Born That Way
Oute casually moved the chess pieces on the table.
Chapter 179 Innate
The white piece wobbled on the map before finally settling into a fixed position.
Echoing the mercenaries led by Hedley and Ines were the Deepwinter Soldiers: Longmen Phase II Soldiers and the agents of the office.
In addition, the pieces representing Wei Yenwu, the two censors, Lin Qingyan, and the Lungmen soldiers are marked in red.
Wei Yenwu's chess piece had already left the Lungmen halfway, but his supervisors pressed him into the commander's position.
Shortly after, at the command center in Lungmen.
"... Although their numbers are small, there is no doubt that they are Ursus' regular army."
Wei Yenwu placed his hands on the table.
A map remarkably similar to Oute's was laid out there.
The difference is that on his map, Rhodes Island isn't even a piece; it's merely a vague marker in the slums and wilderness.
Because the Rhodes Island main ship is closer to the Core City, the journey for Rhodes Island's intelligence forces to return to Rhodes Island is much shorter than that for spies from Lungmen. In absolute terms, Oute also learned of the Ursus army's movements much earlier.
Wei Yenwu feigned ignorance, saying, "Gentlemen, once war breaks out, countless lives will be lost!"
He took a deep breath and said, "When I think of the people of Lungmen, I..."
Jie Zhen and Tai He watched this man put on a show of conscience, but neither of them said a word.
Good grief, so this is the start of the performance? Why don't you give me a solution that avoids war?!
In the beginning, you were the one who demanded the troops be transferred south from Jade Gate and wanted to break down the wall! Later, you were the one who demanded the troops be controlled at Lungmen and wanted to open the window!
What's with all this singing about "devastation and suffering"? You're just trying to gain fame and fortune!
How come you get all the benefits?
For a local governor-general, "inhumanity" was an extremely serious accusation, but for the Supervisory Court and the Censorate, it was not a stain that they could easily escape!
Rather, it is precisely because they were censors that they were even less willing to bear the name of "unrighteous" and become "cruel officials."
Watching Wei Yenwu's performance, Tai He finally couldn't hold back and bluntly said, "Lord Wei... this battle was not initiated by our side. If you have any compassion for humanity, you should discuss it with Chernobog or even Saint Petersburg!"
Broken!
Jie Zhen managed to keep a good composure, but her sleeves trembled in the audience.
Tai He's outspokenness made him feel uneasy: if Wei Yenwu had any ulterior motives, he could have already gotten rid of at least one of his three supervisors.
Could it be that all of this was his conspiracy?
Is he trying to entangle the Ursus border troops and give himself an excuse to regain control of the military?
Raise an army?
No, impossible!
To reclaim the throne as a mere borderland prince... the hope is slim!
Jie Zhen's suspicions were based on his position as an official of the imperial court.
Regardless of how Wei Yenwu managed to break free from his identity and the "shackles" he was born with, as long as he lives, his status as the "former crown prince" will inevitably attract attention from the bureaucratic system in every sense of the word.
There is always a possibility that he could be reinstated.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Wei Yenwu's own thoughts.
Just as Jie Zhen's palms were sweating, he heard a response that terrified him even more than "You, go and stop the Ursus people."
"I'm going to talk to the mayor of Chernobog."
Jie Zhen momentarily doubted whether she was dreaming.
He forced a smile and said, "Haha, Lord Wei, you're quite the joker."
He even forgot to address him as "Lord Wei".
Wei Yenwu simply looked at him.
"Lord Wei, this is not funny," Tai He also said.
"Boris couldn't keep me." Wei Yenwu suddenly brought up a dead man.
Since the Patriot are already stationed at Number Fourteen Facility, Mayor Chernobog is long gone...
But everything is still shrouded in mystery.
Before the investigation results were released, few high-level decision-makers readily believed that Mobile City like Chernobog could be seized by a mob. Most of them assumed that Boris, Chernobog's former mayor, must have been part of the conspiracy.
From a certain perspective, that's actually correct.
