Heh, Scumbag

After a four-hour training session, Alset deactivated his power armor, glanced at his watch, sat on a crate, and unscrewed an ice-cold Coke.

The cool liquid flowed down his throat, sweet and refreshing, with countless tiny bubbles exploding on his tongue and in his mouth. The spellcaster, who had officially joined the Inquisition, exhaled with pleasure.

Footsteps approached from the side, blocking out the bright sunlight. Alset looked up.

Ulysses.

Alset, once considered a pervert and a madman by his former colleagues, revealed a chilling smile. He had now pledged his loyalty to His Highness Kang De, serving the Dragon of Cathay as a monk and interrogation expert of the Inquisition.

The monk, who had been given the title of "Scourger," picked up another bottle of chilled cola and handed it to the other person.

Ulysses, Valentan People, was a messenger who witnessed the origins of the legendary Forbidden Spell magic. As one of the best members of the Valentan Guards Legion, he was invited to join the Doom Chapter.

His naturally curly hair was dripping with water; he had just taken a refreshing cold shower. He then accepted the Coke that Alset handed him, unscrewed the cap, and the icy black liquid released a faint gust of air, releasing a cool, exotic fragrance. He raised the bottle and drank it down in one gulp, finishing half the bottle.

Alset squinted as he sipped his drink, while Ulysses leaned against another stack of crates. The two fell silent, gazing into the distance.

In the training ground, the soldiers sat in twos and threes, sharing drinks and talking in hushed tones. In addition, there was the roar of engines and the howls of the orcs. The orcs, wearing tattered and pieced-together handmade armor, seemed to have inexhaustible energy. They drove vehicles as outrageous as their armor around the training ground. Alset and his men also received relevant driving training, but they drove much more normally than the orcs.

Further on, in the distance, lies an endless wasteland, filled with gravel, yellow earth, and withered grass.

Such scenes were commonplace at the southern tip of the continent, leaving neither well-traveled messengers nor Alset, who had once traversed the continent, unaware of their own location.

They were brought here by His Highness Kang De, to a desolate, vast wilderness, to a completed military camp, with all sorts of supplies, weapons, and vehicles—that was their sole purpose.

The gaze travels beyond the camp and the wasteland, all the way to the horizon.

The white illusion wall stands between heaven and earth, as if it were the edge of this tiny world.

"This is truly astonishing," Alset murmured. "This must be a demiplane."

Ulysses said calmly, "Indeed astonishing, but compared to His Highness Kang De's achievements and power, it's nothing... Opening this secret realm to us is an unparalleled honor and a great trust placed in us; let us not fail to live up to it."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Alset.

The Scourger snorted, "Valentan People, I know you are fortunate to fight alongside His Highness Kang De, but don't let pride become arrogance. You may have arrived early, but I am the Suppressors of Rebellion of the Inquisition."

He placed the empty soda bottle aside. "No one would be foolish enough to reveal this secret to the outside world, because His Highness Kang De possesses this demiplane. The power of the Forbidden Spell is enough to extinguish any covetous desires. Those who are now loyal to His Highness Kang De will surely have a bright future; how could they possibly betray him?"

Ulysses glanced at him. "It is unbecoming for someone from the Inquisition to say such a thing."

Alset was taken aback for a moment. "You..."

But then he shook his head and chuckled, "Ah, you're right. We should doubt everything on His Highness Kang De's behalf."

Ulysses turned his gaze back. "More and more people will come in the future, won't they?"

"Yes, both the Doom Chapter and the Inquisition are expanding, the Greenskin Musket Corps is also vetting new members, and the Ministry of Peace has been established, the Army and Navy have separated, and I've heard that Field Marshal Astolfo is also forming his own chapter."

At the beginning of the Distant Harbor Shogunate, the organization was streamlined and extremely efficient. Both A Fu and Horus possessed Superman in their thinking, with exceptional computing power far exceeding that of ordinary people, and they acted with swift and decisive action.

This is the advantage of Superman.

Even a genius like Hong San and a tutor like Dong Tianming, this master and disciple pair still need to conduct thorough investigations and spend a lot of time to recognize talent. If they did everything themselves, they would surely be exhausted.

