ASER - Chapter 83
Chapter 83: The Little Evil Dragon
In truth, its speed was extremely fast, traversing several kilometers in an instant... It could directly blast a crater five meters in diameter, instantly annihilating all F-grade or even D-grade cultivators there. Wiping them out entirely! This was the destructive power of modern high-tech martial weapons.
In just a moment... Vulture was bewildered, but soon a sense of delight arose—Chen A'Diao would die? This thought had just surfaced.
Upon the canvas of the sky, the red light was a line. The end of this line should have been at the town's entrance, but out of nowhere, a faster line, like a bolt of lightning, appeared. Golden light. A mid-course interception. A sky cannon bombardment...
Amidst a deafening, muffled roar, the destructive red light exploded above the small town before it could even arrive. Powerful shockwaves of light surged, and the rolling air currents vibrated, sending the roof tiles of the town's buildings flying. The dense forest rustled violently, like a field of wheat being flattened...
Everyone was terrified, watching the pulsating, dissipating energy mass in the sky, unsure of the situation. But they were, after all, elite cultivators. They soon saw a second beam of light erupt from the southeast, streaking across the sky and shooting directly into the cloud bank that had previously concealed the source of the red light.
Boom! The entire cloud bank seemed to be blasted open. Crimson cannon fire, an exploding ball of light, and then a moderately sized flying ship fell from within the clouds.
Sniping a single person, sniping A'Diao, had seemed perilous and shocking before. But compared to this scene, it was mere child's play.
After the ship crashed, while everyone was still in shock, they saw an even larger flying ship materialize in the empty sky to the southeast, where there had been nothing before. This was no ordinary transport ship, but a dedicated warship.
It pierced through clouds and tore through the sky. During this, its hull opened, and over a hundred points of light flew out—apparently, people piloting flying devices, heading towards the crash site of the smaller ship. This warship, however, flew to the airspace above the edge of the small town. Its cabin door opened again, and another hundred... armored soldiers flew out? All were in uniforms of brocade robes and flying fish patterns.
Someone seemed to realize something. "Captain, it's the Danzhou Patrol Army."
The young man behind Ying Da lowered his voice. He was quick-witted; ever since Ying Da had intervened to save that girl, he had sensed that the captain seemed to know her. Could it be that he also knew of this warship's existence?
Ying Da did not know. He had only recognized the girl as Chen A'Diao, the daughter of Chen Ran, the Prefect of Lingcheng. And based on his understanding of the recent political situation in Lingcheng, Jinling, and even Danzhou, Chen Ran was very likely to be promoted to a high official position in the provincial capital, Jinling. Saving Chen A'Diao at this time meant gaining the Chen family's goodwill. This was crucial for precarious wilderness teams like theirs, which had risen from grassroots and faced daily uncertainties. Indeed, operating in places like the Jinxiang Area could yield spirit core resources, but what was the upper limit? It was very difficult for them to obtain other resources, such as cultivation method inheritances, or other high-grade resources monopolized by the imperial court and powerful nobles. Unless they used vast amounts of spirit core resources to exchange for these high-grade resources, could they even live that long? No fewer than a hundred people died in Jinxiang every day; there was no guarantee it wouldn't be their turn tomorrow.
Take one step, see three steps ahead. Since he had foreseen the limits, and a heaven-sent opportunity was right before him, why not seize it? They risked their lives every day anyway; one more risk this time wouldn't hurt.
But Ying Da truly hadn't expected a warship to be nearby. Had it been lying in wait, or had it just arrived? Was it related to Chen A'Diao? If so, the Patrol Army's functions were unrelated to the Prefect of Lingcheng. Did that mean Chen Ran was about to be transferred and promoted, and the new position was related to the Patrol Army?
Ying Da dared not think further. He merely made a hand gesture, and the others immediately retracted their Spirit Power and weapons, adopting a docile demeanor.
This was because the Danzhou Patrol Army was responsible for security and peacekeeping within Danzhou's borders, while the Danzhou Garrison was responsible for external military operations.
