Chapter 1123: 614, The Original Sin of the Torch Warrior

Chapter 1123: Chapter 614, The Original Sin of the Torch Warrior

Piece by piece, Lacroix calmly donned his equipment.

Although their manpower was scant, they had already infiltrated Alamita, the enemy’s core world. Their mission was to eliminate key personnel and seize strategic points deep behind enemy lines—a task fraught with peril upon peril.

Yet, he found little to be anxious about.

This was far from the most dire battle he had faced.

In fact, even during the most critical battles, he maintained his characteristic calm.

Still, he couldn’t help but notice the big man beside him seemed tense.

Moretti Battle Group Commander’s breathing was audibly heavy.

After a moment’s thought, Lacroix spoke up: “Try not to be too nervous—it might lead to mistakes.”

The young commander turned his head to gaze at Lacroix, who barely reached his stomach in height, yet bore no trace of disdain in his expression.

How could he dare to look down on him? This fifty-year-old veteran, though merely human, had earned a reputation that spread widely throughout the Alliance. He was a hero who had fought alongside Mr. Gu on Rage Owl Star, surviving life-or-death battles and achieving great feats across countless warfronts.

The elite Mortal Troops of the Glory Guard Legion, evolved from the former “Tenth Special Warfare Brigade,” had even been modeled after him.

Though Lacroix had always refused to assume the role of commander or leader—positions held by others in the Glory Guard Corps—it was undeniable that he was still the most renowned Honor Guard warrior, hailed as the “Chief.”

In fact, during the founding phase of the Neo Torch Warriors, when 800 recruits had just completed implantation procedures and commenced intensive training, Lacroix served as their instructor for an entire month!

Even now, despite having fully developed his superhuman organs and rising as the most distinguished Alliance Warrior among the 800 Neo Torch recruits, handpicked by Mr. Gu to be the Battle Group Commander, Moretti still felt compelled to show respect to Lacroix.

He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

It helped slightly, but not much.

Lacroix pondered for a moment before asking, “Tell me—why are you feeling nervous? This is just another battle. Considering the lifespan of you Interstellar Warriors, you’ll face countless battles like this in the future.”

“But this one is different!” Moretti insisted. “This is my first major operation as Commander, and it’s also the Neo Torch’s first significant battle since our rebirth!”

“Not really,” Lacroix replied. “You’ve already fought for the Alliance in previous engagements.”

He referred to several ground skirmishes the Neo Torch undertook shortly after entering the Alfonso Star Domain.

“But those were different! Those couldn’t even be called battles… those…” Moretti protested.

“Every battle is important. Keep your mindset balanced,” Lacroix advised.

Moretti remained silent for a while before exhaling deeply and responding, “Instructor Lacroix, what you said makes sense, but… you don’t understand.”

At this point, Lacroix could see Moretti clenching his teeth: “You truly don’t understand. We, the Neo Torch Warriors, were born with original sin. Our ancestors committed grave crimes—they betrayed the Empire, allied with the Alliance, and even repeatedly backstabbed comrades on the battlefield. The hundred-year redemption campaign they were sentenced to feels far too lenient in my eyes!”

“Frankly, many of the brothers in the group have grumbled, wondering why we weren’t assigned to Phoenix instead. We’re all children of the Alliance, raised under Mr. Gu’s leadership, and have consistently proven ourselves exceptional, eagerly awaiting every opportunity to pledge loyalty to him. Yet, when the time came for us to serve the Alliance and Mr. Gu, we were designated to a battle group tainted with sin, born without honor…” Moretti continued.

“But I won’t say it’s unfair. This was our choice—to become Interstellar Warriors, eternally serving The Emperor and the Alliance, is an unparalleled honor.”

“What we can do is to achieve greater feats and demonstrate unwavering loyalty to prove to the world that the Neo Torch Warriors are completely severed from the sins of the past. I will achieve indisputable results to silence all critics!”

“Those small-scale skirmishes weren’t enough. Anyone could’ve handled them—it wouldn’t have made a difference to send in the Glory Guards, or even just special forces from the ground army. Our deployment was merely an exercise, a test for a newly formed unit… but that’s not what we aspire to.”

“Alamita is what we want. We know this battle will be dangerous, and many of us may lose our lives here. However, each and every one of us is fully aware and ready! Some stains can only be wiped clean through achievements earned with blood!”

“Now you see how crucial this operation is for us, don’t you? We cannot fail—failure is not an option!”

Lacroix nodded slightly before shaking his head and saying, “I understand. But what I want to emphasize is that, while I may not fully grasp your concepts of honor, there’s one basic fact: the less composed you are now, the higher the odds of failure. You are the commander. Focus on planning the battle, scrutinize every detail—don’t dwell on things like meaning, value, accomplishments, or shame.”

These words were spoken with genuine intent.

Lacroix had always been a pure soldier.

Moretti nodded, though his tension hadn’t significantly eased.

Lacroix added, “You can consult Wang Mengsong for advice.”

Moretti’s response was resolute: “No! Absolutely not! He’s a criminal who dragged the Neo Torch into the depths of the abyss. The mere fact that he’s alive and allowed to shed his last drop of blood in the redemption camp is already a lavish reward from Mr. Gu. His opinions hold no worth!”

Moretti showed no signs of relenting.

Lacroix chose not to press further. Instead, he said, “Alright, then. How about you walk me through your plan from start to finish?”

“Will you help me correct it?”

“I’m not capable of that,” Lacroix admitted. “But by recounting it multiple times, you might discover any points you’ve overlooked.”

“And if I don’t find any?”

“Then it means there’s no problem—you’re the best.” This statement was delivered in a dry tone, paired with Lacroix’s stoic expression, creating an unusual effect.

“Haha…” Moretti chuckled softly. Despite the hint of sarcasm and ambivalence, his mood unexpectedly improved.

As Lacroix suggested, he began verbalizing the plan, step by step.

Thinking as he spoke.

Lacroix sat silently, the most patient listener.

Before long, the appointed hour arrived.

“Then let’s move out.”

Moretti’s nerves had peaked, but at this point, there was no turning back.

With his eyes closed, he issued the command for the troops to mobilize.

Leading by example, he was the first to dash out and climb into an armored vehicle.

The convoy began to roll out, heading into the industrial district’s core thoroughfares in the Alamita Casting World.

Their target—the newly appointed Alamita Founding General—had just concluded an inspection of the industrial zone and was en route to leave.

According to intelligence, the general would traverse ground roads for approximately 15 minutes before exiting the sheltered areas of the manufacturing zones, where his hovercraft would then be able to take off.

And thus, their window of opportunity was set.