few pieces and was still shoveling more down his throat.

"Lun Duo, you are still sick, so be careful about what you eat! Don't force yourself."

"I didn't force myself. This is quite chewy, and has a nice texture to it too." Even Wang Tong was shocked by the genuine enjoyment in Lun Duo's voice. After so many years, Wang Tong still hadn't acquired the taste of Zerg meat yet. 

The other warriors laughed out loud at such a comical development. Regardless of the situation they were in, as long as they stayed together, they could plow through all difficulties. 

…

The northern warden was furious due to the news of Mephisto's defeat. They had to curse the devil, literally! How could a small group of human insurgents be able to defeat four of his cities? Not only had they razed the cities to the ground, but their methods were also beyond the brutality of the Zergs. The situation had escalated much faster than he had thought. By then, Wang Tong's disturbance was no longer just an annoyance; it had started to affect the war. Not only was the loss of four queens a blow to the speed of reinforcing the frontline, but the other city lords had become reluctant in sending more of their forces outside their city wall as well.

The name of the devil spread quickly among the dark ones; rumors had it that the devil was related to the Blade Warrior. 

That being said, Xie Su was content with the current state of war. He had never expected to eliminate the human forces in one go, and had planned for a stalemate. The longer the war lasted, the more advantage the Zergs would have; at least, that was the case until Wang Tong showed up at the home base. The incident had caught the dark lord's attention, and he had given personal orders to the wardens that he wanted the leader of the human unit, Wang Tong.

The Zerg race had been searching for the source of Blade Warrior's power for a long time. They were convinced that as long as they possessed this power, they could be the real overlord of the entire universe. Their first step would be to establish contact with the Zerg main forces somewhere in the boundless universe. However far away they were from the brood, their desire to return to the mother queen remained strong. The cure to their homesickness lied in the power of Wang Tong. It was also the reason that spurred the Zergs to evolve into dark ones and immortals.

After centuries of waiting, the possessor of this power, the heir of the Blade Warrior finally showed up at Moye's doorstep; the dark lord would not pass up this opportunity. 

Xie Su knew the importance of Wang Tong. He knew that if he failed, he would either be killed by Wang Tong during battle or by Moye for his incompetence.

Therefore, he had considered capturing Wang Tong his priority. He had ordered his soldiers to slow down the attack at the front line and all the lords of the city to send out search parties.

…

"Boss, the Zergs are sniffing everywhere for our scent. What should we do?" Battle Wolf was hiding inside a valley. The terrain on Mars was extremely complicated, and the planet was vast in size. Searching for three hundred people was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Looks like our plan has worked! This is the northern warden's territory, and I think he must have slowed down the attack at the front line to focus on us." Xiao Yuyu said with glee. No one was convinced that their plan would have worked, but it did somehow.

Wang Tong rubbed his forehead while pondering over his next move. No one wanted to disturb him, so they talked under their breath quietly. They knew that he was planning to win this war using wits, and not might.

"I think we need to make some more noise! " Wang Tong announced firmly.

"We can't stop right now. The more noise we make, the more pressure we can relieve off of the soldiers at the front line."

"Tell us what to do, boss." Tan Bu asked eagerly.

"We will repeat our strategy again. If you are a dark one, where do you think we will strike next?"

The next city that lined up with Danube, Kazakh, Bore, and Mephisto was the Spider Fort. It was a new stronghold built entirely by the Zergs and occupied by high-level dark ones.

"If we show ourselves around the Spider Fort, and then attack here instead..." Wang Tong pointed at another city neither far nor close to the Spider Fort. "What do you think?" Wang Tong asked earnestly.

Meanwhile, inside Spider Fort, the dark ones were also holding a meeting together, discussing their options.

"Greetings everyone! The Dark Lord has given us his personal order to capture this Wang Tong, dead or alive. Meanwhile, we will work with the immortals." The lord of Spider Fort, Blu said.

"We have received the same order from our Divine lord. He wants us to do whatever we can to assist you in your mission. In my humble opinion, the key to capturing Wang Tong was to understand his moves. We should prevail if we are well prepared." A middle-aged immortal spoke.

"Honorable Divine General, I had heard that you had been an academy principal when you were human. I think we should listen to your opinion about what your former student's plan."

Harmon Candler was the immortals' highest commander on Mars. He was also a divine general, the immortal equivalent of the dark one's blood kin.