Chapter 60: Forcible Entry (Bonus Chapter for the Golden Alliance Leader, "Moon in the Vase, Universe in the Sleeve")
At the top floor of the fortress, inside the main command room.
The High Priestess, Hausmann, and the Head Chef stood side by side.
Within their own faction, Su Xiao was at the top of the pyramid. Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini had authority within this system but were not included within the "pyramid."
Su Xiao was at the very peak of the pyramid. Below him were Hausmann, the High Priestess, and the Head Chef.
Hausmann was in charge of combat, field resource gathering, and the like—a commander and vanguard for leading troops into battle.
The High Priestess managed wounded personnel placement, underground vein mining, Living Ore reserves, etc. In simple terms, she was the faction's financier (Su Xiao's personal accountant).
The Head Chef oversaw meals, the subsequent processing and handling of field resources, food and grain reserve management, daily fortress cleaning, and the management of dozens of public bathhouses under her command.
Although Su Xiao hadn't established a hierarchy of officers, dividing authority was crucial. He couldn't handle everything himself. Currently, the residential area behind the fortress housed 170,000 Boar Warriors. Including Dwarf Boars, female Boarfolk, and others, the total population exceeded 200,000.
If Su Xiao managed it all alone, he wouldn't have time for anything else—just miscellaneous tasks would keep him busy.
Delegating all these matters to one person, letting them develop subordinates, seemed good on the surface but was actually very dangerous.
Why did Su Xiao value the High Priestess? Her ability to emerge from the Evolution Nest was one reason.
After a period of observation, Su Xiao found the High Priestess to be kind-hearted. She was different from the iron-blooded Hausmann and the tomboyish Head Chef. Her conflict with the Head Chef was the greatest; her relationship with Hausmann wasn't hostile, but they weren't friends either.
This was good. Below the peak of the power pyramid were Hausmann, the High Priestess, and the Head Chef. If the three of them got along well and were like family, Su Xiao would immediately eliminate either the High Priestess or the Head Chef.
A kind-hearted person cannot command troops. If the three leaders under him were too close, their combined power could easily incite a large-scale mutiny.
Su Xiao could suppress it, but after doing so, his faction would suffer heavy losses. At best, they could stabilize; if they went to war with the enemy, they'd be routed in no time.
The current situation was ideal. Hausmann had been with Su Xiao from the start and was trustworthy. The relatively soft-spoken High Priestess and the Head Chef couldn't stand each other. It was said that the tomboyish Head Chef once said to the High Priestess, "Pfft! You must have traded your flesh to get in good with our lord."
At the time, Steel Fang, who was passing by, didn't dare lift his head and quickened his pace to leave. He later told Hausmann, who deemed it not a trivial matter and reported it to Su Xiao.
The Head Chef's ferocity was undeniable. Once, she swung her ladle and beat a Boar Warrior who was causing trouble in the kitchen until his head was covered in lumps.
Previously, Dorothy was most afraid of the Head Chef when sneaking food from the kitchen. Once, Dorothy was so scared by the Head Chef that she hid in the freezer for a whole day, only daring to come out at night to slip away.
Whether problems would arise in the future depended on Hausmann, the High Priestess, and the Head Chef themselves. In the short term, there would be no issues. For Su Xiao, that was enough.
Su Xiao sat behind the desk, looking at the three across from him and the "Sun Ring" placed on the table. He had created the "Sun Ring" not only to collect faith energy but also to test whether the Boar Warriors would be as easy to command after gaining faith.
What Su Xiao feared didn't happen. The fact that the "Sun Ring" was brought to him already said a lot.
Su Xiao picked up the "Sun Ring" from the table. Hausmann, standing opposite, had a calm expression. The High Priestess looked slightly nervous, while the Head Chef picked her nose. Regarding the Sun faith, she had somewhat followed the trend—many believed, so she thought, "Well, I'll believe too."
"Don't worry about it breaking."
Su Xiao looked at the High Priestess, who lowered her head slightly.
"I made this. It's very sturdy. You can call it the Sun Ring, or consider it an heirloom of Tufu."
After speaking, Su Xiao stood the "Sun Ring" upright on the table. Hearing his words, Hausmann showed no reaction; he had known from the start where the Sun faith originated.
The Head Chef was still picking her nose, casually bending her index finger and flicking it toward the High Priestess.
Seeing this, Su Xiao frowned. He didn't care about their conflict, but the Head Chef's behavior made him worry about food hygiene.
"Go back and wash your hands 50 times, or just chop them off."
"I'll wash them when I get back. Definitely."