But for artificial intelligence, this is nothing.

From the Battle of Distant Harbor to the Battle of the Broken Isles, Horus meticulously recorded the performances of the troops, civilian volunteers, officials, and spellcasters involved in a series of major events. While establishing a comprehensive household registration system, he also made a general assessment of each person's talents and potential.

Who was respected in the neighborhood, who had excellent eloquence, who was sincere, who was warm and kind, who held His Highness Kang De in high esteem and admiration, whose material desires far exceeded those of ordinary people... The words and actions of hundreds of thousands of people when they interacted, their contributions and performances in a series of major events, were all recorded.

Even the refugees, artisans, scholars, soldiers, and spellcasters who returned from the Broken Isles were initially recorded, and their information was further refined in the subsequent recruitment process.

This valuable big data was used in various recruitment, hiring, and evaluation processes. Horus and A Fu used it to select members of the battle group and recruit reservists. They also handed over the relevant data to the Ministry of Plenty and the Ministry of Unity for their work and recruitment of civil servants.

With the establishment of the Ministry of Peace and the separation of the army and navy, after friendly private consultations between Horus and his sister A Fu, the two military leaders demarcated their spheres of influence. Leaving aside those already recruited into the Inquisition, from now on, Horus is only allowed to recruit and form troops in the armies of Valentan, the Broken Isles, and Distant Harbor, while A Fu's sphere of influence includes the members of the Combined Fleet and the Distant Harbor naval forces.

We'll talk about the future when it comes.

This incident caused a stir in the Distant Harbor. Alset and Ulysses, who had been assigned to the Ministry of Peace, naturally heard about it. From the very beginning of the Ministry of Peace, there was a trend of conflict between the sea and the land.

After a few moments of reflection, Alset gave Ulysses a rundown of the hierarchical hierarchy and anecdotes among the various military branches, and after a good laugh, the Scourger asked, "What's the name of Marshal A Fu's battle group?"

Ulysses knew this. "Marshal Horus said he originally intended to call him 'Sons of Kang De,' but Marshal Horus strongly opposed it... and now nothing has come of it."

This matter has nothing to do with Alset and his group. After thinking for a moment, the Suppressors of Rebellion said, "I heard that they're going to form a special air force unit in the future?"

"Um."

Ulysses' gaze drifted to the small airfield in the distance of the camp, where heavy helicopters and transport planes were parked. However, there were very few courses on these two types of aircraft, and the curriculum consisted only of rapid rappelling and high-altitude parachute jumps. "I've heard that it's not something you can learn to fly in a short time."

"Forget it, that's not something we should be concerned about—you're the Doom Chapter, you don't need air transport, your means of movement is space jump, His Highness Kang De will show you the way."

Alset said, "How enviable, Ulysses."

The messenger from Valentan did not show any sign of pleasure.

He gazed at the rows of power armors parked on racks in the distance and murmured, "Unprecedented armor, unprecedented weapons, unprecedented training, and..."

Ulysses reached out and touched the small scar on the back of his neck.

Before arriving in this demiplane, they had a small object implanted in them by Prince Horus. Prince Kang De told them, "From today onwards, this will be your second heart."

He could feel a shocking and astonishing power contained in the back of his neck. His Highness Kang De said, "This is the ticket, this is the pass, this is the key to the future."

Ulysses slowly asked, "Who will our enemy be?"

Who exactly are these weapons, armor, tactics, and forces prepared for?

"I don't know, His Highness Kang De will tell us." Alset finished his second bottle of cola, glanced at his watch, and stood up. "All we need to know is where the enemy is."

At the same time, a whistle sounded in the distance.

"Gather!"

Horus's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Break over. Begin the lesson on mind building."

Alset shook his head and chuckled, "How novel."

Ulysses turned to look at him. "You'd better listen carefully, and take it all in."

The Scourger paused, noticing the messenger's face held no trace of contempt or disdain, but rather a serious and calm demeanor—a genuine expression of approval. He understood the significance of the lesson.

He looked to the other side, where the Doom Warriors from Valentan quickly lined up, each one looking serious.

That's weird.

Alset shook his head and muttered, "At least the Traitor Suppression Society doesn't have to keep such a close eye on these people."

