Chapter 241 : Major Speculation About Famous General Forms

Chapter 241: Major Speculation About Famous General Forms! The Counteroffensive Against the Corpse Lich Territory Begins!

Gan ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Ning's passing

left ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the Calamity Army both indignant and grief-stricken.

To ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍them, Twisted Three Kingdoms was more than just a game.

Every ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Player devoted eighty to ninety percent of their free time to it. It was no exaggeration to say that this place had become the new life they had begun in another world.

What ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍made Twisted Three Kingdoms different from other games was this.

First,

every Player could easily obtain tremendous rewards within the game.

These rewards were not only monetary income capable of changing one's life and social class,

but also an unparalleled sense of spiritual fulfillment akin to being reborn.

Profit and emotion were bound together!

Naturally, this fostered an intense sense of belonging!

Thus, from the very beginning until now, the Players had always stood united with the territory.

No one wanted the territory's development to decline,

because no one dared imagine the consequences and cost of losing all of this.

Secondly,

the game had no pay-to-win mechanics, no save files, no character replacement, and no reset function.

Every footprint left by a Player in the game influenced this world.

Every choice they made,

every battle they experienced,

helped shape this enormous sandbox.

These actions not only affected the development of the territory itself,

but also determined the fate of countless NPCs.

As a result, immersion and participation were pushed to the absolute limit.

The Abyssal World was filled with danger,

surrounded by Evil Gods,

and inhabited by countless foreign races.

No one knew what they would encounter during future expansion.

No one knew what challenges or dangers awaited them.

Even with the wise and great Lord watching over them,

every Player still carried an inescapable sense of crisis deep within.

Under these circumstances,

the Players naturally hoped the territory's population would continue growing.

They hoped its economy and military strength would become increasingly prosperous and powerful.

For this reason,

the overwhelming majority of Players instinctively cherished every NPC,

even an ordinary resident.

Whether out of empathy for these lifelike inhabitants,

or simply from consideration for their own interests,

it was both the right thing

and the necessary thing to do.

If that was true for ordinary people,

then what about talented individuals?

And even more so,

a first-rate Famous General like Gan Ning?

After seeing the benefits the territory had gained from Zhou Cang, Wen Ping, Jia Xu, and Zhang Zhongjing joining its ranks,

the Players had already discovered one of this game's most important mechanics!

If they wanted the territory to become stronger,

it was not enough merely to expand its borders!

They also had to recruit top-tier talents like these!

Gan Ning had been one of Eastern Wu's foremost Famous Generals during the Three Kingdoms era.

If such a figure could serve the territory,

he would undoubtedly provide enormous assistance.

Losing him, on the other hand,

was a tremendous loss for the territory.

Since joining the game,

although NPCs had occasionally died in battle,

and although factional conflicts had forced the Players to kill hundreds or even thousands of enemy NPCs,

including outstanding figures such as Zhang Xiu, Deng Zhi, and Han Ji,

Gan Ning's death was undoubtedly the greatest regret of them all!

Not just Gan Ning,

but every single inhabitant throughout the Xianshan region represented a tremendous loss.

Hang Yu chose to respect Gan Ning's decision.

On one hand,

given the territory's current circumstances,

saving him would indeed have been extremely difficult.

On the other hand,

after Gan Ning had been transformed into a foreign race,

he had permanently lost the ability to awaken a Fortune Skill.

This was also one of the shortcomings of Evil Path Lords.

Under such circumstances,

even if Skeleton Gan Ning continued existing,

he would merely become another high-end combatant within the territory.

He would find it difficult to truly shine in the future.

Given his personality,

such an existence would have been unbearable.

As for the Players' grief and indignation,

Hang Yu naturally noticed it all.

However,

he did not consider it a bad thing.

Skeleton Gan Ning's tragic death served as an excellent lesson in reality,

allowing the Players to understand the cruelty of this game far more deeply!

Only in this way

would they identify more strongly with their mission!

Only then

would they better understand their own value and responsibilities!

This would effectively deepen the Players' immersion

and strengthen the unity of the Calamity Army!

