"I don't know what you want to discuss, but just now, the Reunion Movement has already attacked the docking area. The Nearl Guard Bureau is currently engaged in combat with them. And at this moment, you've detained three inspectors from the Special Inspection Unit for a discussion. I have to ask, are you with the Reunion Movement?
"And Rhodes Island, you should remember our agreement. The Reunion Movement is already attacking Lungmen, yet I don't see your people taking action. Can I assume that Rhodes Island intends to break the agreement?"
Before Daniel could speak, Wei Yenwu cut in, his tone sounding quite hostile. However, the information he revealed caused Ch'en, Hoshiguma, Swire, Amiya, and the others to pale. Their gazes immediately turned toward Daniel's side.
At this moment, the group was divided into three factions, sitting at three sides of a long table, forming a triangle. Daniel sat with FrostNova, W, Alex, and Misha.
The other two sides were represented by Amiya leading Rhodes Island and Ch'en leading the Lungmen Guard Bureau. Hoshiguma and Swire had also arrived by this point.
"Is Mr. Shen with the Reunion Movement?" Amiya was the first to speak up.
"No." Daniel shook his head slightly, then glanced at FrostNova and W.
"I don't know. I'm just a mercenary. You should ask her." W spread her hands with a smile, indicating it had nothing to do with her, then gestured toward FrostNova. Unfortunately, FrostNova remained silent.
"Let's go." After a brief moment of silence, Ch'en stood up. For her, while information about Talulah was important, Lungmen's safety took precedence at this moment.
"Mr. Shen, I'm sorry, but Rhodes Island has urgent matters to attend to." Amiya also stood up. Rhodes Island had to stop the Reunion Movement's attack on Lungmen.
In truth, this situation offered no benefits to Rhodes Island. In fact, Rhodes Island had suffered heavy losses. In the original timeline, during the battle against Talulah—or rather, the immortal Black Snake—Rhodes Island had also lost many operators, including members of the Mint team.
Seeing Rhodes Island and the Nearl Guard Bureau preparing to leave, W couldn't help but smile gleefully. However, while she smiled, she didn't forget to eat. Daniel had also placed a variety of food on the table, but only three people were actually eating: FrostNova, W, and Misha.
After fleeing to Lungmen, Misha hadn't had a proper meal. As for Alex, although his lips twitched occasionally, clearly tempted by the aroma of the food, he ultimately resisted out of pride.
With Amiya not eating, the rest of Rhodes Island naturally followed suit. As for Lungmen, Ch'en was known for her strict discipline.
"Governor Wei, you're quite impressive. But isn't the Reunion Movement's attack on Lungmen part of your plan? If you drive them out now, your plan will fail. Is that really what you want?"
Daniel wasn't surprised by the Reunion Movement's actions. Many of their leaders had come to Lungmen this time, including FrostNova, Mephisto, Faust, and even Skullshatterer.
"I don't understand what you mean." After a brief silence, Wei Yenwu's voice came through the communicator.
"You don't understand? Then let me explain. Lungmen has developed rapidly in recent years, becoming very prosperous. But in the eyes of some, Lungmen could become even more prosperous. There's still plenty of land within Lungmen that could be developed, but there's an insurmountable obstacle: the slums and the Infected.
Due to certain historical reasons, even the ruler of Lungmen finds it difficult to do anything about the slums and the Infected. For example, when Ch'en proposed having the Nearl Guard Bureau enter the slums, it ultimately came to nothing."
The slums were rife with gangs and chaos. Back then, Ch'en had drafted a plan for the Nearl Guard Bureau to enter the slums, mobilizing the Special Inspection Unit. However, the first person to betray her was one of her own informants.
"What happens next, I believe some of you have already guessed. But for those who don't understand, I'll continue."
Daniel's words caused Ch'en, Swire, Hoshiguma, Amiya, Huang, Kal'tsit (who wasn't present), and W to pale, a deep chill running through them.
FrostNova, Alex, and the Yeti Squadron, however, looked confused.
"At this very moment, the Reunion Movement is attacking Lungmen. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. By letting the Reunion Movement in, the slums will become a battlefield. With a little manipulation—say, starting a fire—not only can the Reunion Movement be wiped out, but the slums can also be completely eradicated.
"Afterward, it can be claimed that the Infected of the Reunion Movement were responsible. This way, the slums, now reduced to ashes, can be redeveloped into commercial buildings and high-end residential areas.