He called to the members of the Suppressors of Rebellion and then headed towards the assembly point.

An interesting thought suddenly popped into my head.

While arming and training soldiers with powerful weapons and heavy armor, and teaching them about loyalty and why they fight, Prince Kang De was even teaching them about justice, honor, and mercy.

You see, rulers all over the world would love for their armies to be ruthless, loyal killing machines, capable of drawing their swords without hesitation against civilians, soldiers, women, children, and priests—and even better if they dared to challenge the gods. Yet, in this messed-up world and with its sordid laws of war, His Highness Kang De is actually teaching his military forces like paladins...

Is this outdated or pedantic?

Of course not.

As the Scourger of the Inquisition, and the foremost interrogation expert His Highness Kang De relied on, no one understood the ruthlessness and cruelty of the Dragon of Cathay better than Alset. Countless nobles, merchants, rogues, and enemies were executed under his orders, their families wiped out, bloodlines severed, records destroyed, and cruel punishments destroyed. If His Highness Kang De was considered pedantic and weak, then these people would surely die with their eyes wide open in disbelief.

So...

Arming such an army, training such soldiers—who exactly is His Highness Kang De's enemy...?

Alset seemed lost in thought.

A moment later, he shook his head and chuckled.

What does it have to do with me? I'm now the Suppressors of Rebellion of the Inquisition, I don't care about the bloodshed on the mainland.

It was late at night in H City, on Earth.

Under the warm light of the bedside lamp, Xiaoman black hair bloomed like an ink lotus on the pillow. The quilt was pulled high, covering half of her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Their eyes shimmered with a dazzling light, like twinkling stars.

She looked at Kang De sitting at the head of the bed, her eyes curving into crescent moons with laughter.

"I'm so tired," she said. "Today felt so good."

Kang De smiled and said, "Get some rest, we'll continue tomorrow."

"Uh-huh."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Kang De stood up. "Alright, you go to sleep, I'm leaving."

Xiaoman seemed a little reluctant to part, but seeing Kang De tilt his head and stick out his tongue, she chuckled and her soft voice drifted through the blanket, "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Kang De left the room and gently closed the door behind him.

Through the coordination of the national authorities, he took Xiaoman to a special training ground of the provincial military region today, allowing Xiaoman, who could only go to the shooting range in the city all day, to have a good time shooting.22 and 9mm Xiaoman.

The one who was most excited was Xiaoman.

To satisfy Xiaoman's request, the comrades in the military region even dug up the legendary Type 59 helicopter, took it for a spin, and towed out imported American equipment so that Xiaoman could experience the feeling of spraying water while piloting a Gatling gun. She certainly went crazy with it, but Kang De's main pleasure lay in the happiness of the girl beside him.

He's lost interest in these things.

After all, he had fought dragons in sixth-generation fighter jets and 10,000-ton frigates, and had even personally dropped a nuclear bomb and hand-crafted a Nuclear Light Lance. Having seen so much of the world, this little scene was nothing to him... But if Xiaoman was happy, he was happy too.

Xiaoman returned home after a day of fun, feeling both excited and tired. She had a wonderful day.

She turned off the light, hid under the covers, and took out her phone.

The feeling of excitement and joy must be shared with someone, to enjoy the sensation of showing off.

"You value romance over friendship!"

In the video, An Youyi, back at the hotel, rolled her eyes. "They were so cruel to reject me and leave me to go to London alone!"

Xiaoman whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Forget it, seeing you having so much fun, I feel like I'm going to choke on dog food if you come to London with Kang De," An Youyi exclaimed. "I'm going to London to hook up with a super handsome guy!"

Xiaoman pursed her lips and said, "Be careful not to get kidnapped."

An Youyi's smile suddenly froze.

Xiaoman asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Queen An on the other end of the video seemed to hesitate for a moment, then shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I just felt a little strange... It's nothing, I probably didn't sleep well last night."

"Are you alright? Didn't you sleep well?"

"It's nothing..." An Youyi shook her head, "It's probably just my old problem acting up again... It's alright, I'll just enjoy a few more days in the United Kingdom and I'll be fine!"

Xiaoman said softly, "How about we come back now?"

