Chapter 372: How to Effectively Knock Down the Silla

"Although what I'm doing is indeed wrong,... it's truly unavoidable, sigh..."

At this point, the regretful Cang Lang couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

In fact, at present only a few official forces have called for a halt to this quasi‑violent behavior, and the only one that truly bans participation is Huaxia.

Thus, up to now, his other peers still use carrot‑and‑stick methods, steering players across the southern kingdom, slaughtering the Evil God Church, which can be said to inherit his "last will".

But…

It was all my idea!

It's bad enough the credit isn't mine, but the limelight isn't either!

Especially last night, while he was scrolling news over his meal, he discovered that a slick‑talking Silla military spokesperson, whose name he couldn't even remember, claimed it was all their idea.

Moreover, shamelessly they said they had united many global allies, led the purge of the otherworldly church, brought peace to the Hui Guang Kingdom's people, further boosted Silla's international influence, achieving great merit, second only to White Eagle!

Netizens worldwide were stunned; you only said a couple of short sentences, why don't I even know where to start ranting?

Fortunately, this time a fellow YouTube Five Constants brother, Tian Zhu, stepped in, brandishing the Magic Flute Immortal and a photo of someone who had converted to the evil god, causing an internet explosion; in short, it's one word

—Who are you sending to, huh? Stop my pretentiousness (sweating soybeans)?

Howard didn't at all take that line "second only to our close ally White Eagle" as a compliment; staring at his ever‑growing bills, he felt his heart about to burst with anger.

Relying on his excellent academic record, he spewed a string of multilingual curses, stewed in a two‑hour sulk, and decided to call his superior that very night.

But after dialing three times, already ready to send the president an obituary saying the young master might have died, he finally got through.

Howard was already fuming and frantic, not caring what was said, he launched straight into a tirade.

"Lieutenant General Hen Li, may I ask if you've seen tonight's news, the one that's already trending fifth on Xunle?"

"Hmm? *cough cough*, D‑zone..."

Yet Lieutenant General Hen Li showed no urgency at all for the subordinate's late‑night call, nor any apology for missing an obviously important call, instead rasping for a long while before speaking.

"Who is it? Uh... let me see, Howard? Xie Te! Stop messing around, be quiet... cough, oh! Howard, what do you want? If nothing, I'll hang up, I'm busy, hehe..."

Howard (gradually reddening). jpg

"Got it! Don't hang up on me!"

"Oh~yes~ huh? Oh! I mean, sure, go ahead, what's the matter?"

"I ask you, did you see the Silla military's statement this afternoon?"

"Silla? That Silla thing is so fake, not even like the old Bu family... Oh! I saw it! I saw it! I saw... ah right... As a superior, I must test you first, what did they say?"

Howard (steam‑fuming). jpg

Brimming with anger, he no longer wanted any cryptic satire, and got straight to the point with his demand.

"Their statement makes me extremely dissatisfied, and lately they've been overstepping, acting independently in many places, completely ignoring us; I think we should..."

Then he heard a long howl coming through the phone.

"Oh! god~ that's wonderful! You guys are as agile as little octopuses!"

Howard (completely flushed). jpg

"... should, should! Go knock them down immediately! Otherwise things may get out of our control, Hen Li, it's no longer..."

"Aaa!!!!!!!"

Another bizarre scream rang out; after circling the Earth at least three times, Hen Li collapsed onto a waterbed, staring at the Greek‑style cooling lady painted on the ceiling, lingering in thought.

"Phew... amazing, I could stay on this island forever..."

"... Alright, alright, that's clean enough, little darlings, hmm... huh? Why do I feel I've forgotten something?"

…

"Oh oh! Right, right, fuck, I forgot! Damn! That damned Asian's phone!"

But when he fished the phone out of the water, the device was fine, though the call had already been hung up.

"Never mind, maybe nothing's wrong, I'll ask if there are any new toys..."

The conversation split, and Howard's phone side was a mess.