……………

That evening,

on the official game forum,

topics concerning every event before and after this battle had already completely flooded the front page.

Naturally,

there were also many discussions about Skeleton Gan Ning.

Among them,

the famous story-focused Player Chimera Wraith, who had not made a new post for many days, specifically published a new thread.

The title read:

《We Accompanied General Gan on His Final Journey! This Thread Is Dedicated to This Tragic Hero!》

In less than two hours,

the thread had already accumulated tens of thousands of replies.

Not only that,

it was reposted by numerous social media influencers and official public accounts.

The number of likes and shares skyrocketed within a very short period of time.

Countless experts on Twisted Three Kingdoms, cloud players, and fans of Twisted Three Kingdoms shared and reposted the article throughout their social circles,

leaving flowers in the comments or messages such as "Farewell, General Gan."

As it turned out,

the post's primary content

recounted the Calamity Army's final moments with Gan Ning.

Skeleton Gan Ning spent the last moments of his existence

touring the Main City, New Wancheng, and several other locations with the Lord's permission.

When he witnessed the increasingly wonderful lives the people enjoyed under the Lord's governance,

and saw the hope and passion for life shining on the faces of countless soldiers and civilians,

the Skeleton General completely cast aside the gloom weighing upon him

and burst into bright, hearty laughter.

In the end,

his Soul Flame

was extinguished amidst that laughter.

From that moment onward,

Dead Bones Skeleton Gan Ning existed no more.

Although the ending itself had not changed,

Gan Ning still chose death and departure.

Yet this special farewell deeply moved countless Players.

That was why Chimera Wraith had deliberately written this thread.

For a time,

the forum was filled with an atmosphere of grief.

Countless people replied to the thread to bid farewell to Skeleton Gan Ning.

Of course, as a dedicated lore researcher, Chimera Wraith's post was more than just a report.

It also contained an in-depth investigation into the storyline surrounding the Corpse Lich Territory, allowing readers to understand the full sequence of events much more clearly.

She wrote in the thread:

“……”

“According to the intelligence we have gathered,”

“General Gan Ning came from the Xianshan Region!”

“This Xianshan Region is the map located north of the Wolong Mountain Region.”

“It is two to three times larger than the Wolong Mountain Region itself.”

“Based on the available information, it isn't difficult to determine that this area was once a small part of Jiangxia Commandery during the Three Kingdoms era. Before the Abyss descended, it had an extremely dense population, and at its peak, it was hardly inferior to the New Wan Region.”

“However, the Xianshan Region contained a powerful source of corruption. That individual was none other than Sun Jian, known as the Tiger of Jiangdong. His repeated rampages caused the Abyssal Corruption to spiral out of control several times, eventually reaching an irreversible state.”

“As the Core Corruption, Sun Jian's strength continued to grow and the corrupted area gradually spread to encompass the entire Xianshan Region. The local population found survival increasingly difficult, to the point where they could barely continue living.”

“It was at this very moment that the Stars Lord Xie Ming descended upon this land!”

“Although we still don't know what schemes or strategies he employed during the process, the final outcome was that the native inhabitants chose to submit to him.”

“Without a doubt!”

“During this process, Xie Ming fabricated countless lies and deceptions. He even deliberately spread plagues and created famines.”

“He successfully convinced the local people that as long as they transformed into undead, they would possess bodies that would never again know hunger, fatigue, or aging.”

“For the native inhabitants, whose lives had already become unbearably difficult and nearly impossible to sustain, this temptation was irresistible.”

“Even Gan Ning and Huang Zu joined the Corpse Lich Territory because of it.”

“Nearly one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians!”

“All of them were transformed into the Dead Bones Race!”

“At the time, General Gan Ning clearly did not realize that this was a terrible mistake, one whose consequences would prove unimaginably horrifying!”

“At this point,”

“I think it's necessary to explain an important piece of the setting.”

“Some people, influenced by previous fantasy works, will probably assume that the Dead Bones Race and humans share some special superior-subordinate transformation relationship and can easily transform into one another.”

“In reality, that's not the case.”

