Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 608 The Wrath of the Blood Wolf (Part 2)
"The wolves are howling, and 'blood' is howling too. Yes, Commander Shaneva, I heard that exhilarating sound as well." Mikhail chose to stand beside Shaneva, and whether out of flattery or genuine feeling, he echoed the words of the federal administrator:
"Strong warriors always yearn for war, while only weak cowards fear conflict. The wasteland is an absolute hell on earth, a living hell where only the strong, who crave death, can find a chance to survive."

"The 'Blood Offering' of the 'Dedication Group' is long dead, but their leader, 'Blood Wolf,' has inherited his predecessor's will with even greater determination and resolve, and hopes to carry it forward. Therefore, they betrayed us and chose to stand with Nebrius, who betrayed the Federation."

“Mikhail,” Shaneva said metaphorically.
"The howls of blood and wolves are truly tiresome, as were those of the former governor Vasily, the Vikings, and perhaps even David, who single-handedly destroyed the Krusk people's chance for revival. I hate these piercing and terrifying sounds. So, I hope that the yellow sand will forever bury them here."

"Now, Andris's wish has been thwarted by Dark Tirith, and outposts 'Former 06,' 'Former 07,' and 'Former 08' have been captured by our forces without firing a shot. Just two hours ago, the commander of the Novayask Legion told me that the ground road from the 'Core Fortress' to Nebsk had been successfully cut off by our forces. Now, Belogersk is an isolated city, where the humans, the superhumans, the lost, and the 'heartless' will struggle in a vortex of hunger and thirst."

"They are left with only two paths: either surrender to us or die at the hands of their own side after losing their minds. Mikhail, what do you think these self-proclaimed wise, strong, and extraordinary 'new humans,' and idealists who yearn to create a peaceful world, will choose?"

“I don’t know, Commander Shaneva,” Mikhail replied honestly.

"The human heart is the most unfathomable thing in this world. Unless the Source Image Pillar is activated and you personally control the 'Mind Control Panel' to command them to speak their inner thoughts, we will never know their choices. However, we can control their choices."

“Control…choice? Interesting, tell me more.” Shaneva patted Mikhail’s shoulder, indicating her trust in him.

“If we are only slightly stronger than the lost, they will fight to the death by any means necessary. After all, in the complexities of war, no one can remain absolutely rational and serious from beginning to end. Humans always make mistakes in extreme circumstances, and a small error can trigger a chain reaction of ‘a horse's foot destroying a nation,’” Mikhail responded.

"So, I brought in Anna from the 'Destiny Interpretation Institute.' No, we should call her 'Lady Thunder Page' from the 'Order Society.' She has a young dragon she has been raising for ten years, named Seye. After I repeatedly explained the pros and cons, she finally agreed to let this 'huge little guy' go to the battlefield."

“Dragons…? Dragons… Ah. They are a race that is foolish enough, but dangerous enough. Back then, the Lord of the Night used every means to tempt the dragons, causing them to betray the arrangements of the gods and the Creator, and choose to wage a century-long war against humanity. In the end… it led them to the ‘Crimson Abyss’.” Shaneva said with slight worry:
"The dragon race is like a Pandora's box. Even though the Lord of the Night successfully instigated the war, He did not allow the power of the 'Night' to move from behind the scenes to the forefront. In every era, even in every century, He would carefully select a servant and, through a series of means, openly or covertly, manipulate the 'darkness' within them, attempting to overturn the existing order. I fear... once we use the power of the dragon race, we will become the 'servants' of this century."

“So what if I’m a servant? So what if I’m a master?” Mikhail asked with a sneer.

“We will suffer misfortune, and we will die. It is very likely that we will die miserably and become objects of contempt for millions of years to come. His chosen servants never have a good ending. In the Third Age, didn’t the ‘otherworldly boy’ chosen by Khitanris also end up bathed in flames and accept the fate of being eternally bound by the Creator? Even the 51st-order god ‘The Chosen One’ is like this, so what about us humans…” Shaneva’s worries deepened, her brows furrowed and her face full of sorrow.

“But that’s not what you said last time. You always hoped the dragons would help you eliminate the Lost Ones and the ‘Heartless Ones,’ and become the sole leader to save Crusad.” Mikhail interrupted her, puzzled.

"What? Has power made you cautious... no, cowardly? You've only just become the supreme leader of the Crusad people, the highest administrative official of the Federation, and you've already started to cower and tremble. Aren't you... afraid of becoming the second 'loser' David?"

“I know that a leader should be strong and choose the strongest approach to every problem. However, I had a dream these past few days,” Shaneva said softly, still gazing at the gradually darkening yellow sand world before her.

"What dream?" Mikhail asked curiously.

