Many countries were engaged in combat now. As a result, the official livestream frequently diverted away from Grantz to show what the other countries were up to.
It was Boston’s turn right now.
“Orca can definitely play a pivotal role here, but Boston command is understandably reluctant to send him out until the situation stabilizes. It shows how much they care for him.”
[LOL. They know better than to open that can of worms. With Orca’s popularity and potential, Boston command would be court martialed if anything happened to him. On top of that, they would be making mortal enemies of his entire fanbase.]
[Leave the punishment for any mistakes to their own country’s higher-ups, okay? Besides, this is the resource tournament, and we’re here to simulate an actual battlefield. Don’t try pull that shit here. I don’t want to hear it from people that would rifle through even the bedrooms of superstar contestants if given the chance. Just focus on their performance in the field.]
[I don’t want to weigh in since this argument has been going on long enough, but there are times where popularity can be useful. It’s thanks to all the eyes on him that nothing’s happened to Ressa even though he chose to stay in Kernan.]
The host suddenly cut himself off. “There seems to be an abnormal disturbance near Base 4…potentially insect activity!”
Insects always attracted a lot of attention whenever they joined the fray in past tournaments.
As soon as the official livestream switched over, the screen was overrun by insects and cut to black.
[Fuck! A little warning would have been great! I’m in holographic mode, ah! Ugh, it felt like I was being eaten alive…]
[Who in their right mind would watch the official livestream in holographic mode? Just the sheer amount of perspective switching would be enough to make me dizzy.]
[The disorientation becomes tolerable for those with Level B psychic power, and probably even less for those of higher levels. Isn’t there a major software update coming up soon? I think the requirements will become even more lenient afterwards.]
[Enough about that. The Alliance tends to set a surveillance perimeter a ways out just to monitor insect activity. They captured the footage of the countries stationed on the galactic boundary going out on patrols earlier. Still, I doubt they’re too far out. These insects are probably about to reach the competition grounds.]
The official livestream has already cut to the Base 4 command centre and identified which country it belonged to.
[Grantz again? I knew from the moment their assigned region was revealed that it was no good. All of the outgoing ship routes that passed through there chose to divert this year. It’s probably already been upgraded into a high-risk area. They should leave while they still can.]
[Looks like they’re going to keep fighting until the insects are here.]
[As long as they can retreat quickly, I guess. All the bases in the area are probably done for. At this early in the round, I think they all still belong to Grantz. There goes their ranking for Round 2. Some of the bases of neighboring countries will also be affected.]
[But Grantz doesn’t have any motherships, ah. Weren’t they as slow as snails?]
[Am I the only one wondering how far the insects are from residential areas? The only insect type that’s been show so far is a high-speed variety suited for interplanetary travel. If enough of them flood the area, other varieties will follow. The region over here has a chance of becoming infested, which would make clean up a pain.]
[I doubt it. The Alliance isn’t just some pushover. They have numbers on their side. Besides, with so many troops and superstar contestants around, how could they let the insects gain a foothold?]
The official livestream continued to show footage of insects flooding in.
The host was as enthusiastic as ever. “Grantz is caught between a rock and a hard place with insects closing in as they are under attack from every direction! What will they ultimately choose to do in this situation?”
Base 4 command centre.
“The insects are estimated to land on the planet of this base in 10 minutes. ETA to the planet before ours in 7 minutes.”
Gu Yixiao’s brows were tightly furrowed as he made a sound of acknowledgement. Data flowed at a constant rate across the screen before him.
He spoke after several seconds with a grave expression, “Reinforcements have arrived.”
Everyone in the command centre seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Someone even asked, “How many people? We should send them out to the frontlines. There’s a planet suitable for use as a battlefield out there.”
A communication request popped up on screen.
The others quieted down as Gu Yixiao accepted it.
A rather youthful-sounding voice rang out in the command centre, “Hello, sir. This is Fleet 3 from Base 7. We are currently integrating into your fleet and ready to be dispatched at once.”
Everyone turned to Gu Yixiao. They all knew that Base 7 was full of young people.
Which meant a different assignment was more suitable for them.
“Alright. I will be your commander from now on. Please continue to be ready to receive orders. Be sure to report any problems you run into.”
“Understood. Fleet 3, led by His Highness Xavier, is at your command.”
Gu Yixiao’s furrowed eyebrows eased a bit. “Alright. Please give my regards to His Highness.”
“Of course, sir.”
The communication ended.
The atmosphere in the command centre eased a bit.
“Our defense will be under much less pressure with His Highness Xavier around.”
“It’s just a little embarrassing. His Highness is so much younger than us, but we still have to rely on him.”
“We have to get our act together. How can we let His Highness and the other youngsters fend off the approaching insects for us? My conscience is already nagging me.”
Gu Yixiao raised his head and surveyed the room after issuing orders and coordinates. He raised his voice and said in a stern tone, “Then let us all work harder for Grantz’s sake.”