"Am I right, Governor Wei?"
"Ursus profanity!"
Wei Yenwu remained silent, but Alex, upon hearing Daniel's explanation, immediately erupted in anger, shouting at Wei Yenwu.
Meanwhile, FrostNova and the Yeti Squadron lost their appetite.
"I don't know what you're talking about." After a long pause, Wei Yenwu finally spoke, flatly denying Daniel's claims. However, his denial elicited no response, except for Alex's continued shouting.
"Sit down, Alex. You think you're fighting for the Infected, but in reality, you're just a pawn. Not just you—the entire Reunion Movement is a pawn. Not just one person is using you as a pawn: the immortal Black Snake Koschei, Lungmen's Governor Wei Yenwu, and even Theresis, the regent of Victoria.
"The more chaos you cause, the more people you kill, the happier they are, because it helps them achieve their goals."
"Ursus profanity!"
The furious Alex, now filled with confusion, could only pound the table with his fists. True to his Ursus heritage, his strength was considerable. If Daniel hadn't stopped him in time, he might have destroyed the table.
"Wei Yenwu, how dare you do this?" Ch'en, who had been silent until now, finally exploded in anger.
"Officer Ch'en, don't be swayed by his provocations. This is all baseless speculation."
"Do you think I'm a fool?" Ch'en was no fool. She had graduated with top honors from the Victoria Royal Guard Academy. She knew full well that what Daniel described could easily become reality.
In fact, this had been Wei Yenwu's plan all along. It was only because Lin Yushia and the shadow guards had their own ideas that the situation hadn't escalated further.
For Wei Yenwu, he would do anything for Lungmen, even at the cost of his own life.
Wei Yenwu didn't respond to Ch'en, as he was now facing the stern gaze of his wife, Lady Wen.
"Governor Wei, it seems Rhodes Island cannot uphold its agreement with Lungmen." As an organization dedicated to saving the Infected, Amiya had made her decision after learning of Wei Yenwu's actions. Even if this decision would bring significant trouble to Rhodes Island, this was Rhodes Island—they never compromised on their principles.
"Rhodes Island, have you thought this through?" Wei Yenwu's tone was devoid of emotion.
"Wait, Amiya, don't make a decision so quickly. I've already laid out the situation. I believe Governor Wei isn't foolish enough to continue with this plan. Moreover, after hearing what I have to say next, I'm sure he'll be too preoccupied to worry about the slums."
"Alright, everyone, sit down. Now, let's get to the real discussion."
"Officer Ch'en, let me answer your earlier question. The current Talulah is not truly Talulah—she is the immortal Black Snake Koschei. This is all part of his scheme."
"Impossible. Koschei is dead." Wei Yenwu interjected.
"Governor Wei, I believe I already told you that Koschei is not dead. It seems you don't truly understand his real identity."
"Who is he, then?"
"The immortal Black Snake Koschei. His immortality is literal. The only way to truly kill him is to destroy Ursus as a nation. Otherwise, he is immortal, because he is the embodiment of Ursus itself. I believe you understand what I mean."
"How can such a thing exist?" Huang couldn't help but exclaim.
"Though it's hard to believe, it's the truth. Even the current Talulah, who he has possessed, is just one of his many vessels." As the embodiment of a nation, it was impossible for him to have only one vessel. While he might not have as many as 181 pieces like a certain chess master, having a few was entirely possible.
"One of his goals in using the Reunion Movement to capture Chernobog and attack Lungmen is to personally kill Officer Ch'en."
"What? What grudge does he have against her? Why does he want to kill her?" Swire couldn't help but shout, while Hoshiguma turned to look at Ch'en.
"There's no grudge. But Officer Ch'en is the last lingering attachment in Talulah's heart. Even Koschei cannot erase this attachment. The only way to eliminate it is to kill Officer Ch'en. Only then will Talulah's consciousness completely dissipate, allowing Koschei to fully control her body."
"Lungmen profanity!" Swire couldn't help but curse.
"This is just one of Koschei's goals. His second goal is to incite a war between Ursus and Yan. This is why he seized Chernobog. By using Chernobog's core city to crash into Lungmen, he will continuously send out signals claiming this as Ursus territory. Whether Lungmen retaliates or not, it will provide a pretext for war."
"Lungmen profanity! Why would he do this? What does he gain from it?" Swire continued to vent.
