Chapter 511: Expeditionary Army

Li Hao and the others were not delivering food every day; they had returned to a quiet life. Team training was mainly to help Huo Ying recover his form, and a large group of newcomers had also joined. The Tianjing Mecha Martial Arts Team also needed to establish a second team, a third team, and sufficient substitutes. Huo Ying was under immense competitive pressure, but everyone was full of fighting spirit.

Zuo Xiaotang was gradually recovering. He was an optimist by nature and was trying hard to forget the past. Kevin, Cheng Konghai, and the others were still participating in the Alliance's operations to strike at Noah's Ark. In truth, Zuo Xiaotang didn't really like academy life; it was too comfortable. He liked this kind of exciting combat, and he also knew that it would only be safe once these damn parasites were wiped out. Basically, reports of victory were coming in one after another. Ma'er was sparing almost no expense to cooperate with the Alliance in encircling and suppressing the remnants of Noah's Ark. This kind of dogged persistence, coupled with the fact that Noah's Ark was now leaderless and retreating steadily, meant that after these waves of sweeping operations, this veteran organization that had lurked for a thousand years suffered unprecedented heavy losses and was completely silenced.

But before everyone could be happy for long, a major problem appeared on Kepler Planet. The two full fleets stationed on Kepler Planet were wiped out after encountering an attack by Giant Insects, and all four ground bases and the rebuilt Base 5 lost contact.

All that was received on the Solar System side were distress signals.

Whether for the sake of rescue or to preserve the hope of human civilization's progress, the Solar System Alliance Council voted unanimously to form a fleet to launch an expedition to Kepler.

The Alliance dispatched four main fleets, totaling over ten thousand warships of various types; this was also an unprecedented scale. At the same time, they conscripted elite Mobile Suit pilots from major war zones and outstanding students from major military academies. Humanity could not afford repeated setbacks and needed to settle the outcome in one fell swoop during this campaign.

The mission was also issued directly to the major military academies.

Li Hao, Zuo Xiaotang, Cheng Konghai, and others were all among those conscripted. Others like those from North Caro and the Round Table Knights were naturally included as well. Except for those who were seriously injured during the last expedition, everyone received a conscription notice this time. With such a large scale, it was clear that the Alliance possessed more unknown intelligence.

Li Hao also received a long-lost mission: Blee51: Join the Expeditionary Army, win the war, and save human civilization.

To be honest, if Blee were a physical entity, he would definitely tear it apart. Damn it, it always resorts to moral grandstanding. Doesn't it know how much weight he carries? The key is, it doesn't give a single cent!

At a time like this, why not give a Super Mecha? A high-dimensional suit? Or maybe a system that turns stones into gold? It was stingy to the extreme!

Complaining aside, he definitely had to go. The Council's resolution was stated quite simply, but the actual situation must be even worse than imagined, otherwise there wouldn't be such a large-scale mobilization.

Li Hao wasn't idle either; that night, he immediately used his Dream Ability to head to Kepler, but this time he was "bounced" back.

How should he put it? Kepler seemed to have come alive, as if a planet possessing consciousness had directly bounced him back. If Li Hao's ability hadn't been quite proficient, his Spirit would have shattered just from that bounce.

Even so, he was like a frosted eggplant, wilted for several days. Zhou Naiyi and the others all thought he had broken up with A Youyou.

The current situation was that there was no need to worry about home; the orphanage had moved to a new place, directly to the home of Wu Zang's family. The old man was overjoyed; a group of little devils was noisy but fun, and safety could be completely assured.

But the situation on Kepler was worse than imagined. This was the first time Li Hao had encountered such a terrifying equivalent of consciousness. What exactly was it? Giant Insects?

Monsters? And the Nimeier Civilization?

And what about the "God" that Nangong Yuhang spoke of? What were they all? This expedition was likely no small matter.

Li Hao had originally wanted to persuade everyone to stay, but Zuo Xiaotang was determined to go; he went wherever Li Hao went, and he didn't care much about anything else. Wuzang, on the other hand, was full of longing. When he received the conscription, he felt his life's value had been realized. His dream was to fight for humanity, and he craved a real battlefield. He was a born soldier; using death to scare him was simply an insult.

Zhou Naiyi was one to earnestly execute orders. As a soldier, this was her duty. Perhaps there would be a trace of worry and fear, but she was a soldier.

Everyone responded to the conscription at the first opportunity. The most conflicted was Ma Long. Ma Laoshi didn't want to go at all; he just wanted to coast until graduation and was not prepared at all to participate in

actual combat. He knew it too well; that wasn't EMP, nor was it the S Tournament where you'd at most get injured. There, a single shell could cost you your life, not to mention having to travel far to Kepler to fight terrifying Giant Insects and the unpredictable Noah's Ark. Such a large scale didn't mean they were strong, but rather that it all hinted the opponent was terrifying. Plus, with Li Hao reminding them, this really put Ma Long in a bind.

He had just started a comfortable life, and now he had to go to the battlefield?

Ma Long was truly conflicted. He could choose to have an "accidental injury" or forcibly not go. In fact, it wasn't just Ma Long; military academies in times of peace were actually quite comfortable. Coupled with the high exposure of EMP, they had a star-like aura. But when it came to actually going to the battlefield, anyone would be nervous. After all, they were considered Reserves, not yet in the situation of officially joining the army after graduation.

Earth Spaceport, which was already busy, was even busier at this time. However, most commercial spacecraft had stopped operating, and military supply ships were constantly entering and leaving. The USE's Fifth and Sixth Fleets were assembling, and the entire Solar System Alliance was mobilizing for this expedition. Overall, humans still held a fairly positive attitude toward this expedition. It couldn't be called optimistic, but they still held the advantage in terms of the level of civilization advancement.

Of course, one could not let their guard down. The Giant Insects possessed space-strike capabilities, so it would certainly be a difficult battle, but overall, humans were in a position where they could advance to attack and retreat to defend.

Li Hao and Zuo Xiaotang each carried a large backpack, while Zhou Naiyi was neat and efficient, having cut her hair short. Cheng Konghai brought nothing, and Wuzang took a simple bag. Although they knew the future was perilous, at this moment, there was more excitement. Watching the busy military port and squads of soldiers constantly moving about, as military cadets, they were bound to be infected.

"What about Ma Long? Is he coming?" "I don't know."

"He said he was going to talk to the principal, and after that, I don't know where he ran off to with Sheng Man."

Conscription was not entirely mandatory for military cadets, though of course, if one was conscripted and didn't go, it would certainly have a great impact on their future. Attention!

With a loud shout, Li Hao and the others stood at attention subconsciously. Looking back, it was actually Ma Long in an Air Force uniform.

"What are you doing, a bunch of new recruits? Standing without a proper posture. At ease, salute! Oh my, my hairstyle, don't mess it up!" Ma Long laughed. Ma Laoshi looked as handsome as ever in his silver military uniform.

Everyone swarmed over. "Holy crap, Ma Long, didn't you say you weren't coming?"

"Damn, who said I wasn't coming? How could I let you guys go without me watching over you? Manman and I made a promise: if we come back alive this time, we'll get married. Hahaha, she agreed!" Ma Laoshi said smugly.

"Ah, why is your uniform different from ours... why are you a Second Lieutenant?" Zuo Xiaotang asked curiously. As the captain of the S-Tournament Champion team, Li Hao was only a Second Lieutenant; this contrast was a bit stark.

"Haha, there's no helping it. I'm in the Starship Department, so of course I'm joining the fleet. Brothers, I'm the only S-Tournament Champion member on our warship; this status is maxed out." Ma Long laughed triumphantly. Why did he come? Because as a man, he had deeply realized that he couldn't always rely on others; status and position had to be fought for by oneself. This expedition was an opportunity. Already possessing the glory of the S-Tournament, if he could earn some real merits, his future would be promising.

"This is so unfair!"

"Haha, don't talk to me about that. Goddess Arths has also joined the army, and she's directly a Major. You can't compare to that; we might really become her subordinates."

"Hmm, only a Major? She should at least be a Colonel, or even a Major General wouldn't be impossible," Zuo Xiaotang said blissfully.

"Holy crap, Brother Zuo, your bias is too strong." Ma Long was caught between laughter and tears. After Ma Long confirmed he would accept the conscription, he immediately experienced completely different treatment and obtained quite a bit of first-hand information, being included in the Earth Federation's officer training opportunities. This expedition was very difficult and dangerous, and brave soldiers would naturally be encouraged. "The news I got is that it's very likely our batch will be a reserve force. Our main purpose for this expedition is training, and the fleet we belong to is very likely the one Arths is in. Oh, she's already a First Mate, isn't that awesome!"

Everyone couldn't help but show envy. This was truly fierce; it was simply impossible on Earth and Mars. Only the NUP could be so bold in promoting new

people. Of course, the military probably also considered Arths's effect on boosting morale for this expedition; it was a comprehensive consideration.

Li Hao was also somewhat happy in his heart. The two had been disconnected for a long time, and even Dita couldn't be reached. He hadn't had any news of A Youyou, so finally being able to see her was a good thing.

Ma Long was also happy for Li Hao. "Hao Ge, just be happy in secret. This journey will take at least over a month. No matter how long the Daliven Family's reach is, they won't be able to interfere. But you have to be careful; I heard Arths is there too, and quite a few people are raring to go."

Who doesn't know that those close to the water get the first moon? This time, not only were there elites from major military academies, but in human society, there was inevitably human sentiment and social networking; quite a few who came to gild their resumes had also snuck in.

Li Hao curled his lip. "Do you think my nickname 'Li Mo' is fake?" Other things he could tolerate, but snatching his girlfriend? Heh.

"Oh no, it's over!" Ma Long slapped his forehead hard. Everyone was startled. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so handsome and so talented, what if I get noticed by a beauty? I heard the Air Force is full of beauties." Ma Long looked conflicted. "Pfft~~~"

Everyone went to the registration office together to report, collect their uniforms, and update their personal information codes on their Skynet devices.

After collecting their military supplies, everyone followed the directions to the assembly point. This Expeditionary Army was composed of Earth's Fifth and Sixth Fleets, the Moon's Hanxing 2117 Fleet, Mars's First and Third Conquest Fleets, and the TAS's Freedom Fleet.