Chapter 165
Chapter 165: Reasoning
"If I use the name of the Dragon God's subordinate to boost my reputation all across the Savage Realm!"
"Firmly establish his glorious image, mold him into an incomparably kind and benevolent saint!"
"The Dragon God takes one look and thinks—hey, this scarecrow's pretty sensible."
"Maybe he'll be so pleased he'll take me under his wing!"
"That's right! Exactly! Think big!"
"I'm done being a villain! I'm going to become the greatest philanthropist in all the Savage Realm!"
"I'll make the entire world bask in the Dragon God's radiance!"
Having worked all this out, the Watchful Scarecrow instantly recovered its composure, like a monk who had achieved enlightenment.
"Alas, what a transgression, what a transgression."
"Slaughter solves nothing."
"Only love and peace are the true principles of this world."
The Eagle Nation civilians across from it were completely dumbstruck.
This monster had just looked ready to devour them alive.
How had it suddenly started chanting sutras out of nowhere?
It's absolutely cooked up some even more twisted method of torture, hasn't it?!
"F*ck this! I'm going down fighting!"
Just then, one red-necked big man snapped completely from despair.
He snatched up a fire axe from nearby and charged forward with bloodshot eyes.
He swung it straight into the Watchful Scarecrow's shoulder!
Crack!
The blade lodged itself in the dried straw husk, utterly unable to harm it in the slightest.
The red-neck big man and the Watchful Scarecrow stared at each other from point-blank range.
From the corner of his eye, the big man caught sight of the hundreds upon hundreds of howling Split Forms looming behind the Scarecrow.
In that moment, the red-neck finally understood what monumentally stupid thing he had just done.
The hand gripping the axe handle began to tremble, and a torrential flood of something warm soaked through his trousers.
And what of the Watchful Scarecrow?
It turned its head and looked at the red-neck.
Then it reached out and gripped the axe handle.
Every member of Blade Squad held their breath.
They all expected the big man to be torn to shreds the very next second.
Yet a scene that defied all expectations unfolded!
The Watchful Scarecrow showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, it gently pulled the fire axe free from its own shoulder.
With remarkable gentlemanly courtesy, it used its tattered sleeve to wipe the dust from the axe head, and then—
It offered the axe back to the red-neck with both hands!
It even thoughtfully wove a pair of dried straw shorts and helped him put them on!
The red-neck big man felt the scratchy sensation and stood there in a complete daze.
The Eagle Nation civilians stood there in a daze.
Far away in Huaxia, every member of Blade Squad collectively turned to stone.
Then, under the what-the-hell stares of everyone present—
The Watchful Scarecrow gave a sweeping bow, removing its hat toward the civilians inside the warehouse!
Not only had it harmed no one, it actually turned around and...
Bellowed furiously at the Split Forms behind it.
"What are you all standing around gaping at?! Can't you see the base is on fire?!"
"The Dragon God teaches us to protect the environment and cherish public property!"
"Get moving and put those fires out! If even a single brick or tile is burned, I'll skin the lot of you!"
The Split Forms: “???”
'You didn't mention any of this when you were the one setting us on fire a moment ago!'
'The nerve, switching faces without even blinking!'
Grumbling inwardly though they were, these were orders from the main body after all.
The Split Forms exchanged glances and could only abandon their assault on the civilians, instead rushing toward every burning point within the base.
They each unleashed their abilities—some opened their cavernous mouths and devoured the flames, others waved their withered straw arms and snuffed out the energy.
And so the black flames were extinguished one by one.
The fires died out, leaving only the acrid smell of char hanging over the base.
The Watchful Scarecrow stood in the center of the ruins, surveying everything before it, and found it couldn't smile.
Looking at the rubble strewn across the ground and all those Eagle Nation Extraordinary Ones it had converted into scarecrows—
The corner of its mouth couldn't help but twitch.
'Now that I've calmed down and actually counted—I may have killed...'
