Chapter 104: Questioning X and X's Return

"This is not what you said before."

After Zhou Yingxiong left, Zhou Suyan poured Wang Luo another cup of tea and said softly.

Wang Luo looked at her in surprise. "Of course, the person I'm facing is different."

"Which sentence is true and which is false?"

"Both are true, and both are false. It depends on which angle you look at it from."

"Can I tell them?"

She didn't specify who "they" were, but there was no need to ask. Wang Luo pondered for a moment. "Don't let me know."

She was dazed for a while and sighed. "It's simply a mess. I don't understand you at all."

"If you want to know the reason..." Wang Luo picked up his teacup and took a sip. "To keep the people who defected to me earlier satisfied."

"Satisfied?"

"Yes. To keep Galiver and his gang happy, along with Ranke and Charles... if the two of them aren't dead yet. Oh, and you too."

"Thank you," she said unhappily.

"Creating a gap is something that must be done. You showed your support for me earlier and walked through the most difficult moments with me—so you deserve the corresponding rewards. The treatment for the Wuzhou members won't be entirely the same either. Those who declared their acceptance first and performed better in the subsequent battles will receive better treatment."

"Those people from Wuzhou wouldn't have been satisfied with being captured and the price they had to pay anyway. Treating them well rashly would only provoke dissatisfaction. So it's better to hit them hard once more; they will get used to it. Seeing them take a blow will make those who surrendered earlier happy—comparison is what generates psychological gaps and a sense of superiority."

"You are simply a demon."

"Huh?" Wang Luo sniffed. "Strange, why aren't you as foolish today as you were before?"

She picked up the tea tray and threw it to the ground.

---

"It seems his evaluation of you is not very high."

In the prisoner-of-war camp, Lin Feirui, Ling'er, and Zhou Suyan sat together in a corner, listening to the conversation between Wang Luo and Huakai, who was disguised as Zhou Suyan in the distance (just like she had disguised herself as Lin Feirui before, Huakai had now taken on Zhou Suyan's appearance with her consent, staying by Wang Luo's side with a bug planted on her).

Hearing the commander's evaluation, Zhou Suyan smiled bitterly. "His evaluation of me has never been high."

"He hasn't touched Huakai at all," Ling'er said. "There isn't much time left; she's about to change back. And with her throwing such a temper tantrum, she's probably going to be discovered."

---

"It's fine, it's almost time to cook." Zhou Suyan looked at Lin Feirui. "Commander, should she change back when it's time to cook?"

"Change back," Lin Feirui said with a smile. "After all, he doesn't really intend to kill us all. Just for the sake of making us work, it's not worth taking such a huge risk. Differential... treatment."

She thought of Red Electricity and let out a light sigh. Then she reined in her emotions and turned to Zhou Suyan beside her.

"Does he often ignore you?"

"Yeah, he frequently orders me around to do chores—cooking, making tea, sweeping the floor, making the bed—and occasionally mocks me, saying the soil is infertile and only sows seeds without growing sprouts..."

"Pfft!" The other two burst out laughing, their shoulders shaking.

"Poor thing!" Lin Feirui stroked Zhou Suyan's cheek. "What a man devoid of romance."

---

"You're back?"

At the entrance of the Revolutionary Army camp, a jubilant Galiver saw Charles and Ranke following behind the scouts.

"Yeah," Charles answered listlessly. "When the main camp caught fire earlier, it took a lot of effort to escape. Then I was heavily wounded and missed the decisive battle."

"What a pity," Galiver said with words of sympathy, though he couldn't hide the smile on his face. "The situation was very unfavorable at the time, and we almost managed to escape too."

"That was a close call," Ranke said weakly from the side.

"But it doesn't matter, there will be opportunities later." Galiver pulled out a list. "Look, these are the new equipment and items that appeared after we occupied the Han army camp here! For veterans like us, the redemption method is just like before! Besides, tasks to mop up the Yellow Turbans with the main force will be released soon!"

"Really?" Charles took the list and saw that there were indeed many more items on it.

Enhanced equipment and weapons, along with some limited-edition items that would sell for astronomical prices at the auction house...

"Did he really allow us to buy these?"

"Of course, as long as your contribution points are enough!" Galiver rattled on enthusiastically. "Those of us who joined earlier can redeem them at full value; those from Wuzhou who surrendered in the first batch need 150% contribution points for a redemption; those who surrendered in the last batch need 200%! Hahaha!"

"Is this true? Can we redeem them already?" Charles's voice grew excited as well.

"Not yet," Galiver blinked. "I got this from Commander Zhou... No, he's Commandant Zhou now. I got it from him. There might still be changes, but roughly speaking, this is it."

Charles thought of the torch he had thrown earlier, and instantly, countless pains and regrets crushed his heart.

Galiver noticed the other man's painful expression and looked somewhat puzzled. Ranke stepped in to explain for Charles. "He's a bit constipated after his injury, don't mind him. Are there any other updates?"

---

"There are also new missions," Galiver continued enthusiastically. "And the possibility of forming a regiment! Those of us who came earlier can join the new team formed by the general as long as we're willing!"

No wonder you're so enthusiastic... Ranke looked at Galiver, someone he hadn't been close to before, and silently criticized him internally. "Do we have to join to buy these?"

"No, it is said that the regiment will be established after defeating the Yellow Turbans. This period beforehand is to vet us and decide our positions after joining the regiment. A batch of new officers might be appointed tomorrow, and veterans like us can all serve as officers in the Revolutionary Army without needing any items!"

Yeah, you're excited like a dog. Your master throws you a bone, and you wag your tail with joy.

Ranke thought this, though he didn't say it aloud. Then he remembered that this person had been staying at the ferry camp just like his own subordinates. "When you were at the ferry, did you see Gelu slaughtering my subordinates?"

Enduring the pain to ask this question, Ranke suddenly felt something was amiss. Huh? He was also at the ferry at the time; why didn't he die?

"Oh, I saw it," Galiver recalled the scene back then. "It seemed they attacked together, but hit an earthen statue decoy instead and got trapped. Afterward, the Han army arrived and captured them all."

"Captured?"

"They were killed afterward. Gelu seemed to demand it. I'm not too clear on the specifics. Eric saw it at the time, and we were too scared to make a move."

"Too scared to make a move? Wasn't it a mandatory order?"

Ranke's voice and body trembled, but Galiver didn't notice. "Mandatory order? No, there wasn't one. The order we received at the ferry at the time was to do what we could. Attacking Gelu was my idea, but when I realized we probably couldn't beat him... I had no choice but to give up. I've never heard of any mandatory order."

Ranke felt a wave of darkness wash over his eyes, and his body swayed once more.

That's right, the feeling Wang Luo gave Ranke was not that of someone who would force others to their deaths. Even if he wanted someone to die, he wouldn't use such crude methods.

Gedini! Telato!

Without a doubt, it was the two of them. Telling such lies and then casting skills on him later were entirely done to exploit his deep friendship with his companions—to make him cause destruction and, incidentally, to make him die.

In an instant, he reached this conclusion—and believed it deeply.

Although verifying this fact required investigation and some logic was still missing, as mentioned before, people always tend to believe what they want to believe.

This rule was working its magic once again at this very moment.