The First Order

The battle for Mt. Zuoyun 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 Qing Consortium's nanosoldiers led by Luo Lan 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 Qing 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 Qing 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. Zuoyun had ended, they emerged from behind a makeshift blind and headed towards the nomads.

When Hassan saw them, he 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 him to imagine it was just these few people in front of him 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, Yan Liuyuan was staring blankly at Ren Xiaosu north of the battlefield of Mt. Zuoyun. He did not expect that the matter he had been worried about for so long was simply brushed aside by Ren Xiaosu.

Ren Xiaosu said, "During the war against the Zong 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 Zhou 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 Kong Consortium's strongholds and another thousand-odd people at Luoyang City…" Ren Xiaosu 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…."

Yan Liuyuan did not say anything for a while. He realized Ren Xiaosu had killed far more people than him!

Ren Xiaosu 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."

Yan Liuyuan thought for a moment and nodded. "Mhm."

"By the way, tell me about your time on the steppe." Ren Xiaosu asked, "Was life tough over there?"

"It's a very beautiful place." Yan Liuyuan 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," Yan Liuyuan 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 Su Lei to purchase some."

Ren Xiaosu was stunned. Why did the name "Su Lei" sound so familiar? He seemed to have encountered that bandit before.

However, Ren Xiaosu was more concerned about Yan Liuyuan's expression and tone. He understood that Yan Liuyuan liked it very much in the grasslands.

Before this, Yan Liuyuan had been to many places before. However, Ren Xiaosu had never seen him like a place so much before.

Yan Liuyuan 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 Yan Liuyuan's words.

Ren Xiaosu looked at Yan Liuyuan and said, "Come with me to the Northwest. We also have pastures there."

Actually, Ren Xiaosu already knew the answer, but he 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.

Yan Liuyuan 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.

Yan Liuyuan looked at Ren Xiaosu. "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."

Ren Xiaosu looked at Yan Liuyuan quietly. Yes, Little Liuyuan had finally grown up.

Before this, Yan Liuyuan had become the new king of the steppe, and with this independent identity and strength, he was no longer that little boy who always followed Ren Xiaosu around. Instead, he 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 he was afraid to see Ren Xiaosu due to the shadow in his heart. To escape from that shadow, he even thought of cutting off his past feelings.

But now he faced all of this squarely and made his decision without any fear or avoidance. At this moment, he was truly complete.

Ren Xiaosu 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 Yan Liuyuan be willing to let his people live under someone else's care.

Therefore, Ren Xiaosu understood Yan Liuyuan'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.

Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, "Then will you come to the Northwest to visit in the future?"

"Of course I will." Yan Liuyuan 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.