'A teensy bit too many just now!'
'If the Dragon God finds out I've created this much killing karma...'
'He'll definitely chop me into chaff and feed me to the pigs!'
But clever as the Watchful Scarecrow was, it very quickly found a justification.
'No, wait. Stay calm. Don't panic!'
'During the conversion process, I could clearly sense the bloodlines inside those black and white-skinned ones.'
'They're nothing like the Dragon God's noble bloodline!'
'You could even say there's zero connection whatsoever!'
'Which means—these people aren't his subjects at all!'
'No matter how many of them I kill, it's got absolutely nothing to do with the Dragon God!'
With that settled in its mind, the Watchful Scarecrow felt warmth spread through its entire body.
Of course, that wasn't because it was moved by anything.
It was because a stray ember had just drifted over and set it alight!
"Straw straw straw!"
The Watchful Scarecrow frantically beat out the flames.
Then a wave of cheerful satisfaction welled up in its heart.
'Think big! From now on, in this Savage Realm—whoever dares cross me, gets crossed right back!'
'Turn all enemies into prickly scarecrows and trap them forever!'
'As for the remaining civilians...'
'They need to be properly protected!'
'I've decided—I'm going to establish a Dragon God Cult in this territory!'
'Recruit followers!'
'And furthermore...'
'Based on my imitation of the Dragon God's aura from how he presented himself during the Trial, he seems to...'
'Really lack for women?'
'Hehehe, what a genius I am!'
'When the time comes, I'll help him select consorts from among the followers—now that's a meritorious deed!'
The Watchful Scarecrow gave itself a 5-star review in its heart for its own brilliance.
As for those who'd been converted into scarecrows—
They were its to keep!
It would do its own selection too!
It needed to follow the Dragon God's example!
This move—not only had it solidified its public image, it had expanded its forces as well. Quite excellent!
Mind made up, the Watchful Scarecrow let out a low roar at the Split Forms.
Without lingering for even a moment after the fires were extinguished, it led the scarecrow army away from the 8th Base.
At the center of the ruins, it left behind only a group of bewildered Eagle Nation civilians swaying in the wind.
Not just them—at that very moment, everywhere...
Everyone who had watched this footage through whatever means they had available!
Every single one was left wearing the exact same dumbfounded expression, their minds completely crashed.
Had this Watchful Scarecrow been hitting some kind of drug?!
Or had something taken over its body?!
How had it suddenly turned into this sort of creature?!
This was so bizarre it defied all logic!
Inside the mobile fortress.
Zhao Yan added a final commentary to the preposterous footage.
"According to confirmed intelligence relayed from the front line, this is what occurred 1 hour ago."
"Eagle Nation's 3 elders arrived at the 8th Base afterward, scratched their heads raw trying to make sense of it, and to this day have still found no answer."
"So they could only send us the footage first for reference, and are asking if we Huaxia have any idea what exactly is going on."
Yue Tian's gaze settled squarely on Shadow and Liu Ruyan.
"In the pre-trial report you submitted before the Trial concluded, you both mentioned—"
"That the Sky Screen said the Berserk Boss would synchronize memories from inside the Trial."
"So my question is—"
"What, exactly, did the Dragon God do to this scarecrow?"
"That it has ended up like this?"
Shadow and Liu Ruyan carefully searched their memories.
In their recollections, the Dragon God had spent the entire time grinding the Scarecrow into the ground...
Peeling its skin and picking its bones clean...
Setting its soul on fire to illuminate the room...
And apart from that, he genuinely hadn't done anything else.
Shadow rubbed her brow and spoke uncertainly.
"Commander, this scarecrow is highly intelligent and possesses exceptional reasoning ability."
"Could it be that—during the Trial, it was subjected to such severe psychological trauma by the Dragon God..."
"That it has developed what is now a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome, or an acute stress response driven entirely by survival instinct?"
"Hmm?"
Liu Ruyan didn't refute this from the side, and instead gave a small nod.
