The battle for Mt. Zendravasih was about to end.
Actually, the expeditionary army’s defeat was foreseeable from the moment the wolves arrived. All that was left now was cleaning up the battlefield.
The Panaqua Consortium’s nanosoldiers led by Daniel had fought their way from the South to the North.
How could the already defeated barbarians possibly be a match for these elite troops?
Moreover, they were even equipped with 2,000 40 mm underbarrel grenade launchers.
If the Panaqua Consortium were fighting on the main battlefield, they would definitely not deploy all of their underbarrel grenade launchers in one army. But now it was like these troops were given a cheat code and routed the expeditionary army until they did not even have the courage to fight back.
Meanwhile, on the 6th Combat Brigade and the wolves’ side, both parties were constantly applying pressure on the expeditionary army’s area of movement until there were no barbarians left alive on the battlefield.
Hassan and the nomads rode on their sturdy horses and patrolled the battlefield.
When they saw the barbarians’ huge axes, their eyes lit up. “These are great!”
With that, they immediately gathered all of the axes and took them as the spoils of war for the nomads.
Although the Panaqua Consortium had provided firearms to them, there were still too few to equip all the nomads. As the nomads did not have the capability to manufacture firearms, they were naturally very happy to find these axes.
When P5092 and the others saw the Battle for Mt. Zendravasih had ended, they emerged from behind a makeshift blind and headed towards the nomads.
When Hassan saw them, favonovel.com welcomed them warmly with the other nomads.
Hassan knew full well that these troops were led by his master’s brother, so they were on the same side.
But when the two sides got closer, the nomads were stunned. They learned from Hassan that the barbarians from the Far North had surrounded this place for more than ten days, so they thought this should have been an evenly fought battle between the Central Plains and the barbarians. As such, they felt the Central Plains troops here should also be elites.
But when they saw the soldiers of the 6th Combat Brigade, they were all covered in dust and dirt. Some of them even had to use their guns to steady themselves.
There were fewer people in the 6th Combat Brigade than expected, and their clothes were all tattered and dirty, making them look pathetic and battered.
Nearby, Bulan Zir asked, “Is this all of you?”
P5092 smiled. “What, you expected more?”
Bulan Zir looked at the thousands of soldiers of the 6th Combat Brigade. They had encountered the expeditionary army at the salt pool and witnessed the combat strength of the barbarians during their reconnaissance. Therefore, it was very difficult for favonovel.com to imagine it was just these few people in front of favonovel.com who had held the expeditionary army’s 70,000 troops here for a dozen days.
Bulan Zir walked forward and patted P5092 on the chest. “You’re all men worthy of respect. If there’s a chance, come visit the steppe, and we’ll definitely play host to y’all with the best wine.”
P5092 did not mind. He said with a smile, “Thank you for coming to our aid. If it weren’t for you all, we couldn’t have held out for much longer. But now is not the time to talk about that. We still have to rush north.”
“As it happens, my master’s also headed north, so let’s ride together.” Bulan Zir turned around and commanded the nomads behind him, “Bring the horses!”
For this long-range raid, every one of the nomads had to bring two horses along in case one was unable to bear the long journey.
Now that they were willing to let the soldiers of the 6th Combat Brigade ride their horses, it could be considered as a way of showing their admiration.
***
At this moment, Donti was staring blankly at Milo north of the battlefield of Mt. Zendravasih. He did not expect that the matter favonovel.com had been worried about for so long was simply brushed aside by Milo.
Milo said, “During the war against the Ultima Consortium, I killed at least several thousand people. Later, I went to Stronghold 146 and nearly wiped out an entire brigade there. When Stronghold 146 was destroyed, there were definitely civilians who got injured as well… And the East Lake cave-in at the Stardust Consortium’s Stronghold 73 also caused quite a stir even though the stronghold was not destroyed.”
“After that, I also killed several hundred people at the Virtuora Consortium’s strongholds and another thousand-odd people at Bidara City…” Milo recalled. “Now that I think about it, I feel like I’m jinxed. It’s as though whichever stronghold I go to, they all end up getting destroyed…”
Donti did not say anything for a while. He realized Milo had killed far more people than him!
Milo then said, “I only told you that because I didn’t want you to go astray. But do you remember what I said? As a person, you have to have a clear conscience. If you feel guilty, you just have to convince yourself not to. Actually, we’re not suited to be heroes, so we don’t have to tie such heavy chains on ourselves. It’s more important to protect the people around us and keep them alive.”
