Occupy Morton

The battle atop the city walls was nearing its end. Barrit was a level-five mage; in large-scale warfare, the area-of-effect spells unleashed by a level-five mage could inflict no less damage than a level-six fighter. With the assistance of other mages, the war magic they unleashed could even become the key to turning the tide of battle.

However, a mage is a mage after all; no matter how handsome a frog may be, it can never become a prince. Once Ye Yi, who could shrink his body at will, and the ferociously attacking Ye Meng closed the distance, Barrit exhausted all the magic scrolls at his side within a minute before being knocked unconscious by the pair.

With the legion commander surrounded by magical beasts and the legion mages captured, the sight of countless Zergling drooling with sharp fangs finally shattered the soldiers' morale.

Of the Third Legion's eighteen thousand troops, the five thousand heavy cavalry were completely wiped out under the siege of Iron-Armored Cockroach and Zergling, while the three thousand archers were the unlucky ones who perished in the first wave. Of the remaining ten thousand infantry, seven thousand died in battle, and three thousand fled.

When Ye Zhang knocked out the exhausted Warwick, this first demonstration of Zerg warfare in the otherworld was declared over. The victors: Ye Luo and the Zerg!

The victory of the magical beasts was a cataclysmic disaster for the citizens of Morton. Everyone grabbed whatever weapons they could find, or hid in their homes, or gathered in the streets, or fled with their families toward the other three gates. However, those who had witnessed the speed of the Zergling mostly chose not to engage in the foolish act of racing against them.

But...

Nearly ten minutes after the slaughter and screams had ceased, the city-wide massacre everyone had imagined did not occur.

Robert, after being rescued by the citizens loyal to him, ignored their dissuasion and insisted on coming out to the street...

The Ninth Avenue, once the bustling commercial center of Morton, was now empty, though one could vaguely see through the windows the trembling, wary commoners behind their tightly shut doors.

Robert endured the intense pain in his body and walked toward the city gate. Since the fighting had only taken place at the gates, walls, and outside the city, the streets remained cold and quiet, untouched by the conflict. Yet, when he turned the corner and reached the gate, even a veteran of many battles like him felt his stomach spasm at the hellish scene before him.

Behind him, Clot and Angelina could not help but cover their noses, while the other commoners who had saved them simply knelt on the ground and retched.

Blood had stained the bronze-colored city walls red; everywhere lay severed arms, legs, intestines, and organs...

"Clack, clack, clack..." Suddenly, crisp footsteps echoed slowly from outside the gate. Robert squinted toward the entrance, but it was filled with a blinding golden glare. He couldn't help but shield his eyes with his right hand, as if it would make him feel better.

As the footsteps drew closer, Robert suddenly realized that the golden light was actually the reflection off the backs of black, iron-armored, spherical magical beasts. The reflection from one beast was tolerable, but when hundreds gathered together, the reflected light converged into a blinding radiance.

From within the light, a familiar figure walked in, accompanied by several others—some familiar to Robert, some strangers...

"Where is Warwick?" Robert's eyes widened.

With a thought from Ye Luo, a Zergling rushed in at high speed. Before Robert and the others, it twisted its body to reveal Warwick, who was tied up like a dumpling on its back.

Ye Luo was the Overlord of the Zerg, so he didn't need to repeat many commands verbally; a single thought was enough. Of course, he also enjoyed doing it this way, because without words, a simple action—like snapping his fingers, nodding, or waving a hand—would immediately result in his subordinates completing a series of commands. It looked cool, at least! Yes, very cool!

"What... what do you intend to do?" Robert's voice was somewhat hoarse. The entire war had lasted less than an hour—a war he had tried his best to avoid—and it had destroyed one-third of the Keren Kingdom's combat power! Robert knew that no matter what Ye Luo did now, he could not stop him...

Ye Luo stared intently at Robert for three seconds before speaking softly, "The question now is not what I intend to do, but what you intend to choose!"

"Choose!" Robert frowned.

"That's right, choose! You can choose to submit to me, swear eternal loyalty, and you will remain the Lord of the Morton territory and the City Lord of Morton. All the residents will be handed back to you, completely unharmed..."

"That is impossible. Our family has been loyal to the Keren Kingdom for generations. Ye Luo, although you are a magical beast, I hold no great hatred for you, and I have tried time and again to avoid war between us. However, I do all of this for the sake of our humanity. I hope you do not mistake me for someone who fears death!" Robert interrupted Ye Luo directly.

Ye Luo shook his head indifferently. "Fear death? I have never viewed you as someone who fears death. On the contrary, the reason I am standing here now—an act that seems like a waste of time to my brothers—is because I feel you are smart enough, and enough of a... lover of your people!"

"Are you threatening me with the residents of the city?" Robert's gaze turned hostile.

Ye Luo chuckled, his eyes sweeping over Robert and Angelina behind him. Angelina noticed that the gaze, which had previously carried warmth, amazement, and affection, was now incomparably cold...

"Do you think you are worth threatening? I am simply selecting a relatively intelligent administrator! To continue what I said: if you choose to pledge loyalty to me, everything here will remain the same, except that your allegiance will shift from the Keren Kingdom to me. But if you are unwilling to pledge loyalty, I will not force you; you are free to leave..."

Before Ye Luo could finish his sentence, Robert turned to leave. "Thank you for sparing our lives. We will leave now."

Ye Luo did not move. Watching his back, he continued, "I will select someone else in the city to serve as the Lord. Of course, if I cannot find a smart one, I will have to settle for a submissive one! But if he uses my authority to oppress and exploit the people of the city, there is nothing I can do, because I have no energy to manage a city. My sights are set on the entire continent!"

Robert whipped around, glaring at him fiercely. "Do you have any idea what kind of lawless things a randomly chosen City Lord might do once he has the support of your magical beasts!" Robert's reaction was intense, which was exactly what Ye Luo had expected!

Because in the past, the Morton territory had been an incredibly dark place: bandits ran rampant, the Lord was tyrannical, the nobles were decadent, and the people lived in misery!

Robert's father was not a noble, yet he had ended all of that, and Robert's mother had lost her life in the process.

Therefore, only those who had awakened from the dark ages knew how terrifying the darkness truly was!

Robert remembered the eight words his father had spoken on his deathbed: "Do not fail the people, do not fail the kingdom!" The people had been placed first.