(Extra Story) Good-for-Nothing 08

“Let him go.”

Hearing Fang Zhiyi’s order, Hu Lie’s expression darkened. Sure enough, no one dared hold that grandson of the Gu family accountable.

But there was nothing they could do about it.

He angrily threw Gu Yuan to the ground. Gu Yuan cursed a few times before scampering away in full view of all the soldiers.

“What can you do about it? I’m a member of the Gu family! Just wait! This isn’t over!”

It was not until half an hour later that Fang Zhiyi finally arrived, his power armor covered in blue blood.

“Commander, forgive my bluntness, but we should have forcibly taken him back. If we let him return…” Hu Lie did not finish, but his meaning was obvious. If Gu Yuan remained with those surviving blue-skins, fighting them would inevitably be difficult.

At that moment, he even regretted not simply crushing the boy to death.

“Take him back? No, no. He’ll be more useful left here than taken back.” Fang Zhiyi smiled.

“Commander, you mean…”

“Gather all the Destroyers. I’m taking a trip.” Fang Zhiyi revealed a sly smile.

Gu Yuan ran through the forest for a long time before finally spotting a mark unique to the blue-skins. Following the trail, he arrived at another blue-skin stronghold.

The sight of him clearly enraged many of the blue-skins.

One of them stepped forward and seized him by the collar. “You treacherous bastard! You actually tricked us into walking into an ambush!”

“Scum! You got so many of our people killed!”

As the accusations poured in, Gu Yuan glanced around frantically until he finally spotted his lover.

The princess stared at him blankly. Then she rushed forward and shoved away the blue-skin holding him.

“He isn’t a liar! The humans tricked him too! He was captured while covering my escape!”

“Hmm? Aya, do you know what you’re saying? If he was captured, how did he get here?” an elder asked slowly.

Aya froze for a moment, then turned to look at Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan hurriedly said, “They didn’t dare arrest me! I’ll tell you the truth. Actually, I… I am…”

Before he could finish, the blue-skin sentry stationed above suddenly fell straight down, a bloody hole clearly visible in his chest.

“Enemy attack!” a blue-skin shouted.

The scene descended into chaos. The Destroyer squad of the Ninth Battle Group appeared in perfect formation, the explosive rifles in their mech hands radiating an intimidating presence.

One of the faceplates slid open, revealing Fang Zhiyi’s face.

“Young Master Gu, we have to thank you for cooperating with us. Once you return, you’ll surely become famous throughout the Empire and receive the Emperor’s commendation!”

“Traitor! He really was a traitor!” After spending so much time with Gu Yuan, many of the blue-skins had learned to understand some of the Blue Star language. The moment they heard Fang Zhiyi, they looked at Gu Yuan in horror.

Aya stared at Gu Yuan in disappointment.

Gu Yuan was frantic. “What are you talking about? I don’t know you! Where’s the commander of the Ninth Battle Group? Get him out here to speak!”

“I was wondering why you managed to escape after being captured. So you were leading them here. How vicious of you.” The blue-skin elder’s eyes were filled with murderous fury.

“I—I didn’t…”

“The battle group commander has already prepared a victory banquet for you, Young Master Gu. Once we eliminate these heretics, we can go home,” Fang Zhiyi said. After a pause, he added, “We also have to thank you. Otherwise, how could we have lured their entire main force to this planet?”

“Gu Yuan! You!” the elder roared furiously.

Gu Yuan was practically on the verge of tears. He looked toward the princess. Aya hesitated, gazing at the human she loved, unsure whether she should believe him.

But Fang Zhiyi’s next words completely shattered their cross-species romance.

“Oh, right, Young Master Gu. Word from above is that once you complete this mission, you’ll be able to return home and marry your fiancée. Congratulations.”

Princess Aya released Gu Yuan’s hand. The astonishment in her eyes rapidly turned into hatred.

Gu Yuan hurriedly shouted, “Don’t listen to him! I don’t have any—”

“Open fire. Leave no survivors.”

The moment Fang Zhiyi finished speaking, he issued the order and lowered his faceplate again.

The roar of the explosive rifles drowned out Gu Yuan’s protests.

Blue-skins charged forward one after another, fighting desperately. But faced with such a vast disparity in weaponry, their resistance was virtually meaningless.

The blue-skin guards fought to the death to protect the princess’s escape. Gu Yuan tried to follow them, but one of the blue-skins kicked him away. It was about to kill him when a bullet precisely blew its head apart.

“If he dies here, Commander, you really won’t be able to explain yourself,” Hu Lie said flatly as he arrived to rescue Gu Yuan.

Fang Zhiyi curled his lip. “You worry too much.”

The surprise attack was another overwhelming victory. The surviving blue-skins fled deeper into the forest, where several ravines formed an extremely narrow passage unfavorable for the Destroyers to pursue them through.

Just as they were preparing to withdraw, Hu Lie glanced at Gu Yuan, who had been knocked unconscious by the explosions, then looked over at Fang Zhiyi.

Fang Zhiyi spread his hands. “Leave him. He has a girlfriend, doesn’t he? Why should we help him?”

Hu Lie smiled faintly. “Commander, you’re definitely going to be hanged by the Tribunal.”

“Your good wishes are appreciated.”

Over the next two weeks, the Ninth Battle Group began sweeping the entire planet. With their command structure severed, most of the blue-skins became sitting ducks. In the face of humanity’s ferocious assault, they had no power to resist. Only a tiny fraction managed to hide in the ravines.

After being abandoned where he was, Gu Yuan woke to discover that he had not been taken away. This left him extremely dissatisfied. But after thinking it over, he resolutely began his journey to find his lover.

Even Fang Zhiyi had not expected the man to be this hopelessly lovestruck.

However, he had no time to worry about that idiot. Although the war had ended in victory, the Imperial Tribunal had arrived as well. The presiding judge had come in person, accompanied by the Tribunal’s own armed forces—a squad of Templars.

Seeing their glowing weapons, Fang Zhiyi stopped the restless officers of the Ninth Battle Group. He obediently put on the handcuffs and followed the Tribunal aboard the starship returning to the Empire.

Besides him, the mid-ranking officers of the Ninth Battle Group who had participated in the purge were also taken back under arrest. The Tribunal required their testimonies.

“How is it?” Little Hei asked Fang Zhiyi, who had remained silent.

Fang Zhiyi frowned. “The power armor really is a lot of fun to pilot. It’s just that replenishing its energy is a bit of a hassle.”

“That’s not what I’m asking! I mean, what are we going to do next? Can you beat them?”

Fang Zhiyi looked at Little Hei as if he were an idiot. “Beat them with what, my head? What else can we do? The mission’s complete.”

“Huh?”

“The original host wanted to die a worthwhile death. I restored his reputation for him. What more do you want?” Fang Zhiyi said lazily, leaning against the wall.

Little Hei nodded. When you put it that way, it did make sense.

Trying to stage a rebellion in this world was probably an unrealistic fantasy. The Ninth Battle Group’s mechs alone could, without exaggeration, steamroll their way through almost any world.