“Transforming into the Dead Bones Race is a change of race, not merely a change in life state.”

“It is extremely difficult to reverse!”

“The Dead Bones Race and humans are two completely different races.”

“Although these Dead Bones were transformed from humans, this is simply one method by which this type of undead reproduces. From the moment they became members of the Dead Bones Race, the racial attributes of Jiangxia's soldiers and civilians were permanently altered.”

“Under this horrifying conspiracy,”

“the soldiers and civilians of Jiangxia were completely reduced to inhuman undead.”

“With the exception of a tiny handful of individuals, the overwhelming majority gradually lost both their memories and even their sense of self during their long slumber.”

“This is why General Gan Ning ultimately chose to destroy himself in order to rise up against the Corpse Lich Territory...”

“With the last remnants of his humanity, he allowed the Corpse Lich Lord to witness humanity's final pride, and he also made that Lord pay a terrible price!”

“Even though General Gan Ning was unable to consciously rebel!”

“He still found a way to oppose Xie Ming!”

“That method was to ask our Strategist Jia Xu to use a secret puppet technique to control his body. In that way, even while his soul was being scorched by the imprint, he could still swing his blades against the Corpse Fiends without being affected!”

“……”

Chimera Wraith's ability to uncover hidden lore was indeed impressive.

Not only had she figured out what had happened in the Xianshan Region,

she had even managed to investigate the details of Jia Xu controlling Gan Ning in battle.

Of course,

what Chimera Wraith did not know

was that this had originally been one of Jia Xu's schemes.

Therefore,

she was more inclined to believe that Skeleton Gan Ning had experienced a spontaneous awakening.

Unable to resist by any conventional means,

he ultimately carried out such a tragic and heroic act of defiance!

Upon reading this,

countless cloud players were moved to tears.

“General Gan is a real man!”

“The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage!”

“Although General Gan Ning strayed onto the wrong path, he met his end as a human, fought for humanity until his very last moment, and in the end received a worthy conclusion!!”

“The Calamity Army will forever remember General Gan Ning's contributions!”

“The Calamity Army still has a long road ahead!”

“We must prevent tragedies like this from happening again!”

“……”

The reason Chimera Wraith's thread became so wildly popular in such a short time was not merely because it documented Gan Ning's final moments or uncovered the truth behind his defection.

It also introduced numerous theories regarding the game's setting and future storylines.

To many Players,

this part was even more fascinating.

In the latest update to her thread, Chimera Wraith wrote:

“As everyone knows, I've spent a long time researching the worldbuilding of Twisted Three Kingdoms and have written many analyses of Nightmare Fragments from the Abyssal Three Kingdoms.”

“Theoretically speaking,”

“the moment the Abyssal Will descended, it divided the entire late Han and Three Kingdoms era into countless billions of timelines and dimensions from the perspectives of both time and space.”

“In theory, any combination of time and space can form an entirely new dream realm.”

“This means we may very well encounter different versions of the same person at different points in time, in different states, and in different forms across separate Abyssal Dream Realms.”

“Following this setting and theory, every Famous General may possess infinitely many different forms.”

“However, because each version has developed over countless years along completely different timelines and experienced entirely different lives, they have become fundamentally different individuals.”

“So theoretically, aside from sharing the same name and perhaps similar abilities, the vastly different experiences they've undergone have shaped them into completely independent beings.”

“Some become corrupted and transform into Abyssal Walkers or Abyssal Corrupted. These can be called Demonic Forms or Abyssal Forms.”

“Others become regional overlords or experience their own unique adventures and growth. These can be considered Standard Forms.”

“But now it seems”

“there may also be at least two additional special forms that appear frequently.”

“The first is naturally the kind we encountered in Wolong Mountain—like Guan Yu—where Divinity awakens and all incarnations become one!”

“Although the information currently available is still far too limited, my preliminary hypothesis is that the hallmark of Divine Awakening is that when one particular individual becomes powerful enough, they eventually resonate with and merge with every version of themselves across every dream realm and timeline.”

