At this moment, Qiangsen had also received the news that his men had finally taken control of the other two battleships.
It was time to attack!
The two battleships aimed at the pirate ships that were escaping, and the unmanned drones chased after the pirates.
Eric raged, “F**k, are these people crazy!?”
Qiangsen took down the last pirate and looked at Eric. “Eric, it’s over.”
“Mu Sen, what on earth were you doing!?” Eric was stunned, as he was the most capable assistant he had recruited from outside the Solar System alongside his subordinates. He was ruthless and impressive. When the pirates were fighting for territory internally, he depended greatly on Mu Sen. It had never crossed his mind that Mu Sen was an undercover agent.
“I’m Qiangsen, the leader of the Solar System Federation Pirate Inspection Team.”
“You’re courting death!”
Rumble rumble…
The Atlantis mech stayed afloat in the air, the runes dimmed gradually, and the mech slowly turned silent.
For Wang Zheng, it was too much to absorb. He had finally understood that Instructor Bonehead wasn’t bragging for nothing.
This was a real super soldier!
With his vision turning dark, at the very last moment, he could still feel a deep longing towards battle.
He believed that there was definitely fighting spirit within Bonehead.
Within the cube, Bonehead looked at the exhausted Charcoal. Both of them came from different lineages, yet they were affiliated. More importantly, they had a common goal.
Falling into deep sleep was so that one could wake up… all for the endless battle……
The ray of light surrounding the two robots gradually dimmed, until it finally disappeared.
Within the ship, Lie Xin and the others were shocked, and everyone was looking at the Atlantis mech that was afloat.
They were all unable to believe the reality right before their eyes. Who was the one inside the mech?
Lear and Achilles had already piloted their mecha to tow Atlantis’ Phantom King back, and everyone saw Wang Zheng lying unconscious in the cockpit.
In the midst of this mess, Qiangsen had already obtained control of the pirate ship. If not for the immense pressure on the outside that had attracted the attention of the pirates, it would have been a dreadful battle. It was a little too easy for him this time around.
That terrifying Atlantis mech had the power of deterrence. As an Earth warrior, one would have heard of how formidable yet horrifying the Atlantis mech warriors were. A lone individual could turn the tables. However, this was only understandable after witnessing its might with one’s eyes.
But… how could the Solar System Federation order the people of Atlantis around? And their ace pilots at that.
Lie Xin immediately went to examine Wang Zheng. Shortly after, she heaved a sigh of relief. “Vitals are normal. We can wait for the emergency team to arrive!”
Everyone else was relieved. They glanced at one another, bewildered by the situation.
Wang Zheng was able to operate the Atlantis mech. Furthermore, he had performed so fiercely and cruelly. If he had shown such powers earlier, everyone would have chosen him as the leader. This was no ordinary power.
Achilles and Lear did not think it would have turned out this way, but without Wang Zheng’s power, all of them would have perished.
Raston looked at Lie Xin and smiled. “Looks like we have a leader now.”
Lie Xin responded, “I hope nothing is wrong with him.”
Having been in battles their entire lives, the three generals had seen many implausible situations. However, this was their first time witnessing such a situation right before their eyes.
“Looks like we have an ace in the hole!”
“This is probably his Ability X!”
“Does Wang Zheng have Atlantis parentage?”
“No, he doesn’t. However, the Atlantis people came from Earth. Perhaps amongst the people on Earth, there is a possibility of an individual fulfilling these criteria.”
Meng Ao smiled and said, “Nonetheless, we have a secret weapon now. I don’t think there will be any disagreements with him becoming the leader.”
“Haha, you all should thank me for this. If I had not thought of putting the Atlantis mech inside, we would have lost it all!” Lie Wuqing laughed.
He really did not think much of that decision at that point in time. He only had a lasting impression of Wang Zheng’s simple-mindedness at that time, and it had eventually saved the entire team unexpectedly.
The pirates were extremely cunning. Thanks to Qiangsen’s ambush, they finally got rid of one major concern of the Solar System and severely shocked the pirates at the same time.
Including Yuan Ye, many had approved of Wang Zheng being the leader. If he had not withstood the laser blast at the crucial moment, the team would have suffered major losses.
Achilles and Lear were not incompetent, but at this moment, everyone had chosen Wang Zheng as the leader.
Lear was a little unwilling, but it was useless. On the other hand, Achilles was rather calm about this outcome.
Half an hour later, the fleet led by Duncan arrived, only to realize that the battle had already ended.
Duncan linked up with Qiangsen. Although they had different ideals, it was no doubt that Qiangsen had rendered a meritorious service.
As the two of them met up, Qiangsen saw the berserk pilot of the Phantom King.
The pilot was Wang Zheng.
A smile appeared as the old friends had met again.
“Why, do you know each other?” Duncan asked.
“We’re old friends. I knew this guy was different from the rest, but I did not expect him to be so formidable. Help me pass a message to him, that I wish to go into battle together with him in the future,” Qiangsen said.
Duncan was dumbfounded. He knew that for Qiangsen, a special forces warrior, there were few individuals that he would take a fancy to. It was unexpected that Qiangsen had viewed Wang Zheng in a different light.
It was time for Qiangsen to report back. Though the mission was a narrow brush with death, it was completed easily in the end, leaving them bemused.
