Chapter 669: Truth Only Lies Within the Range of the Cannons

Mancigu did not care about Kepler recalling the Anthem Warriors; he only needed to keep an eye on Kepler's movements. If they were just causing minor trouble or launching raids, it would only give him an excuse. A group of ants thinking they were a fighting force just because they had spent some time in the Anthem—if that were truly the case, he would be very happy to wipe out the potential of humanity in one fell swoop.

When Li Hao saw Polina, she was making clothes for a child. This was the way she calmed herself down during her breaks. Seeing Li Hao, she revealed a faint smile, "Li Ge, welcome back. You aren't afraid of me using you for experiments this time?"

Li Hao shrugged, "I have to come back even if I'm afraid. Polina, you are stronger than I imagined." Polina stood up and poured tea for Li Hao and A Youyou. "Honestly, I'm fine. Everyone doesn't need to worry. I don't really count as a normal person anymore; I've seen too much life and death. I don't even know how many lives have faded away at my hands. Romero and I both see things very clearly. Our brothers have all been through life and death on the battlefield for a long time, so don't worry about me. There's no rush to avenge Romero; I don't think he would want you all to throw your lives away. The only thing I worry about is this child. If one day I can't protect her, what should I do?"

Polina was small in stature, but she was truly a domineering and decisive woman at her core. She had never cared much about herself, but the child made her willing to give everything.

Li Hao nodded, "Look at my level. I will take her as my disciple. Nothing else needs to be said; as long as I am alive, I will definitely take care of her and ensure she grows up healthy."

Polina looked at Li Hao, and the final obsession in her heart was released. "Li Hao, having your word is enough. You must have a plan for coming back this time; Kepler will cooperate fully." The person she loved most, the one who held her in the palm of his hand, Romero, was already gone. Without Romero, she felt she had become the Polina of the past again. Although she had many friends around her—Ma Long, Sheng Man, Annie, Kevin, Jeris, Shi Xiaotang, and so on—it was all different. But no matter what, for the sake of this child, she had to live well now!

Li Hao and A Youyou left. A Youyou sighed softly, "I feel like Polina still hasn't moved on." Li Hao held A Youyou's hand, "It can only be done little by little. First, we avenge Romero. We have already been pushed into a corner by the Orcs; this battle is imperative."

A Youyou nodded, "Romero and Polina are the ones who understand you best. She has already had Kepler prepare in advance. If Li Hao weren't planning to take action, he wouldn't have recalled all the warriors currently in the major Anthems. Currently, in terms of power comparison, the Orcs have an absolute advantage; this is beyond doubt. But Li Hao must have some kind of trump card."

"Specific implementation will take some time. Let's prepare for both scenarios. In any case, we must make the Orcs pay the price."

Li Hao said. He still needed to investigate the power layout of Masa Planet and the Space City. There is no such thing as a 100% success rate, but there are things that must be done 100%. The 1,800 units of Heavenly Martial have arrived and been distributed, and the Anthem Warriors from various places are returning one after another.

More than a thousand, almost half of those stationed outside for combat, and all the Apocalypse members have returned. In fact, Romero had also been selecting those with strong spirits among the Kepler warriors. The method of opening the Gene Lock that Polina, Kevin, and others found, while having many limitations and not being suitable for everyone, had been completed by over two thousand warriors. These were ready-to-use combat forces, though their level was only at the Universe Flame Tier of Universe Power, their combat experience was naturally very rich.

That evening, a combat meeting was held in the Governor's mansion. Li Hao, A Youyou, Maxis, Chao Qinglong, Basta, Dumela, Zhou Naiyi, and Kevin—this was currently Kepler's wartime cabinet.

At the round table, Li Hao looked at everyone and could see that their strength had all improved. "There are two combat objectives this time: one is the Masa Space City, and the other is Man Ciku. I need at most a month to figure out their deployment. Before that, everyone, prepare for battle."

"We aren't using the Anthem mechanism?" Dumela was stunned. They all thought Li Hao wanted to use his connections in Aozier to force the initiation of the Shengge Dispute Arbitration Mechanism with the Masa Orcs. Maxis and the others sat upright, startled by Li Hao's words. Their combat preparations were based on the assumption that Li Hao would launch an Anthem challenge against Masa Planet. "Kepler now also has an Anthem and possesses the mechanism to use Anthem challenges to resolve disputes, especially when there is evidence. The 'Anthem mechanism' is built on the basis of equality," Kevin said.

"In the eyes of the Orcs, we are not worthy yet." Witnessing Romero's death in battle, the one who could least calm down was Kevin. That trip allowed him to truly see the humbleness of humans and the madness of the Orcs.

"That's right. It's not a dispute between us and the Masa Orcs; it's revenge," Li Hao said. In an instant, the atmosphere in the conference room changed. Not using the Anthem mechanism meant war. This battle was of great significance.

"Li Ge, if it's just to destroy the Space City, we are confident," Chao Qinglong nodded. He knew Li Hao wouldn't speak idly; there must be a method they didn't know about. Moreover, in terms of combat power assessment, they, who possessed Heavenly Martial, would definitely have the advantage against the rabble of the Space City. The people present would not belittle themselves.

"What about Man Ciku? Li Ge, his Universe Qi is truly at the peak," Maxis said in a deep voice. This was also what Maxis and others who had come into contact with top-tier power were most worried about.

"Leave him to me," Li Hao said. No one could compete for this. The closer they got to Chao Qinglong's level, the more they knew the terror of a Great General.

"Senior, if we launch this kind of war, will it provoke a counterattack from the Orc Empire, or perhaps the hostile forces of the Star Alliance will take the opportunity to cause trouble?" A Youyou asked.

