Chapter 259: Cannon fodder, you gotta look like cannon fodder!

Cannon fodder, you gotta look like cannon fodder!

What's the use of top‑notch talent?

Cut!

Cut hard!

Mu stifled a laugh, saying, "Thus, from some point on, the mediocre started to be favored, earning unanimous acclaim from the masses of players… When picking cannon fodder, they always choose those who aren't very bright, have obsessive personalities, and are easy to control."

With manpower, plus the commands I embedded in the task‑type system plug‑in, they're guided to become qualified scout‑cannon fodder, sent to sweep mines and place eyes, to see if we can uncover any of the opponents' tricks and traps.

Fengxi's eyes widened and his mouth hung open as he listened, utterly stunned.

But that wasn't the end.

But that alone isn't enough—we shouldn't underestimate the potential of sentient beings.

The Great Expansion numbers fifty, its use is forty‑nine, with one avenue of escape…… and this one is grasped in the hands of every sentient being.

'Improve yourself, break free, reshape the world……' Mu said, his voice heavy with conviction, 'Anything is possible!'

Not smart enough? Study; timid? Temper yourself; obsessive? Gain more life experience and watch the world…… Of course, this world has talent, and countless things come with a built‑in price and innate constraints.

But none of that cannot be changed.

Sentient beings in this world aren't merely bodies or mere strength…… they also have minds and wisdom, capable of active learning.

Methods abound, though they're often limited by educational resources and environment—who knows if we can reach the optimum.

But… the likes of systems and plug‑ins, though malicious, are churning out cannon fodder on an assembly line.

But there's no denying it also gave them a tremendous chance, letting them jump out of their old small pond into the widest stage and world, to roam and gallop at will.

This is the biggest shock to mind, spirit, self, and worldview…… who could say they won't awaken from it?

Having witnessed eternal radiance, they soared with the true dragon into the heavens, looking down on the world…… from that moment they gained a rebirth, a brand‑new future, no longer the frogs at the bottom of a well.

Even the systems and plug‑ins themselves handed them their most vital first pot of gold——even if that actually meant signing a indenture contract.

But many talented people lack not skill, but that first pot of gold!

Once the have‑or‑have‑not issue is settled, the remaining obstacles aren't without a solution—discard the fetters of destiny, rip up the indenture, and hang the hidden hands that seek to rule all on the gallows.

This, for those who wish to use them as cannon fodder…… is practically asking for trouble, upping the difficulty.

Mu's mouth curled slightly, 'Especially when another hidden hand is in play…… it becomes a disaster, turning the pieces into the player's calamity.'

Some people go straight for a move that harms others and hurts themselves—blind snipe!

The finest example among them is Lingbao Tianzun.

One hand teaches indiscriminately, the other spreads the Dao across Honghuang…… who knows how many players they've plunged into despair.

Fengxi listened, slowly picking up on an unusual meaning, and his face fell.

Mu gave him a look, roughly guessing the situation, shook his head with a soft chuckle, 'As for Lingbao Tianzun, his character is truly commendable.'

Willing to throw open teaching resources to the utmost, giving those desperately eager to advance a shot…… and if someone shines exceptionally, perhaps even kindle a pity for talent?

They can't outright defy the hidden hands behind them, but they'll reveal the heart of the matter, offer a hint of a sliver of hope…… the hope of catching a glimpse of light after countless sacrifices and efforts.

Great Luo is overwhelming; they are heavenly will, extant throughout endless time and space, and for every being beneath Great Luo there is a heavenly gulf—a gulf in information and cognition.

They serve as players, and the pieces are utterly unable to escape control——the script is laid out in plain sight!

But when another player enters the fray…… things shift.

Even if that player does comparatively little.

But that's the difference between zero and one, casting a light haze over the once‑straightforward script, thus creating a sliver of space for a turnaround.

In the end, amid the brightest flash of sacrificial blood, a Great Luo attainment dealt a heavy blow to the hidden hands behind…… this also henceforth tells all heavenly will that wants to be a hidden hand: selecting cannon fodder merely by picking those with flawed dispositions isn't enough.

Still need to cut!

Thus, a set of divine abilities crafted by a master of the spiritual way spread far and wide, earning universal praise.

