Upon hearing this, Romary and Unoa were both startled and quickly asked, "Why do you say that? Kio, what exactly happened to you?"
"I was captured by VEGAN and met Mr. Ezelcant and..."
Kio told his mother and aunt everything he had encountered in VEGAN, including Yang Hui's scolding.
After patiently listening, Romary and Unoa exchanged glances, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"Kio, you're not a traitor. You haven't done anything yet, have you?"
"That's right. Although Uncle Yang Hui said those things, he was just trying to stop you from making a mistake. Since you didn't do those things and didn't agree to that man Ezelcant's demands, you're not a traitor."
Romary and Unoa comforted him one after another, but they also felt a bit of lingering fear. Thankfully, Yang Hui had acted quickly; otherwise, Kio might have truly become a traitor.
Kio was still young and too naive. Facing a cunning old fox like Ezelcant, he had quickly fallen into the trap, confused about what was right and what was wrong.
"Is that so?" Kio looked up with a grievance, seeking confirmation.
"Of course. So you should be very grateful to Grandpa Yang Hui, understand?"
Not only Kio, but Romary also needed to thank Yang Hui. As someone who had joined the Asuno Family, Romary understood what the surname "Asuno" represented.
Yang Hui was absolutely right. The Asuno Family held a transcendent status within the Earth Federation. If Kio, who bore the Asuno name, had truly agreed to Ezelcant's demands, then along with Flit and Asemu, the entire Asuno Family would have been disgraced and become the object of scorn for the entire Federation.
Not only that, but it could also have implicated those closely associated with the Asuno Family, such as Argreus and Yang Hui, causing severe turmoil within the Federal Army.
"I understand..."
"And Kio... will you come home with me?" Romary asked Kio.
"Huh? Why?" Kio was momentarily confused and asked blankly.
"You're still too young, and you're too naive. The battlefield isn't suitable for you, Kio."
"But I heard that Grandpa was only in his teens when he fought against VEGAN? And Grandpa Yang Hui, Grandpa Graham, and Grandma Yurin too. Why can't I?"
"Do you want to fight?" Romary didn't answer Kio's question but instead asked him in a different direction.
"I... I don't want to fight, and I don't want there to be war," Kio replied in a low voice.
"If that's the case, then you..."
"But I feel like I have to fight!" Kio interrupted Romary's persuasion, speaking earnestly. The confusion that had clouded his eyes earlier had diminished slightly.
"Why?" Romary wasn't in a hurry and calmly asked Kio for his reason.
"Because I... I want to end the war. I don't want to see anyone else die!"
"But to end the war, people will inevitably die, Kio. Do you have the resolve to kill now?"
Romary once didn't understand what it meant to fight or what war was. She chose to join the military simply to follow in the footsteps of Asemu and Jehart. She had never thought about those complex matters before.
After marrying into the Asuno Family, even if she tried to avoid it, it was impossible to completely escape the influence. Gradually, she began to understand certain truths.
For example, Asemu chose to stay in the military and continue fighting because he wanted to protect the people he cared about.
Another example was that war had no right or wrong, only perspectives, and only two choices: to kill or be killed.
"I..." Kio was at a loss for words. After interacting with the VEGANs, he could no longer bring himself to kill them, nor could he even see them as enemies.
They were all human beings, who should have been helping each other. So why were they fighting and killing one another?
He couldn't understand it, and he couldn't bring himself to kill.
So...
"...I have the resolve not to kill!" Kio said earnestly.
That's right, wouldn't it be better not to kill?
"The resolve not to kill..." Romary looked at Kio's youthful yet serious face and shook her head with a bitter smile.
Had Kio never killed anyone before?
Of course, he had. Before he was captured, he had never hesitated when it came to VEGANs. His hands were already stained with blood.
But did someone with blood on their hands still have the right to say such words?
Romary didn't know, but all she could do now was support her child in doing what he wanted to do.
"Then go ahead, Kio. Follow your heart and do the best you can!"
"Mom..." Kio's eyes welled up with tears. After so long, someone finally understood and supported him, instead of outright opposing and scolding him. "Yes! I will!"
...
In the war room, Yang Hui, Argreus, and Flit were discussing the battle plan.
"Lieutenant General, Old Commander, this is quite troublesome."
Argreus was feeling a headache as he looked at the 3D holographic map. The defense deployment of Artemis Base was extremely tight, which was why it had been able to hold off VEGAN for so many years. It could only be taken over by bribing the Base Commander.
Moreover, according to intelligence, in addition to the original base garrison, there was also a full VEGAN fleet assisting in the defense. This undoubtedly raised the difficulty of the recapture operation by another level.
"Have we sent anyone to contact the original Federation garrison?" Yang Hui asked.
"No, it's impossible to infiltrate. VEGAN's defenses are like an iron barrel, and we can't even determine what the internal situation is like," Argreus shook his head.
"So... we don't know if the traitors willingly defected or were forced?"
"That's what the Lieutenant General means... But even if there are people who were forced, first, we can't determine the number, and second, we can't get a message to them, so we can't make any related deployments." Argreus understood Yang Hui's meaning but couldn't find a way to execute it.
Without knowing the numbers, they couldn't decide on a course of action. If there were few, they could infiltrate internally and control key positions at critical moments for a surprise special operation. If there were many, they could erupt during the battle, stabbing the enemy in the back.
"...There must be quite a few who were forced. After all, only a minority would betray their homeland for wealth and glory. If we can't establish contact beforehand, we'll just have to broadcast on the public frequency during the battle. Even if we can't immediately awaken their sense of belonging, it will at least make them hesitate, or even sow mutual suspicion between them and VEGAN," Yang Hui suggested.
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"Once the seed of doubt is planted, both sides will be unable to trust each other in battle, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness. At the same time, it will force them to join our side faster, as no one wants to leave their back to someone who might stab them at any moment," Flit added.
Although the garrison troops from Artemis Base defected to VEGAN, VEGAN wouldn't fully trust them either. Mutual suspicion would create a rift, especially among the Federal Army soldiers who were originally coerced. Their resentment would only grow, and with just a little more push, they could be brought back to the Federal Army.
"In that case... to achieve the best results, we might need the help of their families," Argreus continued to add.
Hearing this, Yang Hui and the others were momentarily stunned, praising it as indeed a good strategy. High positions, wealth, and glory... none of these could touch the heart as deeply as the call of family.
However, Yang Hui, Graham, and Yurin all simultaneously turned their gaze toward Flit, their expressions inscrutable.
"Ahem," Flit coughed awkwardly, as he truly couldn't refute the point about using family.
"Next is the deployment of our forces," Yang Hui said, moving on from the previous topic. The next issue to discuss was equally troubling. "VEGAN's Laglamis Fortress is still lingering near Earth's orbit. We need troops stationed there, and the garrison forces of the Colonies can't be easily mobilized. The remaining combat strength..."
"It's stretched thin," everyone answered in unison. The Federal Army's space fleet was divided into three parts: the first was the garrison force of the Big Ring Base, which had already been obliterated along with the base; the second was the fleet stationed at Artemis Base, which had already defected, and whether they could be persuaded to return was still unknown; the remaining forces were the garrison fleets of various Colonies, which couldn't be easily mobilized to prevent VEGAN from feinting east and attacking west.
Even if we recapture Artemis Base, if a large number of Colonies are occupied by VEGAN, it wouldn't count as a victory.
Apart from these three major forces, the rest were scattered fleets. Although most were elite units operating independently, their numbers were still too small to effectively carry out the operation to retake Artemis Base. Even with Yang Hui, Graham, Yurin, and the Celestial Being squadron, there would still be heavy casualties.
"..."
The issue of limited deployable forces was something even Yang Hui and Flit couldn't find a good solution for. After all, it was a fundamental flaw; no amount of clever thinking could create something out of nothing.
Moreover, VEGAN's Laglamis Fortress continued to hover above Earth, leaving little time for the Earth Federation to slowly train more troops. No one knew when the sword of Damocles would fall.
"Deploy the plasma stealth missiles..."
"No!" Yang Hui interrupted before Flit could finish. "Those are explicitly prohibited weapons. We can't use them."
"We don't need to play fair with VEGAN..."
"What about our own people?"
"If they chose to be traitors, they're no longer our people..."
"Flit!"
Yang Hui's sharp rebuke cut off Flit's extreme outburst. Flit's expression turned complicated as he lowered his head.
"Do not let hatred blind your eyes. Remember... VEGANs are also human! And the Artemis Base, it was built with immense resources and manpower from the Federation. Once destroyed, how much more would it take to rebuild?"
"Tch..."
"Flit!"
"I understand, I won't bring it up again."
Though aged, Flit couldn't muster the will to be stubborn in front of Yang Hui. Perhaps it was the lingering shadow from his childhood that still influenced him, or maybe he knew deep down that Yang Hui was right, but he just didn't want to admit it.
Seeing Flit's obsession and madness subdued, Yang Hui didn't lecture him further. Instead, he turned to Argreus and said, "The fleet guarding Earth's orbit is currently very close to Nodram. If necessary, we can relocate part of the orbital fleet and Nodram's forces. The remaining troops can jointly defend the two sectors." Yang Hui suggested, as this was already a last resort.
"Alright, I understand. I will recalculate the minimum required forces and mobilize the troops accordingly," Argreus nodded in agreement.
(End of Chapter)