The Last Stand, Never Surrender!
"Emperor Majesty, the situation on the Eastern Ocean Islands has completely changed, and everything must be carefully considered."
"These people no longer support us. Whether we recruit soldiers again or ask them to help us manufacture weapons, we will face enormous obstacles."
"If we continue fighting, the chances of clearing the game are slim."
At this moment, Itō Hidetaka's eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow.
However, having suffered crushing defeats in the previous two Instance, Itō Hidetaka was already somewhat numb to the Instance of failing again this time.
Therefore, Itō Hidetaka was no longer particularly concerned about the new "Nation-Destroying Fleet" or the cutting-edge technology newly showcased in the Lin Ye Instance.
He once thought that with the Emperor's support and the united front of a million compatriots, he could deliver a fatal blow to Lin Ye, resolve all the previous humiliations, and allow Itō Hidetaka to return to his pedestal!
Now it seems it was all just a pipe dream! A foolish and naive fantasy of my own making.
There is no fundamental difference between the Emperor leading the team and someone leading the team themselves.
They were both victims of abuse, both victims of masochism...
From this perspective, it's not that I'm incompetent, it's just that Lin Ye.
Even a top-tier powerhouse like the Emperor struggled to withstand him, so it was perfectly normal for him, a mere young Dungeon Designer, to be no match for Lin Ye. At this moment, he even felt a touch of admiration for Lin Ye.
"Emperor Majesty... Lin Ye's military technology reserves are simply too strong. I had previously suspected that he might have countless forces supporting him, or even the combined support of numerous Settlements!"
"This time, it'll be difficult for us to defeat him. We might as well surrender to the Eagle Sauce directly to avoid being humiliated in the Instance and having these onlookers on Azure Star laugh at us for nothing..."
Before Itō Hidetaka could finish speaking, the Emperor angrily overturned the table. Another loud crash echoed through the tranquil Pavilion of Pines.
"How dare you! Itō Hidetaka! How could you utter such an insulting word against my Great He Clan!"
"I think you're tired of living!"
The Emperor's furious roar startled Itō Hidetaka, who immediately knelt down.
"Throughout history, when has our Great He Clan ever surrendered voluntarily in Instance?!"
"Have you forgotten the creed of Bushido? We would rather die standing than surrender on our knees!"
At this moment, the Emperor exuded an indescribable murderous aura, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as if he could shed tears of blood at any moment.
Intense anger caused his whole body to convulse, but his so-called dignity forcibly pulled him back, making him look extremely distorted.
"As Dahe people, how can you choose to submit out of fear of humiliation? Do you think the people of Azure Star won't laugh at us if we do that?"
"They'll think we Dahe people are all cowards!! Afraid of dying!"
Itō Hidetaka was so frightened that he immediately started kowtowing, making a loud thud on the floor, and tears of fear streamed from his eyes.
Even though he was speechless inside, he could only submit on the surface. He was just a nobody, and there was no way he could challenge the Emperor.
"Emperor Majesty, I confess my guilt!"
"I was just saying it casually, I didn't think too much about it... I will follow Emperor Majesty's orders, and I would never dare to disobey His Emperor's commands."
The Emperor took a deep breath, then let out a cold shout and suddenly drew his Samurai sword from his waist once more.
The gleaming blade startled Itō Hidetaka, causing him to kneel on the ground and take two steps back.
At the same time, the Emperor also turned on all the communication devices on the control panel, establishing communication links with all Military Bases on the Eastern Ocean Islands.
"Listen up, all Challengers! I will fight the Eagle Sauce Country to the bitter end, until I die!"
"All citizens of the Dahe Settlement must stand with me and hold out on Eastern Ocean Island to the very last moment. No one is allowed to desert; otherwise, I will deal with them after leaving the Instance!"
The Emperor's words were not only addressed to Itō Hidetaka, but also to all the Challengers in the Instance.
At this moment, he will not allow any Challengers to surrender to the Eagle Sauce Country! Anyone who dares to disobey is betraying him and the Dahe Settlement.
The Emperor grabbed Itō Hidetaka by the collar, yanked him up from the ground, and then whispered in Itō Hidetaka's ear:
"Hmph, Ito-kun, do you know what surrender means... Surrender means we submit to Lin Ye! Submitting to Lin Ye is submitting to Great Xia!!"
"This time we may not be able to win, we may even die in battle, but we must make the Eagle Sauce suffer! Instead of being humiliated and crushed like this!"
"I need Lin Ye to reveal all his trump cards in the Instance. This way, we can obtain information about the Instance and have a chance to attack it next time. Otherwise, this Instance challenge will be completely meaningless!"
Faced with the Emperor, who was now in a state of near-madness and rage, Itō Hidetaka dared not disobey and could only stammer as he followed the Emperor's words:
"Your Emperor... I will obey your every command! I... I will fight to the very last moment."
The Emperor snorted, slowly released his grip on Itō Hidetaka's hand, and then turned and walked towards the Command Console.
"Listen up, all leaders of Military Bases! Get into battle formation and prepare for war!"
"Anyone who can kill Eagle Sauce soldiers or destroy Eagle Sauce Military Ordnance will receive an extra reward after leaving the Instance, regardless of their performance in the Instance!"
"You must uncover all of Lin Ye's trump cards!!"
The Emperor roared hysterically, having already set the stage for the next Instance.
That means we will never surrender to the Eagle Sauce! We will defend Eastern Ocean Island to the last moment!
At this moment, Itō Hidetaka was filled with mixed feelings, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
Is this still the same highly respected and exceptionally skilled Emperor?
Is this still the same gentle and refined Commander of the Dahe Settlement?!
The current Emperor is like a completely different person, irritable and irritable, utterly unlike the pillar of support in Itō Hidetaka's heart. As the leader of a Settlement, the Emperor should never be so erratic and out of control.
Does that mean that by persisting, we can really uncover Lin Ye and Raging Waves's trump cards? That's just wishful thinking. Given the Level combat power Raging Waves has demonstrated, there's no need for him to use his trump cards at all!
Regardless of the outcome of this Instance, the fact that a Level 4 Emperor was forced into this situation by a Level 3 Lin Ye means they have already lost.
Actually, there was another reason why Itō Hidetaka wanted to surrender: he was genuinely afraid that continuing the conflict would trigger other unforeseen events!
This kind of thing had happened in his previous two Instances, and he already had a psychological aversion to it.
Every instance of resisting the Eagle Sauce or ignoring the warnings from the Firmament will have dire consequences.
The most likely scenario is that a special event is triggered, causing changes to the Instance quest and resulting in doubled penalties for failing the quest.
The last time Itō Hidetaka had 5,000 points deducted was because he acted recklessly in the Instance.
Once bitten by a snake, twice shy – these are lessons learned the hard way.
He's genuinely scared now. If the situation repeats itself this time, it might not just be a simple relegation; it could very well be an instant defeat!
But he dared not utter these words aloud at this moment. If he were to rebel against the Emperor now, he would surely be punished after leaving the Instance. One was a potentially terrible fate, the other was certain to be terrible. Itō Hidetaka had no choice...
All he can do now is pray that Lin Ye will show leniency and that this time the Instance won't have any special mechanics.
PS: Today's giveaway has been updated. All you need to do is click "remind me to update" and send a free "donation gift" to receive a Alipay red envelope with a password from Wujie via private message. Limited quantity, first come, first served.
Also, the review process has been very strict lately, so chapters might get stuck. Sometimes it might take a long time, so please understand. I'll try my best to update three times a day. If I still can't, then it's because it's stuck...
The scene of "The Setting Sun Over the Long River" will be here soon, so don't worry.