"Lord Wei, even if you go in person, the person in charge of Chernobog now might not be able to reach any agreement with you," Jie Zhen advised. "It would just be a waste of time."
"Yes." Wei Yenwu nodded instead.
But then he changed his tone. "It's just a waste of time; if it doesn't work, there's no loss."
"Wei Gong!"
"You!"
Forte slammed his large hand heavily on the table.
Both Jie Zhen Tai He were momentarily exasperated, and couldn't find a reason to reject Wei Yenwu's... "brilliant idea" for the time being.
It's not that there's no reason at all.
Instead, Wei Yenwu clearly acted as if he wouldn't listen to a bastard's ramblings, and even brought up the banner of "benevolence and righteousness" again!
What can be done?
The only thing that can rival it in terms of public opinion is another kind of "benevolence and righteousness".
The doors to the command center suddenly opened, and the warm orange sunlight slanted into the room.
A golden-haired Qilin, enveloped in holy light, arrived at the command center.
"Lord Wei, regarding the matter of the agent in the city..." She was only halfway through her sentence when she noticed the almost tense situation between the three of them.
Agent?
Behemoth Agent?
Jie Zhen, feeling granted a pardon, eagerly asked, "Which one is it?"
Then, as if remembering something, he quickly led Lin Qingyan away.
"The one in charge of 'form'."
It turns out it's the year.
Jie Zhen was momentarily disappointed, but he quickly composed himself: that was enough of an excuse!
Wei Yenwu remained expressionless, but the veins on his dragon claws were faintly bulging.
Undoubtedly, although he may continue to push the issue... the possibility of leaving Lungmen alone through official channels with the approval of the military supervisor is no longer possible.
Using other methods would undoubtedly waste more time and more of his political legacy—the more he squanders through illegal operations now, the less Ch'en and Talulah will inherit in the end.
Wei Yenwu naturally knew about the incident at Lungmen that year.
In the last decade or so, she has found a new passion—movies. And the prosperity of Lungmen's film industry is renowned throughout the Yan. This great figure, like an anonymous figure in the inner ring, is searching for investors... so the chances of Lin Qingyan bumping into him are extremely slim.
Can...
It's all about timing and fate.
Just as Wei Yenwu was also activating his backup plan, in the wilderness, Hedley and Ines were also working on Oute's Plan B.
The Sarkaz mercenaries, driving vehicles they had acquired from Chernobog and the refugees, were moving sparsely in one direction.
Leading the way were Hedley and Ines.
"A feint attack, a feint attack, are they going to betray us again?" Ines said to Hedley, sitting on the hood of the carriage.
Their waists were still wrapped in bandages. Although the wounds had been quickly healed by Oute after the Spear Court incident, they still tied them on as a formality.
"I trust W's intuition."
"Come on! What kind of intuition does this little girl have in her current state?" Ines rolled her eyes and said, "It was just a joke, but she really thinks she's a disciple of an evil spirit!"
Hedley averted his gaze from the setting sun, recalling the topographical map Oute had given him, but replied, "We just took it as a joke, but one of them lost his memory, and the other..."
Lustful thoughts arise upon seeing beauty.
The old father shook his head.
No, W is not that superficial.
Perhaps there are some, but not the superficial kind.
The amateur historian glanced at the indistinct outline of Chernobog, then turned and commanded, "Stop! Set up camp!"
The convoy gradually came to a stop, and the mercenaries unloaded their supplies from the vehicles, coordinated their positions, and built simple fortifications using the suitable vehicles.
Evil spirits... no, the Doctor himself represents a different proposition.
One approach was to submit to His Highness's opinion, based on personal relationships at one time.
The Sarkaz is not a self-evident concept. In fact, some ethnic groups are natural predators and prey.
Like the Doctor, completely breaking away from the Sarkaz, abandoning the past with a new identity and a new vision, and standing tall... that is certainly one path.
But what about Sarkaz...?
In this way, the past, and everything that has passed...
The spirits of the dead echoed in Sarkaz's mind, and even the seemingly hopeless path that Oute had inadvertently revealed made him want to think things through.
"... Home!"