"To divert internal conflicts within Ursus. As I said earlier, Koschei is the embodiment of Ursus. If Ursus is strong, he is strong. If Ursus weakens, so does he. And if Ursus is destroyed, he will cease to exist."
In truth, Koschei's actions were meant to save Ursus. But as an enemy, Daniel saw no need to explain this in detail.
"Ursus's harsh treatment of the Infected has led to widespread unrest. Even the famous Patriot has joined the Reunion Movement. If this continues, Ursus will only grow weaker, potentially leading to another civil war."
Ursus had experienced civil war before, as Daniel had learned from Lungmen's records. It had occurred shortly after the current Ursus emperor took the throne. Although it was quickly suppressed, it sowed deeper conflicts.
"During such a civil war, diverting attention with an external war would be a better option. Many in Ursus still long for the days of their previous emperor."
Daniel found Koschei's actions rather underwhelming for someone embodying a nation. Compared to others of his kind, he lacked grandeur. He really should meet Yelena to see what true power looked like.
Moreover, his assumptions were too simplistic. In Daniel's view, if Ursus and Yan went to war, Ursus would undoubtedly be the one to suffer.
Waging war to sustain a nation required the right opponent and continuous victories to plunder enough wealth to feed the nation. Given Yan's strength, Ursus stood no chance.
The current state of Ursus was a result of its inability to sustain itself through war. In the past, Ursus had conquered numerous small city-states to sustain itself. But looking at the nations that still existed today, none were weak.
Even the seemingly weakest, Kjerag, had the overpowered Yelena within its borders. In the game, Yelena was only a 5-star operator, but that was clearly her slacking off. The difference between in-game ratings and real-world strength was vast.
"Lungmen profanity!" Swire seemed to have run out of other words.
"The Reunion Movement's capture of Chernobog was premeditated. The military was withdrawn in advance, leaving only the police. Even the upper nobility had mostly left, with only those of lower status remaining."
At this point, Daniel glanced at Alex and continued, "Alex, in fact, when you captured Chernobog, there were two Ursus army groups with several high-speed land battleships standing by.
"Additionally, a significant number of regular soldiers had infiltrated the Reunion Movement. If the Reunion Movement had failed, they would have stepped in to ensure Chernobog's capture.
"Oh, and there were about a dozen Ursus Royal Guards in Chernobog at the time. Of course, their goal wasn't to help the Reunion Movement capture Chernobog, but to attack Lungmen when Chernobog collided with it.
"Governor Wei, how do you plan to deal with the forces Koschei has prepared?"
At this moment, Governor Wei was cursing inwardly. He had some hidden forces, but they were limited to the shadow guards. Lungmen had no military.
As a sovereign nation, it was unthinkable to allow a mobile city to have its own military. This was a consensus among all nations, including Ursus.
Here, Daniel was playing a game of information asymmetry. While everything he said was true, as long as Chernobog didn't collide with Lungmen, the Ursus military and Royal Guards couldn't easily intervene.
If it were that simple, Koschei wouldn't have needed to manipulate Talulah and use the Reunion Movement to trigger a war. He could have just led the military and Royal Guards to attack Lungmen directly.
But since both Ursus and Yan were powerful nations, an excuse was necessary—no matter how flimsy. This was the nature of great power politics.
It was different from a powerful nation attacking a weaker one.
"Lungmen profanity!" As the group fell into silence, Alex began to shout and scream like a madman.
"Is it really okay to reveal all the behind-the-scenes details like this? He seems to be having trouble accepting reality." As Alex started to lose it, W knocked him out with a single blow.
Alex was strong, being from Ursus, but W was a Sarkaz.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He just needs time to process everything. He'll be better when he wakes up." Seeing Misha's worried expression, W pushed the unconscious Alex toward her.
"Governor Wei, this matter is not suitable for Lungmen to handle. Why not leave it to us?" After a long silence, Kal'tsit spoke up.
"Can Rhodes Island handle this?" Wei Yenwu's tone was filled with doubt.
"As long as Lungmen doesn't intervene, Rhodes Island's only opponent will be Talulah." During the silence, Kal'tsit had clearly identified the weakness in Koschei's plan.
"Wait, you all seem to have forgotten about me. I didn't tell you all this so you could solve the problem. I'll handle Talulah—no, I'll save her. What Rhodes Island needs to do is save the survivors there."
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