Now upgraded to Howard (Tian Zhu Chef), he was wielding a tool hammer, smashing his phone as if pulverizing ingredients, until even the last fragment was ground to dust before stopping.

Then he opened a drawer, picked another phone from the jam‑packed stock, inserted a SIM, and kept using it.

However this time the call wasn't to Lieutenant General Hen Li, his direct superior; everyone knows he's unreliable, so Howard has another contact.

Although his authority is less than Hen Li's, the other person's status is higher, making them a viable source of help.

And this time, almost the instant he dialed, the other end answered.

Without waiting for him to speak, a voice clearly belonging to someone aged yet still full of vigor, untouched by debauchery or complacency, came through.

He said:

"Howard, I guessed you'd call me."

!!!

Even though thousands of miles apart, Howard couldn't help straightening his back, lowering his voice, and said solemnly.

"Major General Qie Si Te, since that's the case, I'll be brief: I think we should launch a knock‑down against Silla!"

Saying that, he pulled out a pre‑written performance report.

"In fact, lately they've been quite resistant to cooperating with my operations, with obvious cover‑ups in many areas. Major General, since the Sun Month arrived, times have changed too fast; if this continues, I think they may exceed our control!"

Qie Si Te was silent for a moment, only the rustle of a pen on paper could be heard.

"Hmm, I understand. In fact, I've already dispatched personnel to contact their side. Today is different from the past; many things can no longer be indulged. Mr. Howard, as a member of the military, I will fully cooperate with your operation, rest assured!"

"... Very good, very good! Then I'm relieved."

He hung up, and a smile spread across Howard's face; after all, he's an old guy, and old guys get things done reliably!

As for why such a reliable old gentleman can only be a deputy commander, running errands for a bastard‑born second‑generation heir...

Maybe because he looks too much like a lone hero from mid‑20th‑century Hollywood, an iron‑blooded tough guy... in the new era that's a bit out of place, haha, can't even get a single buff!

"Ah..."

Howard was lamenting that it would be great if everyone around him were as capable as Lieutenant Chester, when suddenly he felt a bit hungry.

Well, his anger had subsided, and his stomach was empty.

After a moment's thought, he decided to call his secretary again and have a whole takeout delivered; tonight he, the young master, would gorge himself to vent his frustration!

But before he could dial, the secretary's call came in, and the first thing he said upon connecting was:

"Sir, uh..."

Howard felt a sense of dread and readied his hammer in advance.

"Go ahead, I can take it."

The secretary swallowed.

"They... the super-powered squad... just blew up a noble's castle in order to exterminate a cultist."

"Hello? Sir? Are you still there?"

Howard (waiting for resurrection). jpg

Howard had fainted from anger, but Chester's actions continued.

Thus, while Grey Wolf and Ji Ming were having dinner and chatting, he, who was laughing loudly, suddenly received a message, glanced at it, chuckled, and forwarded it straight to Ji Ming.

Ji Ming opened the video and also laughed.

"Ah, the White Eagle military announced they want to reduce troop numbers stationed in Xinluo? Wow, this isn't a warning—it's outright pulling the rug out from under them!"

"Oh well, speaking of which... that thing isn't easy to grab; ordinary folks can't even pull it out, but since they're eagles, they just keep holding onto it, haha."

After a chuckle, Ji Ming picked up his chopsticks and added another pork bun to his plate.

As a noble domain whose main product is wheat, Grey Wolf's hospitality naturally centered on wheat-based dishes.

Moreover, it wasn't a typical European medieval style, but an utterly authentic Chinese pastry feast; aside from the sauces, which were slightly off due to production timing, everything else was as original as it gets.

Thus, after he had eaten his fill in peace, night had fallen, and Ji Ming, not wanting to travel at night, simply decided to stay overnight in Mai Xiang domain.

However, he had barely closed his eyes when he heard a knock at the door; upon activating the system to check the time, he discovered it was already deep into the night.

One might wonder, in a fantasy world, who would knock on the door of a lone man staying at an inn this late at night?

