Tempest of the Battlefield

"Humans are going to pay dearly in the process, but they will prevail in the end. The current struggle will only bring the humans closer to each other, and you won't be able to prevent the inevitability. Stop now, and you can still save yourself and preserve the immortals. " Zhou Sisi pressed on. She was not hopeful that her words would change anything, but at least she tried.

"Hehe, how about making a deal? If you let me turn you into an immortal, I will leave the humans alone and travel with you outside the solar system away from the human world." Patroclus asked abruptly.

The question caught Zhou Sisi by surprise. She managed to gather herself and replied, "I don't think it matters to you. The moment I say yes, I will lose all of my purpose for you. I might as well be dead, so why should you care any longer? And you know what? It doesn't matter to me either way. Whether I agree or not, Wang Tong is going to bring you down. No matter what I become, I only belong to Wang Tong…so dream on! The reason that I am still wasting my energy with you is that I hope I can reduce the amount of pain you would cause to humanity. There you have my answer, and I hope you choke on it! "

"You won't be able to steal Wang Tong from Ma Xiaoru. Even Heidi had tried and failed, as well as the field medics who had lived and fought alongside him. Neither beauty nor intimacy could shake his fidelity. What makes you think that you are so special? Plus, you have been living in my quarters for five years…They might as well consider you a spy. After all, humans' paranoia is truly boundless." Patroclus shrewdly avoided touching on the glaring issue of conflicts between humans and the immortals by focusing on Zhou Sisi and Wang Tong's personal lives. Zhou Sisi had been living with the immortals ever since she was captured during the Battle of the Ark, and she had since lived as the only real human in Patroclus' private compound. No one, not even the immortals, knew the purpose of her existence and where her loyalty lied. Therefore, Patroclus' claim of humans' smear attacks on her innocence was not outlandish.

Patroclus' reply amused Zhou Sisi and she smiled broadly. "You don't get it, do you? I don't want anything from him, but I am willing to do anything for him, even if that means to be nailed on a cross." Determination and resolution glinted in Zhou Sisi's eyes as she spoke.

Patroclus kept his silence, but his hand was trembling with rage. He squeezed the teacup tightly to curb the fire inside him until the cup shattered into a few dozen sharp pieces.

…

On the sixth Christmas eve since the Zergs' invasion, the human resistance coalition organized a large scale uprising of the guerrilla attack on a few dozen immortal occupied territories.

Zhang Jin and Ma Xiaoru were the chief in command for this campaign of guerrilla warfare. Due to her unique, if not inconvenient, family background, Zhang Jin was barred from commanding any confederation troops; instead, she was responsible for coordinating all guerrilla factions.

Losing the public's support was more terrifying than losing territory; the death of Einherjar Li Zhedao was a devastating blow to the human force, but it also spurred the Earthlings to unite in solidarity. Although Li Zhedao was dead, the values he stood for lived in everyone's heart.

Patroclus was injured by Li Zhedao, so he had to take a break from the battlefield. This had given Zhang Jin and her guerrilla soldiers a golden opportunity to infiltrate further into the enemy territory. Slowly but surely, she changed the outlook of the war one step at a time. She couldn't have done it all by herself; behind her were millions of earthlings and House Ma's unequivocal financial support.

The Earth was human race's homeland where they had lived and died for tens of thousands of years. The Zergs weren't able to take it five hundred years ago, and neither would the immortals now.

"Uprisings are organized in fifteen cities simultaneously. They should catch the Immortals off guard." Zhang Jin said. She had been working round the clock to organize this campaign. Feeling exhaustion claiming her, she rubbed her forehead to stay awake.

"You should rest, sister Jin. You have been staying up for three nights in a row."

"It was nothing. I only hope that something would come out of this."

"Everything is being carried out according to the plan. The Immortals will not be able to take the Earth any time soon, and I have heard that the Martians have finally defeated the Dark Lord. Things are really looking up."

"Never underestimate our enemy, Sister Xiaoru. The immortals' presence on Earth remains powerful, and if Patroclus suddenly decides to pull the plug and attack us with full force, no one can save us then."

"Not even Wang Tong? I can feel his presence, and the signals are getting clearer and stronger lately. I think he is very close to us, and he is here to protect us."

"You sound like a psychic, haha... Well, if your psychic prediction is right, we might have a chance at surviving after all." Zhang Jin said with a weary smile. The sleepless nights had taken a toll on her vigor, and she found it hard to resist the temptation of laying on a sofa bed.

As she stood up and was ready to walk to her bed, a strange nagging sensation took her by surprise: something was not right! She furrowed her brows and murmured, "Strange...the immortals still haven't responded to the uprising yet…Sh*t! Ma Xiaoru, shut off the communication line!"

Despite Zhang Jin's vigilance, she had acted too late. While she waited for the Immortals' response to the uprising, the immortals had tapped into her communication line and traced the location of her underground office.

They had only a few minutes to get ready for the defense before hordes of Zergs rushed toward the underground command center. Ma Xiaoru had donned the METAL suit and joined the defense.

After a while, Ma Xiaoru and her soldiers were forced to pull back further into the building as the first line of defense was overwhelmed by the Zergs.

"We are surrounded by Zergs." Ma Xiaoru grinned wryly. All this while, she wondered how the Zergs managed to tap into their communication line?

"Captain, we are completely surrounded by Zergs. We need to break through the encirclement soon rather than later."

"There is a mole among us." Zhang Jin spoke with an edge in her voice. She had done all she could to prevent this, but somehow, the Immortals were still able to dig their claws into her men. She reflected briefly on what she had done wrong and reckoned that other than the few high-ranking officers, she practically knew nothing about her crew. She made a mental note to work on that aspect in the future…if she could get out of here alive, of course. The uprisings were already initiated, and it was too late to put a stop on it.

"Sister Jin, use the tunnel right now and I will cover your back." Ma Xiaoru announced with aplomb despite the urgency of the situation. Years of battle had hardened her into a resolute veteran warrior. "Don't waste time! You know that only one of us can make it out of here. I should be able to attract and slow them down. Hurry!"

"Be careful, and don't play heroine! I need you alive."

"Go, NOW!"

Ma Xiaoru stormed out of the room with her personal guards. She was racing against time; the traitor had likely cut off all the routes of retreat from inside, and therefore, Zhang Jin's only hope of escaping this disaster laid on her shoulders.

The enemies were near, so she charged up her GN force and picked up speed. She was no longer the princess of House Ma; chin up and chest out, she stood before the immortals like a formidable warrior.

"I am Ma Xiaoru, the heir of House Ma, sworn protector of the confederation! Cross me, and you are dead."

Ma Xiaoru didn't give the Zergs any time to react as she shot a dozen blade auras out. The streets were brimmed with Zergs since the Immortals had evacuated all the humans. They were in the city formerly known as Boston, and it was an Immortal occupied territory now. Ma Xiaoru and Zhang Jin had established a headquarter for the covert operation in this city right under the nose of the Immortals.

Hearing Ma Xiaoru's name, the immortals quickly focused their fire on her and encircled her. Outside of the ring of encirclement were many human spectators who prayed for her safety secretly.

"Oh my gosh, that really is Miss Ma! We have to do something."

"What can we do? We will be more a hindrance than a help."

A swell of concerned murmur rose from the crowd; they conceded that they couldn't do anything but hope that Ma Xiaoru could escape in the end.

Four Immortals wearing golden METAL suits stepped forward, and one of them greeted Ma Xiaoru. "Miss Ma Xiaoru, it is an honor to meet you." The four golden Immortals spoke casually and didn't seem to be worried that she would make a break.

"The four great generals of the Immortals..." Ma Xiaoru murmured. It occurred to her that the chances of breaking out of the encirclement were zero.

"It gives me the honor to hear our names from you. If you wait a minute or two, we will bring miss Zhang Jin out for you as well. By order of the divine lord, we are here to escort you and Zhang Jin to the moon."

Before long, the encirclement opened up, and a few immortals escorted Zhang Jin into the circle.

"Miss Ma, I wanted to see the tactics of the blade warrior, but the divine lord had given us the order not to harm you. What a pity! Please lower your weapons now…we mean you no harm." One of the divine generals said softly as he ran his finger through his tumble of blond hair. He was the most handsome one of the four, a typical Ivantian stud, and also a fanatic follower of Patroclus. He leered at Ma Xiaoru, his eyes brimming.