642 Old Friends

Wang Tong heaved a sigh. Xiao Yuyu and Ye Zi were different from Heidi, since they had been through so many things together that the thought of leaving them filled him with sorrow. He would be lying if he said that he didn't have any feelings for those two medics. However, neither of them had ever taken the initiative to tell him how they felt for him. If the Martian girls couldn't bring themselves to do that, it was even less likely for Wang Tong. 

"You like them." Brenda caught the flash of pain in Wang Tong's eyes, her voice laced with jealousy which even caught herself by surprise. She had just met Wang Tong, so her feeling toward him was nothing more than infatuation. The thought of how little she knew about Wang Tong was a wake-up call for her. She regretted not meeting him before Xiao Yuyu and Ye Zi.

"Well, I'm sure it will sort out in the end. I have heard you are working at the command center, eh?" Wang Tong diverted the topic.

Brenda was offended by Wang Tong's question as she shot him an accusatory glance and then said, "Why? Don't you think I deserve the position? I am graduated from an A-Class academy on Mars. I am not a hero like you, but I do my part in this war. "

"Ok, ok... I was just asking." Wang Tong knew better to not argue with a girl. 

"Whatever. You were talking to my dad about harnessing the power in nature…What was that all about?" Brenda had a sharp mind, and she knew that she should learn as much as she could from Wang Tong while he was still on Mars.

"It's about creation." Wang Tong answered readily.

Brenda pressed her lips on Wang Tong's cheek and said, "This is for all the girls on Mars."

Wang Tong was taken aback by the sudden change of topic. The smell of the lipstick made her take a deep breath unconsciously.

"That's my first kiss." Before she finished her words, she flitted away like a little bird. Wang Tong rubbed his cheek where he was kissed and smiled wryly.

…

Meanwhile, a group of warriors arrived at the command center and demanded to see Wang Tong. They were Wang Tong's comrades from City of Maersa, including Aamir and Marcos. 

As soon as Wang Tong saw them, the warriors embraced each other emotionally. It was hard to believe that just a year ago, these two men were Wang Tong's rivals.

"Haha, you did it! We knew you could!"

"Hehe…How are things at Maersa?"

"Things are looking up. But, it is Maersa no more. It's called Wusunaer now. It's a Martian word for "Place of the War god." Marcos announced.

Wang Tong smiled slyly and then remarked, "What a pretty name."

"We changed the name to attract more young people, and it worked. Wusunaer has become the number one destination for the War god's followers to live and work." Aamir said and gave Wang Tong a wistful smile. He missed those days when he worked with Wang Tong and Battle Wolf. He felt lucky to have made the right decision of supporting the other, and wondered where he would have been if he had chosen the other route. Hell, maybe?

"How is Wang Tung's research?"

"Dr. Frankenstein had made the city his home. He built a research team that is the best on Mars. He has a message for you too, saying he would soon make a breakthrough in the application of the technology in space travel, and when that happens, he would be able to bring you a brand new state-of-the-art fleet." Marcos said. Wusunaer had become one of the most important cities on Mars. It not only hosted the most advanced scientific research team, but was also the home place of Wang Tong. 

Although there were a lot of cities waiting to be rebuilt, the life in the human territory had mostly returned to normal. In addition, the humans on Mars had never been so united in solidarity before. 

"When are you leaving Wang Tong? I hope you will come back and visit us once you are done your business on the Earth." Marcos said.

"Yeah, the city of Wusunaer always welcomes you," Aamir added. 

Wang Tong nodded "I will be back." He had many good memories here on Mars, so he would definitely come back and visit the beautiful planet once his mission was over. 

Aamir and Marcos didn't come alone, as they had also brought over twenty thousand soldiers to join the Martian united front's ranks. They had recruited these men from major cities as well as other factions that hadn't fully committed to the war for the concern of their own safety. With the dark lord's death, the threat was gone. So, more and more cities sent out their defense forces to join Zambrotta and House Lie in the fight against the Zergs. 

After meeting with Aamir and Marcos, Wang Tong returned to his dorm, noticing that Mr. Wannabe had disappeared. 

As Wang Tong reflected on Mr. Wannabe's achievement, he marveled at the old pirate king's astute methods. Once he had donned the mask of the War God, he had quickly transformed his disguise into a soft power to motivate the soldiers around him. It only took him weeks to form the Order of the War God's Knight. The Knights of the order were well known, not only for their fearlessness and mettle during battles, but also their incredible ability to use double GN force. 