“In doing so, they not only absorb the memories and knowledge accumulated by all of their alternate selves across different timelines, but also turn those alternate selves scattered throughout the dream realms into avatars.”

“Perhaps this very act of convergence is what it truly means to become a god!”

“Divine Awakening should be unique.”

“It's highly likely that a number of gods have already appeared during the Three Kingdoms era, but even among gods there are distinctions. For example, according to Guan Yu, Zhang Jiao is an Evil God belonging to a different faction.”

“This subject is far too complicated, so I'll stop here. Everyone can think about and expand upon it yourselves.”

“Now let me discuss another possibility.”

“This possibility is mainly inspired by Skeleton Gan Ning's experience.”

“As everyone knows, the Abyssal World is not only covered in Abyssal Corruption, but is also invaded by countless Stars Lords.”

“They commit every conceivable evil, showing neither mercy nor restraint, while endlessly plundering populations and resources.”

“Naturally, there must be Famous Ministers and Famous Generals like Gan Ning, who joined foreign races after being deceived, manipulated, or tempted.”

“So!”

“Since the Corpse Lich Territory under Xie Ming possesses the ability to transform people,”

“could other races also possess similar transformation methods?”

“If such transformation methods are widespread, then besides Native Forms and Abyssal Forms, we may eventually encounter a third category—the Stars Form!”

“The greatest characteristic of Famous Ministers and Famous Generals in Stars Forms would be a complete racial transformation.”

“They may become full-fledged Stars fiends.”

“This time we encountered Dead Bones Skeleton Gan Ning.”

“In the future, could we encounter Titan Gan Ning, Dragon Gan Ning, Lizardfolk Gan Ning, or Demon Gan Ning?”

“Of course,”

“I'm merely using Gan Ning as an example.”

“It's impossible for every version of General Gan to be this unfortunate.”

“In short, if my speculation is correct, then the variety of forms in which we encounter these Famous Ministers and Famous Generals may be far richer than we can currently imagine.”

“Everything above is purely speculation!”

“It certainly differs from the game's actual settings!”

“It's merely intended to stimulate discussion, so there's no need to take it too seriously!”

“……”

The quality of Chimera Wraith's new thread was exceptionally high.

Its updated theories regarding the game's setting, in particular, successfully sparked countless new discussions.

The Battle of Huangmei Hamlet

had inflicted considerable losses upon the Calamity Army.

At this point, most Players had entered Moderate Fatigue or Severe Fatigue,

so naturally they needed a good rest.

Precisely because the Calamity Army's main force was generally recuperating,

many prominent Players also published their own opinions,

quickly igniting another wave of heated discussions across the forum.

……

Meanwhile,

within Luoshui Main City,

Hang Yu summarized the Battle of Huangmei Hamlet.

There was no question that this battle had been a glorious victory.

Not only had the territory reclaimed all of its lost lands,

it had also annihilated approximately 7,500 elite troops from the Corpse Lich Territory.

Although the territory's forces had also suffered casualties,

fewer than sixty or seventy soldiers had been lost.

This was unavoidable.

After all,

this had been a life-or-death war,

fought under circumstances where the enemy had prepared numerous traps, siege equipment, and defensive installations.

A casualty ratio of one hundred to one

was no different from a flawless victory.

Hang Yu had already reviewed the casualty roster.

Most of the fallen belonged to the Iron Eagle Guard.

Fewer than five were from the Black Tiger Guard.

Not a single Azure Dragon Guard had been lost.

As the Lord,

it was naturally his responsibility to provide proper compensation.

Since the fallen soldiers were mostly recruits from New Wan,

with only a handful selected from Shansang City,

they were all native inhabitants of this world.

Hang Yu would directly issue a large amount of Contribution Points as compensation.

Those with parents or children would have the compensation inherited by them.

Those without parents or children would have it passed on to their clan or other relatives.

If they had no surviving family at all,

then their friends, comrades, or military unit would inherit it.

In short,

with such an incredibly low casualty ratio,

combined with generous rewards and compensation,

the Black Tiger Guard and Iron Eagle Guard would have no lingering worries.

In the future,

they would defend the territory even more courageously,

without fearing death.

