Chapter 299

Night, deep, only the wind's sound remained.

The candlelight in the side hall of the Martial Virtue Hall had burned down to half, swaying in the cool night breeze, elongating Chen Wen's hunched-over silhouette at the desk and casting it, slightly trembling, onto the huge map behind him.

Qian Gui had already left with new orders; only he remained in the hall, together with the secret report about the Iron Crow Army's remnants' activities, lying quietly on the desk like a silent warning.

He did not immediately rise to rest, nor did he have the heart to review any other memorials.

He simply leaned back against the chair and closed his somewhat sore eyes.

During the day, the officials' various memorials at court concerning the implementation of the new policies, transport tax revenue, and examination reforms still seemed to echo in his ears;

The bustling street clamor of Bianliangcheng, the dockworkers' chants, and the faint hammering from the Investigation of Things Institute also seemed not to have faded.

These sounds wove together into a scroll titled 'Chen Dynasty's Aspect,' vivid, lively, full of hope.

However, when this prosperity faded and the night grew deep and still, the cold, hard reality lurking beneath the scroll's base inevitably surfaced.

Iron Crow Army.

Zhao Kuangyin.

Information fragments.

And there was that unfathomable 'End,' like a thorn in the back.

His fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the armrest, a slow and steady rhythm.

His thoughts, however, were like an untamed wild horse, uncontrollably bursting forth.

When did I first set foot on this path?

Was it the boy in Jiao Tu Zhen who, to survive, could only desperately chop wood?

Was it the one who, to protect his family, had to take up arms against Liu Du Tou?

Or was it the commander who, in Chan Prefecture, was appreciated by Chai Gong and began to engage with a wider world?

It seemed every step was pushed forward by an invisible force.

At first, it was merely for survival;

Later, it was for protection;

Afterward, it was to end this damned chaotic age, so that more people could, like the commoners of Bianliangcheng, eat a meal in peace and sleep soundly.

This goal was simple yet grand.

He once thought this was the entirety of his struggle's meaning.

Founding the Chen Dynasty, enacting new policies, rectifying officialdom, developing the people's livelihood, resisting foreign invasion—all of this pointed toward that goal.

He did indeed see the results.

The fields of Hebei turned green again, the grain barges on the Bian River shuttled back and forth, and the court's atmosphere became purified.

His internal Fortune Momentum thus settled and grew weighty.

This made him feel steadfast, feeling that all he had done was not illusory.

But…

Those cold information fragments, like venomous snakes, gnawed at this steadfastness.

"Node."

"Deviation."

"Cleanup Agreement."

"Variable."

These terms were utterly alien to his understanding.

They pointed to a framework that was even colder and even more grandiose.

Within this framework, were his struggle, his dynasty, his ideals merely… a 'mistake' in a preset program?

A 'deviation' that needed to be 'cleaned up'?

The Iron Crow Army was the 'tool' carrying out the cleanup.

Then, what am I?

A 'bug' that shouldn't exist?

This thought filled him with a chill that penetrated to the bone.

More suffocating than facing tens of thousands of troops.

He recalled the final moments of the Jinzhou battle, the Iron Crow Army's master's mad howl, the painful backlash suffered due to 'deviation'.

That was not merely the anger of defeat; it resembled more a… collapse like a program gone awry.

If… if all of this were truly just a 'game,' a 'cycle world'…

Then what would Chai Gong's early death, Han Tong's heroic sacrifice for the state, the mountains of corpses outside Jinzhou City, and the desperate eyes of Hebei's refugees amount to?

A virtual data calculation?

Some 'plot' that could be reset or erased at any moment?

An indescribable anger, mixed with a huge sense of absurdity, surged in his chest.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his chest rising and falling slightly.

The candle flame flickered once, reflecting a sharp, hawk-like light in his eyes.

No.

He absolutely would not believe it!

The flowing blood was real;

the anguished weeping of those who lost loved ones was real;

the scent of seedlings growing in Hebei's fields was real;

the warmth of the myriad lights in Bianliangcheng was real.

The majestic, weighty Fortune Momentum within him, linked to the fate of myriad beings, is truly real!

No matter what the essence of this world is, everything he is experiencing now, everything he feels, is his reality!

He is Chen Wen, the emperor of Great Chen, the hope of the people on this land!

The so-called 'nodes,' 'deviations,' 'cleansing agreements'……

If this is indeed some kind of 'rule,' then he will become the greatest 'variable'!

If this is indeed some kind of 'game,' then he insists on breaking this damned 'script'!

His gaze fell once again on that report.

The remnants of the Iron Crow Army are active in the Taihang Mountains……

They harbor treacherous intentions, still attempting to 'correct' history, to eliminate this 'variable' of theirs.

And Zhao Kuangyin is the one they have chosen, a new 'pawn,' or rather…… a 'replacement'.

Very good.

A cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

Bring it on.

He wants to see whether your icy 'agreement' is fiercer, or the Fortune Momentum in his hand, forged by the will of the myriad peoples, and these genuine weapons are harder!

The Fortune Momentum vortex within him seemed to sense his resolve, its flow quietly quickening, exuding a steady, majestic power.

The settled Fortune Momentum was no longer merely a foundation; it had become an anchor of belief, firmly rooting him in this real land.

The road ahead remains shrouded in mist.

Externally, the Khitan lie dormant; internally, hidden threats lurk; in the shadows, the Iron Crow Army and the shadow of Zhao Kuangyin loom; above, an unknown 'Apocalypse' sword hangs.

But at this moment, Chen Wen's heart knows no confusion or hesitation.

No matter how cruel the truth, no matter how perilous the road ahead, he will press on.

For those who trust and follow him;

For the land he vows to protect;

And also…… to prove the meaning of his existence, which cannot be defined by those cold words!

He rose, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night wind surged in, carrying the fresh scent of early summer vegetation, stirring the strands before his forehead and dispelling the last trace of heaviness within the hall.

On the distant horizon, a faint fish-belly white had already appeared.

Dawn is approaching.

A new journey will also begin.

And he is ready.