109 Curtain Call (Unrefined and Unverified)

At the very moment Yang Jie declared the founding of the nation...

Another chat group suddenly became lively.

XX: Big brother, your achievement has been stolen!

XX: I saw it. One day we will meet, and then we’ll crush him!

XX: Big brother, you’re so domineering. Want me to find out who this Yang Jie is?

XX: Go ahead. It’s good to gather some information first.

XX: Got it. Big brother, wait for my news.

...

On the third day after the battle at Gaoting ended, Feng Wanqing led over a thousand wounded soldiers along the Norma Corridor on their way back.

Xue Hui had fallen in battle. Now the entire group followed Feng Wanqing’s command. The troops trailed loosely along the corridor, each face shadowed by an unshakable gloom under the weight of such a heavy blow.

At that moment, a group of soldiers appeared ahead—none other than Chen Nuo, an ally from the same alliance, leading two thousand troops to reinforce them.

...

“Where have you been these past few days? Why didn’t you respond when we called for support?” Feng Wanqing shouted with a choked voice before Chen Nuo even reached them.

“I was only supposed to come as support, not to engage in battle. Did you forget?” Chen Nuo answered calmly without a hint of embarrassment, as if their lives were irrelevant to him.

“We have many wounded here. Because of your delay, many died halfway!” Feng Wanqing’s voice wavered, her grief almost choking her. Only after Xue Hui’s death did she realize her own fragility.

Strangely, Chen Nuo remained unmoved, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Silence stretched uncomfortably. Chen Nuo sighed and spoke with a trace of guilt:

“Actually, I came to see you off...”

Feng Wanqing and Liu Wei were struck as if by lightning, unable to believe their ears.

“What do you mean?” Feng Wanqing roared at Chen Nuo, still unwilling to accept it.

“Hey, can’t my friends just listen calmly? No need to shout so loud,” Chen Nuo said, shrugging.

“This decision is one I just made... Before this, I truly intended to support you. I never imagined that your combined forces with Zhang Wenyuan’s fifteen hundred cannon fodder wouldn’t even defeat a ratman lord!”

...

“Zhang Wenyuan and Cai Yuanliang won’t let you off!” Liu Wei finally reacted, glaring at Chen Nuo.

“Please, can we talk properly?” Chen Nuo pleaded.

“Before we part, can you kindly listen? My former friends? Cai Yuanliang and Zhang Wenyuan are probably launching an attack on your territory right now.”

Chen Nuo’s tone was calm, as if recounting something simple.

“You’re lying! They would never betray us!” Liu Wei refused to believe it, his faith crumbling instantly. The feeling of betrayal filled him with dread.

Meanwhile, Feng Wanqing had already regained her composure. She recalled once asking Xue Hui why so many troops were sent to fight the ratmen.

Xue Hui’s answer had been simple at the time: “We only have one chance. If we lose, it’s all over...”

Back then, Feng Wanqing hadn’t understood his words. Now she finally grasped their meaning.

...

“My former friends, please listen patiently. After I finish, if anything is unclear, you can ask me,” Chen Nuo began once the two fell silent.

“First, I must thank Xue Hui for all he did. He was an excellent leader. Under his command, we defeated the alien clans on the Parando Highlands and unified Parando.”

“I swear on my mother’s life that before coming here, I never thought of betraying you. But I never expected that you wouldn’t crush even a weak early-stage ratman civilization. I still can’t understand why!”

“To get to the point, the main reason we supported Xue Hui wasn’t his charisma or talent.”

“It was his strength. His power was enough to lead us to sweep through eleven lord players on Parando Highlands.”

“Before, with his strength backing him, along with your and Wu Fan’s staunch support, he could firmly hold the throne as King of Parando.”

“If he had won, all would be well. Our Rangers’ territory would have encompassed the entire Norsen Plains and Norma Corridor.”

“But now!”

“He’s lost!”

“Utterly crushed. The entire regular army is almost wiped out!”

“You should understand what this means: don’t even dream of recovery within three years!”

“Now, his strength is insufficient to continue as guild leader and head of Parando Highlands.”

“Feng Wanqing, knowing Xue Hui, do you think he would hand over his position willingly? Obviously not. So after discussing with Zhang Wenyuan and Cai Yuanliang, we quickly reached a consensus.”

“When the time comes, rather than waiting for battle, we must strike first!”

“And you, Liu Wei, you’re a brainless idiot. Feng Wanqing and Wu Fan are Xue Hui’s diehard supporters. So what are you? I’ve hinted many times that you shouldn’t get too close to those three, but you never listened!”

“You were my best friend once, yet you’re willing to be a lickspittle for others. You staked everything on Xue Hui’s words. You were the first into Gaoting City to trigger the mines, and you lost the most troops. Are you really that foolish and oblivious?”

Chen Nuo’s chest heaved with frustration, silencing Liu Wei completely.

“Chen Nuo! You ungrateful traitor! Stop making excuses! If you want to fight, then come!” Liu Wei shouted.

...

Feng Wanqing’s voice was hoarse. Her heart was full of guilt for Xue Hui. Under his protection, she had never adapted to this brutal, survival-of-the-fittest world.

“Sigh, I’m really helpless. I think by now you all understand—it’s not just a simple game. We’ve poured so much emotion and sweat into our people. So I must consider my tribe’s future.”

“It’s time to move on!”

“Everyone, salute our great predecessors of Parando!”

“Lancelot!”

“At your service!” A hero with long hair and a greatsword stepped forward.

“They were once warriors who shed their blood and gave their lives for Parando’s unification. Please don’t cause them too much pain!”

“Understood!”

With that, Chen Nuo’s two thousand elite soldiers charged, led by Lancelot, against the battle-worn veterans.

“Warriors! We fight to the death! If we go down, we take others with us!”

The surviving soldiers’ loyalty was unquestionable. Under Feng Wanqing’s command, they launched a final charge against Chen Nuo’s troops.

“An era has ended, and now my era, Chen Nuo’s era, is about to begin!”

Chen Nuo turned and left, his face unreadable.

...

Ten days later.

Silvermoon City in the western Fangon Forest.

Flames shot skyward, visible even from dozens of kilometers away.

After the Human Alliance’s defeat, the dark elves in the western Fangon Forest faced a three-front assault by the lizardmen, satyrs, and the Darkmoon clan.

Within a day, the city gates were breached, and Silvermoon City was engulfed in a sea of flames.

Tian Shuhao stood atop the tallest tower, gazing at the blazing inferno below with no hesitation. Leaning forward, he leapt down.

Recalling Xue Hui’s words, perhaps he had been wrong.

If he had summoned the resolve to send two thousand troops striking straight at Gaoting, maybe the outcome would have been different.

Alas, there are no “ifs” in life.

One step to heaven.

One step to hell.

(Thus concludes Volume Two: The War of Nation Building. Volume Three: The Underworld is now available. Please consider bookmarking, supporting, recommending, and voting.)