Chapter 228

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

Now there are too few targets he can act against.

Shrimp's two great fleets are positioned at the outer edge in a pincer formation, their defensive array laid out without a single gap.

And he has only the Fire Shadow Clan, Blood Axe, and Evil Sun—the Three Great Clans—at his disposal; a rash attack would only end in crushing defeat.

The Bug Race is even more elusive, leaving no trace to be found; there's nowhere to fight even if he wanted to.

And the Death Skull Clan, along with Gao Fu and She Kou's "Resistance Arc," are even more untouchable.

Once he strikes, it will be a full-scale civil war on Kal II, something he has always gone to great lengths to avoid.

He can't fight, and he can't not fight.

This usually steady Alpha-level Esper experienced for the first time the maddening anxiety of having his heart scratched and liver itched.

He stopped his steps, gazing at Lianggenna's portrait on the wall, the staff in his hand creaking as he gripped it tightly.

The thought of "being the Big Boss himself," like wild grass, grew wilder and more rampant the more it grew.

Finally, he could no longer restrain himself, letting out a low roar toward the hall outside:

"Go! Bring me Yaduoduo of the Fire Shadow Clan!"

The Esper messenger dared not delay in the slightest, scrambling out of the palace in a tumble.

At this moment in the Fire Shadow Clan outpost, Lin En stood before Yaduoduo, gazing calmly at this little shrimp.

"Yaduoduo," Lin En's voice was soft, yet carried a trace of unprecedented seriousness.

"This time Sis is urgently summoning you; surely the string in his heart has been stretched to its limit."

"What we're about to do next, I trust you can imagine how mad it is, and it may even require betraying the entire Doriduo Green Skin Alliance."

"I ask you once more, are you... truly willing to walk the dark path with me to the end?"

Hearing this, Yaduoduo smiled faintly.

He had long since shed all his cowardice; even facing the rampaging Sis, he had never shown fear.

He raised a hand to adjust the gleaming gold power armor on his body, looked up at Lin En, his tone filled with certainty.

"One against seven, rest assured, everything I have is given by you."

"Whatever you do, I will unconditionally stand on your side."

Yaduoduo was not a "pure and good" fellow, but he saw things clearly enough.

He knew his own measure; if he lost Lin En's support, he would surely return to his former state.

Lin En looked at this little shrimp before him, for a moment not knowing what to say.

He raised his hand, patted Yaduoduo's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Good!"

Immediately, he composed himself and spoke his plan:

"Sis summoning you this time must mean he can no longer restrain himself from causing trouble."

"Kal II is now too calm, with too few targets to act against."

"But not completely none..."

A gleam flashed in Yaduoduo's eyes: "The Evil Moon Clan?"

"Exactly! If he mentions the Evil Moon Clan, you do just this, in just this way..."

Lin En leaned down, whispering into Yaduoduo's ear, laying out every subsequent step of the operation clearly and clearly.

Yaduoduo nodded repeatedly, the light in his eyes growing brighter; when Lin En finished, he smiled with tacit understanding.

"Rest assured, I know what to do; I guarantee I'll handle this matter beautifully."

More than half an hour later, Yaduoduo's Luxury Chariot steadily stopped at the doorway of the Warlord Palace.

This time, no Beastman dared look at him with contempt again; two Esper Grot respectfully bowed and saluted, most respectfully guiding him deep into the hall.

No longer the side hall piled with Trash from before, but Kal II's most core Warlord Hall.

Sis sat on the Warlord Throne at the Highest Place, looking down at him as he entered.

Times are different now.

That little shrimp who once dared not speak more than a word at clan meetings and was mocked by all Beastmen.

Now he is the most trusted clan Big Boss under Sis, the most prominent figure in all of Kal II.

Yaduoduo walked before the throne and bowed without humility or arrogance:

"Yaduoduo, greets Big Boss Sis."

He raised his head, looking at Sis on the throne, and was slightly startled in his heart.

In just three days since they last met, Sis's impression on him had undergone an earth-shaking change.

The Spirit Energy around him was even more terrifying; even after converging most of it, it was still like surging waves, leaving one breathless.

