Chapter 414

But a blow from Greatsword would either kill or seriously injure the target, far more damaging than a dagger. Heredrey couldn't understand what she was thinking, and the sword, undiminished in its momentum, slashed down with a deafening roar.

But the next second, he didn't feel the solid impact of the blow to his arm. Instead, because his left side was a blind spot, he was the one who got the cut. If he hadn't pulled away in time, he might have suffered a much more serious injury.

What's going on?

If W is wearing Soft Armor or full armor, then it's perfectly understandable that being hit in the body is not a problem.

But how exactly did Heredrey manage to block a blow that struck his exposed arm?

Could it be that W has awakened some kind of Originium Arts that provides a shield, which is why he has been so fearless?

"I see."

Heredrey forced her back with his sword, and said seriously:

"I'm serious."

Once he confirmed that W was capable of protecting himself, he no longer needed to hold back and could focus all his efforts on the battle.

"Ha!"

The clanging of metal echoed frequently, drawing applause and cheers from the onlookers, who also whistled.

"It should have been done a long time ago, kill him!"

As the saying goes, "An inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch shorter, an inch more dangerous." Once W closes the distance to within half a meter, the Greatsword's advantages become less effective, and it gradually becomes passive.

Fortunately, Heredrey had solid fundamentals and fought while retreating to maintain a safe distance. After a while, the two fought to a standstill, evenly matched.

W tilted her head and stretched her neck. This exhilarating combat experience was incredibly addictive to her, and she grinned:

"It seems like one hand isn't enough to win."

"W, you never intended to follow the rules, did you? Use them if you want, there's nothing shameful about it."

"That's not necessarily true, let's try this trick!"

Shi Lei and his group of four, the Doctor and his group of three, Vigna and her group of four, plus the Self-Rescue Army Commander and his two deputies, a total of fourteen people arrived deep into the camp.

All irrelevant people had been called out, and an area had been cleared for everyone to discuss the matter.

Clovicia always thought these people were Rhodes Island operator and praised their abilities highly.

"Doctor Zhong, on behalf of all the comrades in the Self-Rescue Army, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you. If it weren't for you clearing the obstacles in advance, we would have suffered heavy losses!"

With the manpower hastily assembled by the Self-Rescue Army, they were at a complete disadvantage in this rescue operation.

If you get rid of the guards and patrols at the entrance, you might think the situation is great and rashly venture deeper.

If they were to be Pincer Attack Sarkas soldiers and Sarkaz warlock afterward, they would likely be wiped out.

Thinking about it now still gives me a chill. Thankfully, Rhodes Island Operator resolved the problem. Otherwise, the main force of the Self-Rescue Army would have been wiped out, and the group would have completely disintegrated.

"You're welcome, it was nothing."

Shi Lei kept a low profile and didn't tell them that he had instantly killed the King of Scavengers. If this were to leak out, it would probably cause a huge uproar in the city.

"That..."

Clovicia couldn't hide her excitement; she was no longer the serious woman she had been before. She deliberately slowed her speech, stealing glances at Shi Lei's facial expression, afraid of saying something wrong and angering him.

In the past, Clovicia only knew how to lead her Self-Rescue Army into battle, but she didn't know how to reach the finish line.

No matter how powerful the militias are, they cannot compete with the Sarkaz's standardized army.

But now, the situation has changed. The flame of hope that had been extinguished has begun to burn brightly again.

When the Self-Rescue Army entered the alcohol plant to rescue the people, they were utterly shocked by the corpses scattered all over the ground. Not only did the six men escape unscathed, but most incredibly, none of them were injured.

Forget Victoria, even the Sarkaz might not have such a powerful squad. No wonder Rhodes Island is always heading to war zones; they certainly have nothing to fear.

It is no exaggeration to say that the six men on the battlefield were like an incomparably sharp forty-meter-long broadsword.

If, with the assistance of the Self-Rescue Army, they manage to infiltrate the vicinity of the Shard Building and successfully assassinate Regent Theresis, it will directly alter the course of the war!

"Doctor Zhongli, actually... I have a favor to ask."

Seeing Clovicia's hesitant and timid demeanor, Shi Lei guessed what she was about to say. But out of politeness, he asked, knowing the answer already:

"Tell me about it first."

"Well, it's like this, Doctor Zhongli. Our Londinium Self-Rescue Army hopes to hire you at a high price to assassinate Regent Theresis. Once he's dead, the Royal Court Army and the City Defense Army will lose their leader. Without unified command, they could easily collapse. The price is negotiable; just name your price. If we can't raise the money, we can ask the Duke outside. Don't worry about the payment; you will definitely not be shortchanged."

