My Misfortune Crushed Instances

The entire area around Central City, spanning several dozen miles, had fallen into a great chaos, yet the Commander of the Western Kingdom, Ulysses Monroe, remained unaware of what was unfolding behind the lines.

He had delegated all the authority over troop movements to the command post and needed to intercept Cheng Wen himself.

Ulysses had long anticipated the pursuit from the Dragon Country’s front lines, so with meticulous planning, the retreat proceeded in an orderly fashion with minimal casualties.

After another wave of attacks subsided, he noticed that Cheng Wen seemed inclined to give up.

"Tell Hopkins and Landry to hasten their return to Central City. All other units, halt; we can retreat no further."

No sooner had he conveyed the order than someone ran over.

"Sir, Tole is dead."

He was referring to the Blood Barber.

Ulysses’ entire demeanor changed, and he asked almost word by word, "You, what did you say?"

The person was somewhat frightened but could only muster the courage to speak, "Central City was breached by the Foggy Evil Ghost. Tole escaped... He led that bastard away alone and ran toward the positions of Hopkins and Landry."

Ulysses calmed his emotions and continued asking, "You don’t have to hide it for him. After he escaped, what then? Why did he die? Did this fool go back again?"

The barber was previously his favorite subordinate, which is why he let him act as a deputy commander before going out, but now, upon learning that Central City had fallen, all he wanted was to pin that kid to the ground and give him a good beating.

The messenger said, "No, the Foggy Evil Ghost rushed into the formation and killed him."

"....."

Ulysses remained silent for a full three seconds, then asked, "What do you mean?"

"He, he charged in front of everyone, killed Officer Tole, and then, and then....."

"And then what?!!"

Ulysses grabbed the other man’s collar viciously and said, "Don’t tell me he didn’t die afterwards!"

"He, he ran away."

Ulysses, who had barely persuaded himself to accept the change, felt his composure crumble again, this time lasting a full minute.

Pacing back and forth at the original spot, he finally suppressed his rage and asked, "I don’t want to discuss what exactly that Foggy Evil Ghost is now. Tell me, why was he able to break into Central City?"

"He had help."

The messenger replied, "Lots of Undead. They say where they tread, even the sun disappears."

Ulysses furrowed his brow tightly.

He had long speculated that the Foggy Evil Ghost had slipped into Cold Wind State when they first withdrew from the water supplies, thus escaping detection.

In such a scenario, he couldn’t have brought "lots" of Undead along with him.

This meant the foe had penetrated deep into the territory of the Western Kingdom alone and raised a formidable force within.

To be honest, he was somewhat envious of Cheng Wen; had he such a person under his command, there’d be no need to personally lead an army against the opponent.

"Now, where is he?"

"Seems to have retreated to Central City."

Ulysses’s eyes revealed a murderous gleam: "His retreat implies that he knows staying alone means death, and he only used some special method to retreat unharmed."

"Call Hopkins to meet me; he must die here; otherwise, once the Secret Realm battlefield ends, it won’t be long before we face a second Zhuo Feilong in reality."

The positions where the two armies had halted roughly corresponded to the boundary line the Western Kingdom occupied before their large-scale advance, which was why Cheng Wen hadn’t pursued further.

If he continued southwest, it would bring him near Central City. Although there was no intel about that place, normally, without inflicting severe casualties on the opponent, one wouldn’t advance to such a position.

He returned to the formation and saw many auxiliary professions and witch doctors from the Demon Race tending to the wounded.

After a day and night of battle, everyone, both humans, and demons, was exhausted. It seemed this campaign was about to conclude, and the outcome was essentially a draw; the territorial control remained unchanged for both sides.

Nonetheless, Cheng Wen felt a bit heavy-hearted. Up to this point, there was no news from Li Rui.

"Let it be."

Kong Ji advised, "At this stage, with no intelligence on Li Rui found anywhere, we can no longer cling to wishful thinking."

Cheng Wen nodded silently.

"What a pity we can’t use Chen Cheng’s abilities."

If it weren’t for the Prophet’s precise insight being sealed, at least they could determine Li Rui’s fate, rather than groping blindly as they are now.

The position of Central City, surrounded by the Western Kingdom’s chasers, had formidable forces stationed in nearly every direction; an outright siege might plunge the main forces into grave danger.

Even Cheng Wen dared not lead the great army in, which meant Li Rui’s situation was even more precarious at this time.

He had already witnessed the main forces of the Western Kingdom firsthand, understanding that heading north would be a dead-end incomparable to those few hundred-men troops faced before.

When he returned to Central City, it remained in chaos.

The local Demon Race, once subdued due to the city’s fall, began resisting.

Li Rui did not attempt to incorporate them, for after informing Ju Ye of the surrounding circumstances, the Ghost General explicitly stated that holding the city was impossible.

These walls could not stop the feet of the Demon Cultivators and Human Race’s Extraordinaries; evacuation was imperative.

"How about returning by the original route?"

"That’s a slow death."

"Pushing northward isn’t feasible either?"

"Assuming as told, if the enemy’s main force remains, it’s naturally impossible."

"Then south it is."

To the east lies the lower river, known throughout as Hundred Li Crossing. It isn’t a literal hundred miles wide, but it is impassable. To return to Wangze State, southbound is the only option.

Although Li Rui wasn’t aware that the Polar Alliance had already begun moving northward, he could guess they wouldn’t remain inactive at this juncture.

If a battle is also raging there, leading the cavalry in a bold charge might be a viable option.

He first dashed into the main arsenal of the Western Kingdom, hastily tossed several boxes containing spoils to the Titans, not even pausing to check their contents, and led the group out of the city from the south in haste.

With the main forces of the Western Kingdom in pursuit, he dared not linger longer.

Luckily, along the way, the Titans had acquired many rare treasures. Not to mention, their strength remained robust, enabling them to keep pace during this furious escape.

By the time Hopkins, leading a small but elite team, returned to Central City, he was greeted by mere chaos, his target already having headed south.

Landry spoke with bitterness, "He’s stolen our stockpile."

"His greed will be his downfall,"

Hopkins stated, "Since he wasted time, he can’t have gotten far. Keep pursuing, he can’t escape."