Starforce Warriors

Chapter 443: Complaints

Li Xiaofei looked at the little girl in front of him, and a warmth spread through his body. He had fought tirelessly in the ruins of Xu Base City to hold back the beast tide. He had given everything he had to battle the massive Vajra Ape and countless star beasts.

For hours, he had charged into the fray again and again until he had cut down the Beast King and scattered the beast tide. The scenes of blood-soaked battlefields, of corpses piled high, remained vivid in his mind. Even the savage and relentless star beasts had ultimately trembled in fear, retreating with their tails between their legs as they no longer dared to pursue the fleeing citizens.

Li Xiaofei had single-handedly held back and dispersed an army of millions of star beasts by sheer force of will and strength. It had been a miracle. But it had come at a cost. His inner qi was nearly depleted, leaving his body in a state of extreme exhaustion. When he caught up with the evacuation convoy, he chose not to reveal his identity. Instead, he disguised himself as a refugee, blending into the crowd.

For one, he felt he could no longer contribute much in his weakened state. And for another, he wanted to observe how the officials of Great Xia handled such a crisis. He wanted to see how they protected their people under these dire circumstances.

Huang Fulai, the city leader of Xu Base City, had earned Li Xiaofei’s respect. He was truly a man truly dedicated to the welfare of his people. Li Xiaofei saw a reflection of Tan Zhenwei in him, a figure from the past who had left an indelible mark on his memory.

In many of the smaller base cities, there were officials who worked tirelessly for the nation and its people, disregarding personal gain or loss. They labored for the citizens under their care day and night, sacrificing their own well-being.

It was precisely these countless grassroots officials and cadres, often unrecognized and uncelebrated, who silently supported the backbone of Great Xia and shielded its people from harm. The events in Xiajing City had once left Li Xiaofei deeply disappointed in many officials. But what had transpired in Xu Base City restored his faith.

“Thank you,” Li Xiaofei said as he accepted the little water bottle from the girl. He took a sip and handed it back to her. “A sip is enough for me. You should keep the rest.”

The girl hesitated for a moment, then took out an empty bottle and carefully poured half of her water into it. Handing it back to him, she smiled and said, “Half for each of us.”

With that, she happily skipped back to her grandmother, her mood lifted by her small act of kindness. But when her gaze wandered to the warriors and soldiers performing escort duties in the distance, her tiny face grew wistful again.

Papa, Mama, Grandpa, where are you?

Why haven’t you come back to see Mengmeng yet?

I miss you so much.

Li Xiaofei nodded gratefully toward Mengmeng’s grandmother before carefully stowing the small bottle of water away. He closed his eyes and began to meditate. Activating the Nine Yang Divine Art, he absorbed the energy of the star cores in his hands, quickly replenishing his nearly depleted inner qi. Energy and stamina surged back into his body, restoring him at an incredible pace.

Moments later, the refugee convoy resumed its journey. Li Xiaofei walked with the crowd, cultivating his Inner Strength as he moved, absorbing energy without stopping for even a moment.

By the time they set up camp again that evening, he had recovered to about sixty percent. Night was the time when star beasts were most active.

To avoid accidentally entering the territory of powerful star beasts or being surrounded by hordes, Huang Fulai decided to have the refugees set up camp on a relatively safe hillside.

“Damn it, is this Huang Fulai crazy?”

“Why aren’t we traveling at night?”

“Exactly, the longer we stay in the wilderness, the more danger we’re in.”

“We shouldn’t even be protecting those useless peasants. Even if they make it to Haijing City, they’ll just be a bunch of worthless mouths to feed.”

The whispered complaints reached Li Xiaofei’s ears. He turned his head and saw a group of people dressed in luxurious clothing gathered together and speaking in hushed tones.

He had noticed them during the day. They seemed to be the wealthy elites of Xu Base City. The truly powerful nobles had already used their vast resources to leave on aircraft before the city fell. These remaining wealthy individuals had brought their families, along with bodyguards, to accompany them. Some didn’t even walk but were carried or supported by their strong guards.

They also brought their own food and water as they quietly cursed city leader Huang Fulai. They only wanted to speed up to reach Haijing City as quickly as possible, so they could return to their extravagant and hedonistic lifestyles.

They didn’t care how many ordinary civilians would collapse from exhaustion, how many would fall behind, or how many would be ambushed by star beasts if they pushed forward relentlessly.

These things were of no concern to them. In the eyes of these cold-hearted wealthy elites, even if the commoners died of exhaustion or were devoured by star beasts, what difference did it make?

They thought their whispered complaints and discussions were secret. But how could they escape Li Xiaofei’s sharp hearing?

Every era has its share of cockroach-like garbage

Li Xiaofei sighed inwardly. In the distance, orders for the guard shifts and soldier rotations could be heard. While others rested, the injured city leader Huang Fulai tirelessly patrolled and kept watch.

“Big brother, here.” The little girl approached Li Xiaofei again, holding out a set of black athletic clothes.

“Your clothes are starting to stink. Grandma said to give these to you.” The girl explained.

Li Xiaofei tapped his forehead lightly. He had been too focused on his cultivation and hadn’t realized that his robes, soaked in beast blood, were reeking after the entire afternoon. No wonder everyone had been keeping their distance from him.

"Thank you, Mengmeng," Li Xiaofei said, accepting the clothes without refusing the little girl’s kind gesture.

In truth, he had plenty of supplies stored in the Secret Time Pavilion, which he could access once the cooldown period ended. After changing into the new clothes, his entire demeanor transformed. Sitting by the edge of a rock, he continued to make the most of his time to cultivate.

The night passed quickly. By dawn, the refugee convoy set out again, and Li Xiaofei’s strength had fully recovered. Meanwhile, the group of wealthy individuals was still gathered together, whispering and scheming secretly.

A polite and smiling young city official approached them, hoping to negotiate. He proposed temporarily hiring some of their bodyguards for payment, asking if they could join the escort team to help protect injured soldiers in the convoy. But the proposal was flatly rejected.

“There’s nothing to discuss. I paid these people to protect me, not anyone else. Who in their right mind would care about others at a time like this?”

A bald, middle-aged man sneered mockingly as he spoke.

The city official, left with no choice, shook his head in resignation and walked away. After some thought, Li Xiaofei volunteered to join the escort team. When he revealed a small fraction of his abilities, he was assigned to the forward scouting and path-clearing squad.

The entire morning passed smoothly for the refugee convoy. They encountered a few groups of star beasts, but strangely enough, the Beast Kings among them died inexplicably, preventing any significant threat from forming.

Additionally, with experts at the Five Spirits Realm conducting aerial reconnaissance in advance, the convoy managed to avoid entering the territories of king-grade star beasts altogether.

Yet, the wilderness ultimately remained the domain of star beasts. Despite their precautions, the convoy still suffered casualties. Most of the deaths occurred among the path-clearing and perimeter escort soldiers from diverse and unpredictable causes. Many times, someone in the convoy would fall before Li Xiaofei could react.

Poisonous stings, insects, contaminated water, air, plants; any of these could prove fatal. By the afternoon, an unexpected incident arose, with the blame directed squarely at city leader Huang Fulai.

“This is all your incompetence! You’re the reason the city fell!”

“Why do we have to suffer like this? Huang Fulai, you caused our families to be destroyed, and now you’re here pretending to care! How much longer will you harm us?”

The group of wealthy elites surrounded Huang Fulai and a few of his officials, hurling accusations and complaints at them.