Really.

Everything went much as Shi Lei had predicted.

He can now produce unlimited quantities of high-purity gold himself, so he doesn't care about these few coins at all.

"I'm sorry, I refuse."

Clovicia's lips parted slightly, looking somewhat incredulous, and she asked in return:

"Why?"

Shi Lei glanced at the Doctor and explained:

"Commander, you're oversimplifying the war. The Sarkaz have staked everything on Londinium, abandoning Kazdel. Even if Theresis is killed, another Tredons will emerge the next day. He will inherit the Regent's will and lead the remaining Sarkaz forces to find a way to survive. Must we exterminate them all?"

Clovicia's lips parted slightly, unable to comprehend such a reply:

"Doctor Zhongli, why not? The Sarkaz are greedy, cunning, despicable, and shameless, forcefully invading our homeland. Eliminating them would be a great thing that everyone would praise, so why refuse?"

Upon hearing this, Mudrock's eyelids twitched violently. She instinctively looked over, wanting to know his reply.

Shi Lei sighed softly, looking quite disappointed.

"The Sarkaz's current situation is like that of a carnivorous beast roaming the wasteland. Due to the scarcity of resources within its territory and the inability to find food, its survival instinct compels it to venture further afield in search of prey. If it continues to remain in its original territory, only death awaits it..."

"Excuse me, I'd like to interrupt."

Clovicia frowned, as if she had heard something unbelievable. A flash of anger crossed her eyes, but it quickly dissipated.

"Doctor Zhongli, do you know what you're saying? Our home has been invaded by the Sarkaz; we are real victims. Why do you always side with them and advocate victim-blaming? To be honest, I really don't understand."

"This is not victim blaming, but rather the natural law of the world. The strong can only become strong by plundering more resources from the weak."

Just like in the wilderness, if a carnivore eats a herbivore, who do you think is guilty? Would you exterminate carnivores just because you see a herbivore being killed?

Victoria's internal conflicts had been brewing for a long time, and the emperor's death was merely the trigger. A bloated state apparatus had long been devoured, leaving only an empty shell. A weak nation is bound to be coveted by powerful nations.

My concern has never been the gains or losses of a single village, city, country, or race, but rather the maintenance of stability across the entire Terra. Commander, that's what makes us different."

Clovicia, not yet twenty-four, scoffed at such an answer. Young people generally react negatively to statements made by elders.

"Do you think you're a god? Maintaining world stability? Is that why Rhodes Island is always running around like this?"

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Chapter 492 Risks and Opportunities (4K)

Seeing that Texas and Mudrock seemed hesitant to speak, Shi Lei smiled and shook his head, indicating that the two did not need to interrupt.

Whether Clovicia considers them Rhodes Island operator or Penguin Logistics Messenger, once he accepted the commission, he wouldn't casually reveal personal information.

Just communicate directly with the Doctor; there's no need to go overboard and explain your identity.

Shi Lei is only talking about concepts now, without going into deep discussions. As for how much she can glean from it, that depends entirely on her own fate.

"Commander, before we discuss this, we need to clarify one thing. Nobles are nobles, and commoners are commoners; they belong to completely different classes."

Regardless of who emerges victorious in this war, it is the common people who suffer. The nobles, possessing vast wealth, can still live a life of luxury in other countries even after defeat, leaving behind a mess of reconstruction for the victors to worry about.

It's simple to get me to take action; there are only two criteria. First, regardless of which faction it is, if they mistreat ordinary people, I will eliminate them on the spot. This is just pruning a few branches and won't affect the overall outcome of the battle.

The reason we attacked the Abandoned Distillery was because you said there were other citizens of Londinium there besides Miss Heidi. I only led the team there to deal with them after confirming that quite a few people were being held there.

The second criterion is whether the war will escalate. If it is a war confined to a single country, I have no reason to intervene.

The class conflict and corruption stemming from the wealth gap are like time bombs. Restructuring and reshuffling existing resources is an inevitable trend. It won't bring about drastic changes to ordinary people's lives. That's why I rejected you."

If anyone is found to be harboring ambitions and attempting to extend the war to neighboring countries, Shi Lei will naturally take action to find the mastermind behind that force. If the two sides can sit down and talk, they will talk; if not, they will be eliminated.