The Head Chef lowered her head slightly. As for the fact that Su Xiao made the "Sun Ring," she didn't care at all.
"I understand, Lord. We gather here for freedom and for war. Everything comes at a price. Rather than dying on the territory of the Vassal Clan, I'd rather be buried here."
The High Priestess placed one hand on her chest, subtly indicating she wouldn't try to develop divine authority.
This was what Su Xiao wanted to see. Faith was acceptable, but divine authority was not—not at all. That aspect was more troublesome than feudal hereditary systems. Since Su Xiao could fully suppress it now, he wanted to settle it once and for all.
"Very good. You may leave."
Su Xiao leaned back in his seat. Everything was on track. Tomorrow or the day after, he could consider the third upgrade of the Evolution Nest.
After completing the post-war reorganization, Su Xiao dispatched 160,000 Boar Warriors to hunt in the plains and pursue enemy contractors.
The mines beneath the fortress resumed operations. Batches of raw Living Ore were thrown into the crushing ports, processed by the fortress into Living Ore of tradable purity.
...
At 6 PM that evening, the dim sunset hung at the edge of the sky. Southeast of the War Zone's Great Plains, behind a dirt slope in a wind-sheltered area.
The surviving 52 enemy contractors were all there, including Sacred Hymn. With their judgment, the contractors could all deduce that if Sacred Hymn had truly betrayed them and acted on it, she would have been executed by now. The previous incident must have been due to the enemy's abilities or equipment.
"Everyone, we need to plan carefully. Don't give up. We haven't completely lost our chance yet."
"Right, we're not dead yet. As long as we're alive, we haven't lost."
"If we can leave the War Zone, we have a chance. Those Boar Warriors seem like evolved Boarfolk. Even if they're not, the Vassal Clan won't allow such a force to exist in the borderlands. Then we can ally with the Vassal Clan and secure victory."
"What you're saying sounds reasonable, but it's like farting. If we can leave the War Zone, won't they just move somewhere else to develop?"
The contractors argued among themselves. Sacred Hymn and Orlandi remained silent—the former slightly withdrawn, the latter unable to think of a countermeasure.
As the contractors discussed, they faintly heard rumbling in the distance. They looked and saw countless Boar Warriors charging from afar, mixed with a few heavy tanks.
"Retreat!"
Orlandi got up and fled, and the others followed suit. With over 700 contractors unable to win before, and only 50-plus left now, how could they possibly fight?
The escape journey of Sacred Hymn, the Heavenly Ghost Brothers, Guangmu, Orlandi, the Druid, Xiao Pei, and others officially began.
The Boar Warriors indeed couldn't match their speed, but they could chase slowly. The 160,000 Boar Warriors split into two groups—80,000 to hunt the contractors, the other 80,000 to hunt game, rotating between tasks.
That night on the Great Plains was extremely lively. Although Sacred Hymn, Orlandi, and the others could easily escape, hiding their tracks during a group escape of dozens wasn't easy. Besides, the War Zone was only so big, and there were too many enemies.
By noon the next day, the contractors, who hadn't slept all night, were running under the scorching sun. Behind them were the freshly rotated Boar Warriors, full of energy, chasing relentlessly.
The second night was another day of running.
On the morning of the third day, the program changed. The Boar Warriors tried to surround the contractors but got beaten back. As long as the contractors didn't lose their heads and fight the Boar Warriors, the chances of being caught were low. If surrounded and lacking space-saving escape items, death was certain.
On the morning of the fourth day of the offensive-defensive battle, 71 hours after the fighting began.
The Great Plains had returned to its usual quiet. For some unknown reason, the Boar Warriors had withdrawn.
A group of contractors, looking like they had joined the Scavenger faction, sat around a campfire. After three days, they could finally eat something hot.
"What a bunch of bastards from Apocalypse Paradise. Don't let me get the chance."
A disheveled man held a metal cup, drinking hot water. Nearby, Orlandi lay on the ground, his expression indicating a bad mood.
Sacred Hymn, sitting by the fire, had bright eyes. She had decided that, given even a slight opportunity, she would bury the Apocalypse Paradise contractor.
Why had the Boar Warriors stopped chasing the enemy contractors? Because only one hour remained until the World Coordinate was generated. They needed to return to the base camp to set up defenses.
At the location of their faction's fortress base camp, Su Xiao wasn't in the main command room. He stood atop the fortress, waiting.
Time passed minute by minute. He took out a timer and checked it. Five minutes remained to begin.
[Prompt: Changing the Hunter's current faction.]
[Current Faction: Apocalypse Paradise.]
[Transferring to Faction: Reincarnation Paradise.]
[Applying for arbitration...]
