Chapter 136: Species Collapse (8)

He Yu's identity as "General Kunhui" was now completely secure.

Eugene and the others all breathed a sigh of relief, though their emotions were complicated...

Originally, none of them had agreed with He Yu continuing to impersonate General Kunhui. They had thought he was courting death.

Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that he would actually... succeed.

It was a bit of a slap in the face.

But they were also genuinely happy.

At the city gate.

Old Stone took a deep breath and asked Ling Buchen, "He Yu is a toy, right? One of the original humans?"

Ling Buchen nodded.

If Old Stone had asked whether He Yu belonged to their Black Camp, Ling Buchen probably wouldn't have known how to answer. But since he had only asked whether He Yu was one of the original humans, that was easy to answer.

He Yu was indeed an original human.

"Hahaha!" Old Stone suddenly burst into laughter, then hurriedly covered his mouth and resumed pretending to be an ordinary stone.

Lowering his voice, he trembled with excitement.

"Wonderful! Such a brilliant person actually belongs to our Black Camp. With someone like him, our Black Camp has a chance to turn everything around!!"

He was too excited.

And he thought far too highly of He Yu.

Ling Buchen remained silent.

He Yu might not choose the Black Camp.

No...

Rather, Ling Buchen felt certain that He Yu would never choose the Black Camp.

The audience was equally excited—

"Ahhh! That was so cool!"

"When He Yu said 'This General' and had Wanrenzhan kill the fake Kunhui—it was so awesome! Wuwuwu, He God, I love He God more and more."

"Holy crap, twist after twist after twist. That was absolutely mind-blowing."

"He literally talked his way into becoming General Kunhui. Sure, this Kunhui was fake too, but there was basically no difference from the real one. The fact that He Yu could steal even that identity... he's incredible."

"My heart almost stopped from nervousness just now, yet He God calmly refuted Kunhui without the slightest panic. Amazing."

"So is He Yu planning to stand with the Red Camp?"

...

The King covered his face, his voice low.

"I'm sorry... I almost became a sinner in history. I truly never imagined this Kunhui was actually a Green Camp spy... I trusted him so much. I nearly caused the Red Camp to lose the war."

Because he had trusted Kunhui, Kunhui had known every one of the Red Camp's battle plans.

If things had continued that way, defeat for the Red Camp would only have been a matter of time. The future He Yu had described earlier hadn't merely been a hypothetical scenario—

It had been a very real possibility.

The Elders were still in shock when He Yu rode his Wind Fire Wheels up to the throne.

Looking at the King, he comforted him softly.

"It's alright. Everything is over now. We've already exposed the spy, and I've officially returned. It's still not too late. Don't blame yourself, Your Majesty. The enemy was simply too cunning."

The King turned toward the little white dumpling, pulled him tightly into his arms, and tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.

"Kunhui... I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I didn't recognize you..."

Not only had he failed to recognize him, he had nearly ordered "Kunhui" to be executed.

Had Tangyuan truly been killed, the King would have carried an unforgivable sin.

He Yu let him hold him as he cried, smiling benevolently.

"It's alright. I forgive you."

The King sobbed.

"Wuwuwu... General, you're such a wonderful person."

Everyone: "............"

—If we didn't know who you really were, we'd actually believe your nonsense.

Yuan Ze glanced at Eugene.

What exactly happened? Why can't I understand anything anymore?

Eugene: ...It doesn't matter. Even if you understood, you couldn't participate.

After venting his lingering fear, the King quickly composed himself.

After all, he was still the King. He possessed enough self-control.

What had happened had already happened.

What mattered now was facing it.

He stood up. He Yu remained beside him atop his Wind Fire Wheels, the two standing shoulder to shoulder before the throne.

The King shouted loudly,

"Welcome back, General Kunhui!"

Below them, everyone roared in unison,

"Welcome back, General Kunhui!"

With a solemn expression, He Yu gave a slight nod before calmly saying,

"Over the past year, the spy used my identity to commit countless wrongdoings. He leaked Red Camp intelligence to the Green Camp while simultaneously hunting down toys so I couldn't come forward and prove who I was."

Anger immediately appeared on everyone's faces.

They had nearly been destroyed by that spy.

Even their General Kunhui had suffered greatly because of him.

The spy deserved death!

He Yu continued,

"For now, I can only appear in this form. If we explain to every member of the Red Camp that I am General Kunhui, we'll inevitably have to reveal the spy's betrayal. That would damage the reputation of our Red Camp."

The Elders nodded.

Black Bear exclaimed excitedly,

"General! Then tell us what we should do! We'll all follow your orders!"

He Yu nodded, giving him an approving look.

Black Bear's face immediately flushed red with excitement.

Only then did He Yu withdraw his gaze and calmly continue,

"So we need a new explanation. During this year of hiding, I gave myself a new name. From today onward, General Kunhui is dead, and the Red Camp now has a new General—

General He Yu!"

General He Yu!

Everyone froze briefly.

He Yu's voice rang out with boundless confidence.

