Chapter 571: Internal Breach

On the road out of the city.

Under Zhang Yan's command, the troops that had been beaten to a crippled state escorted Lin An and others directly out of the city back to the Seventh Fortress.

According to Zhang Yan, the Seventh Fortress is located relatively forward on the frontline, making it more prone to blood corpse impacts.

As for that, Lin An was still quite interested.

On horseback.

Xiong Hanzi casually heated a self-heating hot pot, eating with great relish, causing the soldiers to gulp saliva.

I don't know exactly what this bald, burly man is to Lord Lin An, but he's really strong.

The aroma assailed the nose.

"Lin Dui, what do you think makes the ascetic practitioners in that temple so strange?"

"I always feel something's not right."

"You took action, but they didn't try to stop you?"

"The system's disguise is that powerful?"

"They don't fight back or talk back?"

"Speaking while eating."

After running wildly for three days, seeing that the fortress wasn't too far away, the two simply mounted their warhorses.

As Zhang Tie put it, if he kept running, he'd run himself thin.

Lin An, who was studying the blood corpse inside the ring, heard and without turning his head, spoke directly in the team voice chat:

"Quite normal."

"Of course, the system's disguise certainly can't achieve me wanting to kill them while they just stand there unmoving, letting me kill them."

"Otherwise, where would the need for mission difficulty come from?"

"I've thought carefully about why they show no reaction."

"Actually, taking action is also a form of probing."

"Let me put it this way."

"Zhang Tie, have you noticed that the Great Xia Dynasty actually consists of three parts?"

"First, it's the high-end combat power, the sole support: the ascetic practitioners of the old era."

"Such ascetic practitioners don't concern themselves with worldly affairs, nor engage in power struggles for profit."

"Precisely for this reason, the Great Xia Dynasty is willing to grant them such high status."

"At present, the Great Xia Dynasty has actually stabilized the situation against the blood corpses."

"After such a long period of 'peace,' in theory the sovereign authority could not possibly make such a great concession."

"Military authority can be freely mobilized... heh..."

Speaking, Lin An casually glanced at the other units outside the city.

"It's obvious that all the armies are centered around the ascetic practitioners."

"The second part is the Great Xia Dynasty itself. The entire dynastic system is an ancient monarchy, with nothing special."

"The third part is interesting."

"That is the new type of ascetic practitioner, those who use self-abuse and self-harm as means, occupying a large share of the new ascetic practitioners."

"This is also the key point..."

Xiong Hanzi picked up a slice of lamb roll, just about to put it in his mouth:

"What does that mean?"

"Lin Dui, how do these three parts relate to my earlier question?"

"He didn't quite understand."

Lin An smiled, his gaze deep:

"I've discovered an interesting phenomenon."

"Although I haven't had much contact with the old-era ascetic practitioners, they are obviously very 'afraid of death.'"

"Human nature is power struggle for profit, reproduction, and being entangled by desire."

"But they lack these emotions."

"The advantage is that the Great Xia Dynasty doesn't have to worry about them threatening its position."

"The disadvantage is..."

"These old-era ascetic practitioners don't want to die..."

"Haven't you noticed? The ascetic practitioners with such low numbers—what are they doing?"

"They 'hide' in temples, doing the work of issuing these numbers."

"Of course, this isn't comprehensive; I also need to verify it again."

"But even thinking with your toes, how would the Great Xia Dynasty view the former ascetic practitioners?"

He lightly pulled the reins, and Lin An slightly increased his forward speed:

"The old-era ascetic practitioners produce nothing, do no 'work,' yet hold high positions."

"Even from their behavior, I suspect that this group, in the final stage, in pursuit of so-called liberation..."

"They might even hide away and no longer care about the blood corpses."

"After all, as soon as there is fighting, death is inevitable."

"They can keep reviving, but their physiques are too weak..."

"If this situation arises, if you were the Great Xia emperor, what would you do?"

"A rhetorical question."

Zhang Tie set down the hot pot he was holding and tossed it to the young soldier beside him:

"Mm..."

"Team Leader Lin, you're not making things difficult for Old Zhang, are you?"

"If it were me, I might not give... so many benefits to the old-era ascetic practitioners?"

"But..."

"Ascetic practitioners are stronger than ordinary people; even if the Great Xia emperor is unhappy, there's nothing they can do about them, right?"

Lin An shook his head slightly, also not expecting Zhang Tie to think of the key.

"There is a way."

"The new ascetic practitioners' training method clearly has someone fanning the flames."

"Do you remember seeing those ten people on the platform?"

"This is clearly official-sanctioned 'propaganda'."

"In the mouths of old-era ascetic practitioners, and even in Zhang Yan's view, these are heretical ways that cannot form elite combat power at all."

"But why, why let this situation spread?"

"Quite obvious."

"This way of obtaining power is absolutely far superior in efficiency to the speed at which old-era ascetic practitioners gain power through asceticism."

"In just a few minutes, they gain transcendent power."

"If this situation is allowed to develop, future ascetic practitioners will probably all choose this method."

"By then, the new-era ascetic practitioners will replace the old-era ones."

Zhang Tie understood this, and couldn't help but think of those ordinary people who flocked to self-harm.

"Just stab yourself with a knife and you gain power—this world's rules are truly weird..."

In doubt, he hesitantly asked Lin An:

"Then, Team Leader Lin, is the Great Xia Dynasty foolish?"

"Without elite combat power, what do they have to fight the blood corpses with?"

"Wasn't it said that ascetic practitioners who gain power through self-harm are useless?"

Lin An gave a light chuckle after hearing, then replied softly:

"Not useful?"

"No, this method can mass-produce ascetic practitioners."

"Quantity leads to quality."

"Anyway, the old-era ascetic practitioners' way of fighting blood corpses is also to serve as sandbag meat shields."

"So let the new-era ascetic practitioners' weaknesses be weaknesses; at worst, ten of them can substitute for one."

"The most important thing is that new-era ascetic practitioners have desires..."

"Compared to the old-timers who painstakingly cultivated for ages, they are more like humans... rather than machines."

"Old-era ascetic practitioners seek transcendence."

"The new era is simpler; they seek power."

"One is illusory and ethereal, only concerned with their own machine."

"The other is mad, a person with abundant emotions."

"I guess..."

"The high level of the Great Xia Dynasty clearly realizes this."

"The old-era ascetic practitioners are increasingly afraid of death; isn't that equivalent to being useless?"

"The stronger they are, the more they hide! Obviously there's a problem."

"But the new-era ones are different; they are humans, easier to control."

"Separation of powers is the optimal solution."

"Imperial heart technique, it never disappears."

Xiong Hanzi smacked his lips after hearing, couldn't help muttering:

"This damn apocalypse, and still playing around with all these twists and turns..."

"Not even afraid of playing themselves to death..."

"Also, Team Leader Lin, you said you simulated the battle result with the 29th ascetic practitioner."

"It would actually be serious injury? How the hell are we supposed to complete the mission!"

Lin An gave a noncommittal smile, merely answering Xiong Hanzi's first question:

"Twists and turns..."

"Aren't we also checking and balancing with the Capital War Zone?"

"And the real world is even more brutal than here..."

Having said that, he looked at the two mission details, and a concrete idea faintly formed in his mind.

"Eliminate all ascetic practitioners..."

"Heh, maybe joining the blood corpses can't achieve that."

"But joining humanity might."

"Fortresses are always breached from within."

"The mystery of the ascetic practitioners, or perhaps their weakness."

"I think I've already guessed what it is..."

"Now."

Only one clue away from being able to corroborate one's own idea.