Helping each other with countless me.

Chapter 556 Destroy the City
Rolling Stone City, Lord's Residence.

Chekhov leaned back comfortably on the soft couch covered with bearskin, his plump fingers twirling the amber-colored wine in the crystal glass.

Outside the window, there was the unique, ceaseless sound of stone grinding, characteristic of Rolling Stone City.

The air was filled with dust and the distinctive sulfurous smell of gunpowder.

"Sir, this batch of 'stone mines' has been loaded onto the trucks."

The butler bowed and reported, a fawning smile on his face.

"As you instructed, the loss was reported as... 30%."

"Ah, very good."

Chekhov gave a satisfied hum and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Rolling Stone City is rich in hard, special rocks that are both hard and tough.

Based on this, the third prince's most trusted royal steward, Lord Saruman, arranged a "favorable job" for him: to use the advantageous location to build and stockpile a large number of "stone mines" for the front lines.

This weapon, with its outer shell of hard stone and its interior filled with alchemical gunpowder, is a formidable tool for conquering cities and fortresses.

Lord Saruman only needed to manipulate the accounts, reporting 70% of the actual output, and the remaining 30% "losses" would naturally become the substantial profits that Chekhov and he would share.

Chekhov didn't need to fight on the front lines like other lords. He only needed to exploit the artisans and farmers here, urging them to work day and night, and he could reap the benefits without lifting a finger. He could even use the pretext of "losses" to squeeze another layer of profit from the third prince.

"Has the escort sent by Lord Saruman arrived yet?"

Chekhov asked.

"We've arrived, sir. They're waiting in the side hall. As is customary, 'hospitality' has already been arranged."

The butler answered knowingly.

The so-called hospitality consisted of nothing more than presenting a box of gold coins and a few carefully selected young women who had been forcibly "recruited".

With these resources, the escorting officers would naturally turn a blind eye to transportation losses and even help cover up the actual consumption of stones and gunpowder.

"Okay, let him eat, drink, and have fun. Send him on his way first thing tomorrow morning."

Chekhov waved his hand, a greasy smile spreading across his face.

These days are truly wonderful.

As for "Wild Grass 78," whom he sent out to die, he had long since forgotten about him.

One hundred farmers, in a place like the Misty Forest, facing a possible elite enemy force?

How many of them will come back alive?

He hiccuped, then fell into a deep sleep on the soft couch, dreaming of nothing but glittering gold coins.
The night was as dark as ink, and the towering stone walls of Rolling Stone cast a chilling shadow under the moonlight.

The city gates were tightly closed, and the drawbridge hung high in the air.

Only a few dim torches flickered on the city wall, illuminating the figures of a few listless guards.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried and frantic hoofbeats broke the deathly silence of the night.

A gaunt warhorse carrying two figures staggered to the moat.

The figure on horseback was in a sorry state, his clothes tattered and covered in mud and dried blood.

One of the men was tall, his helmet askew, revealing a face full of exhaustion and fear, and there seemed to be a wounded soldier leaning against his back.

"Open the door!"

Li Zhongren, his voice hoarse, shouted with all his might towards the city tower.

"We are a reconnaissance team sent by Lord Chekhov! We have discovered important intelligence and we must report it to the lord in person!"

The guards on the city wall were startled and poked their heads out.

The torchlight barely illuminated the miserable state of the people below the city walls.

"Take off your helmet!"

The guards shouted from the city wall.

Li Zhongren took off his helmet, revealing a face covered in grime.

"I am Wild Grass 78, sent by the lord to scout the Misty Forest."

"Wait."

The guards on the city wall shouted again, and soon a man came over and looked down from the city wall.

"Reporting to the sir, he is indeed Wild Grass 78."

"Ah."

The city wall guard nodded and looked into the distance.

It was pitch black, and nothing could be seen, but there were no enemies within sight.

Of course, even so, no soldier would be foolish enough to open the city gates at night.

The reason is also very simple.

The city gate is different from the gate of one's own home.

Turn it on or off as you please.

To complement its unique defensive capabilities, the city gates were exceptionally heavy, requiring many people to open them using hinges, and the opening and closing were extremely slow.

So at night, if someone wanted to enter the city, whoever he was, he would usually only go up and down the city in a gondola.

In this way, even if someone comes in, it will be easier to control because there are only a few people.

However, considering that this world has superhumans, this behavior is not particularly safe. Therefore, after lowering the basket, the guard said that only Li Zhongren was allowed to sit in the basket, while the other person, who seemed to be injured and could only lie on the horse, was not allowed to sit in the basket.