Functionally speaking, regarding the situation with demonic spirits from lairs and the wilderness teams, the Patrol Army had direct jurisdiction and control over this area, making their authority more legitimate than the Garrison's. It was no wonder Ying Da and his men were so compliant.
However, while they were compliant, others might not be. For example, the captain of a wilderness team who had been stealthily approaching A'Diao. He didn't actually intend to make a move now, in front of these government troops. He just wanted to be in a position to kill the woman as quickly as possible and claim the initial spoils when an opportunity arose.
The burly man at the forefront of the Patrol Army, wearing an armored mask, flicked his finger. A light blade shot out, streaking diagonally from the sky... and with a smack, decapitated the man. It was as fast as lightning. C-grade Spirit Power intensity.
After the head hit the ground, the crowd was somewhat stunned. Amidst the commotion, the mask on the captain's face retracted into his armor, revealing a cold, resolute face of a man around thirty. He said in a deep voice, "Regarding the current state of demonic spirit extermination operations in the Danzhou wilderness, and in accordance with the new decree issued by Lord Governor-General of Danzhou—effective immediately, all demonic lair extermination zones within Danzhou will be under dual governance by the Patrol Camp and the Danzhou Prefecture government."
"Firstly, to regulate civilian life and exterminate demonic spirits to ensure public order. Secondly, to rectify the chaotic situation in the wilderness and eliminate the internal attrition caused by cultivators being senselessly assassinated. For the hundred-year grand plan of the war between humans and demonic spirits, we now strictly order the arrest of bandit groups. If there is evidence, there is no need for review by the three judicial departments; my Patrol Army has the authority to kill without mercy!"
"Ding Mao, Adjutant of the Danzhou Patrol Army, Bing Three Brigade, reporting!"
Compared to the iron-blooded dominance of the military, these wilderness cultivators, who prided themselves on being battle-hardened, suddenly seemed significantly weaker. After all, it was the difference between common ruffians and the official regular army of the imperial court. Moreover, the other side had presented a righteous decree for the people and the country; regulation was inevitable.
But was this a good thing or a bad thing? In any case, amidst their apprehension and unease, everyone obediently put away their weapons. For some, however, putting away their weapons was useless—all the members of the team that had been clamoring at A'Diao earlier were arrested. Some shrieked in terror, crying injustice; others, in desperation, tried to resist... With a few smacks, like swatting watermelons, Ding Mao and his men killed them all, either by blade or by projectile.
The phenomenon of spouting a few lines of nonsense, common in television dramas, was completely absent. It was swift and iron-fisted, perfectly demonstrating what "kill without mercy" meant. The crowd grew even quieter.
Then, they also saw the hundred-man squad that had split off earlier, escorting several surviving mercenaries who had fled after the other flying ship crashed. All of them had their limbs broken on the spot...
One man was dragged over. Ding Mao grabbed his head, looked at it for a moment, and said, "A mercenary, huh? Quite bold. I wonder how much they paid." The head was bloody, but under the large palm, he was like a helpless chick. He was brought before A'Diao. "Third Miss, do you recognize him?"
Ying Da's heart skipped a beat: it really was Chen Ran's daughter.
A'Diao: "I don't. Was he here to assassinate me?"
Ding Mao: "Yes."
A'Diao: "Then you can investigate as you see fit." As she spoke, she frowned, seeming very weak. The middle-aged man who had rushed down from the flying ship was quick-witted and immediately took out a clean handkerchief... A'Diao took it, her throat moved, and blood soaked the handkerchief.
"Third Miss, how are you?"
"I won't die."
Ding Mao and the other soldiers frowned but said nothing. Towards this third daughter of the new Governor-General's family, they were merely following orders to conveniently pick her up.
A'Diao seemed unfazed by their indifference. She only said, "Strip those few people of their belongings."
Lao Wang nodded and bowed, immediately leading a few Chen family guards to strip the corpses. But A'Diao, covering her mouth, raised a finger and pointed at Ying Da.
