Chapter 387: Faking Death to Escape

Out in the wilderness.

An off-road vehicle tore across the terrain.

Inside, Yang Dongqing sat in the passenger seat, fraught with worry.

"Vice-Commander Yan, why exactly did you have me fake my death to escape? We're a long way from Haibin City now. You can tell me, can't you?"

Yang Dongqing pressed, looking at Yan Moxie, who was focused entirely on driving.

Yan Moxie kept his eyes glued to the road ahead. "The commander is planning a major operation soon," he said calmly. "He's ordered all Revolutionary Army members lying low across the Empire to return to headquarters."

"What major operation?"

"An assault on the Chiyan Empire." Yan Moxie's deep voice filled the cabin. The engine's roar quickly drowned out his words, but to Yang Dongqing, they struck like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, the shock echoing long after.

"Now?" Yang Dongqing exclaimed in shock.

Yan Moxie nodded. "That's right. Now."

"But right in the middle of a Nightmare Invasion? If humanity slaughters itself now, won't that..."

Yan Moxie fell silent for a moment before replying slowly, "This is our best opportunity. King Chi is heavily wounded. Nearly all the major military legions within the Empire have been deployed to the coastal regions, leaving only a bunch of cowardly nobles behind.

"Moreover, ever since the candidate for the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins wreaked havoc in the noble district, those nobles have been terrified. They've started banding together, which means that aside from the Imperial Capital, the rest of the territory is practically defenseless.

"As long as we seize this chance, the Revolutionary Army can unite at least the southern region of the Chiyan Empire and claim half the realm!"

Yang Dongqing fell into a deep silence. Reason told him that with an apocalyptic crisis looming, now was not the time for a human civil war.

"Don't you want to resurrect Jasmine?" Yan Moxie's calm words twisted like a sharp knife in Yang Dongqing's heart.

"Of course I do! I think about it every waking second!" Yang Dongqing snapped.

"Then this is a godsent opportunity. Once the Revolutionary Army overthrows the Chiyan Empire's rule and kills King Chi, we can obtain Supreme Heaven. When that happens, your Jasmine can be resurrected."

At the mention of Supreme Heaven, Yang Dongqing suddenly remembered following Su Mu into the Nightmare World to search for the First Red King. He had long suspected that the matter was connected to Supreme Heaven.

"It might not go that smoothly. Sup—Ah!!!"

Yang Dongqing suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. He clutched his head desperately with both hands, his expression twisting into a savage grimace as his eyes bulged from their sockets.

Screech!

The off-road vehicle skidded, plowing two long, black tire tracks into the ground.

"What's wrong with you?" Yan Moxie frowned.

"I... I can't say."

"Is it that contract you signed? Is its content related to Supreme Heaven?"

"Ah... I can't say!" Yang Dongqing's expression grew even more contorted with agony. The sheer torment tearing at his soul surpassed even the pain of fusing with Mithril.

"Just nod or shake your head," Yan Moxie urged, growing impatient.

"Just... stop asking. I can't reveal a single detail, not even by nodding or shaking my head. The moment I leak anything, my soul will instantly shatter!"

A flash of disappointment crossed Yan Moxie's eyes, and he pressed no further.

It took a long time for Yang Dongqing to recover. Finally calming down, he panted heavily and slumped back against his seat, his eyes bloodshot.

Silence descended between the two once more.

After a long while, Yang Dongqing spoke in a muffled voice. "I want to resurrect Jasmine, but I don't want the world to be destroyed. If the world ends, what's the point of bringing her back? So she can experience the agony of death all over again?"

Yan Moxie let out a cryptic sneer. "Do you really think those rotting nobles can save the world? Do you have any idea how truly stupid they are?

"Ever since they were attacked by the candidate for the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, they've been styling themselves as saviors. They genuinely believe they were targeted because they're simply too powerful—that they're the main force meant to save the world, so the Seven Deadly Sins viewed them as a thorn in their side.

"Under the guise of salvation, these nobles have been frantically recruiting troops and building shelters, touting themselves as humanity's last hope. And the result? These pieces of trash don't even dare to step foot on the front lines."

Yang Dongqing pressed his lips tightly together. From the looks of it, the Revolutionary Army hadn't gone to the front lines either.

Yan Moxie remained immersed in his own world, continuing his tirade. "The Revolutionary Army are the true saviors! Only by overthrowing the rotting nobles can we lead the citizens of the entire Chiyan Empire to survival!"

Hearing this, Su Mu, sitting in the backseat, smiled silently. No one knew whether he was laughing at the nobles, the Revolutionary Army, or both.

People were always so amusing, inherently possessing the attributes of a civil war god. They might be utterly useless when dealing with Nightmare Creatures, but when it came to infighting, each was more masterful than the last.

He didn't care what the nobles did. Whether they touted themselves as saviors or recruited armies, if they wanted to play the hero, he would simply grant their wish.

After all, the more power the nobles amassed, the more Nightmare Creatures would come to greet them. Shelters would be useless; when the time came, he would just dump the Nightmare Creatures directly inside them.

The same held true for the Revolutionary Army. Su Mu had just been fretting over where to find forces to whittle down the Nightmare Creatures, and here was the Revolutionary Army massing its troops, delivering themselves right to his doorstep.

Since both sides claimed to be the saviors, he would see who could kill more Nightmare Creatures.

He had known all along that Yang Dongqing wasn't dead. As one of the first Transcendents to follow him, Yang Dongqing had long since had his very soul stamped with Su Mu's mark—a brand he could never escape in this lifetime.

Su Mu smiled without a sound. In the front seats, neither Yan Moxie nor Yang Dongqing had noticed the extra person sitting behind them. From their perspective, Su Mu was practically a ghost, horrifyingly capable of appearing anywhere without a single sound.

Swish!

Su Mu vanished once again.

This time, he went straight to the Revolutionary Army headquarters.

Upon arriving, he saw exactly what he expected. The headquarters was bustling, packed with a dense sea of people. Fully armed soldiers were everywhere, along with quite a few Transcendents.

And this was only a fraction of their forces. Even more soldiers were stationed in the mountains surrounding the base, guarding the perimeter.

"Commander, the troops are mostly assembled. Those coming from further away are still en route, but we expect everyone to be fully mustered within three days. When do we launch the general offensive?"

A man with a cyan tattoo on his face asked in a deep tone.

Inside the brightly lit room, the upper echelon of the Revolutionary Army had gathered. Aside from Yan Moxie, who was still on his way, all of them were present—over a dozen people in total.

Everyone stared with burning eyes at Specter, who sat at the head of the table, waiting for him to issue the order.

Specter swept his gaze around the room before finally declaring in a solemn voice, "In three days, at one in the morning, we launch... launch..."

Specter's voice suddenly hitched, as if a pair of invisible hands were choking his throat. His pupils abruptly shrank, his eyes locked rigidly dead ahead.

"Launch what?" an indifferent voice echoed through the room.

The crowd froze. They traced the sound, and the color instantly drained from their faces!

Thud, thud, thud...

Everyone shot up from their seats in alarm, staring in nervous terror at the figure that had materialized out of thin air.

A tailcoat, white gloves, and a Silver-White Mask!!!

The scornful, icy smile on that Silver-White Mask pierced their eyes.

The Head of the Seven Deadly Sins! Pride!!

"Pride! How can this be!?"

"He actually came right to our door. Why..."