Anyway, WildGrass78's identity has already been confirmed, so there won't be any problems if we let him come up.

The suspended basket slowly rose.

Li Zhongren sat there looking utterly exhausted.

Once he was pulled up, several soldiers with weapons surrounded him and began to examine Li Zhongren.

He was wearing the tattered armor he had worn before going to war.

There were no weapons, no alchemical explosives, only a few pitiful, hard, rock-like pieces of bread with teeth marks on them.

"Sir, no problem."

"Take him to the lord's manor!"

"Yes!"

Soon, several soldiers escorted Li Zhongren down from the city wall.

Then, the instant they stepped out of the city gate, the weariness and panic in Li Zhongren's eyes were instantly replaced by a cold killing intent!
He snatched a rifle from a soldier and swung it forcefully.

The four of them became eight-dan.

At the same time, he turned around, looked at the heavy city gate, took a deep breath, and unleashed sixty points of strength in an instant. He became like a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex and slammed his fist into the city gate.

That punch was like an explosive bomb!
The bolts on the city gate were split into two pieces.

Following the second punch, the third punch
A barrage of fists pounded against the door like a pile driver.

Three seconds later, the entire guard hadn't even reacted yet.

The city gate was blasted open, creating a hole large enough for a person to pass through.

Karenina, set fire to the place!

At this moment, Karenina had already jumped off her horse and crawled through the hole. Then, a black fire dragon spewed out, setting the area directly in front of the doorway ablaze. Smoke and flames swirled around, and after a few breaths, no one could be seen.

"Enemy attack!!!"

At this moment, the head of the guards on the city wall was terrified and let out a shrill scream!
But it was too late!

The black flames could melt even ores, and their temperature was so high that no human could withstand it. Using the flames as a shield, Li Zhongren continued to dismantle the door.

Shoot them with arrows! Kill them all!

Arrows rained down from the flames. But it was no use; the steel body ignored them. As for Karenina, she had already slipped back through the doorway and continued to control the flames, using the door as a barrier. She could only set fires within her sight; otherwise, Li Zhongren wouldn't have needed to go up first. He could have simply broken down the door from downstairs.

boom! ! !
Finally, even the meticulously crafted city gate could not withstand Li Zhongren's destructive power and was completely destroyed.

In the distance, in the darkness, under Li Zhongren's control, a hundred elite soldiers who had long since degenerated launched a cold charge.

Like a silent torrent of steel, it suddenly appeared in the darkness and charged toward the open city gate with astonishing speed!

Their eyes were fervent, their movements swift; there was no trace of a farmer in them.
They are clearly a bloodthirsty elite force!
Li Zhongren stood in the center of the city gate ruins, like a demon god descending to earth. He casually picked up a fine steel spear that had fallen to the ground and ordered Karenina to extinguish the flames.

The spear in his hand transformed into a whirlwind of death!

With a terrifying attack boosted by 60 points of strength, combined with precise predictions from a war perspective, he truly unleashed his "Musou" mode!
On the city wall passageway, spears emerged like venomous dragons from their caves, easily piercing through two or three guards huddled together, stringing them up like candied hawthorns and flinging them away!
A soldier charged forward wielding a tower shield, but Li Zhongren neither dodged nor evaded, and instead threw a punch!
"Boom!!!"

A dull, drum-like thud! The steel tower shield, along with the soldier behind it holding the shield, was slammed backward by an irresistible force. A clear fist mark appeared in the center of the shield, and the soldier's sternum was shattered!
An archer is firing arrows from a distance?

The arrow struck his bronze skin with a crisp clanging sound, leaving not even a white mark before bouncing away powerlessly!

He was like a tiger among sheep; wherever he went, limbs and broken arms flew everywhere, and the sound of armor shattering was incessant!
Blood stained the ancient city walls! No one could withstand a single blow!
Nothing could stop him even for a moment!
Every punch and every thrust he made carried a terrifying power that could split mountains and shatter rocks, precisely reaping lives!

The city's defense forces' fragile resistance was like child's play in front of him; their morale collapsed instantly, and they scattered and fled in cries!
One hundred elite soldiers are divided into three groups from Li Zhongren's perspective on war.

Ten men, led by him, slaughtered the remaining enemy along the city wall and seized the high ground. Fifty of the most elite fully armored soldiers rushed straight to the military camp. Their target was the five hundred true elites inside the city. The rest had a clear objective: the lord's mansion!