Ji Ming walked over, opened the door, and saw—well, sure enough, it was Grey Wolf.

"What's up? Knocking on my door in the middle of the night."

Grey Wolf clapped his hands.

"Earlier this afternoon we just made a trade, right? We've done this many times already—can't you send one over this time?"

Ji Ming didn't understand his riddle and couldn't be bothered with wordplay, so he just asked directly.

"Send what, exactly?"

"It's just... uh, I mean, I've found a trace of the cult on my side, but the situation is dire—there's nobody left; could you come with me for a trip?"

"... Damn, there are still survivors!"

If I'd known, I'd have been better off staying in the mountains—at least I could fall asleep to the sounds of animal friends.

But since they'd spoken up, Ji Ming felt awkward refusing, so he agreed.

After all, he also wanted to see... how dare a cult come stirring up trouble on Grey Wolf's turf—what kind of audacious lunatic would do that?

Of course, suffering is worst when you eat alone; sharing a meal with others makes it at least a little sweeter.

So Chloe couldn't escape his grasp either; he pulled her out of the room—she might not continue as a mount, but she'd have to serve as a combat attendant.

While waiting under the guard's cover to sneak out of the city, Ji Ming realized he'd been so caught up in his excitement, rushing along and looking forward to gossip, that he never bothered to ask Grey Wolf for specifics.

"This is just like those guards a moment ago—Mai Xiang domain is supposed to be our forward supply depot, and over the past week it's gained quite a few of our own people..."

Grey Wolf could learn of the cult's activity naturally because the local scouts stationed outside the city sent back reports.

Actually, two hours ago, a scout out for a stroll spotted several suspicious individuals walking up a mountain path in the dead of night.

In fact, this cult was quite cautious; they weren't wearing obvious dark garb for wrongdoing, nor were they clumsily bunching together.

Quite the opposite, each of them looked like an utterly ordinary civilian, and the gaps between them were long enough that they didn't seem like a group at all.

If an ordinary person saw them, they'd likely mistake them for diligent hunters preparing traps in advance, or villagers heading up to catch poisonous insects to sell to an apothecary to supplement their household income.

But who was the scout?

He... he used to go up the mountain at midnight, digging traps and catching poisonous insects, risking his life to support his family.

Now that he's finally been given a formal position, he wishes he could work twenty‑four hours a day, so he could tell at a glance that they weren't human.

After staking out eight targets and confirming that something abnormal was indeed happening, he quickly grabbed paper and pen and, using the two years of education he'd received as a child, wrote a report to send up.

【Sir, if they were hunters, warming weather makes solo mountain trips a taboo; if they were insect catchers, the unpredictable nature of the work means they'd wear identification on their waists to aid in body recovery.】

Grey Wolf also disliked relying on such primitive foot‑messenger communication, fearing delays could cause mistakes, so he simply took Ji Ming along to visit the scout again.

There's not much to say about him—his mother died in childbirth with the youngest, and his father went up the mountain to catch poisonous insects and never came back, his body never found.

He could only raise his four younger siblings alone, making a teenager under twenty look like he's nearly forty; in the villages of Yangyue world, such cases aren't common, but they're not rare either.

Now he has a job that lets him stay in the village and live without want, and upon seeing Grey Wolf he behaves with such eagerness it's as if he's meeting his own father who has miraculously come back to life.

Consequently, he gave a detailed retelling that matched the letter exactly, showing he's a remarkably honest farmer.

Upon hearing that, Ji Ming immediately furrowed his brow.

The cult's behavior could only stem from two possibilities.

One is that they're like newborn calves unafraid of tigers—ignorant of Grey Wolf's presence and of how to hide themselves—meaning this overly young cult is simply coming to offer themselves as sacrifices.

The other is that they know full well there's a tiger in the mountain, yet they deliberately go tiger‑hunting; they're not calves at all, but someone wielding a Gatling gun like Wu Song coming to slay the tiger—this is them setting a trap.