World-Shaking Wisdom / Preparing for the Worst in Every Sense

The soldiers stood in two staggered rows, each pointing their guns at the empty space opposite them, and the little devil Liberi was walking awkwardly from one end.

His handsome appearance and pitiful image did indeed soften the hearts of a group of soldiers.

But it's not enough for just a small group of people to go mad.

The Winter Soldier's sobs continued endlessly.

The children of the Black God received their just revenge.

Chapter 150 Astounding Wisdom

With the assistance of near-ground aircraft and operators, Shirayuki's reconnaissance mission was completed quite smoothly.

By the time the message reached the Rhodes Island main ship, Shirayuki had already returned to the Lungmen Guard Department building and reported to Wei Yenwu.

"... Furthermore, Rhodes Island has also provided information regarding Mephisto's mental state..."

Wei Yenwu only heard the gist of what happened in Chernobog —it was all rather unimaginative; whether it was the old snake or the old dog, Koschei's tricks were still the same.

"... a patient who had suffered similar psychological trauma was found... and the treatment effect was significant..."

Wei Yenwu suddenly looked up.

Previously insignificant information was instantly recalled by his meticulous mind.

Almost as soon as Shirayuki uttered those words, Wei Yenwu realized who she was talking about: the nun next to Doctor. Oute.

With white hair and red eyes, she is extremely taciturn in her limited interactions with others. She possesses extraordinary physical abilities and is unusually neurotic in battle. She once shopped in Lungmen, deliberately purchasing low-quality tea, and as Rhodes Island's envoy, she conducted trade negotiations with a considerable number of Lungmen businesses...

After pondering for a moment, Wei Yenwu summarized a new viewpoint from these old intelligence reports: Specter seems to have symptoms of split personality.

Does she seem to switch to a personality that is proficient in the subject when engaging in different activities?

This is called a good treatment outcome... but how good can it be?

No...

Wei Yenwu shook his head.

I don't want to know.

No matter how small the probability, they are Talulah's greatest hope.

If this continues... Wei Yenwu might not be able to resist choosing a safer method, one that is more considerate of Wen Yue and Ch'en.

But that would almost certainly kill Talulah.

Should we kill another Draco?

"..." Facing his wife's ninja, Wei Yenwu remained silent.

Koschei himself was quite formidable, and when he inhabited the body of a young Draco, his rich experience, youthful strength, and exquisite magic combined...

This is a tough battle that Wei Yenwu isn't entirely confident about winning. Not to mention, Wei Yenwu, who is trying to reclaim Talulah, will definitely be hampered in the fight.

Thinking of this, Wei Yenwu suddenly felt a little guilty and wanted to say something, but after weighing the options, he chose to give up.

"... After things settle down, please apologize to her for me," he said softly.

"Lord Wei?" Shirayuki, somewhat puzzled.

"Nothing!" Wei Yenwu suddenly exclaimed dramatically, "Oh, I've been smoking a lot lately, and we had a little argument."

Weren't we just talking about Chernobog?

Shirayuki was still completely unaware.

"Yes."

The ninja ultimately agreed respectfully.

Admittedly, Shirayuki's loyalty was not dedicated to Wei Yenwu... but clearly, even in the eyes of a ninja with an excessive sense of loyalty, Wen Yue's interests and Wei Yenwu's interests overlapped to a considerable extent.

"Excuse my frankness, Lord Wei, but your assessment of the Core City of Chernobog seems to be..."

Before Shirayuki could finish speaking, Wei Yenwu interrupted her, "Not that concerned? Of course I don't care about the Core City. What tricks can that old... worm in the gutter have?"

Was Lord Wei just trying to say "rat"?

The ninja was somewhat taken aback by Wei Yenwu's demeanor.

Interrupting the intelligence officer's conversation midway through, and using such potentially offensive language, was an extremely rare and unprofessional act for Wei Yenwu.

Wei Yenwu, preoccupied with covering his tracks, explained, "Everyone's strategy is different. And I already know where my real opponent is. He will definitely choose the method that maximizes collateral damage, stirs up trouble, and sows the seeds of conflict."

Although it was supposed to be an "explanation," Wei Yenwu had no intention of breaking things down with Shirayuki. The perfectly good "explanation" turned into a new riddle.

In fact, after independently obtaining Mephisto's "intelligence" from the Lungmen Guard Department and the Black Raincoats Division, Wei Yenwu had already sensed the presence of a certain sinister old monster from this "familiar" mental manipulation technique.

The information that Shirayuki "stole" from Rhodes Island merely provided Wei Yenwu with confirmation from a professional scholar, supplementing his speculations.

Yes, long before Shirayuki returned, Wei Yenwu had already confirmed that he was facing a dead opponent—the "immortal Black Snake," Koschei.

"It would be best if you knew what you were facing." Shirayuki carefully completed the formalities and then took her leave.

But her words made Wei Yenwu somewhat uneasy. After his wife's ninja left, Wei Yenwu added another pinch of tobacco to his pipe and began to puff away.

Koschei's true identity and power are known to the outside world only in fragmentary statements.

Therefore, rather than an evil god who constantly "resurrects" from others, most people are more inclined to believe that... this border princes are so obsessed with educating their heirs that the successive dukes are almost equally ruthless and mean.

