Wasteland Echoer.

"What, does Commander Shaneva have any other instructions?" Mikhail suddenly sensed a deathly aura emanating from his soul. Relying on his seasoned intuition as a soldier and his cautious attitude as one of the Federation's leaders, he put one hand on his hip and the other on the brand-new "Bosria" pistol hidden under his cotton military overcoat.

“We just wanted to ask you to stay a moment to report an emergency. We hope you won’t enter the ‘command area’ for the time being,” the tallest “guard soldier” replied, but behind Mikhail, he took off his heavy blue tactical glove, revealing a metal claw that could extend and retract freely inside and outside the wrist muscles.

"Then report quickly. If you want to curry favor by reporting to me individually, I don't mind having a few more subordinates. However, you must guarantee that your direct superiors will either mutate or die." Mikhail deliberately adopted the demeanor of a leader trying to win over his underlings, since he didn't know the other party's intentions and it was better to be cautious.

As he spoke, his right hand had already secretly released the safety of the "Bosria" pistol and loaded a bullet.

“That black dragon, Seye, it seems to have been ‘absorbed’ by Olga just now. We saw it very clearly; the energy Olga needs to activate ‘Solter's Wrath’ is more than enough to sacrifice 100,000 elite Lost Ones.” The “Guardian Warrior” stepped forward half a step and said in a deep voice:
"I know that you and Commander Shaneva may have made some arrangements, but don't you think it's a pity that such a young dragon's enormous combat power was so easily wasted?"

“What a pity? Of course not.” Mikhail said, a knowing, calm, and smug smile playing on his lips.

Immediately afterwards, he suddenly lifted his military overcoat, revealing an exceptionally cool turn and gun-drawing posture. Before the three "guards" behind him could react, he aimed at the tallest "soldier" who had just spoken to him and pulled the trigger!

boom!
The rapid bullets, accompanied by the biting winter wind, the stench of decaying plants and animal remains in the "shallow altered cave layer," and the lingering stench of blood, rushed forward rapidly, carrying a circular, rocket-like aura of energy.

Whoosh!
The tallest "guardian warrior" was clearly more agile than most of the lost ones; even in the face of an emergency, his body reacted correctly in less than 0.1 seconds.

He quickly turned to the side, unleashing the rich magical power of the earth within his body to form a temporary shield of earth, which barely offset the residual force of the bullet's energy aura impacting to the side.

“There is nothing to regret, and no price is too high to pay. This is the ‘truth’ that Vasily Voliganov, the former head of the Crusad Federation and leader of the Federation Council, told us. Kurilanov Dracula Vladimir… no, I should call you the ‘Blood Wolf’ leader of the ‘Dedication Group’.” Mikhail, still holding his gun, proudly read out the name and identity of the person who spoke.

“Since that’s the case, there’s no need for me to keep pretending anymore…” Blood Wolf said, taking off the heavy metal helmet worn by the guards and slamming it to the ground, sending up a lot of sturdy alloy fragments.

Then, he crushed the double-headed eagle emblem symbolizing the Federation and the "Sun Ashes" city medal symbolizing Novayask that were originally attached to his hat, and said:

"This is how you treat your collaborators: use them when they're useful, discard them when they're not... But you preach 'justice,' 'dedication,' 'resistance,' 'fighting,' and 'perseverance' to your own 'warriors' and 'civilians,' while you yourselves have become the evil side."

“The more we lack something, the more our Federal Council will promote it. This way, we can extract anything we want from the endless supply of ‘resources,’ including ‘human resources,’ ‘power,’ and even ‘life.’” Mikhail, now facing the leader of the “Dedication Group,” “Blood Wolf,” abandoned his usual facade of resolute decisiveness, gentleness, and concern for human civilization. Instead, he spread his arms wide, making exaggerated gestures of praising the sun and the universe, his face contorted with emotion, and spoke in the twisted tone characteristic of the greedy and evil:

"How do you think the Federation has managed to hold on until now? Just with passion? Or the fallacy of a union between humans and the Lost? The Khitanris once said: those who are not members of my race will inevitably have different evil thoughts. This is true for Seye, it is true for the Lost, and those rebels are actually no longer human."

