Chapter 411: Yama Army

"I know you're done speaking."

Zhang Su spoke softly to the corpse on the ground, then wiped his dog-leg knife—long unused for blood—across Liu Ming's body before sheathing it.

He never intended to spare Liu Ming's life; after hearing his treasonous words, death was certain.

Adapting to the wind is not wrong, but betrayal and broken oaths are never liked!

Zhang Su furrowed his brow slightly; many questions still lingered in his mind, but he knew Liu Ming had been drained dry. With his rank and position, he could not possibly know more. To get further answers, he'd have to capture the mission's overall commander—Wu Baokang of the Survivors' Alliance.

"The four factions teamed up against me? No—according to Liu Ming, it was the Survivors' Alliance that initiated this to expand northward. Why not take the bridge fortress route? Right, the bridge there is broken…"

Zhang Su leaned against the wall, pondering. Many questions remained unclear for now; the priority was to deal with what lay before him.

Fifteen others remained to be handled. The Civilization Protectors were essentially allies—they must not be killed. Otherwise, even if Old Li remained loyal, he couldn't guarantee the entire Civilization Protectors would integrate into Tianma Island. That's the limitation of the Loyalty Mark: it binds only one person, not necessarily the whole force they control…

From Liu Ming's words, Zhang Su could tell the Civilization Protectors were now sizable and strong. They'd also been kept in the dark about many things. High-tech gear like night vision goggles, thermal imagers, and drones had never been handed out—only basic equipment, and even that was only because Pang Dankun had been quick and efficient. Otherwise, they'd have gotten even less.

"Damn, good thing I was cautious just now!"

Thinking of their thermal imaging scopes, Zhang Su smirked. In this freezing cold, thermal scopes were deadly effective—any movement would be spotted. He was lucky he'd crept up from the wilderness.

"Old Li, let's see what kind of troops you've brought."

Zhang Su pulled out his walkie-talkie and began deploying forces, his gaze fixed across the street—just like the first time he met Wu Daqiang, the man was again hiding on the third floor of a shop.

Soon after, eight vehicles roared from the north, headlights blazing, illuminating the entire street in stark brightness. As they neared the town, they all blared their horns in unison—the deafening noise echoed through the sky. "What's going on?"

In the Survivors' Alliance's resting shop, Wu Baokang lay dressed in his clothes. Before the horns sounded, he'd been jolted awake by the flashing lights—he'd only just fallen asleep, and his sleep was shallow. He opened his eyes to the piercing blare and the frantic radio chatter: sentries reporting enemy approach!

All members of the Survivors' Alliance scrambled up, using walls as cover to peek outside, wondering what was happening.

The Tianqi Corps reacted slower than the Survivors' Alliance, but quickly responded. No wonder Liu Ming called them cowards—five of them were already discussing how to beg for mercy and flee.

As for the Civilization Protectors, their lookout Xiao Tiao spotted the northern headlights immediately—but he didn't alert everyone right away. First, he woke his own men. Only when the vehicles neared the town and began honking—confirming they were coming for them—did he grab the walkie-talkie and notify the others. He gave the reconnaissance team no time: eight vehicles screeched to a halt just beyond the pit, their headlights angled or direct, bathing the fifteen men of the investigation team in blinding light, turning the row of shops as bright as day. "Hello, hello, uh—"

A voice crackled from the loudspeaker, tested its volume, then spoke in a steady tone: "You came to Tianma Island without warning, hiding in this dark, cold shithole of a town. Word would spread that we Tianma Island lack manners. Come out now—Survivors' Alliance, Civilization Protectors, and friends of the Tianqi Corps!" The three factions stared at each other in shock. What the hell? How did they know so precisely who was here? But then it clicked: they'd only named three groups. There were four. No need to say more—it had to be the Little Eagle Society that betrayed them!

"Damn it, the Little Eagle Society betrayed us! No wonder they insisted on staying separate!"

"They never said they wanted to stay separate—we followed the Tianqi Corps here. Still, they're suspicious!"

"Fuck, we must get this news back to the boss—this could be catastrophic!"

The Survivors' Alliance members wore grim, twisted faces. They never imagined the Little Eagle Society was the mole. Liao Youzhi knew their recent movements well—they'd had zero contact with the north. The whole thing reeked of deceit!

The Tianqi Corps looked constipated. The Little Eagle Society looked down on them, and they returned the disdain—they'd always thought the Little Eagle Society was just a bunch of brutes. Yet now they realized the brutes had brains, and had laid a massive trap long ago. Now they'd been caught in one net. The Civilization Protectors remained calmest. As soon as they suspected betrayal by the Little Eagle Society, they began strategizing—but before they could form a plan, the loudspeaker crackled again, shocking them to the core.

"Are you wondering why we didn't mention the Little Eagle Society, even though four factions came on this mission? Because their three members were rude, disrespectful, and broke the rules—our leader, the King of Hell, has already sent them to the Underworld to report in. Please come out quickly—don't make the Yama Army wait!"

Yu Wen's voice echoed over the town. The last message had fooled them; this one left his own people stunned.

"Sis Xin, when did Brother Su come up with this name? So terrifying…"

"Yeah, him as the King of Hell, us as the Yama Army—that's fine. But then… isn't Tianma Island turning into the Palace of Hell?"

"I… I don't know…"

Zheng Xinyu was among the group. When asked by several female members, she exaggeratedly shrugged—she had no idea where the titles "King of Hell" and "Yama Army" had come from.

"Hahaha, such a powerful name!"

"No wonder he's my Brother Su—the King of Hell, perfect!"

"Hahaha, Zhang Boss deserves the title King of Hell—we've been calling him that since back in the village!"

Lu Yubo, Zhao Dezhu, Wang Longzhong, and others wore expressions of delight—they were thrilled with the name "Yama Army," convinced Zhang Su had planned this all along, waiting for the perfect moment to unveil it and surprise them all! (End of Chapter)