More Subsidies! Sleep? Sleep My Ass! Take Them Down!

He had truly been won over by Chen Yu's strategy.

He had thought the Speaker was simply meeting force with force, using sheer power to suppress others, that his strategy was nothing more than, "Whoever refuses to submit gets beaten."

But now, it seemed...

The Speaker had been one step ahead of everyone at every turn.

Chen Yu, meanwhile, remained calm.

He did not grow smug because of Yu Guanzhi's admiration, nor did he take pride in his own strategy.

Because this barely counted as strategy.

It was simply that the people of Douluo Continent...

Were accustomed to solving problems with force, accustomed to letting their fists do the talking, accustomed to crushing everything with power.

In their world...

Whoever was stronger was right.

Whoever had the bigger fist was the truth.

And this way of thinking...

In a world dominated by martial souls...

Was indeed very effective.

Force could solve many problems.

It could even solve most problems.

But some problems could not be solved by force.

Such as people's hearts.

Such as faith.

Such as the mark left in people's hearts by a colossal entity that had existed for twenty thousand years.

But he was, after all, from Blue Star, and he understood the principle that if you did not pull weeds out by the roots, they would grow back with the spring wind.

If he did not uproot Shrek Academy and its allies completely, how could he lead the Federation into the stars?

Outside the window, the night grew deeper.

The lights of Ming Capital flickered faintly along the horizon, like a river of stars overturned from the night sky.

Before long, the Central Legion returned to West Mountain Base outside Ming Capital.

The armored vehicle formations slowly drove into the camp, and the roar of their engines gradually faded into the night.

The soldiers jumped from the vehicles, formed neat ranks, and dispersed one after another under their officers' commands.

After a night of travel and intense operations, everyone was utterly exhausted.

They only wanted to get back to their dormitories and collapse into bed.

They entered the barracks in twos and threes, rubbing their aching shoulders and yawning.

Some discussed what to eat for breakfast tomorrow, while others talked about how much subsidy they would receive for this mission.

The dull thuds of combat boots on the floor and the soldiers' low conversations echoed through the corridors.

But when they pushed open their dormitory doors, ready to throw themselves onto their beds, everyone froze at once.

On every bed lay a neatly stacked pile of banknotes, like a small mountain.

The stacks of brand-new Federation Coins gleamed with a pale golden luster beneath the bedside lamps. They were piled as high as pillows and nearly took up half the bed.

The thickness, the volume, the overwhelming visual impact made every soldier who entered stand there dumbfounded.

Some rubbed their eyes, thinking they were dreaming.

Some viciously pinched their own thighs, grimacing in pain.

Some stood rooted in place, mouths hanging open for a long while.

One soldier stepped forward and tremblingly picked up a stack of bills, roughly counting it.

His fingers flicked rapidly through the notes. One, two, three...

The faster he counted, the more excited he became.

At last, he abruptly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief, his voice trembling.

"Two million!"

"There are at least two whole million Federation Coins here!"

The instant those words came out.

The entire dormitory erupted.

"Two million? How is that possible?!"

"Let me count... It really is two million! Not a single coin short!"

"Good heavens, that's at least two years' worth of our subsidies!"

"Two years? You calculated wrong. Add in our original two subsidies, and this is worth four years!"

Everyone's breathing grew heavier.

It was the sound of breaths mixed with shock, wild joy, and emotion—heavy and hurried.

Some paced back and forth in excitement, some held the money and grinned foolishly, while others lifted the bills beneath the lights again and again to make sure their eyes were not playing tricks on them.

At that moment, a burly soldier suddenly slammed the money in his hand onto the bed with a crisp smack.

He straightened up, his eyes reddening, then turned and strode toward the door.

His steps were urgent and powerful, his combat boots striking the floor with particular force.

Seeing this, another soldier hurriedly called out.

"Lao Liu, where are you going?"

Without looking back, the soldier answered, his voice full of irrepressible excitement and indignation.

"I'm too worked up to sleep right now."

"I remember Tang Sect has a branch here in Ming Capital, right? I'm going to take it down for the Speaker!"

His voice echoed through the corridor, every word ringing with conviction.

At once, everyone's eyes lit up.

"That's right! Tang Sect has a branch in Ming Capital!"

"How did I forget that?!"

"Count me in! I can't sleep either!"

"Come on, come on! Let's go together!"

One after another, they all declared they were not sleeping.

Some grabbed their military caps and pulled them onto their heads, some tightened their weapons belts, and some pulled spare soul-guided batons from beneath their beds.

No one complained, and no one hesitated.

Everyone made the same decision at once.

The Speaker had shown them immense kindness. They could not simply sleep peacefully after that.

They had to do something. They had to repay the Speaker. They had to vent this anger for him.

When they left their dormitories, they found their comrades from the surrounding rooms coming out as well.

In the corridors and the open space before the barracks...

Soldiers in uniform were everywhere.

Every face bore the same expression.

Excitement, exhilaration, and a trace of impatience.

They looked at one another, froze for a moment, then smiled in unspoken understanding.

That smile was filled with mutual tacit understanding.

Everyone had thought of the same thing.

Everyone was preparing to do the same thing.

Soon, they arrived at the armory once more.

The armory doors were already open.

The officer on duty had clearly learned what had happened. Not only did he not stop them, he personally opened the storeroom containing the spare equipment.

The soldiers filed inside, skillfully picking up spare soul-guided electric batons that had already been fully charged.

They were standard-issue equipment. Every baton had undergone strict inspection and maintenance, with full power and ready for use at any time.

One electric baton after another was removed from the racks and gripped in the soldiers' hands.

The silver-white shafts reflected a cold gleam beneath the lights, while pale blue electricity flickered at their tips.

The soldiers inspected the equipment in their hands.

Some swung the batons twice to test the feel, some pressed the switches to check the charge, and some exchanged looks of unspoken understanding with the comrades beside them.

Then...

One after another, they revealed fierce grins.

Those smiles were not cruel or savage, but the sheer exhilaration born from a mixture of excitement and righteousness.

In their eyes...

Tang Sect was a traitorous organization.

It was a parasite sucking the Federation's blood.

It was the Speaker's enemy.

And the Speaker's enemies were their enemies.

And when dealing with enemies...

There was no need to hold back!

When Yu Guanzhi emerged from the command center, this was the sight that greeted him.

Tens of thousands of fully armed soldiers stood in the open space at the center of the camp, soul-guided electric batons in hand and fire burning in their eyes.

No one had given an order, and no one had organized them.

Yet everyone had assembled at the same place and at the same time.

He froze.

An officer quickly stepped forward and whispered several words into his ear.

After listening, Yu Guanzhi fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

He did not stop them, reprimand them, or even say a single unnecessary word.

He simply strode to the very front of the formation.

"Move out."

He said.

"Yes!"

The soldiers responded in unison, their voices shaking the skies.