Without even mentioning the war situation, the results had to be considered. Li Hao wanted to launch special operations, which were highly likely to provoke strong retaliation. One couldn't just think about the thrill without considering the consequences.

"We possess evidence against Man Ciku. We don't need to worry about the Star Alliance, and the Ozil Empire and Helavis Empire will provide certain diplomatic support. If the Orcs launch a large-scale war, it is equivalent to going against the Star Alliance order. If they dare, and we don't counterattack, they will dare even more," Li Hao said. "This battle must be fast. You must destroy the Space City and the Star Gate before the Seventh Fleet can rescue them."

Zhou Naiyi nodded, "I agree. This battle is imperative. Rules are useful, but sometimes you get results while fighting. Blindly avoiding and blindly preparing will never have an end. Besides, we have no way out. Man Ciku targeting Romero was just a test; it will only get worse later!"

The others had no objections. Returning this time meant they were ready for battle. Masa Planet must have also strengthened its defenses.

Li Hao divided everyone into five teams, led by Chao Qinglong, Maxis, Basta, Zhou Naiyi,

Dumela, and others. On one hand, it was to understand everyone's combat power, and on the other, it was to teach the Kepler warriors how to use the Anthem's Universe Power. Romero's preparation actually played a very important role.

Li Hao spent a portion of his time every day understanding Chao Qinglong and the others' combat blades; after all, raising their level was what he was better at, and it was more useful for his brothers. The meeting with Long Danni and Wu Fa was much more relaxed. Originally, the combat meeting had invited Long Danni and Wu Fa, but the two did not participate directly, choosing instead to communicate after there was a plan. This was also a kind of attitude.

Admittedly, Li Hao was their junior, but now Li Hao was the highest authority in Kepler, even bearing more responsibility. The Solar System Council was already preparing to propose Li Hao as the new Governor of Kepler. Currently, he was the only one in all of Kepler qualified for this; anyone else would face strong backlash. At the same time, he would become a member of the Solar System Alliance Cabinet. In the future, when the army was established, he would also be the Commander-in-Chief of the Kepler Autonomous Region, holding both military and political power.

"Principal, General Wu Fa, long time no see. You are as impressive as ever," Li Hao laughed.

"The stir you created in the Anthem was even bigger; we don't need to flatter each other. Honestly, we haven't done much," Wu Fa smiled bitterly. He was more pragmatic, so he didn't perform well in the Cabinet.

Regarding Kepler's affairs, he took the initiative to shoulder the burden.

"Li Hao, do you intend to take military action against Masa in the near future?" Long Danni was more concerned about this.

"Yes, but the specifics will have to wait until after we investigate their military equipment status before acting. I estimate that our warriors' combat power is not superior in quantity, but stronger in quality," Li Hao said.

"Opening the Gene Lock plus advanced Heavenly Martial, our soul strength is stronger than the Orcs. Of course, I'm talking about the average level; there are also experts among the Orcs."

Wu Fa nodded. He was worried that Li Hao was too confident. "We have also been studying the Orcs' combat power. Their Beast Martial Legion is very large in number, but their high-end combat power is not as strong as imagined. It's just that in terms of fleets, we are at a complete disadvantage; we have no control."

"So if we want to act, we must avoid direct combat. 'Courtesy demands reciprocity'," Li Hao said. "Principal, later Kevin will hand over some evidence to you. This is the record of Romero's fleet being besieged by the Masa army at the time. After our combat plan is finished, you can use it according to the situation."

The effect of this evidence could only be maximized in the hands of the Solar System Council.

Long Danni and Wu Fa looked at each other, "If there is evidence, why not submit it to the Star Alliance earlier?"

Li Hao smiled, "Is it useful?"

Wu Fa was silent for a while, "You are right. In the end, one still has to speak with strength. We have been in the Star Alliance for a while now, and we have been constantly suppressed by various sanctions. Truth only lies within the range of the cannons."

"You want to use this as a backup plan."

"Yes. Regardless of whether the combat plan succeeds or fails, as long as we have this, the Solar System can extract itself. We cannot go 'All-in' in one go," Li Hao laughed.

Looking at Li Hao's smile, Long Danni and Wu Fa realized a problem: Li Hao did not have complete certainty about this battle either. Otherwise, there would be no need to give it to them. He was going to lead Kepler to be the vanguard for humanity.

"Have you thought it through?" Long Danni sighed and said.

"Principal, I am human in life and a human ghost in death. If humanity wants to gain a foothold in the Star Alliance, there must be sacrifices. Romero is not the first, and I will not be the last. Of course, I still hope to survive."

"Don't look at me like that. I still have a bright future. I'm just preparing for the worst and welcoming the best"

"result," Li Hao spread his hands and laughed.

"What do you need us to do?" Wu Fa said in a deep voice. "Principal, the construction of the Anthem cannot stop. Having the Anthem and not having the Anthem are two completely different concepts," Li Hao said.

"General Wu Fa, externally, we still have to continue to speak out. Criticizing may be useless, but it can confuse the enemy to some extent. I think there are many people in the Council who are good at performing. In addition, regarding Kepler's supplies, we still need major replenishment from the Solar System."

Wu Fa nodded, "These are all no problem. The Council has reached a consensus; there won't be any trouble in the short term. We'll deal with things as they come; we're used to it. If there's anyone who doesn't know what's good for them, we won't sit idly by. We'll be direct. You can't be the ones bleeding on the front lines while there are people stabbing you in the back. We need high-yield nuclear bombs; these shouldn't have been destroyed, right?"