This Is Not a Performance

The messenger ultimately succumbed to the pressure and relayed what he considered to be overly "Sargon tales" to Bohdrokasthim.

"FrostNova said she brought a cure for you, Father."

Wendigo raised his head, neither confirming nor denying, his cloudy eyes filled with a mixture of disappointment and relief—disappointment that his daughter was really so foolish! He had emphasized the Mind Flayer so many times! Yet she still obediently fell for it!

"... go."

The messenger was extremely disappointed, but he still decided to honestly tell the others.

Just as he was leaving, Patriot slowly added the second half of his sentence: "Prepare for war."

The word "prepare for war" was pronounced exceptionally clearly.

It seems that Oute's "naive" hope that Patriot would give up this golden opportunity for his daughter did not sway Wendigo. The stubborn captain, even when facing his own daughter, could harden his heart... and launch a surprise attack under the guise of conversation.

On the other side.

"Is this really going to work?" FrostNova asked with concern. "Father will definitely attack us halfway."

As expected of father and daughter, FrostNova was perfectly aware of the Patriot's thoughts.

Having already found themselves on opposing sides, the Patriot would undoubtedly choose to fight. If they hadn't been given a chance to launch a surprise attack, that would have been fine, but with such an obvious opportunity presented to them... Captain Wendigo would certainly seize it without hesitation.

So it's pretty easy to guess.

"We'll only need to defeat him head-on in the worst-case scenario. I've already prepared a backup plan for that." Oute didn't even look up; the tasks on his terminal kept changing, but he always seemed to find new... tasks for himself.

FrostNova's curiosity was piqued. "What have you prepared for my father?"

Oute glanced to the side and saw Big Cat leading a group of the Engineering Department staff, busy at work.

Neural Disruption Mine.

"A surprise." The Sarkaz girl crossed her arms and squinted her eyes.

Is it a "good" experience?

W showed extraordinary enthusiasm for being able to manipulate Rhodes Island's specialties.

With Rhodes Island's main ship present, Oute could have pulled out far too many cards from his sleeve... but out of a wicked sense of humor, he still opted for the classic disruptive mine.

The main point is that, as a pre-prepared tactical tool, these landmines can still be easily repurposed even if they are not used in this step.

Several tens of minutes later, an open space appeared, and even the gloomy winter day seemed to be trying its best to perk up at midday.

Wendigo gazed at the distant landship. The Rhodes Island approach he had recently witnessed had, to some extent, overshadowed the rumors of the evil spirits of Babel.

Your Highness's strategist... that Mind Flayer, is he really that naive?

No, having endured countless battles, he still insisted on not killing the enemy, still insisted on believing in the goodness of humanity... Perhaps, that Oute was a true saint.

But unfortunately, war is war.

Even if the person on the opposite side is his own daughter.

Wendigo repeatedly convinced himself that he was as resolute as he appeared.

Deepwinter Soldiers, clad in grey overcoats, busied themselves with odd jobs in this negotiation arena, erected to demonstrate goodwill. Sarkaz, wearing similar coats but carrying odd backpacks, were also doing similar work.

Surprisingly, during the time Wendigo observed them, those Ursus people, whose commoner traits hadn't yet been completely washed away... didn't get into any arguments with the Sarkaz.

He truly deserves the title of strategist, but it's a pity.

In order to launch a surprise attack, Bohdrokasthim did not make his hostility too obvious. His entourage consisted mostly of ordinary guerrilla members who were not visually intimidating. A few elite Shieldguards were kept by his father-in-law... by the captain as a high-ranking officer.

The tent flap was parted from the inside by a long halberd whose shape seemed somewhat familiar to Wendigo, and sunlight and the cold light of lamps illuminated the interior of the tent.

"Come on!" Elena invited.

Seeing her father's figure, even in this situation, FrostNova's lips still unconsciously curled up slightly.

At this moment, after nodding, the Patriot suddenly realized: the halberd was very similar to his own in certain details.

The slight sense of relief only fueled his growing dissatisfaction with Oute...

That's normal—even if Oute hadn't stood on opposite sides of the Chu-Han border because of Patriot's awkward stance, Patriot, as the brat who "kidnapped his daughter," would never have given him a friendly look.

A lightweight, long table, almost entirely free of any handcrafted traces, sat in the center of the military tent. On the map on the tabletop were various flags, almost blatantly displaying Rhodes Island's infiltration of the core area of Chernobog.

A hooded man was leaning over the table, occasionally moving a few flags from one place to another.

Wendigo's military acumen told him that this disgusting bastard was the Mind Flayer. In front of the Mind Flayer was a Cautus. Based on intelligence, this rabbit seemed to be his puppet.

The daughter stood blankly to the right of the Mind Flayer, while to the left of this mollusk was Sister Aegir, a red-eyed woman who seemed far more astute than Elena. Further behind were the young Sarkaz girl who had been transported to the public eye by the Mind Flayer last time, and a vibrant Feline.

The damned Mind Flayer slowly lifted its hood, revealing that it was nearly the same age as her daughter.

Two affected bird feathers peeked out from his earlobes, pretentious and disguised as Liberi.

"Oh!"

Who can they fool?

A murky discontent squeezed out of Wendigo's throat.

