Starforce Warriors
Chapter 641: Nameless

Chapter 641: Nameless

Haijing City.

The siege of the star beasts was still ongoing. All communication had been cut off with the outside world. It was impossible to know what had transpired in the other base cities.

The Yiggs forces kept airdropping leaflets, spreading the news that Great Xia had fallen completely. They also broadcasted the same message through radio and electromagnetic signals, maintaining their psychological war.

Inside the city, some gangs, hidden traitors, and even certain noble families who had been swayed collaborated with the enemy, orchestrating various acts of resistance and betrayal.

Haijing City teetered on the brink of collapse. Fortunately, the government had three unyielding resistance leaders in Xue Xuanqi, Huang Fulai, and Zhu Kunyu. Meanwhile, the disciples of Jingwu Sect fought valiantly, throwing themselves into battle without hesitation. Since Grand Commander Song Huaiyuan was personally overseeing the defense, the city, despite balancing on the edge of destruction, miraculously endured.

At this moment, those who knew the truth found their minds drifting repeatedly to the same figure: the young man who had once swept through Haijing City, leaving behind a trail of blood and chaos.

The youth was not yet twenty years old when he had arrived in Haijing City, clad in simple robes and wielding a single sword. His presence was like a fleeting comet; he stayed no longer than three months, yet within that brief period, he reshaped the very foundation of the city.

He emerged from the slums and annihilated the Haisha Gang, slew wandering warriors, beheaded the mighty Jiepeng experts, purged corrupt officials who swayed with the wind, razed the Jiepeng Consulate, and killed the foreign Saints listed on the Saints Ranking.

He supported the three major grassroots factions in the slums, uniting them to establish the Jingwu Sect. Each of these feats was a legend in itself. Like a comet streaking across the sky of Haijing City, he burned with unyielding passion and a defiant spirit. He turned appeasement and compromise into ashes while forging a new soul of iron will and blood-soaked resolve for the city.

What a pity that the young man had died to quell the fury of the alien races, to preserve Haijing City, to give an explanation to the Star Council, and to buy time for Great Xia to grow and strengthen...

He had walked alone into the Grinding Blade Hall. With his head held high and neck bared, his blood had been spilled onto the scorching earth. Many had witnessed the moment when his lifeless body was carried out.

In the slums of Haijing City, no, in what was now officially renamed the Jingwu District, the city's largest administrative division, there stood two life-sized brass statues in the central square.

One was of the young man. And the other... was also of the young man. One statue stood tall, sword in hand, his gaze sharp and murderous, as if ready to shatter the heavens. The other had his sword sheathed behind him, his head lowered in a gentle, warm smile. One was facing eternal enemies. The other was protecting the people of Great Xia.

Beneath one statue, a few words were etched into the stone base.

The cold stars above may never notice my intent;

yet with my blood, I offer myself to the descendants of the Yellow Emperor.

Beneath the other statue, another verse was inscribed.

With furrowed brows, I stand defiant against a thousand accusations;

with a bowed head, I willingly serve as a humble ox for the people.

Everyone knew these four lines came from Lu Xun, one of Great Xia’s most renowned writers and thinkers in history. But not everyone knew who the young man these verses had been chosen for.

For the statues bore no name. Some believed they depicted a real person who had once existed. Others saw them as symbols representing the countless young men who had sacrificed their lives for Great Xia, just like the one who had been carried out of the Grinding Blade Hall that day.

Today, the sun burned fiercely. The scorching heat seared the earth. Perhaps it was just an illusion, but the battle cries outside the city walls seemed a little weaker than before.

No one knew what had happened. News of Xiajing City's great victory had yet to arrive. Even Miguel Edson, the supreme commander of the Yiggs coalition outside the city, had not received any updates from the military communication channels.

Only the beast horde showed signs of restlessness. In particular, many high-ranking Beast Kings displayed an unusual agitation, their emotions running wild and unstable. However, this unrest was swiftly suppressed under the strict supervision of the Star Council envoys. The beast horde remained under control as they continued to assault the broken and blood-soaked walls of Haijing City.

The never-ending battle raged on the walls. The defending soldiers and martial artists were utterly exhausted. Li Buyi and Long Zhengfei patrolled the defenses with weary expressions, stepping in to eliminate threats wherever they arose. But both of them, whether in inner qi or sheer stamina, had already reached their limits.

Inside the city, the atmosphere was one of confusion and despair. A year of repeated internal turmoil and the treachery of traitors had left the ancient city scarred and battered. Many historic buildings had been reduced to ruins.

Even the city's most iconic landmarks had suffered damage. The municipal government building had been attacked more than once. Most of the city's young and able-bodied men had been drafted into the defense forces.

The streets were nearly empty. There was not even a shadow of the city’s former prosperity. Haijing City, once hailed as the most prosperous base city in East Asia, now resembled a beauty fading into old age, leaving behind only desolation and decay.

A man with a limp and a scarred face swept the Central Square in Jingwu District with a broom, dragging his injured leg as he moved. He wore a rough, standard-issue janitor’s uniform. Beneath the fabric, the skin on his hands and feet bore the lingering scars of severe burns, slowing his movements. Every stroke of the broom was an immense struggle.

His face had been scorched by fire so badly that it looked like half-melted wax. It was twisted, grotesque, and terrifying enough to make children cry. His movements were sluggish beneath the harsh sunlight, but his sweeping remained meticulous.

It took him a full two hours to carefully clear the debris surrounding the twin statues. Then, he slowly straightened his back, exhaling heavily. A trace of pain flickered in his narrowed eyes.

He looked up and silently gazed at the two statues before him. Whether it was Blood for Yellow Emperor or The Humble Ox, both statues were strikingly lifelike. As someone who had once left a real mark on the young man's life, even he had to admit—the statues had achieved the level of true artistry.

"How wonderful." He murmured softly, feeling genuinely happy that his old friend had received such recognition.

"They all say you're dead. But I don't believe it. A cunning and powerful bastard like you must still be living well somewhere in this world, right?" His voice was low, almost a whisper.

A flicker of pain surfaced in his eyes once more.

"I once stood under the sun, just like you... but now... Brother, I'm sorry. I must have disappointed you. I became a coward who ran away and abandoned my home. Now, I don’t even have the strength to hold a sword anymore... I'm like a rat in the gutter, struggling to survive, but only because..."

He poured his heart out to the statue in silence. Just then, a voice came from behind.

"Papa."

A little girl in tattered clothes came running toward him.

The man turned, limping toward her. "Why are you here? Where's your mother?"

"There’s a guest at home." The little girl reached his side and, unfazed by his scarred face, clung tightly to his arm with a bright smile. "Mama told me to come get you."

"A guest? Who?" The man was puzzled.

We have neither friends nor relatives in Haijing City. Who would visit us in broad daylight?

"I don’t know," the little girl said sensibly. "Mama just told me to fetch you quickly."

A sudden unease crept into the man’s heart.

Could it be that scumbag, the one who had been coveting my wife's beauty, has come to stir up trouble again?