Leaving the Battlefield

The Interstellar Alliance knew they had seriously offended Mo Mo by this point. In truth, they were envious—why did Mo Mo always seem to encounter edible enemies in every battle? Over the past period, just from selling their goods, District 8 alone must have made at least 1 billion star coins. The Alliance couldn’t help but be jealous, especially with that master’s presence in Mo Mo’s ranks, making them so envious that their eyes practically glowed green.

Mo Mo went straight to StarNet and issued a public statement, clearly stating that District 8 had been kicked out of the battlefield belonging to Districts 3 and 4. Since they were no longer needed there, District 8 would never return to that battlefield again, no matter what happened.

With that, Mo Mo led his forces from District 8 away from the battlefield. The army from District 7 followed closely behind. General Yan of District 7 sidled up to Mo, “General Mo!”

“What do you want?” Mo Mo was clearly in a foul mood.

“Well, I was thinking… Districts 7 and 8 share the same borders with the Beast Tribe, right?”

“There are two star regions between us,” Mo Mo replied gruffly.

“Exactly, two star systems! But since the Beast Tribe dared to cross two star regions to invade our territory, why can’t we go to theirs? Besides, I’ve heard their planets are lush with vegetation. Don’t you want to take a look?” General Yan, whose full name was Yan Mingke, spoke enthusiastically.

“You want to go on the offensive?” Mo Mo asked, eyeing him sceptically.

“I do! Right now, we’re on the defensive, and that doesn’t sit right with me. I think we should be more proactive. If we manage to seize a few rich planets, it’d be a blessing for our people in Districts 7 and 8. Plus, our brothers could prosper!”

Yan Mingke had made a fortune in star coins over the last period, just like Mo Mo. He didn’t exploit his soldiers for personal gain because he didn’t need to. His own combat prowess was formidable. After all, it was only the human-inhabited planets that were so impoverished.

“I’ll think about it!” Mo Mo was still yearning to return home and be with his wife during her pregnancy. But then he remembered how much his wife loved cooking meat, and the idea of securing more delicious resources for her excited him. Besides, District 8 was indeed too poor, and Mo Mo felt it was time to find better opportunities for his soldiers.

Initially, Mo Mo had no solution. But now, with his clever wife by his side, heading to the Beast Tribe’s territory in search of more food seemed like a viable option. If they could seize some resource-rich planets, Mo Mo was seriously considering relocating all of District 8’s people to a more prosperous star region.

“General Mo, I heard you’ve got a wife and child now. Don’t you want them to live a worry-free life on a fertile planet? Sure, we can grow food on our current planets, but the cost is too high. However, over there, it could be a whole different story. If we find new food sources, we can also raise our children freely without having to keep them hidden away.”

Mo Mo’s heart was moved. Although his family had a small valley to themselves, they couldn’t remain isolated forever. They couldn’t trap their children in the valley indefinitely. If he could truly find a place where humans could live and flourish freely, then there would be no need for his wife and children to live in hiding anymore.

And, truth be told, Mo Mo was eager to find more delicious foods. Watching his wife cook always left him captivated by how stunning she looked while making those meals.

“Let’s go!” Mo Mo finally agreed.

Yan Mingke broke into a smile. “Great! Let’s set off now!” As long as Mo Mo was with them, he had nothing to worry about. Mo Mo had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. During their last encounter with the mutant beasts, Mo Mo had deployed a defensive array that let them choose how many beasts they wanted to fight at a time. Districts 3 and 4 had no idea that the fights had been rigged in their favour.

District 7 had also reaped the benefits from District 8, and Yan Mingke was grateful he had never crossed Mo Mo. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to score so many gains.

The fleets from Districts 7 and 8 departed, heading toward their respective home territories, and most assumed they were withdrawing from the battlefield. In fact, everyone watching the live battle streams had been outraged by how Districts 3 and 4 kept encroaching on Districts 7 and 8’s battlefield. But now, with Districts 7 and 8 gone, people felt that the situation had finally returned to normal.

Who enjoys war anyway?

Even the most battle-hardened star warriors had their limits. Who actually wanted to go to war if they didn’t have to?

Now that Districts 3 and 4 had taken over the battlefield, they were gearing up for a fight. But what they didn’t expect was that their new enemy was not the edible mutant pigs they had anticipated, but spiky porcupines, whose quills could shoot out like arrows.

Initially, the warriors from Districts 3 and 4 had hoped to rake in billions of star coins by taking down the mutant pigs. Instead, they found themselves up against foul-smelling porcupines. While Districts 7 and 8’s battlefield had been filled with fragrant aromas, the new battlefield for Districts 3 and 4 reeked so badly that their soldiers were nearly knocked out by the stench.

The porcupine quills managed to damage several of their mechas, leaving them immobile on the battlefield. Worse still, stepping outside meant risking becoming a human pincushion.

Trapped, the star warriors of Districts 3 and 4 were helpless.

Desperate, the generals of Districts 3 and 4 pleaded for reinforcements. But the Interstellar Alliance reminded them of the agreement they had made. When they requested to switch battlefields, they had assured everyone that they could handle it on their own. Now, due to that overconfidence, the Alliance couldn’t send help.

When Mo Mo had issued his statement, the generals of Districts 3 and 4 had boldly declared that they needed no one’s help, sealing their fate.

Now, the entire galaxy watched as they were trapped on the battlefield, but no one was willing to step in. It was all their own doing. If not for their greed, Districts 7 and 8 wouldn’t have been forced out.

While the galaxy was left speechless at how things had turned out, Mo Mo and Yan Mingke’s fleets were well on their way, leaving the territory of Districts 3 and 4 behind. Even though they had witnessed the mess unfolding in those districts, neither Mo Mo nor Yan Mingke had any intention of returning to help.

While they pitied the star warriors, their leaders had brought this upon themselves.

And besides, being trapped wasn’t a death sentence—at least, not yet.

(End of Chapter)