The civilians in the settlement began to whoop and cheer. Some walked out to bask in the brisk wind and sunlight, confirming that they didn't see even a single bug in the vicinity.
In the past, the bugs had been so prevalent that they extended as far as the eye could see. Now, however, all that remained was the familiar landscape of Mars.
Some of the civilians were so agitated that they began to bawl, while others ran around madly outside the settlement like crazed fools. All around them were smiles of relief and joy that they had survived this nightmarish ordeal, that they would no longer have to live in fear of the bugs that threatened to encroach upon them at every corner. The news that Zhang Lie and the members of Team Zenith brought back was an incredible boon.
Many sobbing civilians thanked Zhang Lie, the members of Team Zenith, and the disciples of the Zenith Dojo, leaving them simultaneously embarrassed and relieved.
"Don't wander out too far—there might still be a few bugs we haven't dealt with!" Yang Ze shouted, but no one listened to him. It was as though they had collectively gone mad—they had been waiting for this moment for far too long.
Zhang Lie stepped away from the throngs of celebrating people and went to find Marshal Li.
After a period of rest and recuperation, Marshal Li had recovered fully from his injuries. He was in the middle of perusing a bundle of documents when Zhang Lie found him.
Zhang Lie smiled. "It looks like you're in much better health."
Li Pu mirrored Zhang Lie's smile. "You're all here."
Zhang Lie sat down by the side of the bed. "I'm glad you're doing well."
"Thanks to the healing potion you brought me, my body's in far better shape."
"I come bearing good news," Zhang Lie said.
"I can hear the cheers outside already. A huge success in battle, is it?"
Zhang Lie shook his head.
Li Pu frowned. "What, could you have killed all the bugs already? Haha!"
"More or less. We've destroyed the main nest and killed all the bugs on the battlefield at the time. There might still be a few isolated groups of bugs on Mars, but they'll be gone soon enough.
Li Pu had been making a joke, and he was gobsmacked to hear Zhang Lie's serious response. "Really?"
"Would you like to observe some footage of the battle?"
Li Pu tilted his head toward the ceiling and began to laugh. "Haha, excellent, excellent news indeed! For a moment, I thought I might not see Mars be freed from the bugs in my lifetime.
The Zenith Dojo was responsible for changing the fate of Mars. I truly don't know how to thank you."
Li Pu had laughed so hard that he almost tore open a wound that had just healed. He clutched his chest in pain, but his cheerful laughter still filled the room. contemporary romance
Zhang Lie shook his head. "Don't be too excited yet, Marshal. The worst isn't yet over. Half of Mars is in ruins, and much will have to be reconstructed. There are still pockets of bugs that have to be dealt with as well."
Li Pu smiled. "No matter what, all of you are heroes. Please, accept my gratitude. If not for the timely arrival of the Zenith Dojo, I wouldn't be here right now—and neither would Mars. I'm so excited that I can barely speak."
"We only did what was right."
"If you need any of the soldiers in the encampment, they're yours to command."
"Marshal, shall we talk about the future of Mars? Between Mars and the Zenith Dojo, in particular."
Li Pu nodded. "We should. You've dealt with the immediate problem, and it's time to think about what happens next."
"According to my agreement with Yang Ze and Hong Tianqi, the Zenith Dojo was only responsible for sending aid during the bug invasion. Now that the danger is over, there's no further reason for us to stay behind."
"Can Mars continue to hire the Zenith Dojo?" Li Pu hurriedly asked. "Not just to deal with the remaining bugs, but also to guard and defend Mars."
There were those who had been eyeing Mars. They provided no aid during its time of need, but now that the crisis was resolved, they would swarm around it like flies drawing close to a pile of feces—then divide a weakened Mars among themselves.
Li Pu explained sincerely, "The reason Mars was able to survive was because of the cooperation of the Martians and the aid of the Zenith Dojo. We Martians and your disciples traded blood and lives to resolve this conflict, and I don't want those with ulterior motives to take advantage instead."
Zhang Lie and Li Pu discussed plans for future collaboration. Zhang Lie was willing to provide martial support. Some disciples of the Zenith Dojo would stay behind on Mars to assist in cleaning up the remaining bugs and to guard Mars's safety.
"Although I'm only a Marshal of Mars, and I might not be able to promise enough benefits to tempt all of you to stay behind, I'll discuss the terms of our negotiation with the other marshals immediately. I believe they won't resist such stellar guardians as the members of your dojo."
After a lengthy discussion, the terms of the contract were finally settled.
The Zenith Dojo would protect Mars from danger for three years, and it would receive many lavish privileges as a result. Not only would the Zenith Dojo be able to construct branches on Mars, they would be permanently tax-exempt, and they would obtain a third of Mars's gross domestic product for the next three years.
Zhang Lie was very satisfied with these conditions. He returned outside to a celebratory atmosphere and convivial mood.
No one disturbed the members of Team Zenith, who were still hard at work.
Hong Xi and Hong Xiao had finished tabulating the number of wounded and dead that they had, as well as the number of ants that each disciple had killed.
Most of the casualties from the Zenith Dojo were simply injured, and only a scant few had perished. For those who had died in combat, Zhang Lie would send a lavish gift of gold to their family as reparations.
The disciples of the Zenith Dojo beamed as they thought of the rewards they would be able to obtain from having participated in the defense. They grouped together, comparing their spoils.
Zhang Lie grinned as he observed the disciples of the Zenith Dojo.
He used to be one such hunter, working hard and competing with others for such prizes. Now, after his rebirth, however, he was the one giving out the prizes. He had emerged from the forefront of all hunters to stand at the peak—but fortunately, he wasn't alone. He had the members of Team Zenith alongside him.
Just then, Hong Xi walked over. "Captain, there are quite a lot of disciples who managed to exchange for the top rewards. We have enough disaster-grade cores stockpiled, since only a rare few were able to get enough points to exchange for it, but far more people than expected are asking for the superior-grade limit-breaking potion."
Neither Zhang Lie nor the members of Team Zenith had anticipated the appearance of so many six-star bugs.
Fortunately, the disciples of the Zenith Dojo had survived the ordeal—though that also meant that Zhang Lie would have to give out far more prizes than anticipated, as well.
"Have them speed up the production in the second realm. Everyone worked hard for these rewards, and we won't renege on them."
Just then, Zhang Lie's transceiver beeped. There was a transmission from Zhang Hanxiang.
Zhang Lie accepted the call and smiled, "Do you miss me? It's only been a month."
Zhang Hanxiang sighed in exasperation. "A month? I've been in the third realm for a year! Where have you been, Brother?"
Zhang Lie shrugged. "I led a rescue mission to Mars."
"Why didn't you bring me along with you?"
"You're too weak."
"You—well, we can speak about that later. Something's gone wrong in the third realm!"
Zhang Lie frowned. "What happened? From your tone of voice—"
"If you don't come back immediately, the draconian world's going to be destroyed!"
done.co
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