"No," Carl replied calmly. Then, he couldn't help but recount again the scenes he had read many times in historical records, the moments when the Saviors descended like gods during humanity's most perilous times.
"Wow, accompanied by a ray of holy light descending from the heavens? Is it really that mystical? From what you've said, I thought the Saviors were manifestations of the divine, descending to expel evil and calamity and save all living beings!" Hao Yun couldn't help but jest after hearing Carl's description. He could discern obvious artistic embellishments in Carl's account.
Ignoring Hao Yun's jest, Carl shrugged and acknowledged that while historical records indeed bore artistic traces, considering the contributions the Saviors made to humanity to avoid catastrophe, they had ensured their legacy in the annals for future generations.
Then, with a tone tinged with resentment, Carl continued, "Although the Saviors are not gods, to us, they might as well be. Because even if true gods exist, what difference would they make? Our ancestors once worshipped various gods devoutly, offering prayers daily. Yet, when humanity faced devastating disasters, where did those revered gods disappear to? None of them ever descended to display their might and save humanity from peril."
"It was instead a group of wise beings, flesh and blood like us, who once worshiped gods and received no response when suffering under Westphobian tyranny, who ultimately stepped forward to save humanity. They possessed the noble virtues akin to those of legendary gods. Therefore, we now understand that the true saviors who can help humanity are not fictional gods but these great beings who selflessly contribute to protecting human civilization. They are the true gods in our hearts."
Upon hearing Carl's accusations against the gods and his affirmation of the Saviors, Hao Yun and the others fell into silence, unsure how to respond. As priests of the Spirit Realm, they naturally knew many legends about gods in the mortal realm were not fabrications but conveyed real information from the Spirit Realm to mortal beings. Yet, this understanding left them feeling awkward and helpless in this moment.
Indeed, as priests from the higher realms, one of their crucial responsibilities was to safeguard peace in the mortal realms. However, in reality, to avoid disrupting the stability of the mortal realm's spacetime continuum and risking more danger to realms and beings within the Spirit Realm, unless facing events posing significant threats to the Spirit Realm, the priests refrained from interfering in any occurrences in the mortal realms.
Thus, even if a catastrophic disaster occurred within a single civilization, as long as it unfolded in accordance with the natural laws of the mortal realm, the priests would only observe and record the disaster as bystanders rather than intervene. Otherwise, their actions might inadvertently cause further imbalance in that world, and thus to the spacetime continuum that sustained it, leading to unintended catastrophes for more mortal beings. Therefore, the priests' actions would become futile and counterproductive.
Of course, Hao Yun and the others understood why Carl harbored so much dissatisfaction towards the so-called gods. Simultaneously, they once again questioned the sudden activation of the Doghole technique in the Spirit Realm Armor, wondering about the true motives behind the Countess's actions in granting them the opportunity to intervene in matters on Earth NX, potentially disrupting the normal operation of natural laws in the mortal realm.
But how did the Countess foresee these events? Could it be that she implanted some form of real-time tracker in the Spirit Realm Armor while assisting in its modification, allowing her to stay informed of the developments around Hao Yun and his companions at all times? Thinking of this possibility, Hao Yun and the others couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts once more.
"Exactly! What nonsense gods! Those fellows are just ethereal, fabricated spiritual supports. Only those who truly step forward to save us deserve to be the gods we look up to!" Dao Lao, sensing the atmosphere had become somewhat delicate, spoke first, albeit without sincerity. His intent was to express his stance to Carl and the others, aiming to further win their favor and trust. Of course, it couldn't be denied that Dao Lao was exceptionally skilled at dealing with these ethereal matters.
Perhaps the discussion had become too serious, and everyone's already weary spirits sank further. Therefore, in the ensuing conversation, Carl proactively steered the topic towards lighter and more amusing anecdotes, steering clear of heavier subjects. Thus, the tense and somewhat repressed emotions of the group finally found some relief, occasionally punctuated by restrained laughter.
"Ah—! There's still a long journey ahead of us! Let's take a break now while we can! Otherwise, tonight will be restless again!" Chatting away, Carl finally couldn't resist stretching lazily and yawning widely.
"Yeah! Yesterday was really exhausting dealing with those Westphobians!" Hao Yun also followed suit, stretching lazily and feigning fatigue.
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"Ah! Just talking about those Westphobians makes me furious! Several nights in a row dedicated solely to dealing with those persistent pests. Just thinking about it is enough to irritate anyone!" Carl sighed.
"Who wouldn't be? Sigh! I hope there won't be any last-minute additions to the Westphobian army tonight! If so, we'll have enough time tonight to annihilate those Westphobians at the next rest stop!" Hao Yun continued.
"Hey, Yun Ge, there's something you might not know. Even if we don't encounter any other impromptu Westbo forces joining the battle tonight, it'll still be difficult to completely annihilate those Westbo people!" Karl said somewhat helplessly.