In a constantly changing world, it is not easy to stay true to one's original aspirations. Shi Lei does not care who speaks or who makes sense; he only follows these two criteria.

If he helps the Self-Rescue Army destroy the Sarkaz, and the new Duke then exploit the people in various ways, what's the point of his intervention? It would be better to maintain the status quo.

"..."

Clovicia's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. After a moment's hesitation, she ultimately held back from speaking. A sense of bewilderment gradually filled her heart, yet she couldn't find a suitable way to vent it.

Recalling what Doctor Zhongli had just said, Clovicia fell into deep thought. She couldn't be sure if everyone's lives would improve after the Sarkaz were driven away.

But those Dukes stationed outside the city are certainly not genuinely concerned for the people of Londinium.

Knowing they would suffer losses by entering the city first, they remained wary of each other outside the city for as long as six months, all for the sake of their own interests.

With these self-serving Duke in power, one can only imagine what life will be like for everyone in the future.

Seeing that Clovicia remained silent, Shi Lei turned his head to look at the Doctor and asked:

What are the plans for the future?

Finding the Londinium Self-Rescue Army through the capture of Fester was an unexpected turn of events.

As originally planned, the Doctor and his team were to escort Vigna, the Heir to the Throne of Victoria, into the Central Urban Area.

They gather clues at the royal residence in an attempt to find a legendary sword— the Breath of the Kings.

It is said that only the one who possesses this sword is qualified to inherit the Aslan King.

Considering the presence of outsiders at the scene, and that it was inconvenient to speak openly, the Doctor only gave a brief description and glossed over the details:

"We need to escort Miss Vigna into the Central Urban Area. I'll tell you the details when we get there."

Shi Lei nodded and prepared to leave.

"Alright, let's go then."

After saying that, he turned and left. Seeing this, the others followed closely behind and left the factory together. Only Clovicia and two of her men were left standing there, stunned.

"Commander, are you just going to let them go like this? Do you need our help to persuade them to stay?"

"Yes, even if Rhodes Island is unwilling to assassinate the Regent, helping to deal with the City Defense Army would be helpful."

Before attacking the Abandoned Distillery, these Self-Rescue Army had no expectations of the six men. It wasn't until they witnessed their terrifying strength that they began to take them seriously.

The Self-Rescue Army's idea was that if Rhodes Island was willing to help eliminate the City Defense Army, they could then enter the Central Urban Area and gather information about the Shard Building.

Many of the parts made by the workers eventually end up being shipped to this place. Although it's unclear what these Demon Race are planning, it's probably not for anything good.

"No need, let's leave it at that. They are Elite Operator of the Pharmaceutical Companies, acting as bodyguards. They have no obligation to eliminate the Sarkaz City Defense Army. If we don't wipe them out completely, we might end up getting ourselves into trouble."

Haven't you noticed? Only Miss Vigna's team consists of Victorians; all the other Operator are of Foreign Races and can't possibly empathize with us. And Doctor Zhongli is absolutely right about one thing: the purpose of our Self-Rescue Army should be to prioritize the common people.

From the very beginning of this organization, we knew we couldn't confront the Sarkaz army head-on. But at some point, this path went astray.

Without Rhodes Island's help, we would likely have been ambushed during our attack on the Abandoned Distillery. How many of us would have survived is anyone's guess.

"Doctor Zhongli owes us nothing, and there were some things I didn't say clearly earlier. If we keep asking our Savior for more help, it would seem like we're pushing our luck. Saving the citizens of Londinium still depends on ourselves."

When Shi Lei and his group came out, the battle between the two Sarkaz mercenaries was just coming to an end.

W straddled Heredrey and pounded his head with his fists. The latter's Greatsword had already slipped from his grasp, and he raised his arm to protect his face, trying to minimize the damage from the beating.

She couldn't accept that he had defected to Theresis, and all her anger erupted at that moment.

However, W didn't kill him. Despite the fierce beating, it was all superficial injuries, and he'll recover after some rest.

Shi Lei noticed the unusual activity in the square while he was inside the factory. Since both W and Ines had Perpetual Jade Shield, he didn't intervene.

"W, let's get ready to go."

Upon hearing the leader's words, W stopped. She clasped her hands together, bowed slightly, and made her request:

"My lord, may I take this man back to Liyue City? He says Theresis is the future of the Sarkaz, which infuriates me. I want to show him that you are the future of the Sarkaz."

Here we go again.

Broca said something similar before.

Shi Lei glanced down and reminded him: