The oppressive drone of engines echoed from the dense forest, following a crude road directly toward the Pangu Base, as a long convoy of heavy trucks sped along at high velocity.

The lead truck was fitted with a massive, sharp ramming prow, which easily pulverized the tree trunks lining a particularly narrow stretch of the road as it passed.

Over twenty thousand mercenaries of the Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps marched brazenly into Pangu Base under the watchful eyes of countless Federation soldiers.

Above the central landing pad, ten Capital-class warships, ten Tier-Three warships, and fifty heavy patrol cruisers hovered several hundred meters in the air. Several gigantic transport vessels were docked on the pad, and under the direction of nearly a hundred Federation officers, the mercenaries filed in orderly ranks toward the transports.

Truck after heavy truck rumbled into the transports, loading the vast quantities of standard shipping containers they carried into the vessels' cargo holds. These containers held the precious metals and rare ores the Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps had mined and refined before the war—especially over one hundred thousand cubic meters of Zakkra crystal ore, already sorted and roughly polished, which was exceptionally valuable. Gu Xiechen stood by the landing pad with his hands clasped behind his back. Every member of the passing Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps looked toward him with eyes blazing with fanatic devotion. It was this man, always wearing a cryptic, sinister smile, who had led the valiant men of the corps to achievements that would be etched in their memories for life: crushing their old rivals, the Holy Unicorn Mercenary Corps; severely damaging the allied fleet of the nine great Elector Families of the Romans; accumulating wealth so vast that every member was secure for life; earning General Wagley’s recommendation to become an officially registered defense company of the Federation; and securing the support of several major financial houses in the Asian Sector to establish their own research and development institution. The original leader, the Bearded Colonel, established the Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps, but this man launched the corps into a true leap forward!

Most importantly, on the bizarrely treacherous planet Heaven Star, he had brought so many of his brothers through alive! The flames of the Roman war, the sudden attacks by the Federation military, one severe crisis after another—though many brothers were lost, he brought even more through alive!

All the mercenaries watched Gu Xiechen with fiery gazes burning hot, even the unit commanders of the main forces like Banruo and Mohe!

In that very moment, Gu Xiechen commanded the hearts of every mercenary present!

“Vice Commander! Are you still staying here?” Banruo broke formation and walked up to Gu Xiechen.

“Yes!” Gu Xiechen nodded firmly. He clapped Banruo on the shoulder and said in a deep voice,

“Go back and tell Uncle Beard to maintain close contact with the people from the Asian Dao Alliance and establish the framework for the defense company as quickly as possible. Be wary of General Wagley’s people; that fellow… is unreliable!”

Banruo understood. He clasped his hands together, chanted a Buddhist phrase, formed a lotus seal with his fingers, and gently tapped Gu Xiechen’s forehead. Banruo said with immense reverence, “The Buddha will protect you!”

Gu Xiechen paused for a beat, bowed in return, and smiled faintly.

Escorted by the escort fleet dispatched by Wagley, several massive transport vessels slowly lifted off, gradually disappearing into the clouds. Dozens of Roman fighter jets briefly appeared far off in the sky, but instantly, nearly a hundred anti-air missiles launched from the ground, and over a hundred Federation fighters surged forth with momentum, forcing the Roman jets to veer far away from the fleet.

As all the members of the Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps departed for Earth aboard the ships provided by Wagley, Gu Xiechen watched the fleet swallowed by the clouds, feeling a sudden release in his chest. The heavy psychological pressure stemming from the survival of tens of thousands of his brothers vanished. Gu Xiechen suddenly felt his heart incredibly light and transparent; the circulation of Zhenqi within his body had become exceedingly smooth and fluid.

Peng Hua stood beside Gu Xiechen, also gazing at the thick cloud cover.

“Hey, your people are shipped out.” Peng Hua nudged Gu Xiechen’s shoulder. “Are you satisfied now? You used my sect and Little Niu Zi’s sect as a guise to bring Wagley under control; you’ve gained too much this time.”

Peng Hua greedily scanned Gu Xiechen once more, chuckling softly, “How about this? Keeping that Little Niu Zi in the dark, let’s make a deal. If you can select a few suitable treasures from the artifacts you acquire later and hand them over to me, the alliance with the War God Hall will be entirely my responsibility. What do you say?”

Gu Xiechen shot him a cold glare, crossing his arms and saying leisurely, “Can I repeat these words to Little Zhang Daoist?”

Peng Hua’s face fell, and he sighed weakly, “Don't! Absolutely don't tell him, or I’ll certainly suffer for it! But you’re using my banner as a pretext; you have to give me some benefits, right?”

Gu Xiechen glared fiercely at Peng Hua and snarled in a low voice, “Aren’t the benefits enough already? Comrade Peng Hua, don’t be too greedy! My Gu family has been merchants for generations, prioritizing fair trade, dealing honestly with everyone. Giving you ninety percent of the artifact income is already a massive loss for me! If I didn't need you to persuade your sect to ally with the War God Hall, I’d walk away right now, do you understand?”

Peng Hua obediently closed his mouth. He knew only Gu Xiechen could help them easily secure the treasures left behind by the numerous ancient cultivators on Heaven Star. For the sake of these treasures, let alone the minor matter of allying with the War God Hall, those cunning, profit-driven elders of the Asian Dao Alliance would eagerly jump at the chance to exterminate the entire War God Hall lineage.

Gu Xiechen also fell silent. A necessary, slight reprimand of Peng Hua was required, but he couldn't truly afford to fall out with him. After all, Gu Xiechen still relied on the prestige of the Asian Dao Alliance to operate. Without that banner backing him, Wagley would be the first to jump up and try to have Gu Xiechen cut into a thousand pieces.

The two men looked at each other, and then suddenly burst into loud laughter. In the control tower of the landing pad, Wagley watched Gu Xiechen and Peng Hua from a distance, his expression constantly shifting. He truly wanted to issue the command for his fighters to attack and kill both Gu Xiechen and Peng Hua, thus escaping Gu Xiechen’s control. But after a moment’s thought, Wagley gently shook his head.

“Heh heh, for now, it seems cooperating with them benefits me more. Why rush things?”

Muttering a strange smile, Wagley calculated privately, “Gu Xiechen, Gu Juechen… between these two brothers, who will win? Right now, Gu Xiechen seems to have the better odds!”

The rain grew heavier, and the wind lashed the raindrops against the ground. A giant tree, a hundred meters tall, swayed violently from side to side under the assault, its roaring and booming sounding almost like a tsunami.

Just as Gu Xiechen and Peng Hua were about to run into the tower to discuss further cooperation issues with Wagley, a hysterical, almost frenzied shriek suddenly echoed from a distance.

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