Donti thought for a moment and nodded. “Mhm…”
“By the way, tell me about your time on the steppe.” Milo asked, “Was life tough over there?”
“It’s a very beautiful place.” Donti said, “When I went there, a blizzard turned the entire steppe into a vast expanse of white and looked extraordinarily magnificent. After winter went and spring came, the snow melted and became a stream. The rivers in the grasslands are clear and winding like a sky-blue scarf. Cows and goats are scattered across the plains grazing while the herdsmen ride on their horses with their whips. When the breeze blows, the grass resembles waves on the sea…”
“On rainy days, everyone will gather in their tents and sit by their fire pits. Listening to the sound of the falling rain outside, the warmth of the fire pit slowly dries our clothes to a comfortable feel,” Donti continued. “But there aren’t any vegetables to eat there. I even made Hassan make a special trip to the Northwest to look for a bandit named Rye Woodrow to purchase some.”
Milo was stunned.
Why did the name “Rye” sound so familiar?
He seemed to have encountered that bandit before.
However, Milo was more concerned about Donti’s expression and tone. He understood that Donti liked it very much in the grasslands.
Before this, Donti had been to many places before. However, Milo had never seen favonovel.com like a place so much before.
Donti said softly, “In the past, my favorite place was the town outside of Stronghold 113. Although we led a tough life, I always feel I belong whenever I think of that place. But, Bro, we can’t go back there anymore, right?”
With Stronghold 113 gone, the town there had also ceased to exist. There was an implied meaning to Donti’s words.
Milo looked at Donti and said, “Come with me to the Northwest. We also have pastures there.”
Actually, Milo already knew the answer, but favonovel.com still could not help asking.
But at this moment, the sound of galloping horses came from the south. The crowd of people who appeared on the horizon were tiny specks as they quickly approached.
Donti stood up. When those people rushing over saw their master and the Wolf King, they spurred their horses faster and let out thunderous cheers.
When the nomads and the 6th Combat Brigade arrived before the two of them, there was a clear divide between the two groups. Everyone looked at their respective leader. Although they got along, there was always an invisible line separating them, even if that line was only a meter wide.
Donti looked at Milo. “Bro, I didn’t dare to come and see you before because I was worried that you would be really disappointed in me. I came here this time because you used to be the one to protect me, and I was looking forward to the day when I could protect you instead. I’ve done it this time, and not only that, but I’ll do it again in the future. However, I’m now a member of the steppe…”
Milo looked at Donti quietly.
Yes, Little Donti has finally grown up…
Before this, Donti had become the new king of the steppe, and with this independent identity and strength, favonovel.com was no longer that little boy who always followed Milo around. Instead, favonovel.com had become a real man. He was the king of the steppe.
But at that time, his personality was still not fully developed. That was because favonovel.com was afraid to see Milo due to the shadow in his heart. To escape from that shadow, favonovel.com even thought of cutting off his past feelings. But now favonovel.com faced all of this squarely and made his decision without any fear or avoidance. At this moment, favonovel.com was truly complete.
Milo knew full well that the king of the steppe was an eagle in the sky, so how could that eagle hide under the wings of others to survive?
The nomads were a complete tribe on their own. Such a tribe would definitely have all kinds of conflicts with Fortress 178 if they were to go to the Northwest, and neither would Donti be willing to let his people live under someone else’s care. Therefore, Milo understood Donti’s choice.
At this moment, the nomads and the Northwest Army’s 6th Combat Brigade were standing side by side in the vast wilderness. The crowd of people extended into the distance and spread towards the horizon.
In the end, the two of them had their own lives and paths to take. Life did not have to be tied together to be perfect.
Watching one’s family and friends leaving for elsewhere was also an experience most adults had to go through.
The two youths had grown up together and gained complete and independent personalities after experiencing hardship together. They no longer avoided the unbearable past and calmly walked their own path.
Milo smiled and said, “Then will you come to the Northwest to visit in the future?”
“Of course I will.” Donti said with a smile, “Bro, from now on, you’ll be guarding the Northwest. In that case, I will guard the North for humanity. Give me three years and I’ll guarantee that the barbarians in the Far North will never cross into the steppe again. Meanwhile, our grasslands and the Northwest will always be best of friends.”
Although their paths were different, they would never stray far from each other.