“I… saw Vasily in my dream, yes, Vasily. Actually, after the death of the former governor, Teacher 'Viking,' I made up all sorts of excuses to avoid any opportunity to see Vasily. I didn’t even enter the old city gates of Icefall City. But I saw him.” Shaneva took out a telegram from her bosom and handed it to Mikhail, continuing, “Vasily told me that he did not regret everything he had done and hoped that I would continue to carry on his ideas, to open the 'Evolution Platform' and summon the 'Scorching Sun' to descend upon the world. In fact, he was aware of all the rumors surrounding the 'Evolution Platform.' Therefore, he hoped that I would be wary of the 'Lord of the Night's' incarnation and His potential servants.”

"According to reliable sources, 'Fubing' of the 'Order Society' met the Lord of the Night in the Extreme Cold Zone through 'Klassen's Mask.' We don't know if it was just an ordinary meeting or if some kind of insidious deal was made. In any case, I have ordered the complete elimination of the 'Order Society.'"

“So, you’re planning to completely end all cooperation with the Lost Ones? As far as I know, the Order has always been honest and loyal to the Federation. Eight of their ‘Rulers’ have died in the process of assisting us…” Mikhail tried to persuade her, but Shaneva interrupted him with a heavy, mature, and unyielding tone.

"Now there are 10. I never imagined that the 'Zero' of the 'Order Society' was so well hidden. He only suffered humiliation at the 'Grand Platform' in Kanosk from the 'Frozen,' who was supposed to be loyal to the Federation, before choosing to rebel and join the 'Independent Armed Forces' 'Wilderness Tourist Group.'" Shaneva pointed to the telegram in Mikhail's hand, angrily saying:

"When the 'Heartless Ones' and the 'Lost Ones' besieged Icefall City, 'Zero Void' not only murdered Yaroslav's successor, but also his granddaughter Sophia, a newly discovered outstanding ability user by the Federation. He also used the spores of the 'Annihilation Beast' to spread a large number of 'Heartless One Viruses' carrying mental pollution genes."

"This vicious tactic caused the legionary soldiers stationed in Kanoske to fall into unrealistic hallucinations in the early stages of infection. While they were immersed in the illusion of a beautiful, peaceful rural life without war, the 'heartless virus' had already corroded their hearts, turning them into 'heartless people' with bright red blood flowing through their bodies."

“You just said that 10 ‘Those who hold power’ have died, and ‘Frozen’ and ‘Thunder Page’ have pledged allegiance to Novayask, so you couldn’t possibly order their execution. So, in reality, besides the guilty ‘Zero,’ you also executed this group of people—no, the entire leader of the ‘Order’, ‘New God’, right?” Mikhail looked at Shaneva’s increasingly calm, cold, and gloomy face, and a strange fear rose in his heart.

After three to five seconds, when the world outside the window had completely fallen into darkness, leaving only the howling sound of the sandstorm, Shaneva slowly and heavily began to speak:

“I did want to execute him, but the ‘New God’ did not give me the chance. He used the ‘Eye of the Night’ to summon an extraordinary and terrifying power from the universe, and his body was disintegrated into air in a laser beam whose composition we still do not know.”

“Air?” Mikhail exclaimed in shock.

“That’s right, it’s air. In his suicide note, he said he wanted to return his body to nature, only hoping that we would stop persecuting the remaining members of the ‘Order Society.’ They are pitiful; they are a group of poor creatures who have suffered endless hardship, hunger, and pain, yet they have always maintained their human consciousness, never succumbing to the enemy, never becoming enemies of the Federation.” Shaneva sighed softly as she said this.

"The Lord of the Night has countless ways to disrupt our perception, whether by using ordinal monsters to spread mental pollution or by manipulating the evil thoughts in people's hearts through invisible dark power, shattering our desire for goodness and [order]."

“Perhaps ‘Zero’ became a sinner because of the temptation of the night. I… I’m just worried that if we are bewitched by the dragons’ powerful strength and become ‘new gods,’ will we attract the covetousness of the Lord of the Night, thus falling into darkness and bringing about our fate of death and destruction?” Shaneva said worriedly.

"Humans are merely afraid of the unknown, merely afraid of fear itself. Commander Shaneva, Anna, also known as 'Rayye,' is awaiting your audience on the third basement level of this military fortress. She has brought with her the dragon Seye, whom she raised herself. Perhaps you should meet them first. I believe dragons are also a race possessing 'divinity.' In the culture of Khitanris, dragons are considered auspicious." Mikhail moved closer to Shaneva, stopping behind her, his head slightly tilted forward, his lips almost touching her neck, and advised in a deep, resonant voice:

"The power of the dragon race is worth trying, isn't it?"