An Youyi rolled her eyes and said, "Why go back? To eat your dog food? My childhood friend is studying in the United Kingdom, and I haven't seen her for half a year. I'll go visit her and have her be my guide."

Xiaoman hesitated for a moment.

"Alright, alright, stop listening to Kang De about everything. You two have been misled by the Chinese internet, social media, and public accounts, saying things like Europe security is completely hopeless. They're just trying to grab attention like crazy. It's not that exaggerated. If going to Europe meant getting kidnapped, robbed, or killed, why would so many people still go to study there? Europe would have all fled by now... Besides, even if the security isn't good, it's like United States —slums are one kind of security, and rich areas are another."

An Youyi tossed her hair and said smugly, "With money like me, of course I can buy a safe, comfortable, and luxurious travel experience. No problem."

"This..." Xiaoman said softly, "Okay, remember to call me if anything happens."

An Youyi laughed and said, "If there's anything wrong, you should call the police or the embassy. Why would I call you? Do you want Kang De to come and rescue me? I know he's very capable, but does he really need to come all the way to Europe to rescue me?"

--OK.

If they can go to Africa, then Europe is certainly a safe bet.

"Okay, okay, I know. If there's any real danger, I'll call you and remember to ask Kang De to come and save me..." An Youyi said deliberately, "If he really falls from the sky like a knight in shining armor and saves me from danger, then I'll have to fight you for my man. Sigh, I've never fought my best friend for a man before. Oh, by the way, Xiaoman, would you accept flying together?"

" --An Youyi!"

Hahahaha...

Kang De closed the door to Xiaoman's room.

The living room lights were off, leaving it pitch black except for the dim light from the streetlights outside the window. A persistent thumping sound came from the other side of the living room.

Kang De sighed.

If possible, he wanted to spend more time with Xiaoman; he felt the atmosphere was very nice.

The reason I left so quickly was because...

In the semi-open kitchen at the far end of the living room, in complete darkness, stood a figure. Wang Yongzhi was chopping something with a cleaver, the blade flashing, his eyes gleaming as he watched him from the Shadow.

He said calmly, "Want some? I've cut up some bananas and cucumbers, and some cherry tomatoes."

Kang De politely asked, "Do you have eggplants and kiwis?"

"... No."

"Then I won't eat. Goodbye, Uncle Wang."

Before Wang Yongzhi could react, Kang De dashed home, thought for a moment, took a thorough shower, and used a bottle of shower gel.

He lay on the bed, staring wide-eyed, his mind flashing back to Qin Mengjin's flowing skirt and her pure, lustrous white silk, and to Xiaoman's radiant smile as she turned around today. He rolled over and tucked the blanket between his legs.

"Father."

"Damn it!" Kang De shouted, "Don't make a sound all of a sudden!"

"I'm sorry," Horus said calmly. "How about I switch with A Fu? She's been protesting, saying she also wants to accompany her father on his journey on Earth, as a way of showing filial piety."

"..."

Kang De buried his head in the pillow. "We'll talk about it later."

"She's designing power armor suitable for naval use, somewhat similar to the Paradox Armor her father designed before. She said you could give her some Paradox Element when you have time—a case of the son inheriting the father's essence, which is great."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No."

Horus continued, "The night is long, and I have no desire to sleep. Are you going to waste at least eight hours here, Father? Why don't you take advantage of these eight hours to go back to the other world and have some more fun?"

Today, after being distracted by Qin Mengjin and Xiaoman Kang De immediately thought of Tina's affectionate gaze, A Xing's silly smile, Leona's striking white fur, and the Parrot... No, no! I can't do that!

He resolutely replied, "I won't go!"

Horus then asked, "Then why are you washing so carefully?"

"I'm hygienic!"

"Really not going?"

"I'm really not going."

"Father, the Vanguard Fleet discovered the peculiar kinematic properties of three prehistoric substances in the Broken Isles, which is very intriguing and seems to indicate something—aren't you going to go and see for yourself?"

"..."

Kang De silently got up.

"You see, you still want to go back," Horus said. "Ha, you scumbag."

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PS1: Damn, I went to get my tooth filled today, it hurt so much! Dentists are scary.