Though the IPC had withdrawn from Penacony, they still loomed in space, watching.
Noticing the internal changes in Penacony, the IPC extended an olive branch to some people, promising lucrative positions and a stable life full of money.
This kind of temptation has always been irresistible, no matter the era.
A large number of people secretly joined the IPC's side.
In reality, they remained close to Hanunue, acting as spies, waiting for the IPC's counterattack.
They went from unconditionally supporting Hanunue at the start to now doing everything in their power to bring him down, just for their own twisted interests.
----------------------------
: Damn it, they really deserves to die, my fists are clenched tight just watching this.
: Do these useless people not realize who is leading them to freedom?
: The revolution hasn't even succeeded yet, and they're already thinking about splitting up. Honestly, I can't stand this kind of thing—it makes me sick.
: Do these people really not understand that an incomplete rebellion is no rebellion at all? If you resist halfway and then surrender, aren't you just letting them control you easily?!
: There were already hints before, right? That intellitron led its brothers out of prison, only to realize that the people were fundamentally different inside...
: But no matter what, when I see people like this, I still want to save them.
: Hanunue must not waver—on the right path, there are always countless detours and obstacles!
...
The audience was furious.
But fortunately, most people chose to stay with Hanunue.
One night, Hanunue entered Mikhail's room.
Out of all these people, only this outsider truly matched Hanunue's taste.
He shared his dreams with Mikhail.
This warrior, practically perfect in every way, merely let out a grunt.
But Mikhail understood the passion and ambition in Hanunue's heart.
"If our generation works hard, future generations born on this land will be able to live relatively free lives. Maybe, through our efforts, we can turn this place into a dreamland."
That's what Mikhail said to Hanunue.
Hanunue was deeply moved but only responded with another grunt.
That night, they opened their hearts to each other and became each other's unwavering comrades.
This scene deeply touched the audience.
The revolutionary friendship between Hanunue and Mikhail was truly conveyed to them.
However, the path to building a new home was destined to be long.
The IPC's counterattack soon arrived.
This time, the assault was even fiercer—many areas were engulfed in flames, turning into deadly zones.
But fortunately, Hanunue's side was no longer what it once was.
Many "Pathstriders" stood with him.
For example, a masked fool.
In this war, the forces under various Aeons and the Pathstriders all had understandable motives in the eyes of the audience.
Except for followers of Aha.
No one could figure out why this masked fool, who pursued nothing but fun, would help Hanunue.
So whenever this clown appeared in battle scenes, the audience felt extremely tense. They feared he might turn out to be a traitor.
This unease continued until now.
During one operation, the masked fool appeared again.
He proposed to Hanunue that he transport tons of super explosives to the front lines, use his abilities to deceive the IPC, and then blow them sky-high.
Hanunue nodded in agreement and grunted, telling the clown to be careful.
The clown left, grinning, fantasizing about the IPC being obliterated by his bombs.
But before he got far, a sudden strike turned him and his laughter into a fleeting firework.
The shocking news left Hanunue and his people in deep sorrow. The audience was also stunned.
No matter how unreliable this masked fool seemed, he had never betrayed Hanunue. In the end, he even gave his life for this cause.
A few days after the masked fool's sacrifice, the IPC unleashed a relentless barrage of artillery and heavy firepower on the frontline stronghold.
With an endless supply of resources, the IPC mercilessly rained destruction from above. The bombardment lasted for days, turning the battlefield into scorched earth.
The Crybaby hid in a corner of the trenches, watching helplessly as comrades fell one by one, watching as the entire frontline was swallowed by fire.
The audience didn't know his real name.
They only knew that from the start of the war, he had joined Hanunue's side, fought in many battles, and was a close friend of Hanunue and Mikhail.
But he never displayed any special powers.
Instead, he was always full of emotions, constantly crying.
But this time, the devastation of the battlefield made him weep harder than ever.
He watched his comrades die, he watched the entire front line burn.
And then, something strange happened.
As his tears fell, they evaporated instantly.
The sky darkened, clouds gathered, thunder roared.
"Rain? At a time like this?"
"Wait… is this the power of a Pathstrider?"
"Or… could there be a powerful artifact on our side?"
This cursed land hadn't seen rain for half a month.
How could it suddenly pour right after the IPC used their artillery to take control?
The rain poured down.
Even the fiercest flames were extinguished in an instant.
The IPC's scheme had failed once again.
The Crybaby, still sobbing, staggered across the battlefield.
He could no longer find the bodies of his fallen comrades— The trenches had been flooded, turning into streams.
In the end, he collapsed onto the ground in despair.
He looked up, hoping to make the rain stop.
But then he realized—this rain, summoned by his grief, would not stop!
The downpour continued for over ten days, the accumulated rainwater formed a massive river.
A river that spared no one. It destroyed parts of Hanunue's land. And it destroyed parts of the IPC's land too.
It had no fixed trajectory, seeming to go wherever it wanted.
The Crybaby tried for a long time in the rain but failed to stop the downpour.
In the end, as if realizing something, he sorrowfully jumped into the river he had created.
After his death, the heavy rain finally ceased.
At this point, the audience had already figured out the Crybaby's identity.
A Mourning Actor.
Alongside the Masked Fool, both belonged to the Path of Joy, yet they each reached the end of their lives in a way that particularly highlighted their fate.
...
: Mourning Actor...
: Aha, Aha, that bastard definitely did it on purpose, absolutely!!
: The Mourning Actor wanted to restrain joy but ended up having to use elation's power to achieve his goal, only to lose control in the end and tragically take his own life—what an ironic fate!
: Shit, I can't hold it in, this is too cruel! This Aeon!