“Lord!”

At this moment,

Jia Xu stepped forward to make his report.

“The battlefield at Huangmei Hamlet has been completely cleaned up. All unusable Stars facilities have been reverse-summoned and reclaimed. In addition, we have seized a number of siege weapons and materials.”

Most of the Stars facilities belonging to the Undead Race

were unusable by Hang Yu.

Under such circumstances,

he simply activated the Blessing Point at Huangmei Hamlet

to reverse-summon and recycle all ineffective structures within the stronghold.

This process yielded a considerable amount of refined materials.

As for the seized equipment and materials,

the Blessing Point at Huangmei Hamlet contained numerous formations.

Many of these formations consumed materials during operation,

or used valuable materials as their formation cores.

All of these had now been confiscated.

In addition,

to strengthen Huangmei Hamlet's defenses,

the Corpse Lich Territory had deployed many special units and specialized siege weapons.

For example,

they had captured eleven Formation Rune Heavy Crossbows!

These heavy crossbows were powered by runes and formations.

Hang Yu had previously seen them through the Lord's Perspective.

They had specifically been deployed to repel invading enemies.

Their information was as follows.

【Formation Rune Heavy Crossbow, Tier 3 Special Equipment, Superior Green Quality...】

This was an excellent piece of equipment!

Only Warlocks with over 500 Spirit could operate it.

Every single crossbow possessed astonishing destructive power.

Not only did it have an extremely long range,

it could even instantly kill Tier 3 Elite enemies.

Nearly half of the territory's casualties during this battle

had been caused by these special weapons.

Now that Hang Yu had seized them,

they naturally became territory assets,

and would prove highly useful in future defensive battles.

As for the other spoils,

although they were all fairly valuable,

Hang Yu was not especially interested.

His gaze instead fell upon the skeleton standing behind Jia Xu.

Its entire body was dark gray,

shrouded in extremely Yin energy,

while wielding a pair of sabers.

There was no longer any Soul Flame or consciousness within this skeleton.

In its place

was an entirely new controlling force.

“You've already finished refining the puppet?”

This newly created Skeleton Puppet

had been forged by Jia Xu using Skeleton Gan Ning.

Although the puppet no longer possessed self-awareness,

it retained all of Gan Ning's original strength and abilities.

Jia Xu immediately replied,

“Reporting to my Lord, thanks to the rich legacy General Gan Ning left behind, combined with my own techniques, creating such a Skeleton Puppet was not difficult.”

According to Hang Yu's understanding,

this Skeleton Puppet even retained the ability to cultivate.

Jia Xu truly possessed remarkable skills.

With the support of this Shadow Skeleton,

combined with the special equipment, the Abyssal Stone Coffin,

his combat power would rise to an entirely new level.

However,

Jia Xu's danger

had never stemmed solely from his strength.

His Fortune Skill and strategic brilliance

were the qualities that made him truly invaluable to the territory.

Throughout the Battle of Huangmei Hamlet,

from the overall tactical planning and control of the battle's tempo,

down to the meticulous arrangement surrounding Gan Ning,

everything had been executed with flawless precision.

This scheme

had actually begun

during Jia Xu's very first meeting with Skeleton Gan Ning

outside New Wan City.

The reason Jia Xu had successfully driven Gan Ning into rebellion

was because he had already discovered and predicted Gan Ning's subtle attitude toward the Corpse Lich Territory.

How could Gan Ning's resentment toward the Corpse Lich Territory be amplified?

The most crucial chess piece

had been Su Fei.

Jia Xu neither killed Su Fei

nor forced Gan Ning to kill him.

Instead,

through careful guidance,

he induced Su Fei to take his own life.

That event became

the final straw that drove Gan Ning into rebellion.

Gan Ning had already harbored resentment toward the Corpse Lich Territory.

Su Fei

had been Gan Ning's only remaining friend.

When that friend left him,

willingly sacrificing his own life

solely to maximize the Corpse Lich Territory's interests,

rather than for the sake of brotherhood,

the act did not inspire Gan Ning to continue fighting against the Human Territory.

