"My death... was suspicious?"
Meng Chao frowned.
Su Mu Lian had used the words "suspicious" and "accident" in succession, and he caught the scent of conspiracy.
"Since ancient times, the deaths of those controversial leaders have, more or less, always had some problems."
Su Mu Lian shrugged. "In my nightmare, no one knew your true cause of death. They only knew that after you died, your wife, Lü Siya, took over your entire legacy and became the new helmswoman of Dragon City Civilization."
Meng Chao instinctively turned his gaze toward Lü Siya.
"She's sowing discord."
Lü Siya's expression remained blank as she said coolly, "At first, she tried to kill me. When she realized she couldn't, she started using honeyed words to drive a wedge between us. It's her nightmare, after all. She can make up whatever she wants."
Meng Chao pondered for a moment before turning back to Su Mu Lian. "Go on. What was Dragon City like under Lü Siya's leadership?"
"Your fall was dreadful news that struck Dragon City Civilization like a bolt from the blue, while our enemies rejoiced and saw their morale soar."
Su Mu Lian continued, "Within the year after your fall, the Holy Light Faction launched three consecutive campaign-scale counteroffensives, reclaiming one-fifth of the lost territory. More importantly, they inflicted severe casualties on the people of Dragon City, costing us five percent of our young and able-bodied population.
"Dragon City was dealt a crushing blow, its defensive lines hanging by a thread. The traditional models of warfare and occupation urgently needed to change. Under such circumstances, Lü Siya, who had been entrusted with the task at a critical moment, launched a forbidden line of research and successfully fused human genes with monster genes."
"Wait."
Meng Chao said, "Wasn't the so-called Awakening Capsule itself