"Given the cunning it displayed inside the Trial, that's highly possible!"
"Psychological trauma... survival instinct..."
Yue Tian repeated those 2 phrases to himself, drumming steadily against the tactical blackboard.
"Certainly, the more intelligent a creature, the stronger its will to survive."
"However—"
Yue Tian's voice suddenly shot upward in pitch.
"Don't forget—every piece of information in existence regarding the Dragon God has pointed to one conclusion..."
"The Dragon God fell over a thousand years ago!"
"If the god is already dead, then what, exactly, is it afraid of?!"
"If the god is already dead, then to whom, exactly, is it trying to curry favor?!"
The rapid-fire questions struck like bullets, and the entire room reeled.
Everyone grasped the implications in that same instant.
That's right!
Yue Tian was the elder in command of the intelligence division—this level of insight was simply staggering!
If the Dragon God had truly died—
What reason did the scarecrow have to be afraid?
The logic simply didn't hold!
Xin An's lips trembled slightly.
"Elder Yue... are you suggesting that..."
"The Dragon God... actually... never truly died at all?!"
"He's... still alive?!"
"And he... is alive somewhere in a corner of the Savage Realm right now?!"
Whoosh!
Every single gaze in that moment snapped in unison toward Yue Tian.
If the Dragon God was still alive...
Did that mean humanity still had a chance?!
Faced with the weight of all those eyes, Yue Tian gave a nod, his voice resolute.
"Correct."
"Based on my intelligence assessment, the Dragon God should still be alive in this world."
"But it is very likely he no longer exists in his previous form—or to put it another way..."
"He no longer exists in the form that would be recognized as a god..."
Yue Tian strode swiftly to the tactical blackboard and wrote out several key points in rapid succession.
【1: The Scarecrow fears the Dragon God—and fears him even under current Savage Realm conditions where massive amounts of information confirm the Dragon God has died.】
【2: Your report states the Dragon God despised becoming a god, believing godhood was a shackle.】
【3: Your memories were altered—the Dragon God deliberately did not want you to know his face.】
【4: My interrogation had no effect on you, despite you having been inside the Savage Realm—meaning the one behind this does not only exist inside the false Trial!】
One by one, originally scattered fragments of information—
When pieced together all at once—
Instantly became a single, unbroken thread!
Shadow was astonished, especially by the 4th point.
As a competent professional, she instinctively glanced toward the specially made black case sitting in the corner.
Inside it rested the Dragon God's severed right arm, along with that Special-Grade Cursed Object—the Watcher's Eye!
In that moment, she finally, completely understood...
Or rather, she remembered.
The true intent behind the Dragon God handing her those 2 items...
And the person she needed to find...
Was exactly who...
But she said nothing aloud, because this was a matter of her own life and death.
And it wouldn't affect Huaxia in any case, because the Dragon God stood on humanity's side.
Then Yue Tian turned back around, until only 1 final conclusion remained on the blackboard.
Conclusion.
Yue Tian continued speaking, his voice unhurried yet carrying the weight of every word.
"The Dragon God did indeed die—but what died was the Dragon God, not the person who was the Dragon God."
"In other words—he used a faked death to deceive the world!"
"And in doing so he deceived the shackle known as godhood, and came to the Savage Realm."
"The exact form is uncertain, but reincarnation is a high probability!"
Yue Tian analyzed further: "Because if it were body seizure, there would be no need to erase your impression of him."
"Only after reincarnation—when he needs to grow again from nothing—would he need to conceal his identity to avoid enemies tracking him down."
Analysis complete.
Every member of Blade Squad felt a sudden, overwhelming clarity wash over them.
No wonder the Dragon God had erased their memories!
Because if the Evil Gods and the Arashin-Kai found out the true appearance of the Dragon God's reincarnation—
They would pour every last resource they had into hunting him down and destroying him!
If they were in his position, they would have made the same choice!