His Spirit Strength had increased by a large margin compared to before.

In contrast, the steady temperament like the sea on his body had vanished without a trace.

His eyes carried an undisguised anxiety.

Sis waved his hand, getting straight to the point, without a single word of Waste Talk:

"Yaduoduo, I summoned you to ask: how is the construction of the Fire Shadow Clan's Waaagh Ship going?"

"Replying to Big Boss Sis, the Main Structure is complete, but the Tech Bosses are still debugging the Engine and Weapon System; to achieve the expected effect, it's still far off."

Yaduoduo respectfully replied, "The Evil Moon Clan is holding back our top-grade alloy supply, and progress has been slow."

This sentence happened to give Sisi an opening.

He snorted coldly, leaned forward slightly, and looked sharply at Yaduoduo:

"Oh, perfect—I was just about to ask you, what exactly is your opinion of the Evil Moon Clan?"

Yaduoduo's heart tightened; Lin En had guessed correctly after all.

He showed a look of disgust at the right moment, his tone carrying undisguised contempt.

"Big Boss Sisi, I'll tell you the truth: I despise no one more than these people of the Evil Moon Clan."

"They seem to keep to themselves and offend no one, but they are actually the most scheming—the slipperiest fence-sitters in all of Kal II."

"While you and Chandler's two camps confront each other, they play both sides, doing business with both and flattering both, not daring to offend anyone."

"They pay you outward respect, but their dealings with the Death Skull Clan have never stopped behind your back."

"Good goods go straight to Chandler's workshop, and by the time they reach us, only defective products remain."

"Now that they see your power is great, they dare not jump out to oppose you, but once you and Chandler have friction and one side falls to disadvantage—"

"These profit-hungry bastards will surely be the first to kick a man when he's down and pounce to take a bite."

"This kind of double-dealing fence-sitter is the most hateful!"

Yaduoduo spoke a long string, as if he had an irreconcilable blood feud with the Evil Moon Clan.

The more Sisi listened, the tighter his brow furrowed, and the heavier the savagery on his face grew.

The fingers gripping the throne armrest squeezed the hard alloy hard enough to leave several fingernail marks.

"Well said!" Sisi fiercely slapped the throne armrest and stood up, spiritual energy surging around him instantly, green radiance illuminating the entire hall.

"Since that's the case, why not take advantage of now and pull out this fence-sitter early! So that later, they won't cause us trouble!"

Yaduoduo was startled; he hadn't expected Sisi to be so eager, skipping all preparation and wanting to act directly.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed to dissuade him:

"Big Boss Sisi, you absolutely must not be so impatient!"

"If we act now, we can certainly take down the Evil Moon Clan, but how will the other clans see it?"

"They will think you are relying on power to arbitrarily annex neutral clans, and in the end will only drive more grots over to Chandler's side."

"We Green Skins fight, though we've always fought whenever we want, but to make all grots submit willingly, we still need a just cause."

"A just cause?"

Sisi was stunned; he had never heard this term before.

He had been a Warlord for so long—whether Chandler or Lianggenna, whoever he could beat, he wanted to fight whoever he wanted.

He had never heard of needing to find any "pretext."

He frowned, looking at Yaduoduo, his tone carrying curiosity:

"Tell me, how should we do it to count as having a just cause?"

What Yaduoduo wanted was exactly these words.

This stratagem of retreating to advance made Sisi fall into the trap Lin En had set.

He pretended to lower his head in thought for a moment, then raised it and said softly to Sisi:

"Big Boss Sisi, you are now the Warlord of Kal II, the Highest Commander personally appointed by Big Boss Liang Ge Nao."

"All the clans of Kal II should naturally pay tribute to you, expressing their respect for you."

"But during this period, your power has grown greater and your prestige higher, yet the Evil Moon Clan has remained deaf and dumb"

"Apart from normal business dealings, they haven't shown a shred of the sincerity they should."

He paused, lowered his voice even further, and laid out the entire follow-up plan: "So we just need to do this, then that..."

Sisi stood before the throne, listening to Yaduoduo's words, nodding repeatedly.

He had only thought of beating the other side into submission with his fists, never imagining that the game of war could be played this way.