All along, Baldy and the others had doubts about Qiangsen’s praises, but this time they were convinced. Wang Zheng was amazing.
From the last battle, it was an undeniable fact that Wang Zheng was the sole contender for the position of the leader.
Furthermore, looking at the results of the battle, it was Wang Zheng who saved everyone.
Upon returning to Mars, a military meeting was held. Not many were attending, but all of them were the senior generals from the Federation whom individually held control over large troops.
The Admiral of Mars, Lie Wuqing, had announced the final decision.
Wang Zheng had the support of Mars and became the IG leader of the Solar System Federation.
In the grand appointment ceremony, it was the first time the Earth military band had stood on this stage, performing the Earth’s military music.
In the midst of the military band drums drumming away, Wang Zheng stood on the stage and saluted. Then Admiral Meng Ao walked towards him, with two female guards of honor, holding a small bouquet of flowers and a red wooden box respectively.
“On behalf of the Solar System Federation army, I present to Wang Zheng the a second class military medal, and the military records will be input into the Federation’s system. Congratulations,” Meng Ao said as he presented the medals and flowers to Wang Zheng.
“Yes, Sir!” Wang Zheng said as he received the military medal and flowers.
Meng Ao nodded his head. Then Lie Wuqing and Drachmach walked over with the female guards of honor.
Achilles and Lear were appointed as the assistant team leaders. Lie Xin did not make the cut, but it was expected as she did not do much during the intense battle with the pirates. Although she had the abilities, it wasn’t the only factor for consideration; the competition was that cruel.
“Achilles and Lear will receive third class military medals, and the military records will be input into the Federation’s system,” Drachmach said whilst giving out the medals. Then he signalled Lie Wuqing to give the closing words.
Lie Wuqing smiled and looked at Wang Zheng. “The leader can choose seven team members.”
There were 12 IG places in the Federation, and the leader had to choose seven members. Aside from the assistant team leaders, there were three places left. The three places had long been decided. It would be Lie Xin, Raston, and Taros.
During the training camp selection, no matter how they had fought, it was ultimately an internal competition. However, what awaited them was going against the entire Milky Way. For them to rise up, they had to gather all their powers. Before this, Lear, Achilles, and Taros were told that the Federation would not interfere in their personal feuds. However, during the IG match, they must exemplify the qualities of a real serviceman by giving it their all and helping one another out.
Honestly speaking, appointing Wang Zheng as the leader was not solely for his extraordinary performance during the battle with the pirates. It was also in consideration of maintaining the balance within the Federation. Achilles, Lear, and Lie Xin had known each other from young and were always competing with one another. At this point in time, no matter who had become the leader, it would be unacceptable for the other two. Even if they did not obstruct one another’s paths, there were psychological obstacles they had to overcome. In a showdown, a little mistake in one’s mentality played a major role in determining the final winner.
It would be different if the leader was Wang Zheng, as he was an unexpected contender. It would be acceptable if one of the trio did not get chosen, and so did the other two rivals who have been fighting all these years as well.
The reason why Achilles and Lear were appointed as the assistant leaders, leaving out Lie Xin, was because amongst the three individuals, Lie Xin had better relations with Wang Zheng. Things would not go wrong with Lie Xin acting as the lubricant between them.
Then Lie Wuqing signalled to Wang Zheng, telling him to choose his members from the rest of the group. This was, in fact, an important ceremony. Having been chosen as the leader after such an intense competition, it was essential to establish dignity among these elites, and the greatest dignity lied in having the power to choose his fellow members.
Wang Zheng nodded his head and said, “I will get straight to the point. Zhang Runan, Meng Tian, Lie Guang, Edison, Masasi, Luo Fei, Zhang Shan.”
“The abovementioned people will be awarded fourth class military medals. Similarly, the military records will be input into the Federation’s system,” Lie Wuqing announced.
Then what was left was communicating with the Milky Way Alliance headquarters and reporting the list of names.
The end of the ceremony meant the official dissolution of the training camp. The three admirals smiled at one another and left. Everything was set, and it was time for the young ones to relax and for the eliminated individuals to adjust to the current situation.
“Wang Zheng, what the heck, why was my name read out last?” Zhang Shan questioned.
Wang Zheng smiled and patted Zhang Shan’s shoulder. “The trump card always comes out at the very last moment.”
Zhang Shan’s eyes lit up. “Trump card? You mean….”
Wang Zheng continued, “Your ability to teleport will definitely amaze the entire Milky Way.”
“Haha, I guess so? I’m the main character who everyone follows and learns from!” Zhang San started showing off.
“Therefore, you don’t have time to rest. You still have a long period of time before the actual match, and within this period, you must make significant progress with your powers.”
“That’s nothing. I’m the idol of countless girls across the Milky Way.”
Contrasting to the relaxed atmosphere here, it was a little down and gloomy over on the Moon side. Only Masasi was chosen, and most likely it was because he had enrolled in Ares College before.
Dong Xiaosa wasn’t pleased. “Seems like cronyism.” He had been so confident in being chosen in front of his family members, but it was all meaningless.
“You can’t put it that way, this is the power of the leader. He has to use people that he knows and understands well.” Milo was very calm. Much of the complaints were put down by the fact that Wang Zheng had saved their lives, but the people of the Moon had returned in low spirits.
ED note: Refer back to chapter 171 if you’re confused about Qiangsen.