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墨書 Inktalez
"Is it just because he killed five hundred of his subordinates? He has nearly twenty thousand men! Our forces are ten times smaller!" Molly protested.
"What about Undermining Morale?" I asked with a smile, looking at Molly, who suddenly froze.
"You’re a commander too. When a superior officer is willing to slaughter his own men just to save his son, killing five hundred today and another five hundred tomorrow—what kind of psychological pressure does that put on his subordinates?" I continued to smile as I questioned her, and Molly fell silent.
She understood my intention.
I was genuinely curious. How could Molly still lead troops into battle after all this?
It's about psychological warfare!
I was clearly engaging in psychological tactics here. Who says that when two sides go to war, it has to be a fight to the death, resulting in mutual destruction? In our Hua Xia Wen, there are countless examples of capturing cities without shedding blood.
Dong Ge truly has wisdom!
Nick gave me a thumbs-up from the side, and Rosen and the others nodded in agreement.
Perhaps from Lu Ying's perspective, my actions seem unreasonable, but only those who have experienced the brutal Jinshan Jiao created by Tam and his son can understand how gentle my methods are towards them.
They are not human.
They do not deserve to be treated as such.
See? I told you so; listening to Dong Ge is never wrong.
Liu Sen chimed in from the side, "Damn! Why didn’t you speak up earlier?"
But I chose not to hold it against him. I knew he must have faced significant pressure from Molly while carrying out my orders.
"I'm sorry, Dong Ge. It’s true that I lack leadership skills. You were right; thank you!"
As soon as Molly realized what was happening, she immediately thanked me. If this matter were resolved, I could dismantle Tam's influence right here in Jinshan Jiao!
To be honest, even if Molly had stubbornly refused to follow my orders back then and had taken Kyle away from the Gladiatorial Arena to another place, the outcome would have been the same.
But why did I let Liu Sen stay in the Gladiatorial Arena?
First, the Gladiatorial Arena is easy to defend but hard to attack. Even if a battle breaks out, there’s still a chance to fight back.
Second, the variables during the transfer are too great.
Third, no matter where we go, this tactic requires all of Tam's subordinates to be on the brink of battle, making them feel the pressure of impending doom. So wherever we go, it will always seem like we are surrounded, just like now.
Fourth, I don't trust their command abilities; that would only increase the variables during the transfer. It’s better to stay put in the Gladiatorial Arena and wait for me to wake up from my nap.
No need to be polite; we’re all family here.
I smiled at Molly, who blushed and turned away without saying anything.
“Dong Ge, make sure to rest well.”
Liu Sen also took his leave.
Nick Rosen and the others bid farewell as well. They knew that since I woke up, Lu Ying hadn’t spoken a word to me; it was truly a missed opportunity.
They all left.
Lu Ying looked up at me, hesitating to speak.
I smiled; I knew that my actions today—cutting off Kyle's hand—made me seem a bit unfamiliar to her.
Humans can be quite interesting sometimes. When Lu Ying questioned me loudly before, asking how I could be so kind and still be the boss of the Underworld, she was shocked when she saw my ruthless side and began to feel fear and melancholy.
Do you find me strange? I never claimed to be a good person; perhaps you misjudged me.
I interrupted Lu Ying’s hesitation and said directly and candidly that I only needed to do what I believed was meaningful.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Lu Ying quickly replied. I looked at her and couldn’t help but smile helplessly; she said it wasn’t what she meant, but her face told a different story.
“I’m just a bit unaccustomed to it,” she continued. “I know what you did was right.”
I nodded in agreement; I also knew my actions were justified, though perhaps my methods were misguided. But does that really matter? As long as there’s a good outcome, that’s what counts.
Seeing that I didn’t respond, Lu Ying fell silent for a moment before sitting down in front of me.
“Xiang Dong, I know you’re very smart; there’s nothing you can’t see through. So let me ask you: what do you think makes someone a good person? And what makes someone a bad person?”
Lu Ying looked at me with a hint of confusion in her eyes. I knew that my actions had blurred the lines between good and evil for her. I wasn't sure myself, but I had heard a saying: the Buddha speaks of cause and effect, while the demon claims that everything lies within me. All beings are without form, and both becoming a demon and becoming a Buddha are part of me.
I smiled and explained this to Lu Ying, who immediately showed interest and asked what it meant.
I told her that this saying implies that the Buddha teaches that everything in this world operates on a cycle of cause and effect, meaning that those who live recklessly will eventually have to pay the price; there is a divine will at play. On the other hand, the demon's claim that everything lies within me suggests that fate is in our own hands.
