Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 165: Breaking Out

Chapter 165: Breaking Out

Gajin's sacrifice did not change anything about the battle. The blockade on the main road had been fully blasted through by Gunda's army. The trapped Wargod army started rushing outward under the cover of the Youth Guards.

In the basin belonging to the barbarians, I saw a group of soldiers surrounding a familiar face as they charged outward. It was none other than Gunda, who was trying to break free under strict protections.

"Canyue, time for us to withdraw. The enemies are reorganizing for a second attack," Old Du shouted to me.

The battlefield was extremely chaotic. Master Crystal and the barbarian army he led had successfully broken free as well. They were rapidly escaping toward the forest at the back. At the same time, Gunda's army had also broken free and was escaping in the opposite direction.

However, the leaders of the well-trained clone soldiers were able to hurriedly reorganize the remaining half of their army. They were attempting to launch an organized assault on our side of the battlefield while we tried to break free.

The withdrawal was progressing at a rapid pace. The speed of an escape would largely be faster than the speed of an organized march. Shortly after, Gunda appeared before me with a group of his guards.

"I knew you were the one here to rescue us. Let's retreat first. We'll talk after we're free," said Gunda with gratitude.

Right at that moment, Gunda noticed Maley, who was madly attacking amid a crowd of enemies due to the sorrow of losing Gajin.

"What is wrong with this fellow? Has he gone mad? He's killing his own people," asked Gunda incredulously.

"Grand Commander, let's retreat first. I'll explain to you after escaping," I reminded loudly.

Gunda nodded as he led his people and continued to escape. Old Du, Zhang Bao'er, and I charged through the chaotic melee to reach Maley's side.

"Chief, your army is withdrawing. We must retreat as well. If the enemies are able to reform the encirclement, things will become dangerous," I shouted to Maley.

"Give me a moment. I'll kill Hakan to avenge Gajin!" said Maley. He had lost his reason after losing Gajin.

I took a look at Hakan and Lipu, who were being protected by more and more clone soldiers, and realized that it would be extremely difficult to take down Hakan for now. "Chief Maley, it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge in the future. It hasn't been easy for us to create this opening. We need to retreat before we can look for a chance to counterattack in the future. Hakan won't escape you," I said.

Upon hearing my words, Maley finally took a look at his final four remaining personal guards. The rate at which he was becoming exhausted had also reached a critical point.

"I'll let that traitorous Hakan live a few more days. Retreat!" said Maley furiously.

Having reached an agreement, all our people charged outward. The 7th Armored Division and the Youth Guards were in charge of covering the soldiers' retreat. Only after all of them retreated did the two groups begin to withdraw too. Withdrawing while fighting, we managed to safely escape the encirclement.

"Old Du, Kelly, Lin Feixue, follow Gunda's army and have him fulfill his promise as soon as possible. Everyone else, come with me. We'll deal with Maley and his barbarian army. Maintain communication. 7th Armored Division, let's go," I said.

Old Du nodded at me. We split into two and started working in accordance with the plan.

The two escaping armies entered the forest following two different routes, leaving the chaotic clone army and mountains of corpses behind. At that time, I noticed that the clone army had fully reorganized under the leadership of some leaders. I did some estimation and concluded that the clone army still had more than 45,000 people.

'What a pity that this army is controlled by a genetic lock and can't be used by us,' I thought. I hurriedly withdrew, preventing the enemy from forming a new encirclement around us.

Taking Zhang Bao'er, Anxashe, and Baron Sisse with me, we moved rapidly along Maley's route to reconvene with the barbarian army. The soldiers of the 7th Armored Division marched alongside us. At this time, Dondon and Domo, who were in charge of maintaining the communication network, rushed down the mountain to reconvene with us.

Surprisingly, the clone army wasn't giving chase. It would seem that without their main commander, they did not have anyone to properly command them. We made use of the perfect chance to escape rapidly. Just like that, we ran for over three hours in the forest. Once we were about 50 kilometers away, we stopped in a valley.

Countless barbarian soldiers were either sitting or laying on the ground while breathing heavily. After the shaking battle and reversal in plots, everyone was grateful to have preserved their lives. At the same time, they were also reorganizing themselves. I had Anxashe stay at the rear as a scout, ensuring everyone's safety. Amid the chaotic army, we met Maley once again.

"Canyue, the attack on Gunda's base has been halted as well, but the encirclement is still there. Commander Xingxing is still holding her ground," reported Dondon.

"Chief Maley, shall you withdraw your soldiers in advance to avoid conflicting with Gunda's army when they return?" reminded Baron Sisse.

At that point, the casualty report had been finalized. Maley had 6,700 surviving soldiers while the 7th Armored Division had 95 surviving soldiers.

'Another four were sacrificed. But this time, we weren't even able to retrieve their corpses due to the chaos. They died without even getting a grave,' I thought with guilt.

"Hakan's betrayal has cost us disastrous losses," said Maley, who was still furious.

"Chief, that isn't entirely correct. Hakan was not the reason for the clone army to do what they did. At most, he's the spark that triggered the attack," said Master Crystal.