Lao Wang understood instantly and immediately presented over a hundred spirit cores to Ying Da.
Ying Da and the others: "..."
Ying Da glanced at Ding Mao and the others, unsure for a moment whether to accept. This was clearly Chen A'Diao's reward for saving her life. But did the so-called regulation include not killing people for their goods? Would these resources be confiscated by the authorities? She could give them, but could they accept?
Ying Da hesitated, but the others' eyes blazed with fervor. However, the loyal Lao Wang didn't care. Understanding A'Diao's glance in an instant, he tossed the bag of spirit cores into Ying Da's arms. A'Diao slowly wiped her mouth, "Now you know to be wary?"
Ying Da: "?"
A'Diao's gaze swept over the others, and she said faintly, "I remember when I was in school, my teacher said that the wilderness is a small world of its own. When the civilized system cannot solve immediate life-and-death problems, human instincts regress infinitely to be like those of animals, baring fangs ferociously to survive and eat. The flesh and blood of prey is the only spoil. But the only difference between humans and other animals is—restraint. As intelligent beings, we should take restraint as the only way to adhere to our true nature. And what is that true nature?"
"It is to rise by killing demonic spirits, and also to possess a heart of reverence for the authority of morality and law."
"I didn't understand this before. Since entering the wilderness, life and death depend on human effort and fate; what's the point of talking about restraint?"
"My teacher didn't say much, only asked me to come and see for myself."
"Now that I've come to Jinxiang, I finally understand. So-called 'exterminating demonic spirits and protecting the common people' can mean slaughtering human lives in front of hundreds at the town entrance, and scheming for personal gain, waiting to reap benefits like a fisherman."
"Everyone, if the information I've read is correct: it has been half a month since the Ghoul Lair emerged. Initially, there were only forty to fifty Ghouls. They rampaged through the countryside, devouring thousands, nearly ten thousand, common folk. At that time, many aspiring individuals flocked to our vast Danzhou territory. With no resources, relying solely on their limited understanding of Spiritual Energy, they dared to come and kill demonic spirits. I believe that was your original intention. But why is it that those forty to fifty Ghouls were not eradicated, and now their numbers have swelled to over four or five hundred?"
"Is it because your strength fell short, or is it because traitors of our human race rose up to create chaos, colluding with each other to slaughter you all for profit?"
"Naturally, it's the latter."
"There is such a group of people, distributed in various places, who kill people to seize spirit cores. But it's not just for the spirit cores; it's also to control the number of cultivators, so that the collective strength of the wilderness teams cannot clear out the lairs. They kill people, take the spirit cores, and leave the bodies to feed the demonic spirits, allowing the demonic spirits to continuously multiply. This is an endless stream of exorbitant profits. And they take advantage of these exorbitant profits to madly strengthen themselves, then continuously use these profits to lure more people to join them."
"But don't forget, in the first era, a similar group of people did the same thing. And what was the result? The demonic spirit lairs underwent unprecedented development, ultimately brewing a terrible disaster."
"Those who died tragically, those who were once passionate but eventually became indifferent, they must have been thinking before they died: Why did it turn out like this?"
"And this answer will later appear upon your corpses as well."
Her words were rather abrupt, but she didn't care. She knew that as long as she hit the core point, the timing didn't matter. As long as these people heard it, realized it, experienced emotional fluctuations, and the consequences of their resulting actions aligned with her interests, that was enough—to set up the Fierce Bandit Organization as the target!
Shame, embarrassment, anger, unease, and the malicious thought of pushing others out to bear the brunt of the Patrol Army's rectification—they should all experience such emotions after my speech. Then, they will follow my wishes, become hostile to my enemies, and become knives in my hand!
So A'Diao knew that the more high-sounding her words, the better they fit today's purpose—even if, in her heart, what she loved most were these wretched deeds of killing and looting (counter-killing) that easily incurred heavenly retribution.
