Chapter 72: Are You Pretending?
From the Governor’s camp to Revival City, it took nearly a whole day at the pace of the infantry.
By evening, the team had arrived outside Revival City.
Revival City had long been aware of Gu Hang’s approach.
Gu Hang never intended to conceal his movements; his journey was rather ostentatious, making it hard not to be noticed.
Revival City had many means to be forewarned.
If Revival City only counted the inner city, it wasn’t very large; but if you included the outer city, with its chaotic constructions and makeshift houses built by the poor, the area was quite substantial.
When Gu Hang’s team arrived at Revival City, they stopped just outside the outer city.
An army blocked their path.
These were the defenders of Revival City.
A large number of soldiers occupied the slum area in front of the main gate.
They held positions inside the houses, glaring outwards; tanks were hidden within civilian structures, their small size concealing most of their bodies, but their dark barrels protruded ominously.
They prevented the Governor’s team from proceeding further.
An officer, accompanied by several attendants, approached the Governor’s team and requested an audience with the Governor.
Gu Hang saw him.
The Revival City officer saluted Gu Hang, “Good day, Your Excellency Governor, I am from Revival…”
“No need to report your name, I’m not interested. Tell me why my city is blocking my entry? Why are you soldiers, who should be loyal to me, standing in opposition?”
Interrupted in the middle of his introduction, the officer swallowed hard.
He now felt incredibly nervous.
He glanced to his left, where there stood a giant in red armor, whom he knew to be a Space Marine; he then looked to his right, where a lady in white and green armor stood, a Battle Nun.
Finally, he looked at the center, where his Governor stood, the supreme ruler of this planet.
He wondered what gave him the courage to speak in front of these legendary figures.
But he spoke nonetheless, “I am acting under the orders of the Alliance Council and General Mondok, the garrison commander of Revival City, to… to demand that you cease your advance. Governor, you may enter the city, but you are allowed to bring no more than one hundred guards, and… and they cannot include Space Marines or Battle Nuns.”
Gu Hang seemed to hear a colossal joke, “Mondok? General? He dares to make demands of me?”
The officer appeared to realize the absurdity of his previous statement and could only lower his head slightly, remaining silent.
“Very well,” Gu Hang said, “I now tell you, as the Governor of Fury Owl Planet, that whatever positions or powers this Mondok held, he no longer has them. He is no longer an Alliance Council Member nor the commander of the army. Now, take this message back to your comrades.”
Gu Hang had given the officer a chance.
But he did not seize it.
It was evident that he was under immense psychological pressure at the moment, but he held on and said, “I’m sorry, Your Excellency Governor, but please heed General Mondok’s…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
He felt a strange force grasping his throat.
Soon, he fainted due to a lack of blood flow to his brain.
Releasing the telekinetic grip, letting his body fall to the ground, Gu Hang waved his hand, and soldiers came forward to drag him away.
This officer was brave.
But his bravery was misplaced.
At this moment, Martins spoke up, “Governor, the situation is now very clear. This so-called General Mondok, his actions are tantamount to rebellion. Those blocking our path are all rebels.”
“Then, Battalion Leader Martins, what do you suggest? Should we kill all the ‘rebels’? Can the seven Phoenix Warriors accomplish that?”
Martins actually calculated carefully and then said, “Relying solely on the seven of us, it would be challenging to completely defeat this force of ten thousand, equipped with heavy firepower and armor. I need the cooperation of the Sisters of Mercy and the firepower of the Quintet’s cannons. At night, we can infiltrate the target area, mark it for orbital strikes, have the starship conduct the initial bombardment, and then move in to sweep up. This way, we should be able to complete the task with relatively low casualties.”
Sister Superior Gretel, however, voiced her opposition, “I’m sorry, Battalion Leader Martins, I would very much like another chance to fight alongside the Phoenix. But our mission this time is to deal with heretical cults, not to quell rebellions. I will not participate in attacking mortal soldiers. Governor, please understand.”
Gu Hang was not disappointed; instead, he showed a reassuring smile, “I understand, of course I understand. Battalion Leader Martins’ plan is very appropriate. When I believe these enemies in front of us need to be eliminated, I will adopt your plan. But for now, we don’t need to complicate things that much.”
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“First, let’s rest. After a whole day’s march, while you may be fine, my soldiers need rest to regain their combat strength. As for the specific plan, I’ll let you know later. Also, I need you, and Sister Superior Gretel, to cooperate with me tomorrow.”
Martins stared at Gu Hang for a moment, then finally nodded.
Gretel also made her stance clear, “We won’t slaughter mortal soldiers, but we will provide necessary protection for you, Governor.”
“That much is already greatly appreciated.”
Inside Revival City, Norris and Bradford were anxiously awaiting news from the outer city.
Upon learning that Gu Hang had set out, and that he had Space Marines and even Battle Nuns with him, the two Alliance Council Members, both merchants, were already very nervous.
Regret filled their hearts, and they even opposed General Mondok’s decision to lead the troops to the outer city for defense.
But their opposition was weak and ineffectual, as always.
They could only watch as Mondok stood in front of the Governor and then prayed that no conflict would erupt.
In the end, there was no conflict.
Governor Gu actually obediently stopped outside the outer city.
This was fantastic news!
Bradford said, “It seems we overestimated Gu Hang’s hardline stance. Perhaps his previous toughness was all just a facade.”
Norris chuckled, “At least we can get a good night’s sleep tonight. We do need hardliners like Mondok. He’s done well.”
“Yes,” Bradford agreed. “The threat of war has been significantly reduced. Now, the remaining issue is how to stop that whimsical Governor from playing his camp-building game outside and get him back to where he belongs.”
“Exactly. Once he’s back, everything will return to normal.”
“Just like the previous three Governors.”
“Yes, we have countless ways to deal with him. Dreaming of saving the world—Fury Owl Planet doesn’t need his salvation. He just needs to be a well-behaved Governor, enjoy a couple of comfortable years, and then quietly die in two years.”