"Scoundrel!" "Flame Offering" next to "Blood Wolf" removed his helmet and cursed angrily.
"The Crusad Federation is a massive deceptive organization, as you should know, Mikhail. Without the assistance of us clear-headed Lost Ones to maintain 'Order,' the Federation's collapse would have been instantaneous. You exploited the 'Order Council,' yet you murdered so many 'Rulers,' resulting in the fall of half your territory and the transformation of millions into 'Heartless People.' Do you... and Shaneva intend to continue down this wrong path?"

“If Vasily hadn’t died, how could Shaneva and I have reached the pinnacle of power?” Mikhail scoffed.

"As a leader, one needs to possess all abilities, but not 'conscience' or 'morality.' The Federal Council's war model has been in operation for over four hundred years. If the war cannot continue, we have no experience, skills, personnel, or methods for managing a peaceful federation."

“In peacetime, it is necessary to give up most of the military force. Soldiers need to return to the countryside, fields and factories. Production and labor will no longer need planning or serve the military. This will give rise to more ambitious people who will seize power, and eventually cause the short-lived peace to collapse.”

"Nonsense!" Blood Wolf roared, spitting as it landed squarely on the shattered "Sun Ashes" badge.

“I’m not afraid to tell you a true secret of the Federal Council. In fact, every leader of the Federal Council, before their death, records their important ideas on the governance of the country in the ‘Secret Notebook of the Leader of the Federal Council.’” Mikhail slowly walked forward, stopping less than 3 meters away from “Blood Wolf.” He looked up at “Blood Wolf” with extreme arrogance, letting out a chilling laugh that was almost devilish, and whispered in a sharp voice:
"Commander Shaneva summarized the thoughts of those great administrators into two points: first, to eliminate you Lost Ones; second... to keep the war going, preferably forever."

"Why do you think Shaneva values ​​Wright Sogra so much? Why did she send me, the 'deputy commander-in-chief of the campaign' who is practically the second leader, to personally pick him up?"

“What are you trying to say?” Blood Wolf realized he was getting close to a major secret controlled by the Federal Council. Mikhail now knew that he, a human without extraordinary power, would have little chance of escaping the siege of the Lost Leader, so he was going on a mental breakdown and going insane.

In that case, "Blood Wolf" must carefully manage the timing of the conversation and try to get Mikhail to reveal as much information as possible before he dies.

"Is Light Socrates more important to you than the 'Daughter of the Machine Elements,' the artificial god of the old empire?" Blood Wolf lowered his head slightly and pressed on. "Of course!" Mikhail laughed wildly a few more times, his devilish laughter echoing throughout the entire Shallow Sea Cavern. "From 'The Hidden One' Vlavo, to 'The Pioneer' Viking, and Vasily who died not long ago, these three commanders have been secretly cultivating Light Socrates, preparing to mold him step by step into a 'carefully nurtured beast.'"

"'A carefully bred beast'?" Blood Wolf repeated, puzzled.

“Of course!” Mikhail suddenly raised his voice, making a clawing gesture with his hands, his face contorting further, and said:
"The 'Call of the Machines' ceremony, which was ordered by Ivante, the crown prince of the German Empire, to be performed by George Socrates, a member of the committee in the deputy capital Socrates, was secretly gifted to him by the governor, Viking, with its extraordinary materials and resources."

"In fact, the plan to 'leapfrog' from another dimension to summon people with the characteristics of 'extraordinary capacity' and who carry 'red magical power' has a nice name, 'The Seeker of Light'. It has been carried out five times in total, and 'The Call of the Machine' was the last one."

“Go on,” Blood Wolf said, half commanding and half pleading.

"In the year 518 of the New Era, the first ritual called 'The First Appearance of the Light' was held underground in the 'Unknown Factory' in the city of Konigrad. The summoned boy, overwhelmed with extreme terror, broke down and ran around in panic, and was personally killed by Commander Vlavo," Mikhail recounted with great familiarity.

