Chapter 1290 – Defeating Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (Thirty-Two)
The one who betrayed Jiang Pengji was none other than her comrade from the Gene Warrior Training Camp, a traitor who sold confidential information of the Federation for personal gain. The leak caused the frontlines to collapse, leading to the deaths of at least a million soldiers, marking the Federation’s greatest loss in nearly a century.
During the mission, Jiang Pengji unsuspectingly turned her back on the enemy, nearly losing her life.
The traitor framed her for the crime, making her the scapegoat.
She was merely an ordinary gene warrior with no background, and if the accusations stuck, there was no doubt she would be doomed.
The Federation issued a warrant for her capture, but Jiang Pengji was unwilling to sit back and wait for her fate, so she forcibly broke out and escaped.
Traversing multiple planets, she relentlessly hunted down the traitor, determined to provide an account for the fallen soldiers and clear her name.
Before the traitor could board an outbound ship, she took him down, obtaining crucial evidence to prove her innocence.
Though the evidence proved her innocent, due to her resisting arrest and killing comrades… until an official conviction was declared, no one could touch the traitor’s life. Jiang Pengji was forced to retire from the gene warrior ranks and entered the Seventh Legion as an ordinary soldier.
On her very first day, she encountered her future superior.
The person simply spoke a few words to her, which she still clearly remembers.
“Jiang Pengji? I’ve read your dossier… This young girl truly has guts, resisting arrest with force… destined to be one of the Seventh Legion!”
Jiang Pengji stood tall, stubbornly reiterating.
“I’m innocent, I’m clear of charges, why should I accept this unreasonable and lethal arrest?”
“You are a soldier; there’s nothing reasonable or unreasonable. Obedience is your duty,” her superior replied. “Moreover, do you have so little faith in the Federation? Even with solid evidence, they will verify the details, and finally, only after military court reviews will a conviction be reached.”
Jiang Pengji’s face turned red as she protested, “I’m just an ordinary gene warrior, who knows if I would be used as a scapegoat?”
“The Gene Warrior Training Program has failed miserably; it’s rare to see such a unique and opinionated gene warrior,” her superior chuckled, “Tsk tsk, you seem quite the conspiracy theorist. Haven’t you read enough novels?”
Jiang Pengji: “…”
“Without ironclad evidence, they wouldn’t dare convict you, send you to a military court, or even execute you secretly. Well…” Before finishing, the superior chuckled again, “It’s getting late; I’ve a meeting to attend. Report to the new recruit office, and we’ll talk again when fate allows.”
Though Jiang Pengji had far more real combat experience than the new recruits, she quickly rose through the ranks thanks to her solid achievements and soon met her superior again.
The superior seemed to have completely forgotten her, treating her just like any other ordinary subordinate.
Jiang Pengji also didn’t intentionally seek to connect with her until the superior retired due to certain circumstances, and she had grown into the successor of that role.
“You’re quite the formidable one,” the superior smiled, “The Seventh Legion is now entrusted to you.”
“Yes, sir!”
Every time Jiang Pengji reflected on this, she felt a sense of regret, as she believed she had let her superior’s hopes and expectations down.
Before her journey across time, she thought she managed her position as legion commander fairly well.
Nearly a decade into this new life, her thoughts gradually changed.
As an individual warrior, she was outstanding, but as the core of the front-line legion, she still lacked seasoning.
Perhaps out of compensation or empathy, Jiang Pengji eagerly wanted to be a good “lord,” as she couldn’t let those who followed her down.
“If… I don’t have the courage to provide an account for the six thousand innocents who perished, then I’ve lived in vain!”
Jiang Pengji clenched her hand tightly, her resolve set.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, only the live stream’s barrage scrolling silently, unwilling to fade into the background.
【No Walnuts Here】: Host, I don’t mind dealing with the main culprit, but isn’t involving their families a bit excessive? I’m not mindlessly altruistic; I just think your reputation is excellent now, you don’t need to fill it with controversies for these people, leaving debates a thousand years later.
【Three Fifteen Forensics】: The traitors are despicable, but their families are innocent. Surely the host wouldn’t be so unreasonable?
【Stowaway Non-Money】: I see nothing wrong; I stand with the host. After all, it’s two different eras. We can’t impose our values on the host. Boss Cao used his father’s death to launch the Eastern Expedition; how many innocent people in Xu Zhou did he kill? Though his father’s death wasn’t the main cause, it surely pushed Boss Cao to act. The host was betrayed; if she doesn’t make them see the cost of betrayal, more will follow. Because the price of betrayal is too low, loyalty ends up feeling cheap. In chaotic times, kindness and mercy can only be seen as neutral terms. Excessive kindness and mercy lead to endless betrayals and harm, costing not just the lives of those around the host but also jeopardizing the host’s own life. I initially thought the host resembled Boss Cao, but upon closer examination, she seems more like Liu Da’er…
【Genius Guo Fengxiao】: I don’t think it’s excessive. To us audience members, six thousand casualties are just cold numbers, but to the families of the soldiers, each one is a body lying on the battlefield, a wound that never heals.
The ancient big shots in the live stream jumped in to ridicule; the idlers couldn’t stay quiet!
Many older viewers knew how foul-tempered Jiang Pengji used to be, quick to lash out at idle viewers, yet she had indeed softened over the past two years.
Now, having grown too gentle, some new viewers in the live stream began to hold her up to saintly standards.
It became evident that Jiang Pengji was far more likely to become a butcher than a saint.
No amount of persuasion would work; those who betrayed her from Hujun and their entire clan were already dead in her eyes.
Wei Ci received the news about the fall of Zhonghe County in Hujun two days before Jiang Pengji did.
When he got the news, he had a premonition—
“Ah, I’ve clung to life for a few years at least; don’t cry out for injustice in front of the King of Hell, you all are dying unjustly.”
If it weren’t for Liu Zhi’s unforeseen variable, those folks in Hujun should’ve been torn apart by the lord long ago. How could they still be alive till now?
What a rare twist of fate to avoid complete extinction, yet why were these people failing to cherish it, hell-bent on seeking death?
“Life’s fate is such an interesting thing.”
Wei Ci looked up at the sparkling night sky, the stars that seemed profound to others appeared to him like cryptic codes.
Huang Song led the army to break through Hujun’s frontline, taking Zhonghe County in a single stroke; his joy hadn’t fully settled when he received the news—
“Lan Ting has recovered from illness.”
Just a few words made Huang Song feel a sudden increase in pressure on his shoulders, as if invisible weight pressed down.
It made it hard for him to breathe while stirring secret excitement, his complex emotions intertwining into feelings hard to express.
Cheng Jing remarked, “The lord is very happy.”
Huang Song replied, “Lan Ting was gravely ill; victory feels unearned. Now that she is well, it’s only natural to be overjoyed.”
Because of the pressure Jiang Pengji had long imposed, Huang Song was quite open about how this struggle looked to him.
Winning was certainly joyful, but losing held no shame.
