Chapter 118: As Long as We Can Crush Their Bones and Scatter Their Ashes
“No problem, leave it to me.” Facing Battalion Leader Martins’ request, Gu Hang patted his chest and promised.
“In Revival City… no, even further away if necessary. Anywhere across Fury Owl Planet, if you have your eye on someone, just let me know, and I’ll see they’re delivered to you.”
Two hundred young men were all it would take; Gu Hang made things convenient.
This was the price he would consider as payment for the Phoenix Battalion fighting for him.
According to the battalion’s tradition, they would rigorously train these two hundred young men, and after some time, select the most outstanding one under nineteen for the gene-seed implantation surgery.
The rest would remain in the training camp; those who surpassed nineteen and were not selected would not be released but would instead be transferred to auxiliary roles within the battalion.
Different battalions had various titles and treatments for such individuals, and by Phoenix’s tradition, they would be called “Down Feathers” and accompany the Star Warriors into battle.
The techniques for maintaining power armor, explosive guns, and chainsaw swords, as well as the tactical battle skills acquired in the camp, would not be wasted.
However, a melancholic expression lingered on Martins’ face.
This matter weighed heavily on his heart.
If the gene-seed implantation succeeded, that would be a good thing.
The battalion would gain new blood, and after five years, this new blood would produce another gene-seed, another new recruit; and if successful again, another one after five years…
But if it failed… only six veteran Phoenix seeds would remain in the entire universe.
Martins couldn’t afford to take this lightly.
He told Gu Hang, “I hope all goes well; the battalion… can’t endure another failure. I hope you can help at that time, and try to procure specialized equipment for the implantation surgery. Though it can be done now, Chaplain Rizo isn’t a specialized apothecary, and with high-quality equipment, the success rate would increase.”
“I’d like to help you, but it depends on the next time an interstellar merchant arrives at Fury Owl Planet and whether they carry such equipment. If they do, I’ll secure it for you.”
“Thank you very much.”
“No need; I promised to support your battalion’s rebuilding.”
After the funeral, their brief exchange concluded, and Gu Hang took his leave.
Before leaving, he noticed a bald warrior approaching Martins, whose gaze remained fixed on him until he boarded the helicopter and flew far away.
…
After attending the Star Warriors’ funeral at the monastery, Gu Hang went to visit the Battle Sisters.
They hadn’t held any funeral or mourning ceremony; they had simply preserved the two sisters’ bodies respectfully.
The headquarters of the Sisters of Saintly Lily lay on Koroga Planet No. 3 in the Pegasus Sector, and they would transport the bodies back with them, where a funeral would be held in the headquarters’ chapel.
In his capacity as planetary governor, Gu Hang expressed his gratitude and condolences to Sister Superior Gretel.
Through the ensuing conversation, he gathered what they intended to do next.
Two sisters had died, and Gretel would not let it pass easily.
She and her sisters planned to pursue the trail of the Primal Fury Owl Sect relentlessly.
Gu Hang voiced some concerns. Judging from their past behavior, these cultists were not to be underestimated.
At Trico’s level, they could genuinely threaten the Sister Superior’s safety. Especially as, once they completed their purge of Revival City, the sisters would seek out the cultists’ main base, a dangerous endeavor where even he might not be able to offer timely support.
However, Gretel herself remained optimistic.
Based on previous intelligence, Trico held a high rank within the entire Primal Fury Owl Sect.
The sect’s highest power structure, known as the Council of High Priests, consisted of only six people who held the title of High Priest, with only two carrying the “Primal” honorific.
One of these had already perished in Revival City, leaving only one, whom they could surely handle.
In fact, Gretel felt that if it came down to a fair fight, someone of Trico’s psionic prowess wouldn’t even be her match.
The only reason the previous battle was so fierce was because Trico had the advantage of home ground.
The wind power plant had been more of a ritual site, one they’d prepared for over a year.
The grotesque wind wall and the apparition of the Fury Owl Incarnation were products of this ritual site.
Had it been Trico alone, Gretel felt she wouldn’t need more than three strikes to bring him down.
“The blood debt of my sisters shall be repaid a hundredfold by these cultists!”
“A thousandfold, ten thousandfold,” Gu Hang echoed.
Gretel seemed quite satisfied by his words.
Her expression became solemn as she spoke to Gu Hang.
“Governor, I, in the name of the Ecclesiarchy of the Sisters of Saintly Lily, officially request your assistance. I need you and your forces to do everything possible to assist us in tracking down and exterminating the cultists.”
With that, she took out a slightly yellowed document.
Gu Hang received it and glanced at it; the contents aligned closely with Gretel’s words, though written in a more formal, official style.
It was a notice of cooperative investigation, signed with Gretel’s name, her position in the Ecclesiarchy, and sealed with wax.
Gu Hang’s expression grew serious as well.
“I accept your request and will provide the necessary support. I’ll assign Tadius as your contact; he’ll be responsible for coordinating the operations. He will be among the senior military officers under my command, and should you require anything, contact him directly. I will authorize him to provide you with any needed supplies, cooperative investigations, and military support.”
“Thank you, Governor. I have already sent a request to the headquarters, and a month from now, another Battle Sisters team will come to assist us. We will utterly root out these cultists!”
“It’s I who should be thanking you.”
…
To be honest, Gretel’s decision surprised Gu Hang a little.
He had thought the sisters would return to their starship once the battle was over.
But the cult crisis in Revival City was far larger than anticipated, and eliminating the cultists was a duty the Battle Sisters couldn’t shirk.
Moreover, the death of two sisters was a powerful incentive, igniting a fierce flame of vengeance within Gretel, who was now determined to fight the Primal Fury Owl Sect to the end.
Of course, Gu Hang supported this decision wholeheartedly.
Those cultists were also his mortal enemies, and now, with the help of a team of professional anti-heretic experts, he welcomed it gladly.
As for the support she requested?
Give it to them! Give it all!
As long as those cultists’ bones could be crushed to dust, he would give whatever it took!