Wait a minute, Black Snake, you sound like a crown monster! From Tara to the Yan, your infamy is known to everyone!

Wei Yenwu took a deep breath, and the Mars breaking through the enemy lines, extended the battlefield to the very end of every wisp of tobacco.

The tobacco in the bamboo bowl was instantly turned grayish-white by Wei Yenwu's sucking. And in the swirling smoke, a pair of longan eyes shone brightly.

"Just what I wanted."

Wei Yenwu, in a very dashing tone, uttered words that were actually unbearable to read.

The sudden appearance of the Black Snake added a touch of legitimacy to Wei Yenwu's delusional plan—not because of complicated blood relations, not because of entangled grudges and affections... but simply because of a clear, distinct, and absolute enemy: Koschei.

Ever since learning of the identity of the leader of the Reunion Movement, guilt and responsibility have been gnawing at Wei Yenwu's heart. With Koschei "dead," he is arguably the person in the world most responsible for Talulah's fate.

Therefore, upon learning of the Reunion Movement's movements, Wei Yenwu immediately concluded that she was targeting him.

Although saying this would be unfair to both Wen Yue and Ch'en, but...

Wei Yenwu hoped that after the duel, he could bring back his sworn brother's daughter, Talulah, intact.

Sensing someone approaching, Wei Yenwu called out before the person could knock, "Come in."

"Commander Wei." Ch'en entered with a stern face.

"As expected, the leader of the Reunion Movement deceived her subordinates."

Ch'en did not name Talulah specifically.

"They used the promise of looting after breaching the Lungmen as bait to motivate the rabble; while deceiving the cadres with seemingly rational words."

"She deliberately distracted the Reunion Movement's leaders, deceiving them into searching for the keys to start and stop Chernobog, when in reality, they were always in the Core City."

"What was initially seen as an excuse was actually the truth. Mobilizing key cadres with seemingly rational decisions ultimately turned out to be a facade for 'rational extortion'."

Chapter 151 Preparing for the Aftermath in Various Meanings

Upon hearing Ch'en's explanation, Wei Yenwu nodded slightly and echoed, "Most people in the Reunion Movement know nothing about how Mobile City work."

Ch'en's eyes widened: This was merely a restatement of her words in another way. Such meaningless talk... Wei Yenwu was still hiding his true thoughts!

At this moment, the only thought Wei Yenwu wanted to hide was that wild idea he had been dissuaded from twice—to resolve the crisis in Chernobog through a one-on-one duel.

However, Wei Yenwu's current decision... is different from his previous hope of sacrificing himself to save Lungmen from the war. After clarifying the true identity of the opponent, Wei Yenwu's mind immediately jumped to how to protect Talulah.

And incidentally, if it could prevent the war, that would be even better.

No, you were talking about "balancing family and country" not long ago, but now that you see a real chance of balancing family matters, you're suddenly fighting between "family and country," right?

"Ah..." Old Chen let out a long sigh, which was unusual for him.

"What? You're not going to try to persuade me anymore?" Wei Yenwu asked in surprise.

Ch'en's serious demeanor immediately crumbled.

She sat forlornly on the desk, half of her shapely buttocks and taut thighs dangling in mid-air, her sharp shoes swaying and colliding with the shin guards, making a series of metallic scraping sounds.

"Will it work?" Ch'en closed her eyes and raised her head.

She had her back to Wei Yenwu.

"Haha, that's not how you talk to an elder." Wei Yenwu also stood up and left his desk.

He walked to the balcony as if relying on a specific path, greedily taking in the night view of Lungmen.

Unlike last time, Ch'en was not standing beside him.

Ch'en remained seated at her desk, her back still turned to Wei Yenwu. She said, "Elders? I didn't see any elders, I only saw a young dragon."

"Haha..." Wei Yenwu was also a little embarrassed.

It turns out that Wei Yenwu's few "haha"s were actually bitter laughs.

No wonder, his thinking was indeed too... youthful and impulsive. To outsiders, it could even be described as reckless and short-sighted.

Of course, Wei Yenwu felt that this was some kind of "win-win" strategy for both the country and the people—it might fool others, but he couldn't fool himself. He clearly only remembered the national issue at the very end. In any case, this accumulated guilt could be used to serve Oute's goals on another track.

Wei Yenwu didn't dare to delve deeper into this topic—mainly because he was afraid that Wen Yue would suddenly say, "I've been here for a long time."

Without turning his head, he continued to stare at the neon lights, but said to Ch'en, "The cabinet on the left contains... the contact information for my private intelligence agency, as well as their recent reports."

Ch'en jumped off the desk, the hard soles of her shoes making a crisp tapping sound against the hard floor.

"Your secretive private intelligence unit?"

Ch'en was not clear about the specifics of the Black Raincoats, but she vaguely guessed from the clues that Wei Yenwu had a private secret army.

For Wei Gongyanwu, this was not surprising. Procedurally, he could not provide the corresponding staffing, but practically speaking, it would have been strange if there were no such people for him.

"Um."

The overcoat was draped over Wei Yenwu's shoulders, swaying in the wind blowing from the high-rise building. The sleeves and hem fluttered in the wind, and beneath the overcoat, the pipe filter pierced Wei Yenwu's inner side from the dragon claw.