"We need to talk," the Mind Flayer said in a cold, enigmatic voice.

Talk? What's there to talk about? We've already talked about everything we could last time!

Despite siding with the Mind Flayer, the daughter still spoke up for herself, "What Father means is that... we had a basis for conversation."

It seems that in order to quickly put pressure on FrostNova, Oute not only took her to see a large number of surgical records—there were probably also a lot of "art of conversation" involved.

The Mind Flayer's disdainful eyes swept over Elena's small face, as if confirming something, before he said, "Mr. Patriot, I believe that a marriage between people of similar biological age can not only eliminate a threat for us, but also lay the foundation for further cooperation between Rhodes Island and Reunion Movement."

The Doctor is going to marry Miss Elena!?

What about Dr. Kal'tsit!?

What about me!?

"Eh!!!!?" Amiya's mouth could practically fit a whole loaf of bread as she nervously switched her gaze back and forth between FrostNova and Oute.

W and Huang were also greatly surprised, and if it weren't for the big cat's quick reflexes, the Sarkaz girl would have already rushed towards Oute.

Arranged marriage?

It's more like stealing power!

This Mind Flayer...

Watching the young man's antics, Wendigo stared intently into the old monster's seemingly youthful eyes.

Are they of similar biological age?

Where in the Reunion Movement can you find someone like that?

He made an impossible request; could it be because...?

Eliminate the threat?

A terrible thought crossed Wendigo's mind.

Unlike her father, Elena didn't "misunderstand Oute's age" because of the Mind Flayer incident. When the little rabbit looked at her with strange eyes, she suddenly realized something. But before she could even feel embarrassed, Oute's outrageous remarks severely impacted her strong mental defenses.

"Considering the Black Snake's special nature, I suggest using her current body as a base, and the wedding venue..." Oute began spouting nonsense with a straight face.

Before Patriot could even process the news or get angry, on the other side, Elena's stress level quietly crossed the line after suddenly hearing this bombshell news that was completely different from what had been rehearsed.

Her pale, delicate hand couldn't hold onto the heavy weapon for a moment, and it slowly slipped down.

As the Cryo-Driven Halberd slipped from her grasp, the heavy axe blade sliced a curved gash across the military tent, sunlight streaming through the arc onto Elena and W's feet behind her. The bright arc, the graceful calves, the two pairs of athletic shoes, and the tail of the Cryo-Driven Halberd together formed a coat of arms... resembling an Iron Crown.

The biting cold front instead stirred up strong winds, and the fierce air currents roared from beneath FrostNova's coat, which was gleaming with the Rhodes Island triangular emblem.

"Why should I!"

Selfish!

Chapter 158 This is not a performance

Throughout Elena's life, she had almost no opportunity to think about herself. She was the one child in her family who survived to the end, the Wendigo's adopted daughter, the eldest sister of the Yeti Squad, and Talulah's closest and most devoted friend...

In the original timeline, the last few breaths as her body temperature gradually faded were probably the few moments that truly belonged to Elena.

After her piercing cry of "Why?", the sudden outburst of Originium Arts severely damaged the White Rabbit's body. She swayed twice and collapsed unconscious on the ground. Yet, the astonishing chill remained "vibrant."

Completely bewildered, Huang quickly picked up Oute and used the heat rising from his body to counteract the cold emanating from FrostNova. After serving under Oute multiple times, the big cat had etched Oute's "vulnerability" into its mind.

Amiya was also not involved in the formulation of this plan. Although it had little effect on the cold air, she subconsciously raised a magical barrier.

"Yeliya!"

The term of endearment was quickly pumped out of Wendigo's mouth, like a hard pebble squeezing through his throat, which was already ravaged by Originium.

Oute noticed this title.

Although Bohdrokasthim didn't have time to dwell on Huang and Amiya's "performance," a quick glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that what was happening was purely accidental.

Tsk, why isn't your intuition working now?

Take a few more glances at that hooded weirdo!

It seems the old father was fooled by the hooded man.

Not only Patriot, but also many of the guerrillas who came with him were moved by this:

"Elena!"

"FrostNova!"

"Big sister!"

Nestled in the big cat's warm embrace, Oute's voice was somewhat impatient. "Get out of the way! Let me heal her!"

This "performance" made W extremely uncomfortable. She glared at Oute with utter disgust, and then, at Oute's request, she completely opened the general's tent. Then, shouting something like "I'm going to find someone to help," she disappeared into the distance.

Under the biting north wind, it should have been much colder outside. But after the Sarkaz girl overturned the military tent and the heat was exchanged between the inside and outside, those around the negotiating table felt much warmer.

The big cat seemed to have heard some command. She stood there blankly as Oute "rushed out" of her embrace and pounced on FrostNova. When Amiya tried to stop Oute, she obeyed the order and lifted up Rhodes Island's nominal leader, protecting him in the spot where Oute had just been standing.

On the pale earth, amidst the throng of people, a figure in a jet-black Rhodes Island uniform knelt on top of another Rhodes Island uniform.

The biting cold was quickly mistaken for heat by Oute's nervous system, and under the cover of the Rhodes Island uniform, the frail body of the late Homo sapiens rapidly decayed. This genuine pain rendered Oute's performance utterly devoid of any fluff—any attempt would have been frozen solid.