"The defeats belong to the past. Let those failures be buried together with the name 'General Kunhui.' From today onward, I am 'General He Yu.' General He Yu will lead the Red Camp to be reborn... and march toward victory!"

Below, everyone shouted in unison—

"General He Yu!"

"General He Yu!"

"General He Yu!"

Wave after wave of voices spread outward.

From the castle...

To the city...

Then beyond the city walls.

The Red Camp consisted of the original animals. Their natures were fierce, but simple. They obeyed orders without question.

So when the castle began shouting "General He Yu," even those who had no idea what had happened instinctively joined in, layer after layer.

Within only five minutes...

The name General He Yu echoed throughout the entire main city and beyond.

Eugene and the others: "..."

Old Stone and Little Stone: "..."

The audience: "..."

—That operation was ridiculously flashy.

【Bullet Screen: "I seriously don't understand. How did the four words 'General He Yu' suddenly appear so naturally?"】

【Bullet Screen: "Even if someone beat me to death, I'd never have guessed He Yu would casually work his way into becoming a Red Camp General..."】

【Bullet Screen: "This guy wasn't satisfied with impersonating Kunhui. After stealing someone else's identity, he even insisted on using his own name! That's just... badass."】

—

General Kunhui was dead.

The new General was called General He Yu.

He was personally recognized by the King and the Elders.

Although he looked like an adorable little white dumpling...

He was extraordinarily powerful.

He would lead the Red Camp to victory.

...

The news spread rapidly throughout the entire Red Camp.

Although everyone mourned the death of "General Kunhui," war never stopped. They had no choice but to quickly adapt to life without him.

Fortunately...

Rumor had it General He Yu was just as formidable.

Inside the castle.

One Elder sighed.

"Sigh... Gen—General He Yu. In your current state, you possess very little combat power. How are you supposed to lead our warriors into battle and conquer this planet?"

Another Elder sighed as well.

"Exactly. Losing your combat strength is truly regrettable."

He Yu remained perfectly calm.

His tiny black bean-like eyes showed no emotion.

"Wars are not won by one person's combat power. Both the Red Camp and the Green Camp possess formidable warriors. Right now, however, we are at a disadvantage. We must rely on strategy."

The Elder froze.

The King hurriedly asked,

"What strategy?"

He Yu answered,

"Strategic planning. We defeat the Green Camp through schemes and tactics."

One Elder frowned.

"That way of thinking sounds very much like those crafty toys..."

He Yu looked directly at him.

"That's right. I learned it from the toys. During this past year, I encountered quite a few of them and learned many things from them. Toys certainly deserve to die, but they also possess value."

The King's gaze swept toward Eugene and the others, who remained under guard.

"Is that why you spared them?"

He Yu nodded.

"Yes. Right now, I cannot leave my Wind Fire Wheels. My sword is my weapon, and the remaining toys all have value. Let them keep their lives for now."

An Elder looked at him complicatedly.

"You've changed a great deal."

He Yu showed no panic.

"I spent a year being hunted by the spy. If I hadn't changed, I wouldn't have survived."

Just then, someone burst in frantically.

"Report! Lilu City has fallen to the Green Camp!"

The King shot to his feet, his face changing dramatically.

"What?! Lilu City has been captured? Why didn't we receive any reports about Green Camp movements? When did they approach Lilu City?"

The messenger shook his head angrily.

"We don't know when they got close. None of our scouts reported anything."

The King and the Elders froze.

They understood.

Perhaps it wasn't that the scouts hadn't sent reports...

Perhaps the reports had reached... the fake Kunhui.

And once those reports landed in the fake Kunhui's hands, he naturally would never have informed the Red Camp.

He concealed everything, allowing Lilu City to fall.

The King frowned again.

"But how could Lilu City fall so easily? That's impossible."

The messenger shook his head.

"It wasn't easy. Internal chaos erupted inside Lilu City. According to those who escaped, several toys appeared in the city and caused massive disturbances while coordinating with the Green Camp from within and without. That's how they captured Lilu City so quickly."

"Toys!"

One Elder gritted his teeth, glaring murderously toward the toys confined in the corner.

Eugene: ...

The moment he heard that, he knew.

That was definitely the work of fellow contestants.

The "toys" native to this world had long since gone into hiding.

Only newcomers like them would create disturbances on such a scale.

Cheng Zhao trembled.

We're finished.

That old man is definitely going to kill us.

He Yu spoke calmly,

"What's done is done. We must focus on solving the problem. These toys are still useful to me. Don't touch them. As for the toys in Lilu City... they'll be dealt with soon enough."

The Elder was still furious.

"Lilu City isn't far from the main city. Now that they've occupied it, the capital itself is under direct threat. We're at a complete disadvantage!"

He Yu met his gaze coldly.

"Then do you have a way to retake Lilu City?"

The Elder fell silent.

He Yu continued,

"If you can't take it back, then stop talking and listen first."

The Elder asked,

"You have a plan?"

He Yu looked toward the King.

"Your Majesty, bring out the battle map. I haven't seen one in a year. I need to study the current situation first."

His voice was firm and unquestionable.