It covers things like directed spiritual bindings, intelligence‑lowering halos, and so on……" Mu spread his hands, "So the ones you see now who aren't the orthodox route—reincarnation, ascension, advancement self‑plug‑in transmigrators—are mostly those clueless, brain‑addled oddballs…… actually that's quite normal.

Each wave of these operations, every sort of intelligence‑lowering strike…… is forced upon us!" Mu sighed, "Behind them lie the corpses of countless forebears and the wails of players…… and we've ended up here.

At last, cannon fodder looks like cannon fodder, not the former careful selection as if picking disciples.

Everyone's realized—using others as cannon fodder to clear mines and do dirty work, you don't even expect thanks; it's not like a teacher‑student or lord‑vassal bond where honor and loss are shared…… so it's just a question of how safe and how hassle‑free to do it.

And when employed well, this cannon fodder is far more useful than a dead soldier.

After all, we have 108,000 methods to ensure that even if their bodies disappear, we can still retrieve their memories.

But cannon fodder?

As long as I wear the Great Dao of a Great Luo adept as a disguise—like mimicking the Dao of that Great Yi manipulator, fabricating some systems, and deliberately leaving a clear trace.

If that cannon fodder is useless, gets caught sweeping mines, or if I just want to cause trouble and set up a ruse, making that cannon fodder spread rumors and false info…… any later blowback will still point to Great Yi's head.

And besides, Great Yi himself is hard to clear his name——even though everyone knows he's innocent, he's been made the scapegoat.

This is termed triple insurance, the hidden hand's self‑cultivation.

Fengxi, you…… get it now?

Mu asked, smiling.

'I get it, I get it……' Fengxi wiped the sweat from his brow, answering again and again.

Today he's finally widened his horizons.

A hidden hand, yet also versed in countless tricks and ways……

Beginning with the screening of cannon fodder, we have the first layer of insurance.

Intelligence‑lowering strikes form the second layer of insurance.

And finally, to guard against any slip‑ups, we even had the scapegoat targets ready beforehand—that's the third layer of insurance!

Myriad tricks, we've readied them all…… even if they might never see use.

By comparison, Fengxi is seriously lacking in experience in this area.

Threefold insurance, he failed to accomplish the first and second layers.

That is, the third layer, he did well; due to his sense of crisis, he had already prepared a buyer for the black pot—

Huangdi!

Having witnessed Huangdi's majestic form—even if only an image—a Da Luo could easily shake off a counterfeit; it's utterly no problem.

After all, he merely simulated the Xuanyuan Sword, then casually added a "holy virtue" plug‑in to make it fit Huangdi's character design.

And as everyone knows.

He—Fengxi, currently a senior Da Luo versed in blessings and hidden virtue—how could he be connected to a Xuanyuan Sword system imbued with the aura of a great being and holy virtue?

Fengxi pondered a bit, his heart eased slightly, dispelling some of the lingering fear.

"Ah… I was careless at first, doing things so negligently."

"He actually selected excellent talent yet didn't give them a dim‑wit halo… If any of those little fellows rose up, yelling "My destiny is mine, not heaven's," seeing through this seat's disguise, and cutting across eternity to attack people… wouldn't I be sitting ducks?"

"No… I must find a way to eliminate this hidden danger."

Fengxi's eyes darted about, letting Mu see at a glance that he mostly knew he'd made a mistake and was thinking of correcting it.

He didn't think much of it.

He's just a newcomer.

Even with abundant knowledge, mistakes can still happen easily.

But after all, he's a Da Luo—as long as things haven't reached an irreparable point, fixing them isn't too hard.

By simply reading the save file, minor errors can be corrected.

Unless another Da Luo deliberately steps in to blind‑snipe, selecting a lucky transmigrator, plus a very 'lucky' behind‑the‑scenes manipulator, carrying out a fish‑pond‑blasting act, using it as a springboard to stir the situation toward chaotic development, muddying the waters so they can happily fish.

Then the fun would be great.

Not to mention that from this moment on, Fengxi's many incarnations are acting, cleaning up the aftermath of his own stirring of over eight million cannon‑fodder actions.