The definitions of Buddha and demon boil down to good and bad. Setting aside other considerations, it all comes down to nature: the Buddha embodies self-discipline and transcendence, while the demon embraces spontaneity, preferring to take control of their own emotions.
I held great respect for the person who spoke these words; I deeply resonated with this sentiment. Like me, they followed their heart, living freely yet possessing a kind heart. What does it matter if one is a Buddha or a demon? I am who I am, unchanging.
It seemed like Lu Ying began to grasp this concept, nodding thoughtfully yet still somewhat confused. I chuckled softly and decided not to elaborate further; it was nice for a young girl to maintain her innocence.
That night, I instructed Nick and the others to increase their vigilance. I knew Tam would do everything in his power to rescue Kyle.
As expected, later that night, Tam sent several subordinates to attempt a nighttime rescue of Kyle, but they failed miserably. I had anticipated his moves; how could he possibly succeed?
The next morning, I led Kyle back up to the city wall again. I made sure my face was dirty so he wouldn't recognize me from afar.
"Good morning, Tam General!" I called out.
Tam immediately emerged from his tent, his gaze landing on Kyle, whom I was leading like a dog. He was furious.
"What do you want?! Let my son go! I'll let you leave safely!" Tam shouted at me.
I smiled lazily, stifling a yawn as I surveyed the angry faces below me.
"Am I here to collect lives so early in the morning? How unlucky," I mused aloud.
Indeed, it was unlucky for them.
As per our usual arrangement, five hundred lives were required. I pulled out my weapon and pressed it against Kyle's neck. Yesterday's attempt by Tam's men to rescue him had gone unmentioned.
If Tam had such intentions, then it was best for him—using five hundred of his subordinates' lives to buy just one day for Kyle's rescue.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Let me tell you, I have twenty thousand people here! Even if I can only save five hundred a day, sooner or later, I will find a way to rescue Kyle! When that time comes, it will be your end!"
Tam stood at the city wall, pointing at me and shouting. I yawned, indifferent, and continued speaking.
"Five hundred people—today is that beast's day of reckoning."
"Dad! Save me! Save me! He will definitely kill me, he will definitely kill me!"
Kyle cried out in desperation, just as hopeless as yesterday. His face was pale from the blood loss he suffered the day before.
"You bastard!"
Tam was furious, but he had no other choice. Another massacre began. Today, no one dared to persuade Tam; all those who had tried to talk him down yesterday were dead. However, it was clear that Tam's army felt even more resentment towards him today than they had the day before.
Days passed in this manner.
Every night, Tam would send his best fighters to rescue Kyle, but every day they failed. I was well prepared; they didn’t even know where Kyle was truly hidden.
In these few days, Tam had already lost thousands of men before the battle even started. The morale of his troops was shaky. I often noticed that I wasn’t forcing Tam to kill anyone; he still executed a few during the day—those were just some deserters who didn’t know if they would be next.
On the fourth night, I was bored playing poker with Nick and the others. I must mention that I had previously made an agreement with Nick and his crew: each of them would give me ten million USD for helping them out.
On the day Liu Sen arrived for the robbery, we looted nearly one hundred million USD from all the clients at the Gladiatorial Arena. We also discovered a large amount of gold and rare treasures in Kyle's safe at the Gladiatorial Arena.
The total amount reached nearly one hundred fifty million USD.
Theoretically, this money should belong to Molly’s mercenary group; after all, she didn’t bring anyone to help me. Not to mention robbing money, it would have been difficult just to stay alive without her support.
But Molly wasn’t a greedy woman at all. She only took half of that one hundred fifty million USD; she distributed all the gold and other cumbersome valuables to her subordinates. What came to me were bank transfers from our heist and some precious gems and diamonds.
I needed to pay up for my initial promise because without Nick and his crew helping to capture Kyle, things wouldn’t have turned out so well.
"Show your cards!"
Nick tossed a bundle of USD onto the table. I had taught them how to play a game called "Zha Jinhua" (a type of poker).
"Three of a kind! Ha ha!"
I smiled triumphantly as I gathered all the money into my arms. Damn, they all had money! Each one owed me ten million USD; I had to win something from them tonight!
Nick immediately pouted and muttered about his bad luck. Indeed, he had lost nearly one hundred thousand USD that night; Rosen and others were about the same. The biggest winner was someone who had tricked and deceived me!
Just as I was reveling in my winnings, gunfire suddenly erupted outside!
A riot? It was bound to come eventually!
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