At that moment, Zhao Yan's expression turned somewhat strange. He scratched his head and looked toward Yue Tian.
"Commander—so this reincarnation of the Dragon God... who would it be?"
"Surely it couldn't actually be that Dragon God's Son in our classified files?!"
"Or could it be... that No Words Needed, who just keeps defying all expectations?"
Yue Tian gave a nod, his eyes narrowing beneath the mask.
"No Words Needed..."
"In all likelihood, no—in the kill records he has displayed no power whatsoever connected to the Dragon bloodline."
"The one with 99.9% Dragon God bloodline concentration is a possibility."
"But it could also be a smoke screen thrown up by the Dragon God."
"After all—the calculations of a god are not something we can fathom."
"However..."
"Regardless of who the Dragon God's reincarnation is, it does not matter."
"Because who we are right now is far too weak."
"Even if we found him today, we couldn't protect him—we'd only bring catastrophe down upon him."
"So do not go searching for the Dragon God. That is protection for him, and protection for ourselves."
Yue Tian swept his gaze across the room, looking at the assembled members of Blade Squad.
"As for us right now—aside from heading to Soul-Return Town to establish a base—"
"And searching for No Words Needed—the upper echelon has issued you an additional mission. One that could be said to concern the very fate of Huaxia."
He finished speaking and turned to Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan opened his tablet and projected the image of a ruined ancient city—fragmented and incomplete.
The records attached to it were sparse, only noting that it was an ancient city existing within the Savage Realm.
It was even revered as the ancestral land of ten thousand clans.
"This is the Dragon-Summer Imperial City."
"Based on our current intelligence and territorial assessment—"
"It should be located in the northern zone of Eerie Island."
Zhao Yan's voice carried a slight tremor.
"But the problem is—whether it's us in Huaxia or any of the other great nations, none of us have a map of Eerie Island's northern zone."
"So our mission is to locate the northern zone Map Imprint Hard Drive, and then—"
"Explore and enter Dragon-Summer Imperial City!"
Yue Tian picked up from there.
"Exploring Dragon-Summer Imperial City is necessary not only because it is the most ancient site in the Savage Realm, but more urgently because—"
"The Dragon God said—within that place lies the method to achieve godhood!"
"It is our only hope! We must obtain it as soon as possible!"
"Otherwise..."
Seeing the urgency plain even in Yue Tian's expression—something that seemed almost out of place on him—Xin An, seated at the lower end of the table, couldn't hold herself back.
"Elder Yue..."
"Has... something happened that we don't know about?!"
Yue Tian let out a slow breath.
"This is classified at the highest level—it was not supposed to be shared with you."
"But since you will be heading to Eerie Island, there is no harm in telling you—let it serve as a weight you carry in the back of your mind."
"According to intelligence transmitted to us by our highest-tier embedded agent inside the Arashin-Kai—"
"The 1st Seat, Void..."
"She is on the verge of achieving godhood."
"This is also the reason for her years-long disappearance."
"Void is currently climbing the final steps of the Divine Stairway with the Evil God's assistance!"
"And once she achieves godhood—there above the Savage Realm..."
Hearing Yue Tian's words—
Xin An's whole body began to tremble.
"Void... Void is going to become a god!"
"If that's true—then every single nation—won't we all just be fish on a chopping board, to be slaughtered as someone sees fit?!"
Everyone else looked at Yue Tian with the same expression.
They didn't know exactly how powerful this Void was, but those 2 words—godhood—represented absolute power!
"In theory, yes."
Yue Tian said, cold and unflinching: "Which is why we have no other choice."
"We must find the clues to godhood as quickly as possible."
"And before her—or in step with her—produce a god of our very own Huaxia!"
"......"
The meeting room fell silent once again.
The crushing weight of this mission—the very fate of a nation—pressed down on the new generation of Blade Squad so heavily they could barely breathe.
At that moment—
Liu Ruyan gave a cold snort.
"If the situation is already this critical—then why not send the Dragon Squad?"
