"Heaven and earth are unjust, but men strive to strengthen themselves. Judging by his appearance, he most likely seized blood essence from a Stone Octopus or some similar sea creature and refined it into himself."
"But the more he fights, the greater his losses. If he cannot gain anything from those battles and use war to sustain war, he will start weakening. One or two fights may not be enough to kill him, but after enough battles, he will gradually decline."
Wu Ding had no idea what Li Chen was thinking. He merely assessed Che Rong's circumstances on their own merits.
Li Chen said, "He isn't stupid, either. If he truly feels himself growing weaker, he can lie low and build up his strength in secret. A dozen years later, he'll be a formidable man again!"
"Likewise, Feng Mingzhu and the others can devise an ambush, using the terrain or overwhelming methods to finish him off in one stroke rather than getting caught in repeated battles."
"That is precisely why battles between Puppet Masters are contests filled with uncertainty, much like struggles between worldly nations."
"But to sum it up in a single sentence, what they compete with is resources and knowledge."
The mention of resources inevitably reminded Li Chen of his spoils.
"Right, I wrecked one of their Red Owls, so I should be able to salvage something. I haven't examined it properly since yesterday. Since I have nothing to do now, I might as well take a good look."
Wu Ding said, "Go ahead, then. I'll keep a closer watch on what's happening in the city and let you know if there's any news."
Li Chen returned to the rear courtyard, gave a few simple instructions, and entered the underground storeroom. Then he took out the wreckage of