……
Meanwhile, Ye He received a copy of Gu Yixiao’s plans for the reinforcement fleet according to Grantz customs.
Ye He was still the commander of this fleet even though it had been dispatched, meaning he was responsible for them. Should he have any concerns about Gu Yixiao’s arrangements, he could raise the issue to a higher-up.
There was no need in this case as he agreed with Gu Yixiao’s decision to have Ye Muo and the others defend Base 4. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief before responding he had no objections.
Ye He checked the messages from Base 4 again. Included were reports on the size of the swarm. The latest update came from the scouting fleet 10 minutes ago.
Ye Muo should be able to handle a swarm fo this size based on his current strength.
He could handle a few more even.
With that matter settled, Ye He redirected his attention to managing Base 2. He contemplated the significant amount of progress that had been made after Vera joined the fray. Sure enough, she was more suited to this kind of work.
As expected of the legion renowned for brute strength.
……
Meanwhile, Ye Muo and his fleet travelled past Base 4 and around the enemies to the planet before Base 4.
This was their chosen battlefield for exterminating the insects.
The fleet headed towards its destination.
Lakely was still following Ye Muo around. He refused to relent even when it seemed like Ye Muo would spend the entire round stationed in the rear.
Yet anxiety struck him when Ye Muo actually received an assignment. Lakely paced about before stopping abruptly in his tracks. “Isn’t Xavier still a bit too young to go up against the insects?”
“He doesn’t have a mech either. I know Grantz doesn’t need them, but going up against insects and mecha are completely diffferent things.”
“The commander here is being too lax. This is a superstar contestant we’re talking about!”
[Lakely’s behaving like an old mother hen. I’ve never seen him so fixated on a superstar contestant before.]
[But you have to admit that this is overdoing it a bit, right? Xavier is still young. He should be allowed to grow up.]
Ye Muo, who had been seated until now, stood up.
Someone brought him his sword. Another person took the time to check his equipment and communication devices.
“Please test the sword out, Your Highness. It was just calibrated. There’s still enough time to swap it out if anything is amiss. Please try out the spare ones in storage as well. We will immediately replace your sword should it become damaged in battle.”
Although the swords used by the Grantz are made of materials selected for their durability, damage was inevitable especially in the hands of the Grantz. Swords were considered consumable items that could become more attuned to their user after psychic power was channeled through them for a while.
There was a team dedicated to recording the psychic fluctuations of the Grantz and using specialized instruments to maintain and calibrate their swords.
However, the instruments were not as accurate as real psychic power and could not calibrate the swords to the optimal state.
The team was used to dealing with all kinds of difficult customers (aka Grantz).
There were those like Bert who wore their swords out before they could even be calibrated to the optimal state, meaning it was best to supply him with a steady stream of replacements despite the extra workload. Others like Helene were more willful and refused to swap swords even when they were noticeable worn out just because she didn’t want to go through the trouble of calibrating a new one. A monumental effort was needed to persuade her.
Staff members brought several exquisite boxes over and presented their contents to Ye Muo.
Ye Muo tested each of them with psychic power. “They’re all fine.”
After a pause, he added, “They look very nice as well.”
The young soldier holding one of the boxes immediately beamed.
Ye Muo’s temporary adjutant came over. “We’ve arrived, Your Highness.”
Ye Muo nodded and swiftly departed from the command centre with sword in hand.
Someone was already waiting for Ye Muo by the warship hatch. He was a young man that seemed somewhat familiar.
He smiled at Ye Muo when their eyes met. Ye Muo recalled seeing him before boarding as well.
The young man was already leaning over to open the hatch, allowing the wind to pour in.
Lakely joined Ye Muo and watched them prepare.
“Why did they open the hatch? It’s dangerous.”
Lakely cautiously drew closer.
“The Grantz did jump out of their warship in Round 1, but surely that’s not the case here. The area below is swarming with insects. There’s no way they’re going to engage the insects in close combat armed with nothing but swords.”
Lakely chuckled dryly before he realized Ye Muo and the others were serious. He stared wide-eyed at Ye Muo.
Ye Muo had already walked to the hatch. He held the rim with hand as he crouched down on one knee to survey the ground below for a suitable landing spot.
The others assembled behind him, awaiting his orders. His adjutant stepped forward. “The main ship will follow you, Your Highness. Do be careful out there.”
Ye Muo didn’t even look back as he made a sound of acknowledgement. His wandering gaze locked on to a certain spot.
He was airborne in the blink of an eye.
[Jump, Lakely! It’s not like you’ll die! I need to see my Xavier!]
[He really did it! Lakely and his damned mouth.]
[Jump, Lakely, jump!]
Ye Muo spread out his limbs in midair, strong winds buffeting his hair and cape.]
His eyes were fixated on a point within the swarm.
He was heading for the king insect right off the bat.
He undid his cape to better control his landing. He couldn’t afford to be as casual as Bert and the others just yet.
The cape was blown away by the wind at once.