Wang Tong really wished that he could take the direwolves with him, since these beastly companions were extremely useful during small-scale skirmishes. However, that would mean that the two hundred riders would have to follow him to the earth as well. Plus, in order to fit that many people, they would have to board a mid-size transport ship that lacked stealth capabilities, increasing the risk of being intercepted by the Zergs. In the end, Wang Tong decided to give up that idea and face the new difficulties with new weapons. 

The envoy from the Confederation space force had finally arrived. 

When the representatives met Wang Tong, they smiled at each other like old friends. 

It had been five years, and even Karl looked a lot different. He was trying to hold back his tears but failed. Apache cast him a glance and smiled wryly. Samantha had ordered him to stay on the ship, but he had broken the order and sneaked onto Apache's ship.

Apache's face had one addition scar, but other than that, he looked pretty much the same as five years ago.

"Wang Tong, tell us everything…We are very curious!" Apache asked. 

"Yes, boss! Things are looking pretty good here, but on Earth..." Karl said with a big frown. Wang Tong's lips curved into a thin smile. "I have been trying to break the bottleneck in my cultivation. Otherwise, I wouldn't stand a chance before Patroclus. I have been late…I am sorry."

"I have seen your fight against Moye…It was amazing!" Karl's fist pumped the air as he shouted at the top of his lungs. 

"Moye is nothing. Wait until you see the battle between Patroclus and me. By the way, are you still this childish?"

"Haha…Don't worry! Karl only acts like this when he is not in a battle. Once in a space fleet battle, he is calmer than a cat." Apache remarked. 

"You don't say! I have quite a reputation on my ship, especially among the girls." Karl said readily.

"Apache, are you sure? Look at him! I bet he is still a virgin." Wang Tong jested. 

Karl blushed and waved his arms. "No, no, Apache, don't answer him!"

Apache ignored him and replied: "I have heard he is seeing someone from the third fleet. But, I don't know if they are actually dating. Karl usually makes things sound more serious than they really are." 

"Awe…I hate you Apache! By the way. I am not a virgin since a long time. "

"How long?"

"Since last month!"

The room was quickly filled with snickers and laughter. At first, Karl was taken aback by people's reactions, but then he started laughing with the others. 

"Jokes aside, what is your plan, Wang Tong? The situation on the Earth is...beyond bad."

"We need to act fast, but first things first, we need an able fleet."

"I agree! Our ships are so run down we can barely sustain one more attack." Karl complained.

"We don't lack talented officers, thanks to Samantha, but we don't have enough battleships to counter the Zergs' presence. Hopefully, things will start change after the Mars is finally liberated." Apache said.

"That will only be a matter of time. House Lie and the Sect had been preparing for the final attack for a while now. However, I fear that the Immortals would not just sit around and let humans reclaim Mars."

"Patroclus is not the actual ruler of Zergs. It is their mother supreme. With Moye's death, she might feel threatened by Patroclus, since she no longer has Moye to keep him in check. I wonder if the queen would allow Patroclus to extend his reach to Mars."

"We can't count on their squabbles. I think out priority should be strengthening our own fleet using the disorganized Zerg fleet around Mars."

"Using them as practice target?"

"That's the plan. However, we need to be vigilant against Patroclus' actions. We can't afford to fight at both fronts."

Wang Tong was not entirely sure what the Zergs' next move would be. However, he reckoned that his first task should be rebuilding a capable fleet so that he could return to Earth safely. 

"I will introduce my companions to you tomorrow, and we better start plotting our routes now. "

Apache didn't reply, dragging out the silence. Karl finally broke the spell and urged Apache, "Come on! Spit it out!"

Wang Tong furrowed his brows and asked curiously, "What is it?"

"Well, it's complicated. Although Samantha is the official admiral, the captains had divided into three factions. Don't be surprised to hear unwelcoming voices when you get there."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Our faction is the biggest one out of the three, and we control the same amount of ships as the other two combined. The leader of one faction is called Xiao Se, and he used to work for the chief councilor. The other faction belongs to house House Li, and their leader is a house member named Li Hong. Those two factions used to be rivals, but they are now partners because neither of them like the way Samantha handles things." Apache said. 

Although Wang Tong was a powerful warrior, to those faction leaders, he was a soldier, and not a leader. Therefore, they would not willingly hand over their ships to him.

Wang Tong smiled broadly and was scarcely concerned by the warning. "Thanks for the heads up! I am sure we'll figure it out." 

"I told you, boss wouldn't mind these trivial matters. Haven't you seen how cocky Lie Jian used to be? Now, even he has to work for the boss! Don't worry Apache, Boss will teach them some lessons. "