Chapter 115: The Sorrow of the Weak (Part Three)

“Please, guide me!” Although Old Wick’s tone was harsh and his words—referring to him as cannon fodder—were infuriating, Zor still maintained a respectful demeanor, especially since the other party hadn’t fully explained the situation. A life-saving debt cannot be wiped away with a few bitter words; that is the fundamental principle of human interaction.

But the more principled Zor remained, the more Old Wick seemed reluctant. Just as he was about to speak, Alice, who had been silent beside him the entire time, finally spoke.

“Let me handle this…”

Wick was taken aback and glanced at Alice. She rarely smiled at him since receiving her bloodline injection; her indifferent attitude toward everyone around her made this smile a rare occurrence.

“Alright, then I’ll leave it to you,” Wick nodded in agreement.

What were these two up to? Having a little girl speak on his behalf? Zor frowned slightly but said nothing, maintaining his respectful posture and attentively listening.

“First, I will explain the matter of your base being destroyed…” Alice said expressionlessly. Unlike Old Wick, though she was also from this dimension, she showed no such sense of propriety. Her tone was casually cold. “We bear some responsibility for that incident. Originally, we had the chance to stop it!”

“Wait… this has something to do with you?” Zor’s expression grew serious. If that were true, the nature of the matter was entirely different.

“Do not interrupt me, sir!” Alice fixed her gaze on him, her eyes flashing with a faint purple light. A subtle but overwhelming aura sent a shiver through Zor’s heart. His eyes darkened with gravity and even a hint of reverence.

“I’m sorry… please continue,” Zor instinctively softened.

“At that time, we divided into four groups to enter your four bases. The team sent to the Northern Military District was tasked with investigating the cause of their destruction. The other three groups, including Alice and Wick’s team, were sent to contact your highest-ranking officers, hoping they would agree to our proposal for a missile strike on New Newton,” she paused and glanced at Zor. “You’ve probably heard the rest: the military high command unanimously approved this operation.”

So they were involved after all! Zor was taken aback but confused. If the strike was aimed at New Newton, why was his own base bombarded with missiles?

“But the operation failed!”

Zor’s eyes widened, nearly unable to restrain himself from asking why.

Yet he forced himself to hold back. The look Alice had just given him made his soul tremble. He had never encountered such a commanding gaze before—not even from commanders he had met in the past. It was hard to imagine such an expression coming from a child who appeared no older than a few years. But after so many extraordinary events that day, his capacity for acceptance had expanded.

Seeing that Zor had restrained himself from interrupting, Alice nodded and continued: “The enemy somehow stole the highest-level fingerprint and password authorizations from the Southwestern and Nanyang Military Districts. Meanwhile, your commander, Patterson, was replaced by someone else.”

“What?” Zor couldn’t help but exclaim. Then, facing her cold gaze, he awkwardly smiled. “What you just said is shocking. Who exactly is this enemy? And what do you mean by our commander being replaced?”

“The enemy is the true target of your missile strike on New Newton, and also the mastermind behind this biochemical disaster. Your commander was replaced by a kind of alien organism—think of it as a science fiction extraterrestrial that can disguise itself as a human.”

“You mean…” Zor stammered, “this… this disaster was man-made?”

Alice gave him a cold look. “Anyone with even a shred of intelligence wouldn’t believe this was merely an accident, would they?”

“But…” Zor stood up excitedly. “Why? How many lives were lost? Who is this person? Has he gone mad? What kind of purpose drives him to commit such acts? Even the most ruthless rulers in human history could never do this! And… and what is your involvement in all this?”

Alice met his gaze, and this time Zor did not look away. Though biologically they were worlds apart, he suppressed his innate awe of a higher-level being and faced her squarely.

Alice frowned. Although her own bloodline was not fully activated, Zor’s ability to endure this exchange proved his exceptional qualities and strong will. Ordinary people, even if their family had been killed by her, would not dare to look her in the eye. This was the difference in levels.

“Please answer me!” Zor panted, his face flushed.

“First, we are enemies of this individual. This biochemical disaster was engineered solely by him and has nothing to do with us. Even if we did not exist, he would still create this catastrophe.” She hesitated, then added, “I cannot explain his background to you, and even if I did, you would not understand. It would be meaningless. Whatever his intentions, to you he is your mortal enemy, isn’t that so?”

Zor stared at Alice for a long moment. Looking at her indifferent expression, he took a deep breath and sat down. For some reason, he felt she was not lying; she seemed too disdainful to deceive someone like him.

“You are right. If this is true, then regardless of his motives, he is our implacable foe.” He looked at both of them solemnly. “So… what do you want us to do?”

“We need you to test the enemy’s strength.”

“Test?” Zor’s tone grew colder.

“Yes, just test,” Alice replied in the same cold voice. “Using the fighter jets at that small airbase, drop a group of soldiers to probe.”

“What survival rate do you expect?” Zor asked bluntly.

“There is no survival rate,” Alice said quietly. “Let me be clear: the soldiers dropped will almost certainly not return alive.”

“What’s the point then?”

“To gather effective intelligence for our final battle and increase our chances of victory.”

“You must be joking!” Zor slammed his fist down in anger.

Alice tilted her head, silently conveying through her expression that she was serious.

After a long silence, Zor gradually regained his composure, his face despondent. “If… if we agree to this operation and provide you with the enemy intelligence you request, how confident are you that you can defeat them?”

“I don’t know,” Alice replied coldly.

No guarantee, yet they expected men to die for them? Zor smiled bitterly. “I cannot decide to send soldiers to their deaths. I truly cannot. The only thing I can do is help you gather them. If you can persuade them to risk their lives, then I will allow it.”

“Very well.”

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The next morning, on a plaza of ruins, nearly fifty thousand soldiers stood in perfect formation, a testament to the Eastern Military District’s exceptional discipline. Even in such conditions, their military bearing was commendable.

“Attention, soldiers!” Zor stood atop a ruined high point, holding the loudspeaker Wick and the others had given him, his expression grave. “I have received news that I will now share with you. I have discovered the true culprit who brought this suffering upon us!”

At once, whispers broke out among the strictly disciplined troops. Zor did not silence them but waited quietly.

“Commander!” A soldier in the front row saluted and stepped forward. After a nod from Zor, he asked, “Are you referring to the mastermind behind the missile attack?”

“No!” Zor’s face darkened. “I mean the real villain responsible for the loss of our homes, our families, and the deaths of billions across the Federation!”