The King instinctively activated the battle map.

Although technology on this planet had regressed due to the collapse of order, it was still a Federation world. Basic technology remained.

The battle map appeared as a detailed projection showing the current state of the war.

The moment it activated...

Lilu City changed from red to green.

Apart from remote regions where no one ventured, most of the major battlefields were already green.

No wonder everyone kept saying the Red Camp was on the verge of defeat.

The disadvantage was glaringly obvious.

Wanrenzhan asked in the team chat,

"Actually, I don't understand something. Why is the Red Camp losing? Aren't animals stronger than plants?"

Without waiting for He Yu to answer, Ling Buchen replied,

"Old Stone told me before. The Red Camp mostly consists of fierce animals that rely on overwhelming combat strength. In one-on-one battles or direct confrontations, the Green Camp can't beat them. But the Green Camp has larger numbers, more diverse abilities, and they're much better at strategy. Overall, the Red Camp is weaker."

Wanrenzhan nodded in understanding.

Meanwhile, inside the hall, He Yu scanned the map.

His eyes settled on Lilu City.

He tried to slide the projection...

Only to discover that his tiny hands were too short.

A flash of annoyance crossed his eyes.

Black Bear noticed immediately and hurried over to move the map for him.

He Yu gave him another approving glance before studying Lilu City's position.

He said decisively,

"We must retake this city. Since they dared seize Lilu City, I'll make them spit out every neighboring city along with it."

—That was quite an ambitious claim.

The Elders exchanged complicated looks.

None of them quite believed him.

The original Kunhui had never been a schemer.

He excelled in battle.

Their doubts were understandable.

Even the King looked uncertain.

He Yu met their eyes sincerely.

"I've spent a year learning. I understand far more than before. Besides... you can ask the toys. That masked Eugene is an extremely cunning individual. Perhaps he'll be able to offer us a good suggestion."

Eugene: "..."

Cunning?

Why did he feel like an idiot whenever he stood in front of He Yu?

He Yu glanced at him before saying through the team chat,

"If you want to stay alive, then demonstrate your value. Need me to think of something for you?"

Eugene replied speechlessly,

"No need. I've read extensively and know quite a bit about warfare. Helping with strategic planning won't be a problem."

He was escorted forward.

Standing beside the battle map, the masked Eugene studied the situation before beginning to explain,

"Lilu City is close to the capital. Once captured, it threatens the main city, but it also creates an opportunity for us. We can..."

He Yu looked at him thoughtfully.

The people of Mechanical Planet truly were like they had cheats.

No wonder, a thousand years ago, the mechanical race had managed to launch a rebellion and caused enormous trouble for the Universe Federation.

And no wonder, even after their defeat, they still retained District Two.

—

The discussion continued until nightfall.

Afterward, He Yu spent quite a while talking privately with the King.

Only after wandering around the castle several more times, waiting for his residence to be cleaned up, did He Yu finally ride his Wind Fire Wheels back with the toys.

The King wanted to assign guards to protect him.

His combat power was now pitifully low.

If danger appeared, Wanrenzhan and the others alone would never be enough.

However...

He Yu politely declined.

He returned accompanied only by the toys.

As "General Kunhui," his residence naturally belonged to Kunhui as well.

As a General, Kunhui's living quarters were excellent.

The moment He Yu entered, he climbed directly onto the bed.

No one else had the qualifications to do so.

Everyone else could only remain beneath it.

Wanrenzhan tried several times to jump up.

Each time, Bo Jingshan knocked him right back down.

Eugene looked at him with open disdain.

—None of us are allowed on the bed with He Yu. Does Wanrenzhan seriously think he's special?

Hammer Yuan Ze asked,

"So you're planning to join the Red Camp?"

He Yu shook his head.

"I'm not."

Everyone stared blankly.

"Then why did you go through so much trouble to become General He Yu?"

He Yu looked around at them.

Just as he was about to answer—

His expression suddenly turned sharp.

"Who's there?!"

The instant the words left his mouth, several vines shot in through the window.

A dark figure followed.

The vines tightly wrapped around He Yu and the others, gagging them and binding their bodies.

He Yu in particular was attacked directly by the shadow.

—They were here to kill them!

"Wait!" He Yu shouted.

The figure paid no attention.

One hand gripped He Yu's throat tightly.

The other raised a knife and stabbed downward.

The moment He Yu saw the vines, he immediately thought of Xiao Lü.

But these vines were completely different.

They were dark green.

Xiao Lü's vines were a clear, jade-like emerald green.

Moreover, these vines were being actively controlled by someone...

Someone intent on killing him.

Just as the knife's tip reached He Yu—

He Yu took a deep breath.

"Have you mistaken me for someone from the Red Camp? I think... you should hear me out first."

【Bullet Screen: "Yes, let He Yu talk."】

【Bullet Screen: "...If you're really going to kill him, don't ever let him start talking."】

The knife stopped.

An utterly ordinary middle-aged man's voice sounded.

"So you're the Red Camp's new General He Yu? You discovered Kunhui's true identity... and killed Kunhui?"