[Prompt (Void Tree): World War in progress. This application has been rejected.]
[Prompt (Reincarnation Paradise): The Hunter must apply for arbitration on their own.]
"Apply for arbitration."
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, a prompt from the Void Tree appeared.
[Prompt (Void Tree): Contractor, do you wish to apply for this arbitration? If so, it will result in a direct faction change.]
Su Xiao selected "Yes." His disguised identity was in the Apocalypse Paradise faction, but from start to finish, his mark remained that of a Hunter.
[Prompt (Void Tree): You have chosen to apply for arbitration.]
[Prompt (Void Tree): Your faction has changed. You are now a contractor of Reincarnation Paradise.]
[Prompt (Void Tree): You have been promoted to Hunter of Reincarnation Paradise. Synchronizing information...]
[Prompt (Void Tree): Error detected. Suspected Hunter intrusion behavior.]
[Detected multiple prior warnings against you.]
[Based on this intrusion, severe punishment will be imposed on Hunter Kukulin Bai Ye...]
[Punishment interrupted. According to initial regulations, such punishment can be offset by consuming Space-Time Power.]
[Reincarnation Paradise has consumed 7453 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[Re-evaluating and re-checking...]
[Check complete. Hunter, you entered this world via intrusion. Current faction: Reincarnation Paradise.]
[Reincarnation Paradise is not qualified to participate in this World War.]
[Detected that the Hunter has obtained ownership of the World Core and is about to successfully establish the World Coordinate. Determining contribution to this World Coordinate formation.]
[Reincarnation Paradise Hunter Contribution: 99.49%.]
[Apocalypse Paradise Contractor/Battle Angel Contribution: 0.51%.]
[Contribution gap too vast. Re-evaluating...]
[Due to the Hunter's excessively high contribution to this World Coordinate's formation, Reincarnation Paradise will intervene in the battlefield as a third party, using your mark as a relay.]
[Reincarnation Paradise has exited third-party status.]
[Warning: Reincarnation Paradise has intervened in this World War.]
[World Coordinate formation at 99.97%. Due to the change in defending side, the coordinate will regenerate.]
[Detected no fundamental change in the defending side (still the Reincarnation Paradise Hunter). Balancing this arbitration by altering the World Coordinate's properties.]
[Current World Coordinate Attribute: Reincarnation Paradise.]
[World Coordinate will form in 10 seconds.]
[After formation, the "Dark Mist" competition phase will begin. This is the only way to perfect this world's "World Core."]
A flood of prompts appeared, followed by one final announcement.
[Announcement (Void Tree): Reincarnation Paradise has joined this World War.]
As this announcement appeared, Su Xiao raised a signal gun toward the sky and pulled the trigger. A signal flare shot straight up.
Bang!
The flare exploded, forming a massive ф mark in the sky. The blood-red mark was clearly visible even from a hundred kilometers away, provided one had good eyesight.
Blood-red lightning flashed behind the dark clouds. An enormous vortex of clouds slowly churned overhead. At the very bottom of the vortex's center was their base camp.
East of the Great Plains, beside a campfire, the contractors of Holy Light Paradise and Watchful Paradise, who had just rested briefly, all stood up, looking at the distant sky.
Among them, Xiao Pei's eyes were filled with terror, his pupils contracted to the limit. He instinctively stepped back, landing on his rear. Pairs of blood-red eyes surfaced in his mind, along with experiences that couldn't be recreated even in nightmares.
That time, they were almost about to win when four Reincarnation Paradise contractors nearly blew them to annihilation, along with that crazy woman who pulled out his intestines to play with.
"So... that's how it is."
Sacred Hymn's expression turned grim. She had felt something was off before, a sense of dissonance. Now, everything made sense. If that was a Reincarnation Paradise contractor, everything happening now was normal—no one knew what a madman would do.
Compared to Sacred Hymn and Orlandi's group, on the inner side of the Great Plains, many Apocalypse Paradise contractors were also watching the distant ф mark. Combined with the prompts that had just appeared, they naturally understood what was happening. Many widened their eyes.
They had already given up, waiting to win by default. But just as victory was within reach, they were kicked awake. This left Hao Mei, Lu Di, and others looking like they'd seen a ghost, their morale shattered.
"Didn't they say Reincarnation Paradise wasn't in this one? What kind of mid-game entry is this?"
Hao Mei muttered to herself. The sudden happiness before had been so intense that she suspected it was fake. Those teammates were just too strong. Now it seemed that this sudden happiness was indeed fake.
PS: (Updated late today. Writing four chapters totaling 12,000 words puts a lot of pressure on me.)