"Why?" Dream Jia asked.
"Didn't you three notice last night? Even though the Westbo completely suppressed us in firepower, their advance towards the rest station was unusually slow. Although it seems illogical, that's their attacking style. Regardless of whether they have the upper hand in the situation, they always appear unhurried in their attacks. Uh—how should I put it? When the Westbo launched an attack on us later, it always seemed like their goal wasn't necessarily to capture our city, but rather to use war to deplete and restrain us," Karl said with a strange expression.
After Karl said this, Hao Yun and the others finally realized that during last night's battle with the Westbo, they indeed saw more Westbo soldiers staying at a distance from the rest station, engaging in long-range shooting with the special forces inside the station, rather than launching a tidal wave-like attack on it. Initially, they thought this caution was due to the Westbo being careful during attacks or due to the suppression from the station's firepower. It turned out to be just the Westbo's combat style.
"But why do the Westbo fight like this? Wouldn't it increase their casualties?" Hao Yun asked in confusion.
Karl shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe because they can continually supply troops to the battlefield, they don't really care? There's an old saying—just because someone is powerful doesn't mean they're perfect. In fact, the more powerful they are, the more likely they have some special quirks that normal people can't understand, or they engage in seemingly illogical behaviors. It seems that even the powerful interstellar invaders like the Westbo adhere to this unwritten rule! Anyway, as long as the Westbo's bizarre combat style works to our advantage, it's fine!"
Since Karl didn't seem to know why the Westbo always appeared so leisurely in battle, Hao Yun and the others could only take note of this Westbo characteristic for now and explore its reasons later. So Hao Yun asked again, "So tonight, we'll only be facing the pursuing Westbo, and even if we have the firepower advantage, we won't be able to completely wipe them out?"
Karl nodded. "Yes. Because the Westbo will control their attack rate and prioritize attrition and consumption. Unless we take the initiative, it's difficult to completely annihilate them. But, without encountering the urgent situation we faced last night, launching a frontal attack against the Westbo outside the rest station area is not a good idea. Especially if we encounter other Westbo forces passing through during the battle, the consequences could be unimaginable! So, overall, our best strategy is to continue hiding in the rest station and engage the enemy in a war of attrition, minimizing losses as much as possible, and slowly wearing down those Westbo pursuing us."
"What? So does this mean we'll be facing Westbo attacks every night for the next period of time?" Hao Yun pretended to be annoyed.
While Karl explained the situation to them, the three of them also discussed tonight's action plan on the system channel. Considering that they still hoped to gather valuable information by observing the Westbo's actions, and also taking into account that Eva might strengthen her surveillance of them due to suspicions, in the end, the three decided that if nothing unexpected happened tonight, they would follow the operation deployment of the special task force and refrain from taking action. This showed that Hao Yun's irritability was not entirely an act, as he wasn't accustomed to battles like Dao Lao and Dream Jia. Therefore, his reluctance to continue preparing for battle for several days was quite normal behavior.
"Well, that's just how it is! But the good news is, at the current pace, we should be back in Lena Tower City in three days at most! Once we return to the main city's control area, we can freely send out troops to completely annihilate the enemies chasing us!" Karl said helplessly, smiling.
Then, Karl clasped his hands together and said, "Ah! Who would have thought our mission this time would encounter such unexpected trouble, stirring up so many Westbo people? And considering last night's situation, we're already very lucky to have survived! Of course, I hope this good luck continues to accompany us over the next few days! Because we really don't want to encounter another Westbo army, especially their mechanized combat units!"
"Huh? Karl, what went wrong with the mission this time that alarmed so many Westbo people?" Following Karl's words, Dream Jia inserted a question opportunistically.
"Ah, let's not talk about the mission. It really was—" Karl started to say, but immediately covered his mouth with his hand. It seemed he had realized he shouldn't leak operational secrets.
Then, Karl smiled broadly and replied, "Ahem! Regarding the mission, you'll have to ask the boss about it. I'm just a small follower and don't know the specific details of the mission."
"Oh dear! It's getting late. Let's all rest as quickly as possible! After all, there's more to come tonight!" Seeing Dream Jia's narrowed eyes and a hint of sharpness, Karl hurriedly changed the subject and, after an exaggerated stretch, immediately closed his eyes as if pretending to doze off.
"It seems they're still wary of us!" Dao Lao shook his head helplessly as he watched Karl pretending to sleep with his back to them and said in the private chat channel of the system.
"Could it be that our actions last night were discovered by Eva and them?" Hao Yun asked.
Although it was midnight at the time, the guards on this side of the rest station had no time to focus on what was happening behind the Westbo lines. However, in order to attract enemy firepower and create a retreat space for Karl and them, Eva had also infiltrated the battle lines. So, could she have seen Hao Yun and Dao Lao's actions of destroying enemy rear vehicles at that time?