Chapter 111: The Reason Behind Pain x

Afterward, several waves of officers came and went, until midnight, when it was finally Lin Feirui’s turn.

She sat across from him, watching with keen interest. What was he trying to do? Was he attempting to show off how busy he was? Like a proud peacock flaunting his status and abilities to attract her?

Wang Luo glanced at her, his eyes flickering as if trying to conceal his admiration and affection, slightly uneasy.

Lin Feirui was somewhat familiar with this kind of gaze—it was typical of naive young men.

Usually, it was best to ignore it. The more indifferent she appeared, the more respect such men would have for her. But… this man seemed more complex; one couldn’t be both immature and deeply insightful into the darkness of human nature.

So she remained polite—she had heard from Zhou Suyan that he valued this. That was good.

“Commander Lin,” he began, “would you be willing to bring the entire Wuzhou team into my new unit?”

How could she agree? “Sorry.”

“Hmm, I was just asking casually,” Wang Luo said. “However, you will need to pay general points before we allow your defection.”

That was reasonable. As long as there was a chance to earn general points rather than being forced to sell equipment, it was acceptable. “We are willing to pay.”

“Excellent. Tomorrow, I will assemble the troops for a parade, appoint officers, award medals, and then set out. You and your people should stay here.”

He produced a sheet of paper marked with boxes and pointed to one.

She took it, glanced over it, then looked at him inquisitively.

This was probably just to ease the pace. What was the real matter?

Perhaps her gaze prompted him to speak again. “All the spoils from killing Yellow Turban soldiers belong to your team. During the battle, I will assign tasks mainly involving fighting the Yellow Turbans, persuading enemies to surrender, and confiscating supplies...” He handed her a list. “The contribution points earned from these missions can also be exchanged as equivalent general points to buy your freedom.”

“Even if you surpass fifty thousand points. Contribution points are still useful, redeemable for some equipment in the camp. However, as prisoners of war, your contribution points will be lower than others. After all, those who joined us when the outcome was uncertain deserve greater reward.”

Without limits on equipment and items, their contribution points were 40% less than Charles’s group.

So this had been negotiated with the Red Electric faction. It was acceptable, though some bargaining would be needed to satisfy both sides. “That’s rather harsh.”

“How so? These are very fair terms,” he said sincerely, as if he truly believed it.

“Fifty thousand! How many Yellow Turban soldiers must be killed to earn that... and our supplies were exhausted in previous battles. If the fighting continues...”

Of course, there was no problem. As long as they could annihilate those tens of thousands of Yellow Turban troops like they had the Han soldiers, the rewards would be sufficient.

What harm was there in following the army? After so many battlefields, her subordinates had become adept at scavenging. Even if they couldn’t fully accumulate enough points, the difference would be slight. They could easily share within the team later.

Wait a moment. Was he trying to lure them with such victories?

She looked at Wang Luo, her expression growing serious. Excluding those killed or missing, the Wuzhou team still had seventeen members. The Red Electric and Dart factions could recruit about eight. Those loyal to her were Hua Kai, Ling’er, and Zhou Suyan. The rest would fight hard just to survive.

So that's it. He knows I used the strategy of concentrating forces, aware it would cause dissatisfaction among many members, hoping they would switch allegiance after seeing the high returns from battle.

They would. Lin Feirui had to admit. They had already done so under the agitation of Red Electric and others.

Previously, they obeyed because surviving in the space was already difficult. But once they tasted success and tangible benefits, it would be hard to keep them.

Once a beast has tasted blood, how could it trust again?

Maybe she should kill Red Electric? On the battlefield, in a place no one noticed. With the current general points, she didn’t even need Hua Kai’s help.

Yes, without a leader, they remained a chaotic mob. As Wang Luo said, they were incapable of independent thought.

Yes, it was no big deal, just like that. So she smiled, looking at Wang Luo, who smiled back.

His eyes held a simple smile—courteous, without affection, without fleeting greed, without the aggressive intent she had known before, no hostility or malice.

To be precise, it was indifferent, cold, without focusing attention on her.

Suddenly, a pang of anguish welled up from deep within her heart.

When did things turn out like this?

She should have been calm and composed, the one setting terms and watching him panic!

I should be the strongest and most powerful!

The pain was overwhelming, causing her to lose her composure—that fragile calm she had clung to since defeat, propped up by inertia and the satisfaction of seeing her opponents fail.

Yes, when did it come to this?

She had entered living comfortably in the team’s space; now, cramped like a prisoner with her men. She had entered with millions of general points, adored and confident, believing this was just another easy, leisurely scenario; now, she had nothing, burdened with debt, and her subordinates were disloyal.

Why did she lose? How did she lose her most precious possessions? She looked at the man who had defeated her and recalled what he had said these days.

His entire conduct was a series of conspiracies and schemes. She had been too simplistic before, leading to failure.

And now? Was his apparent leniency masking new plots? Was he planning to seize her? Seize her team?

Perhaps he was counting on such a reaction! Leaving evidence and records so that when the team saw she had killed Red Electric, they would utterly distrust her!

Ahem... In any case, that was how things stood. After realizing she had lost the most important—perhaps all—power in her life, she made another mistake: overthinking when she shouldn’t.

In truth, Wang Luo had given her little thought or planning—he had been busy instilling ideology throughout the revolutionary army to cement it after victory, ensuring the revolution would continue developing along the right path after his departure. His expertise was group analysis, not individual psychological scrutiny.

Even if someone had told her this, she wouldn’t have believed it—couldn’t believe it.

After losing the decisive battle and her most vital power, she had ignored it out of habit. But now, seeing the victor’s ease and composure, everything was laid bare.

In the end, she began to sob quietly.

Wang Luo looked helpless. “Then 35%, okay? Stop crying.”

Nothing could trigger a woman’s tears more than “stop crying.” And the pain she felt, compared to his casual ease as the winner, was unbearable.

“Sorry! I lost control.” She quickly wiped her tears, gave no answer to Wang Luo’s proposal, and ran out of the tent.

“Seems rather interesting~” Wang Luo watched her retreating figure and sniffed the air.