Here in the Zixiao Palace, Fengxi's true form is also earnestly asking Mu for advice, discussing the professional qualities of the behind‑the‑scenes manipulator.

How can one avoid making mistakes?

How can one achieve perfect loss‑cutting?

How can one sacrifice pawns to gain the initiative?

……

The existence of cannon fodder means they can be used in tens of millions of ways.

Moreover, there is an advanced system—spies!

These things had long been compiled by the ancient god‑sages into a detailed, complete textbook, recording a thoroughly comprehensive strategy.

When used properly, they can release false information, split the enemy, isolate opponents, and seize the advantage.

Of course, a textbook is just a textbook…… reality is ever‑changing.

Thus, a distinction arose between expert players and novice players.

Some dazzle with heavenly brilliance, deceiving an entire era until the final showdown; others have even their closest aides as others' hidden agents, liable any day to be stabbed in the ribs or left empty‑handed.

Mu detailed to Fengxi a series of publications—'On Grasping the Psychological Dynamics of Cannon Fodder', 'Know‑How for Turning Cannon Fodder Regular 123', etc. —released by the top strategists of Honghuang.

Behind this lies the record and critique of one tragic Da Luo after another who capsized in the gutter; from it we distill how to cleverly employ cannon fodder, aligning with one's own glorious and righteous momentum, to secure victory.

Meet force with force, win with the unexpected.

Having finished speaking, Mu felt quite moved.

"Using cannon fodder, deploying spies…… in these fields, the top priority is protecting oneself."

"In the information war in the shadows, whoever is forced to reveal themselves first, glowing in the dark forest…… that person has already lost half."

"For soon, countless hunters will follow the light, tacitly encircling and annihilating."

"Your power will be swayed by public opinion, your friendships torn apart by dead spies…… in the end, your trump cards are drawn away one by one, leaving only an empty shell, a miserable defeat."

"Although these methods look sinister…… they have been proven through trials."

"They have annihilated top‑tier powerhouses—a peak expert thus died with regret, taking down with him an immeasurably vast force, leaving all spectators in disbelief."

"A protracted stalemate war, with both sides' paper‑strength numbers appearing similar…… yet in the end, one side is easily picked clean of corpses by the other, gorging itself to bursting."

"Again, a Da Luo player manipulating cannon‑fodder pieces ends up getting himself involved…… this truly attracted widespread attention and imitation."

"And that's not all."

"After everyone collectively turned bad, the incidents of capsizing in the gutter became far fewer."

Mu said.

Fengxi, however, seized on the key words: 'Much fewer…… does that mean none at all?'

"That is to say, someone still capsized?"

"Ha…… indeed." Mu chuckled, "But this time the cause of the capsizing isn't the gutter."

"Look over there… look at those few beings whose forms are somewhat illusory." Mu indicated with his gaze, "This situation is either they've been heavily wounded, or sealed, or even outright made into an innate treasure… though the Zixiao Palace here is special, treating all Da Luo as equals, no matter how awkward their plight, their thoughts will be drawn in to participate in the meeting."

"But do you know why they ended up so miserable?" Mu asked.

Fengxi shook his head.

"Because… they got full of themselves." Mu sighed, "They felt the behind‑the‑scenes manipulator's three‑layer self‑protection guaranteed their safety, so they could just goof around."

"Let them play…… after all, this Honghuang game isn't unwilling to let them play."

"But their guts are too huge!"

"They actually dare to spread false rumors!"

"Because they once suffered a huge loss under some great beings, losing all their property…… thus resentful, they spread all kinds of petty gossip everywhere, contributing countless scandal items to Honghuang's entertainment."

"For example, Fuxi is incapable, relying only on Nüwa's charity to eat soft rice and get by……"

"For example, Yuanshi is cold‑blooded and unfeeling, constantly bullying his younger brother, arrogant and self‑important, unworthy of being a god……"

For example, Nüwa is either a naïve sweetie, or she has a venomous heart—she only gives birth but does not raise them...

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Mu Song shrugged his shoulders.

This courage is commendable.

Moreover, relying on triple insurance… they actually live quite comfortably.

He secretly lets his underlings, the cannon fodder, spray wildly everywhere, yet for a while they haven't faced any sanctions.

What a pity...

(End of chapter)