Instead,

it severed Gan Ning's final emotional connection to the Corpse Lich Territory

and pushed him completely away from it.

In the end,

whether by his own choice or through Jia Xu's manipulation,

he chose to rebel against the Corpse Lich Territory,

even willingly allowing himself to become the material for Jia Xu's permanent puppet.

Hang Yu believed

that no one else

could have grasped another person's heart with such astonishing precision.

After all,

human thoughts and emotions were inherently unpredictable.

Yet Jia Xu had accomplished it.

Although it appeared simple,

it had in fact been an extraordinarily difficult feat.

Hang Yu considered himself fairly experienced,

yet he had never encountered anyone as sinister, cunning,

or as adept at understanding and manipulating human nature

as Jia Xu.

Fortunately,

this man served under him.

And fundamentally,

he was merely a lethally poisonous couch potato who lacked any great ambitions and only wanted to take it easy.

“Your performance this time has greatly satisfied me. Tell me directly—what reward do you want?”

Hang Yu generously allowed Jia Xu to name his own reward.

Jia Xu hurriedly replied,

“This subordinate has already obtained such a powerful Permanent Puppet with tremendous potential. I am already more than satisfied and would not dare ask for anything further.”

Jia Xu was a smart man.

He naturally understood why Hang Yu had not saved Skeleton Gan Ning.

On one hand,

Skeleton Gan Ning himself had already wished for death,

and saving him would have required an enormous cost.

But another part of the reason

was that Hang Yu knew Jia Xu had been coveting Gan Ning's body.

The Grand Yin Puppet Art

and

the Grand Yin Skeleton Refinement Art

had to be combined

to create a Permanent Puppet.

Otherwise,

even if remote control were possible,

the puppet would gradually weaken over time,

just as He Song's corpse had done.

Skeleton Gan Ning

was an exceptionally rare and irreplaceable material.

Jia Xu's greatest weakness

had always been his lack of mobility.

Now that he possessed this Permanent Puppet,

his strength would increase dramatically.

Even if he faced Xie Ming's true body,

he was confident he could contend against him.

“Our territory rewards merit and punishes faults fairly. This puppet was something you refined through your own abilities, so it cannot entirely count as a reward from the territory.”

After giving it some thought,

Hang Yu found that there was no especially suitable reward.

After all,

Jia Xu had already reached Level 30

and could not currently raise his level further.

Nor did Hang Yu intend to use his precious Talent Materials on Jia Xu for the time being.

After all,

Jia Xu had only recently joined the territory.

Although he had rendered great service,

it was still too early to spend such valuable Talent Materials on him.

Furthermore,

Jia Xu's primary talents were already of extremely high quality.

These Talent Enhancement Spirit Pearls would provide only limited benefit to him.

So instead,

Hang Yu simply awarded him

3 million Contribution Points,

allowing him to exchange them for whatever he needed within the territory.

“Thank you, my Lord!”

Jia Xu immediately bowed in gratitude.

He naturally understood the value of Contribution Points.

Three million Contribution Points

was no small amount.

Whether used for cultivation and comprehension,

or for purchasing property,

or simply enjoying good food and comfortable living,

it would last him quite a long time.

After Jia Xu departed,

Hang Yu began preparing rewards for everyone else.

This included important subordinates such as Zhou Cang, Wen Ping, and Zhang Zhongjing,

as well as the Ten Black Tiger Captains who had participated in the battle,

and even every ordinary soldier.

The territory's new army

had only recently been established.

Now was precisely the time

to strike while the iron was hot

and raise everyone's morale!

After the tide of battle had turned at Huangmei Hamlet,

Hang Yu intended to launch the Calamity Army's counteroffensive against the Corpse Lich Territory,

eliminating its threat as quickly as possible.

At the very least,

before the next Return Day,

Hang Yu did not want the territory

to remain in a state of war.

Every region the Calamity Army captured within the Corpse Lich Territory

required troops to occupy and garrison it.

Therefore,

Zhou Cang, Wen Ping,

and the territory's guards

would all have an important role to play in the coming campaign.