Occupying Morton

The battle atop the city walls was also nearing its end. Barrit was a fifth-level mage, and in a large-scale war, the wide-area offensive magic unleashed by a fifth-level mage was no less destructive than the damage caused by a sixth-level fighter. With the help of other mages, war magic could even become the key to turning the tide.

But a mage was still just a mage. No matter how handsome a frog was, it could never become a prince. Once Ye Yi, who could shrink his body at will, and Ye Meng, a frenzied attacker, got close, Barrit used up every magic scroll he had within a minute. The two of them knocked him unconscious.

The legion commander was surrounded by Demon Beasts, and the legion's mage had been captured. When the warriors saw the saliva dripping from the sharp fangs of the countless Zerglings, their morale finally crumbled.

Of the Third Legion's eighteen thousand troops, the five thousand heavy cavalry were wiped out under the assault of the Iron-Armored Cockroaches and Zerglings. The three thousand archers were the first unlucky ones to die. Of the remaining ten thousand infantry, seven thousand fell in battle and three thousand fled.

When Ye Zhang knocked out Warwick, whose battle aura had run dry, the first Zerg demonstration battle in this otherworld came to an end. The victors were Ye Luo and the Zerg!

The Demon Beasts' victory was a disaster for the people inside Morton's main city, like a tidal wave crashing down on them. Everyone grabbed whatever weapons they could find. Some hid at home, some gathered in the streets, and others fled with their families toward the other three gates. But those who had seen how fast the Zerglings were mostly avoided the foolish idea of trying to outrun them.

And yet...

Nearly ten minutes had passed since the fighting and screams had stopped, but the Demon Beast massacre everyone had imagined still hadn't happened.

After Robert's loyal subjects rescued him, he ignored their advice and insisted on going out into the street...

The Ninth Avenue, once the bustling commercial center of Morton, was now deserted. Through the windows, though, he could make out ordinary people trembling behind their locked doors, on guard.

Enduring the severe pain in his body, Robert headed for the city gate. The fighting had taken place only at the gates, atop the walls, and outside the city, so although the streets were empty, they had suffered no damage. But when he rounded a corner and reached the gate, the hellish scene before him made his stomach clench, despite his years on the battlefield.

Behind him, Clot and Angelina couldn't help covering their noses. The other people who had rescued them simply dropped to their knees and retched.

Blood had turned the bronze-colored city walls red. Severed arms, legs, intestines, and organs lay everywhere...

"Clop, clop, clop..." Suddenly, the crisp sound of footsteps rang out slowly from beyond the city gate. Robert squinted toward it, but all he could see was a dazzling golden light. He instinctively raised his right hand to shield his eyes, as if that might make it easier to bear.

As the footsteps drew closer, Robert realized that the golden light was reflected off the backs of the black, iron-armored, ball-shaped Demon Beasts. The reflection from a single Demon Beast was bearable, but when hundreds gathered together, their reflected light merged into a single, blinding glare.

Through the light, a familiar figure walked in. Some of the people beside him were familiar to Robert, while others were strangers...

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

Ye Luo willed a Zergling to dart inside. In front of Robert and the others, it turned around, revealing Robert bound hand and foot across its back.

As the Zerg Overmind, Ye Luo didn't need to spell out most commands. A single thought was enough. Of course, he also liked doing things this way. Without saying a word, just a simple gesture—a snap of his fingers, a nod, a wave of his hand—and his subordinates would immediately carry out a whole series of orders. It looked cool, at least! Yeah, really cool!

"What... what are you going to do?" Robert's voice was hoarse. The entire war had lasted less than an hour. The conflict he had done everything he could to avoid had taken less than an hour to destroy a third of the Keren Kingdom's military strength! Robert knew that there was nothing he could do to stop Ye Luo now, no matter what he chose to do...

Ye Luo stared intently at Robert for three seconds before speaking softly. "The question now isn't what I plan to do. It's what you plan to choose."

"Choose?" Robert furrowed his brow.

"That's right. Choose! You can choose to submit to me and swear eternal loyalty. Then you'll remain the lord of Morton territory and the governor of Morton's main city. All the residents will be handed over to you unharmed..."

"That's impossible. My family has been loyal to the Keren Kingdom for generations. Ye Luo, although you're a Demon Beast, I don't hate you all that much. I've tried time and again to avoid a war between us, but I did all this for the sake of humanity. I hope you won't mistake me for someone who fears death!" Robert cut Ye Luo off.

Ye Luo shrugged indifferently. "Afraid of death? I've never thought of you as someone who fears death. On the contrary, the reason I'm standing here now—even though my brothers think I'm wasting my time—is that I think you're clever enough, and that you... love your people enough."

"Are you going to use the people in the city to threaten me?" Robert's gaze turned hostile.

Ye Luo chuckled softly. His gaze swept over Robert's face and then Angelina's. She noticed that the look in his eyes, once filled with... desire, admiration, and affection, had become utterly cold.

"Do you really think you're worth threatening? I'm just choosing a more capable administrator. To continue what I was saying: if you choose to serve me, everything here will stay the same, except that your allegiance will shift from the Keren Kingdom to me. But if you're unwilling to serve me, I won't force you. You're free to leave..."

Before Ye Luo could finish speaking, Robert turned and walked away. "Thank you for sparing our lives. We'll leave at once."

Ye Luo didn't leave. Watching Robert's retreating figure, he continued, "I'll choose someone else in the city to serve as the lord. Of course, if I can't find someone clever, I'll have to settle for someone obedient! But if he abuses the power I give him to oppress and exploit the people, there'll be nothing I can do. I don't have the time to manage a city. My sights are set on the whole continent!"

Robert abruptly turned around and glared at him. "Do you know what someone might do if you pick a governor at random and give him the support of your Demon Beasts?" Robert reacted fiercely, just as Ye Luo had expected!

Because in the past, Morton territory had been an incredibly dark place. Bandits were everywhere, the lord was tyrannical, the nobles lived in extravagant luxury, and the people could barely survive!

Robert's father hadn't been a noble, but he had put an end to all of that. Robert's mother had died in the process.

Only those who had awakened from an age of darkness knew how terrifying it could be!

Robert remembered the eight words his father had spoken on his deathbed: "Never fail the people; never fail the kingdom!" He had placed the people first.