novelraw Chapter 339 The King Returns
Chapter 339 The King Returns
Fifteen minutes is both a long and a short time for two armies facing off on the brink of death.
Every second, the smell of gunpowder in the air grew stronger, the soldiers' palms were sweaty as they gripped their weapons, and the tank engines hummed low, as if suppressing their impending fury.
General Anderson stood on the command vehicle, smoking one cigar after another, the smoke making his eyes red.
His inner turmoil was far greater than it appeared on the surface.
He couldn't figure it out.
Marcus, the man who valued "loyalty, honor, and country" more than his own life, the iron-willed soldier who once stood on Capitol Hill and declared with unwavering conviction, "My gun will only ever be pointed at the enemy of the country," how could he "betray"?
There must be some hidden story behind this.
He preferred to believe that Marcus was controlled by some evil force rather than that he had betrayed Marcus willingly.
Therefore, he eagerly awaited his arrival. He wanted to ask him directly and get to the bottom of things.
Just when everyone was getting impatient, a small black dot appeared on the eastern horizon.
The black dot rapidly enlarged; it was a strangely shaped, futuristic-looking black vertical takeoff and landing transport plane. It moved with incredible speed, yet remained completely silent, like a ghost from the underworld.
"They're here!"
Someone shouted, and everyone's attention on both sides of the battlefield was drawn to it.
The transport plane did not fly over either side's positions, but hovered steadily over the uninhabited area several kilometers wide in the center of the standoff between the two armies.
The hatch opened.
A black figure leaped down from a height of tens of meters.
Without the aid of any flying equipment, he simply, like a drifting black feather, landed lightly on the gravelly wasteland.
It landed without making a sound.
He was dressed in a jet-black, high-tech combat suit, and on his face was that iconic, ferocious Grim Reaper mask.
Behind him followed a burly, blond man carrying a massive battle axe. When the man landed, he made a loud "thud," creating a shallow crater in the ground, looking rather disheveled.
Indeed, it was Marcus, and his new "student," Olaf.
Marcus stood there quietly, right in the center of the two armies' positions.
One man faced nearly two thousand tanks and armored vehicles, and tens of thousands of heavily armed soldiers.
But the aura of aloofness and power emanating from him, almost tangible, made the tens of thousands of steel legions pale in comparison.
At this moment, he seemed to be the sole protagonist in this world.
"Marcus..."
General Anderson looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar figure and murmured to himself.
He is still, that same Marcus.
But then again, it seems like something's different.
The murderous aura emanating from him, honed through countless battles and bloodshed, became even more restrained, yet also more terrifying.
Like a peerless, deadly weapon hidden in its sheath.
Once drawn, it will surely stain the mountains and rivers with blood.
Michael.
Marcus's voice, amplified, reached everyone's ears clearly.
His voice was hoarse and deep, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
"have not seen you for a long time."
"Marcus!" Anderson finally snapped, unable to hold back any longer. "You traitor! How dare you show your face in front of me!"
"Traitor?" Marcus seemed to chuckle lightly. "I am saving this nation from being dragged into the abyss by a madman. And you, Michael, what are you doing?"
"You are here, aiding and abetting evil!"
"You've led our most elite soldiers down a dead end, a path of mutual slaughter!"
"You are the one who betrayed the soldier's oath, the traitor!"
Marcus's words were like daggers to the heart.
The American soldiers behind Anderson all showed expressions of wavering.
"You're talking nonsense!" Anderson roared. "I'm carrying out the president's orders! I'm upholding the unity of the nation!"
"The president?" Marcus sneered again. "The one who hid in the basement, watching Chicago get overrun by monsters?"
"That president who called the hero who sacrificed his life for victory a 'good deal'?"
"That president, who, for his personal ambition, is willing to hire butchers to turn against his own people?"
"Michael, open your eyes and take a good look!"
Marcus, as he spoke, slowly pulled out the blue, diamond-shaped crystal from the tactical pocket on his chest.
"Ignition key!"
The moment that crystal appeared.
Everyone present felt a strange energy fluctuation.
It was as if the rules of the entire world were gently humming for it.
"This is the 'key'."
Marcus held the crystal in his palm.
"It was bought with the lives of thirteen heroes from the 'Death' squad!"
"It is our civilization's only hope for a new world!"
"But what does that so-called president want to do with it?"
"He wants to use it to make a deal with the 'Sky Dome Martial Alliance'! He wants to use it to satisfy his ridiculous ambition for global hegemony!"
"He doesn't care at all whether our people live or die!"
"He only cares about whether he can hold onto that damned position!"
"Does someone like that deserve to possess this key?!"
"Does a person like that deserve to lead our great America?!"
Marcus's voice grew increasingly impassioned.
Every word he uttered was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of every American soldier.
Anderson opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.
Because everything Marcus said was true.
"I, Marcus, have not betrayed my country."
Marcus's gaze swept across the opposite side, at the dark mass of American troops.
"I have only betrayed a president who is not worthy of our loyalty."
"I am now cooperating with Commander-in-Chief Li Zhenguo, not to betray American interests, but to fight for our people a real chance to survive!"
"The Chinese people brought us food, medicine, weapons, and martial arts techniques!"
"They are helping us rebuild our homes!"
"And yet, our president is ordering us to point our guns at our fellow citizens and our allies who are helping us!"
"Soldiers! Tell me! Is this the 'loyalty' you want?!"
The entire US military position was deathly silent.
All the soldiers lowered their heads.
The weapons in their hands seemed to have become incredibly heavy.
Anderson looked at his troops, whose morale was already low, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
He knew he had lost.
From the moment Marcus took out that "key," he had already lost.
"So, what do you want?" Anderson asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's very simple."
Marcus put away the "key".
"Lay down your weapons. Accept the unified reorganization of the Earth Alliance."
"Then, come with me to clean up the garbage hidden on our land."
"Whether it's above ground or underground."
His gaze was fixed on the distant direction of Washington, and beneath the mask, his eyes were cold yet resolute.
"Let's start with the White House."