"In the year 519 of the New Era, the second 'Hope for Dawn' ceremony was held at a desert ruin near the border city. Unfortunately, due to a mistake by the scientists of the Germans and our team, the person summoned only had half a body. After wailing in pain for half an hour, he finally died from blood loss."

"In the year 522 of the New Era, after the Viking Vladimir took office as governor, he conducted the third ritual called 'The Craving of Machines' at the port of Robbek, which bordered the Genian people. He successfully summoned a black-haired, gray-eyed boy from another dimension."

"Unfortunately, after a period of forced fusion with the red magic source, the 'KR:032' antibody naturally formed in his body. Not only could he no longer use the red magic source, but he would also naturally resist it due to the dark power in his body. So, after Viking ordered him to be injected with the 'Heartless Virus', he threw him into the Southern Swamp, which was infested with 'Heartless People' at the time, and left him to fend for himself."

"The Viking still looks like a person, just less and less human," Blood Wolf offered an objective assessment.

"Regardless, the fourth and fifth 'Seekers of Light' rituals were both moved to strongholds controlled by the Zhene. Only the 'Call of the Machines' ritual near the Silent Highlands was successful." Mikhail pursed his dry lips and continued, "

"The Genie people attempted to use this boy, who had perfectly fused with the 'Red Magic Source Power,' to secretly train him. Unfortunately, Ivante's ambition exceeded his abilities, and he ultimately died at the hands of Light Socrates. At that time, the so-called 'dragon' that had rescued Light Socrates hovered over the Silent Highlands was not a real dragon, but merely a 'jump ship' that resembled a dragon in appearance."

"In order to give Wright even more extraordinary power, Vasily made a deal with the 'Ancient God' 'Resurrected God', allowing him to passively absorb the rich 'Ancient Power' from the 'Crimson Illusion Ruins' for thirty years. Otherwise, Yaroslav's army would never have been able to wage war against the 'Chaos Group' there and seize the technological products within the 'Utopia Shore'."

"Don't forget, in order to cultivate such a monster that could be used by the Federation, Vasily did not hesitate to send his most promising and favored young man, Dark, and his illegitimate son, Wolfya. Wolfya lost his life in the 'Red Illusion Ruins'."

What about the 'Universal Energy Evolution Platform'?

"Don't mention the 'Evolution Platform' plan again!" Mikhail interrupted rudely.
"The Federation doesn't care. What does it matter if Nabrius destroys that [Core of Khitania]? The Federation has nurtured this monster for thirty years. Now, his power surpasses that of all the Lost Ones. You have fought against him, so you should know that."

"Shaneva already knew the location of the 'Source Image Pillar,' and that [Core of Khitania] had already been used before it was 'stolen' by Nabrius. Now, Shaneva is waiting for the last group of people who crave the [Core] to fall into our trap."

"Soon...soon! Soon! Soon! Commander Shaneva will possess the ability to control the consciousness of all humans and the Lost Ones. She will become a supreme deity, and I will become the most loyal believer beneath her. You wretched Lost Ones will be praying at her feet for more divine favors, becoming hounds, becoming slaves, becoming..."

puff!
A dull thud came from Mikhail's chest, followed by a soft "snap," and Mikhail's beating, blood-red heart, belonging to a human, appeared in the "Blood Wolf's" hand.

Mikhail did not die immediately. Instead, he endured the gushing crimson blood and tried to raise the "Bosria" pistol to fight back. But the next second, a cold glint of the "Blood Wolf" metal claws flashed in Mikhail's eyes.

Immediately afterwards, he felt the world spinning and flipping, and finally with a soft "thud," his head, completely separated from his spine, fell heavily to the ground, his eyes filled with terror and resentment, forever losing his chance to survive.

"Brother, what do we do next?" "Xianyan" took out clean white gloves and handed them to "Blood Wolf" to wipe the blood remaining on his claws.

“Take Wright with you, tell him the truth, and then go see Shaneva together. I think this ‘monster’ raised by the Federation will expect Shaneva to give him a proper explanation.” (End of Chapter)