"They're Huaxia's highest combat force right now, aren't they!"
"And all those old veterans hiding in the shadows!"
"Why should we be the ones going to that death-trap to risk our lives investigating on their behalf?!"
"We're only a Tiger-Grade squad—in blunt terms, we're mid-to-high-tier combatants at best."
"Is someone trying to reap the rewards without doing the work?"
Those words, once spoken, made Shadow bury her face in her hands—wanting nothing more than to find a crack in the floor to disappear into.
'She's started again...'
'I knew the moment she opened her mouth, nothing good would come out of it!'
Zhao Yan covered his face, unable to look. Xin An's mouth twitched at the corner.
But as the saying goes—crude words can still carry truth.
Blunt as Liu Ruyan's phrasing was, it cut straight to the heart of what everyone had privately been thinking.
Wasn't what they were being asked to do essentially risk their lives so Commander Lin could ascend to godhood?
Then why send Blade Squad to take the risks on Eerie Island?
Yet—
Just when everyone expected Elder Yue Tian to erupt in fury—
From beneath the mask came a peculiar laugh instead.
"Heh heh."
"What a refreshingly blunt little thing, talking about gains and losses so openly."
"But that sharp, unruly temperament—not bad at all."
Yue Tian rose slowly to his feet.
"I know—everyone has objections to this decision."
"You think Lin Bayi gets to sit back and benefit, while you young people go out and risk your lives."
"But..."
Yue Tian's voice rang out.
"Who told you the chance at godhood can only go to him?!"
"Who told you this mission is about finding an opportunity for him?!"
The room erupted!
"Hasn't the Dragon God said so himself?"
"Even someone with absolutely no talent and no ability of their own—as long as they kill enough and collect enough abilities—has a chance to achieve godhood!"
Yue Tian was weaving a dream for Blade Squad.
"We face the highest degree of exploration risk, but at the same time—"
"We enjoy complete first-access rights to all resources!"
"Whatever treasures Dragon-Summer Imperial City holds—we take the best ones first!"
"So if anyone wants to withdraw—if anyone feels the risk here outweighs their willingness to continue—it is not too late to reconsider now."
Yue Tian magnanimously waved a hand and looked at Liu Ruyan—whose face had cycled through several shades of white and green.
"Comrade—if you're dissatisfied with this decision, I can personally file the paperwork for you right now."
"Have you reassigned away from Blade Squad, transferred to the logistics division to live comfortably."
"After all—plenty of elders have had their eye on a spot in Blade Squad."
"Even being a Divine Chosen won't matter."
"Because so are they."
"......"
Liu Ruyan stood there as Yue Tian's words struck her speechless, her face flushed crimson.
"Withdraw? Live comfortably?"
In Liu Ruyan's mind flashed an immediate vision of herself sitting at a sewing machine in the logistics division.
"Absolutely not! Never!"
"Compared to a fate that miserable—I, Liu Ruyan, am going to be the one who stands above all others!"
"I'm going to be the woman who becomes a god!"
Shadow watched this unfold from the side and quietly marveled inwardly.
Still got to hand it to the old guard—one tongue-lashing from Yue Tian and Liu Ruyan doesn't make another peep. I need to study this more carefully.
That commanding presence, that control—this is textbook material.
Zhao Yan saw his opening and moved promptly to smooth things over, clearing his throat to announce the 3rd item of business.
"Everyone—in less than 4 hours, we depart for Eerie Island."
"Please collect your gear, finalize your supply checks, and complete all pre-departure preparations."
Everyone nodded upon hearing this, then immediately began to move, filing out of the mobile shelter.
They had far too much yet to do—collect equipment, inspect supplies, pack their gear.
In 4 hours, what awaited them would be true unknowns and genuine danger.
And that legendary Dragon-Summer Imperial City—along with the secret to godhood hidden within it...
Was sitting silently deep within Eerie Island, waiting for the day it would finally be uncovered.