: The Crybaby is too pitiful—he doesn't even have a name!
: Actually, neither the Masked Fool nor the Mourning Actor is really to blame. The root cause of their deaths lies with the IPC. It's all too suspicious!
...
As the audience once again struggled to suppress their emotions over the Path of Joy, back at headquarters, Hanunue and Mikhail were overwhelmed with grief over the deaths of their two comrades.
At the same time, they sharply realized— there was a traitor among them!
Perhaps more than one!
Sure enough, after an investigation, the traitors were exposed—nothing but a bunch of IPC lapdogs who had secretly defected!
They were the ones who passed information to the IPC, leading to the discovery and attack on both the Clown transporting explosives and the Crybaby establishing a frontline stronghold.
This time, Hanunue and Mikhail completely lost it.
For the first time, sheer rage flooded Mikhail's mind.
Before Hanunue could fire his rocket launcher to finish off the traitors, Mikhail had already raised his gun, with only one thought in his head, "Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill! Avenge them!!"
The screen went black.
Gunshots rang out, sending shockwaves through the hearts of all who watched.
The audience, consumed by fury, felt some of their anger finally released.
Clenching their fists, they kept watching.
After so much sacrifice, they had to defeat the IPC!
They had to free everyone! That was now the unshakable belief burning in every viewer's heart!
...
On screen, with the traitors executed, Hanunue and Mikhail engaged in a drawn-out standoff with the IPC.
They were fully capable of holding out.
Some might wonder—how could Hanunue keep fighting the IPC for so long?
The truth was, their team was full of exceptional individuals.
Yes, in the early days of the war, Hanunue and the prisoners were merely people trapped on this planet.
But as more and more individuals from various backgrounds joined their ranks, they naturally established their own channels to procure supplies from beyond the planet.
As for the many weapons, equipment, and production lines that seemed to "naturally" emerge from Penacony's wilderness, forests, and rivers...
Those were simply gifts from nature.
They had absolutely nothing to do with the other Nameless like Granholm who went for long walks from time to time, the Masked Fools who just happened to pass by Penacony after looting a mechanical planet on their way, the Doctors of Chaos lost their way due to too much chaos and landed at Penacony, the History Fictionologists who searching for history coincidently landed of Penacony, or certain nameless contract workers from the IPC who misplaced the IPC's shipments of ammunitions.
It definitely had nothing to with these groups of people. Each and every person who contributed to Hanunue's rebellion could swear by Aha that this was true.
And so, after a prolonged battle of attrition, the IPC finally lost patience and decided to launch an all-out strategic offensive.
Hanunue, following Mikhail's suggestion, set up ambushes in the wilderness and forests, waiting for the right moment.
In the end, they utterly crushed the IPC's main forces.
This was Penacony's "Battle for freedom"!
With the IPC decisively defeated for the second time, the grand independence war had finally come to a complete end!
The audience let out a long sigh of relief.
Reflecting on the causes, consequences, and entire process of this independence war, everyone was deeply moved by the fearless sacrifices displayed.
Regardless of their backgrounds, freedom, independence, and fairness were rights that all should pursue.
This was something every fan could instinctively feel, without the need for explanation.
...
: Absolutely breathtaking—so this is the true past of Penacony… nothing but raw truth and sacrifice.
: A lot of brutal things happened along the way, but it's exactly because of those things that the story feels so powerful and real!
: Sobbing… It's just a shame that so many people fell before dawn. The Clown and the Crybaby too—if only they had held on a little longer, they could have seen better days.
: So many nameless died here as well…
: I think I understand now why Mikhail chose to stay—this land holds too much of himself, too much of their dreams.
: And who knows? The IPC might return one day.
: Please, don't let there be any more infighting. It's unbearable to watch comrades turn against each other over petty reasons.
...
The screen filled with comments.
The audience, burdened with heavy emotions, kept typing away.
On screen, after the end of the independence war, beyond the joy, there was also the sorrow of parting.
Many of the comrades who had joined the fight chose to leave after the war ended, continuing their journeys in search of the meaning of their own fates.
The express crew was the same.
Granholm brought the remaining unnamed passengers back to the express.
But Mikhail, Razalina, and Tiernan decided to stay.
Just as the comments had just said, this land had poured in too much effort—it was like their child.
"Does this place remind you of your home?"
Before departure, Granholm asked Mikhail.
"The residents of the Asdana Star System have only achieved a small victory. They are still far from true freedom… There's a long way to go."
"Hanunue needs us." Mikhail said seriously. Years of war had made him much more mature.
"Don't worry, not every journey has to lead to the stars and the space. Even if we leave the express, our 'trailblazing' will not end."
After Mikhail explained, Granholm just smiled and turned back to the medical cabin.
He had long known that he wouldn't be able to keep Mikhail.
"Is this Mr. Amundsen's hat?" Mikhail's eyes widened.
"When he left, he said he wanted to leave it to his best student. I think now is the time." Granholm said, placing it in his hands.
Then he turned and waved goodbye. "Take good care of Tiernan and Razalina. Remember to write me letters!"
The camera froze on the hat in Mikhail's hand.
Falcon Amundsen had sacrificed himself to protect a world he encountered on his pioneering journey.
Now, the worn-out hat had fallen into Mikhail's hands. The meaning of this inheritance weighed heavily on the audience.
...
: This is what inheritance truly means...
: So actually, if he hadn't stayed, Mikhail would most likely have become the next express navigator after Granholm.
: Amundsen—Granholm—Mikhail… It really does seem like that, and Mikhail is strong enough for it.
: But if the express had one more navigator, perhaps the universe would have one less Penacony...
: Sigh… fate...