"For now, we should prioritize pulling back the barbarians surrounding the Kenante base to prevent further casualties," reminded Baron Sisse yet again.

"Are there any suitable places we can go for now?" asked Maley as he looked at a guard beside him.

"The old, the women, the children, and the sick are currently gathered in the Dark Ravine. Shall we muster our soldiers there first?" asked the guard.

"If we really don't have a better option, we'll go there. Notify the attacking forces to retreat immediately. We will depart after 20 minutes," ordered Maley.

"Dondon, contact Zhang Xingxing. We will be following Chief Maley to the Dark Ravine. Have her stay and wait for the retreating Wargod soldiers. Have her request Gunda to fulfill his promise as quickly as possible," I said.

"Roger," replied Dondon, who was busy gaping at Wind Spirit.

"Where is the clone commander, Dilo?" I asked Master Crystal.

"He is being tightly guarded by our soldiers. Everything seems normal," said Master Crystal.

"Take him with us to the Dark Ravine. We still have some uses for him," I said.

After resting for 20 minutes, the soldiers moved out. Amid the planet's ambient rumble, we marched toward the Dark Ravine.

"Canyue, the clone soldiers are pulling back," said a dark figure that had rushed over from afar. It was none other than Anxashe.

"Where are they withdrawing to?" I asked.

"According to our mechanical dogs, over a hundred spaceships had landed and picked them up," replied Anxashe.

"Looks like the Sacred Wing race is here to take their soldiers back," said Wind Spirit.

"The Divine Empire has gained a new army that is basically a Wargod army. This is extremely troublesome," said Baron Sisse as he shook his head and sighed.

"Nevertheless, their withdrawal means that we are temporarily secured on Rumble. Let's recuperate at the Dark Ravine first," I said.

With the enemy gone, we no longer needed Anxashe to cover our rear. Thus, we could travel together toward the Dark Ravine.

"What kind of a place is the Dark Ravine?" I asked Anxashe.

"It's a place of origin, but the Kenante Kingdom abandoned it a very long time ago," said Anxashe.

"Place of origin. Is that where the Wargod race came from?" I asked curiously.

"Yes. According to the legends, the first Wargod soldier was created by the Creator in the Dark Ravine. Initially, the ravine was lush with vegetation like Gero City, but a heavenly fire had descended and destroyed all the plants there. Oddly, after the fire, the plants could no longer grow back. Thus, the Kenante Kingdom decided to abandon it," said Anxashe.

"I don't believe in the so-called heavenly fire. That must be a meteor or something," said Zhang Bao'er.

"That's possible. The meteor might be the source of a great fire, and the radiation from the meteor might be the reason why the plants stopped growing there," said Dondon.

"I did not expect Maley to hide his people there. It is indeed a good hiding place," muttered Anxashe.

The team continued marching for two more hours before the Dark Ravine appeared before us. Several mountain peaks as dark as coal stood before us. The darkness was so deep it was inconceivable. The mountains looked more like gigantic burnt trees, and the ravine between them was also a world of darkness. The ancient fire had erased all greenery from this place.

"This feels like the forbidden zone of all lives," I exclaimed.

"A forbidden zone of life will often also be an origin zone of new life," said Baron Sisse with a profound tone.

We followed the barbarian army and entered the origin zone of new life. The moment we entered, I saw the numerous barbarians steadfastly and painstakingly living in the harsh environment.

With one look, I saw a newborn ox-headed person. The baby was being cradled in the arms of a female ox-headed individual. The little baby was staring at us curiously. The war was still a distant thing for him.

Origin zone of new life!

After reaching the Dark Ravine, many of the barbarian soldiers went to look for their families. For a soldier, returning to their family was something worth rejoicing. The over 1,000 dead soldiers had been forever separated from their loved ones.

A few hours later, the soldiers in charge of surrounding the Kenante base returned. Master Crystal took the lead and supervised the soldiers as they started putting up tents. After a bloody battle and an intense march, we all fell asleep easily.

After sleeping for an indeterminate amount of time, I woke up from some rustling sounds. I opened my eyes and saw that Dondon was busy trying to please Wind Spirit by offering her a massive pile of food.

Packs of crackers and canned food were piled on the ground. The two little fellows were happy enjoying the food. Looking at the two, a rumbling sound came from my stomach. I was getting hungry as well.

I got up, took two provisions of canned food from them without hesitation, and started eating.

Wind Spirit was unhappy as she complained, "Alien, didn't you see that we were here first? Even when eating, priority should go to those who came first."

I did not know whether to laugh or cry. This little fellow was acting like she was on a vacation. I was about to say something when I noticed something. Instead of arguing, I retreated silently with my two cans.

Outside the tent, the soldiers were bustling with activity. They had taken off their armor and were reorganizing themselves. Many of their weapons needed some polishing and maintenance in preparation for future battles.

"Hero Canyue, Chief Maley wishes to invite you over to discuss something important," said a guard as he ran up to me.