Then A'Diao deliberately gave Ying Da a deep look before turning and boarding the flying ship.
Ying Da noticed her gaze, and his heart stirred slightly. She must be very weak; her steps were unsteady, and she even held onto the cabin door for support after going up.
As she ascended the steps of the flying ship, she felt the burgeoning Mental Power этих людей. Oh-ho, very good, these leeks are quite fat. They'd sent her over two hundred thousand units in one go. Since they were so fat, harvesting just one batch seemed a bit wasteful. No need to pick another day then, let's just harvest two batches.
She had discovered something in that lair, which could be put to good use. It would also keep that old dog Chen busy, so he'd come home less often to be an eyesore. Her thoughts raced. After finishing the steps, A'Diao, looking as if she had suddenly remembered something, turned around and stood at the top, slowly saying her final words, "I went into the lair, but I was terrified within a minute and fled, scared out of my wits. Do you know why?"
Of course, no one knew, so no one could respond.
"Because the concentration of corpse toxin in the stench of rotting corpses inside the lair has far exceeded the standard. Based on this standard and the average emission rate of corpse gas per Ghoul, it can be calculated that the number of Ghouls at the bottom of the lair is at least in the thousands. According to the evolutionary genetic mutation curve of carrion-feeding demonic spirit races, a hundred can evolve one high-rank individual, and a thousand can give birth to at least three high-rank or even higher-level demonic spirits. This means there are likely over a thousand third-grade demonic spirits, three fourth-grade demonic spirits, or even one fifth-grade demonic spirit at the bottom of the lair right now."
"There's one more thing: all the Ghouls currently active outside are male. Not a single one is female. Either they're in their lair doing laundry and cooking, or they're pregnant. And now the weather is gradually turning colder. Ghouls are creatures that prefer yin environments; the cold, damp season is their breeding period. Calculating the temperature, in about half a month, the temperature will drop to a level that embryos can withstand. Then, their next baby boom will erupt. But feeding infants requires a large amount of flesh and blood—at that time, they will swarm out and directly slaughter the entire Jinxiang Area. Your corpses will be the highest quality baby formula."
"So I really don't understand why you all still have so much patience, just peeking through windows, waiting for others to fight, preferably to mutual destruction so you can pick up the corpses."
"You've really got some nerve."
As soon as she finished speaking, she once again felt the fulfilling sensation of leeks being harvested batch after batch and stored in the granary. Oh my, another several hundred thousand.
Indeed, it is only when their own survival is at stake that people truly unleash their strongest emotions.
Holy shit!!! If her previous words had merely pointed out the hidden worries of the chaotic situation in the Jinxiang wilderness, then this was a solid slap in the face, shaking the hearts of everyone in the wilderness teams. Was it true?!!!
Ying Da and the others also panicked. But Ying Da exchanged glances with several powerful team captains, and their expressions all became grave. They had been operating in the upper levels of the lair, but they had never dared to enter the main nest at the bottom. It had been fine before, but recently they had indeed felt uneasy, feeling that there were some unimaginable changes happening beneath the lair. They just hadn't expected this kind of hidden danger.
If this was true, this matter was too huge!
After A'Diao harvested the third wave of leeks, she glanced over. Ding Mao, who caught her glance, suddenly realized something and immediately announced loudly, "I will report this matter to my superiors immediately and request stronger armed forces and relevant professional experts to come and measure the data to assess the scale of the crisis. Warriors, do not panic! Since there is a crisis, my Patrol Army will definitely advance and retreat with you all. Moreover, crisis also means opportunity! You should know that due to the Ghoul outbreak, a million people in Jinxiang and the three nearby townships had to evacuate and temporarily relocate. Now that this crisis has arisen, it will endanger these common people. You are all warriors. Now that you are ensuring the safety of a region, fighting for your original intentions, you can also slaughter demonic spirits to strengthen your cultivation. This is an opportunity!"
"Before coming here, Lord Governor-General of Danzhou also mentioned: Our purpose in suppressing and controlling this area is to maintain the cultivation order for you warriors, ensure the safety of the majority, and preserve the foundation of our human cultivators. If you all contribute for the sake of the common people and the state, the imperial court will surely reward you. These are not empty words!"
The panicked wilderness cultivators, who had initially intended to flee Jinxiang, felt their hearts settle upon hearing this. If the main force of the powerful Patrol Army came, they would definitely need the cooperation of these wilderness cultivators. With the main force taking the brunt, they could then kill those demonic spirits on the periphery... Exorbitant profits!
After these words were spoken, the situation stabilized. Ding Mao then took the opportunity to give Ying Da a look. How astute Ying Da was! Realizing his chance had come, he immediately called out loudly, urging everyone to unite...
However, A'Diao still entered the cabin, adopting the detached demeanor of a high-class, artistic, revolutionary orator who sought no fame or fortune and looked down on worldly affairs... Of course, she also conveniently spat out some blood.
Ah, she was so weak, yet she still pushed her weak body to remind them. With so much Mental Power generated, they must have a very good impression of her.
However, Vulture and those local bandits certainly contributed only ill will. A'Diao knew Vulture was nearby, but she didn't inform Ding Mao and the others.
System: "Because in the struggle between the Song and Wang factions following the Cui family's defeat, you saw the Song family's military shortcomings. And with the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, the Song family is actually weaker than the Wang family. In the long run, they would inevitably be overthrown by the Wang family. So you guessed that the Song family's ultimate goal in allying with Chen Ran was to have him take the Governor-General position, which oversees both civil and military affairs, because only his political achievements and capabilities fit."
"Then you preemptively judged that the Song-Chen alliance had already suppressed the Wang family and secured the Governor-General position. You also guessed that as a new official, he would need to make three bold moves to establish authority, and you thought he would choose Jinxiang for his first move. So you investigated Jinxiang beforehand and brought Song Ling and the others here. Your objectives for this trip had two lines: the first was to counter-kill the members of the Fierce Bandit Organization and lead them and the Cui Clan into a dog-eat-dog cycle. The second was to use Chen Ran's appointment as Governor-General to dispatch the Patrol Army to rectify Jinxiang. This way, you could use the imperial court's power to effectively strike at the Fierce Bandit Organization's forces, forcing them to hole up. But this was merely incidental; your real goal was to win over these wilderness teams, and Ying Da was the first representative you chose."
"However, the discovery in the lair was an unexpected pleasant surprise. You used it impromptu, raising the gains from this trip to a new level—especially since you also pulled the Academy into it. If things succeed, the Academy will also owe you a favor."
"Currently, you are stepping on Chen Ran's brand-new official position and the Patrol Army's authority, plundering prestige in the name of helping them, and winning people's hearts. You've also received the resource gift package from the Fierce Bandit Organization and built a ladder to win over the Academy. Killing four birds with one stone."
"But you clearly know of Vulture and his men's existence, yet you didn't inform Ding Mao to use the Patrol Army to exterminate them. Do you have other arrangements?"
The System rambled on like an old woman, analyzing A'Diao's schemes, but A'Diao only cared about: Why use the phrase "killing four birds with one stone"? It sounded strange.
System: "Then how about 'one arrow, four birds'?"
"Screw you!"
A'Diao didn't deny the previous points, but regarding her subsequent plans, she just frowned in dissatisfaction and said, "If I tell Ding Mao and the others, and they wipe out Vulture and his men, wouldn't that be giving my resources to the imperial court? I don't want that!"
A typical case of "planning where to put the villa before even buying the lottery ticket."
System: "..."
Actually, she wasn't like a lonely, pitiful, chubby eaglet on a cliff edge. Ferocious and greedy, greedy and cunning, cunning and stingy—she was more like a little evil dragon in an abyss, hoarding mountains of gold and silver, yet still drooling over a steamed bun.
Baring fangs and brandishing claws, full of ambition.
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