Logically speaking, with only a hundred soldiers, even if the city were breached, it would be impossible to accomplish such a feat.

However, the truth lies with Li Zhongren.

First, from a wartime perspective, Li Zhongren's control reached its peak.

Secondly, on their way back, Li Zhongren led his soldiers to kill many people and wild beasts. Now, these farmers' attribute points have all exceeded fifteen points, which would make them elite among elites in the human world.

Third, let's not forget Karenina, the witch protected by layers of soldiers, who can incinerate and melt ore, and who finally unleashed all the resentment in her heart.
On the city wall, Li Zhongren had completed the elimination of the city wall guards.

He, high above, commands everything from his superior perspective.

On one side were the elite troops still asleep. What greeted them first was not weapons and arrows, but flames that engulfed almost the entire camp.

Yes, Karenina's flames ignited almost all the camps, whether it was the five hundred elite soldiers or the cannon fodder who had been conscripted.

That's how war is; it allows no mercy.

The flames brought chaos.

Chaos brought about a riot!

This was almost unavoidable in the ancient world.

So, before Li Zhongren could even make a move, these guys started fighting amongst themselves.

After that, Anna and fifty elite soldiers charged into the military camp like tigers descending a mountain, and under Li Zhongren's remote control, they began a frenzied slaughter.
Its daybreak.

The flames went out.
The result was as expected.
Having lost the advantage of the city walls and with their morale completely crushed by the two "extraordinary" figures, Li Zhongren and Karenina, the defenders of Rolling Stone City quickly collapsed.

The once high and mighty lord, Chekhov, was now kneeling trembling on the ground, his face still showing fear and disbelief.

How did a serf who could be trampled to death at will transform into such a terrifying being?

And that witch, how did the two of them end up together?

Of course, Li Zhongren had no intention of explaining for him.

Instead, they waited there.

Soon.

The entire city's residents were driven to this place, and everyone's face was filled with fear and confusion.

In the center of the square, a simple wooden platform was erected.

Chekhov was bound hand and foot, kneeling on the stage, his fat face streaked with tears and snot, looking utterly pathetic and devoid of his former authority.

Li Zhongren stood on the stage, his blood-soaked armor reflecting a dazzling and bewitching red light—it was blood.

Karenina stood slightly behind him, her purple eyes lowered, and a faint aura of black flames swirled around her, adding to her mystery and imposing presence.

One hundred menacing, well-equipped soldiers stood solemnly below the platform, blocking all exits from the square.

"Citizens of Rolling Stones!"

Li Zhongren's voice was not loud, but it clearly resonated throughout the entire venue, carrying a strange penetrating power.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that I am here for justice."

"He treats us farmers like dirt, forcibly conscripting us into the army just to be cannon fodder! When my hundred-man squad was ordered by him to go out of the city to scout, he wouldn't even provide us with decent weapons!"

"Fortunately, by the grace of the gods, I unexpectedly gained power. So, what I need to do is very simple: I want revenge!"

"As for why I summoned you here, it's simple. I will leave with the wealth here. However, after I leave, those who come after me will surely direct their anger at you. So, I only have one piece of advice for you: now, take the wealth in the city and leave, go far away. Otherwise, your fate will be terrible."

As they spoke, Li Zhongren's soldiers opened the boxes that had been prepared beforehand. Inside were boxes of money, and even some gold coins!

This left everyone present speechless.

After all, in this era, the purchasing power of a single gold coin could almost ensure that a family of three would live a comfortable and wealthy life for half a year. If they were frugal and kept to the minimum spending requirement, they could live comfortably for a whole year.

Li Zhongren surveyed the entire Rolling Stone City from a wartime perspective. There were over ten thousand people in total, not counting the conscripted farmers or the Wu Bai elite troops who had already been wiped out.

Li Zhongren had already dismissed the farmers who had been conscripted before dawn. Now, he didn't need too many people; having a smaller target made him more flexible.

"Two gold coins per household!"

"I don't care about the food, take as much as you can!"

"As for the rest, whatever you see in this city, you can take it."

"Then, with this fortune, they fled far away."

"Of course, the prerequisite is that you must cut him once!"

"Can we stay?"

Someone in the crowd asked in a low voice.

"I will set this place on fire, burn it to the ground."

Li Zhongren's eyes were filled with indifference, devoid of any warmth.

Everyone realized that this terrifying man was merely displaying his final tenderness.
The first night fell.
Rolling Stone Lane is now deserted.

But actually, there's still plenty of food left. However, anyone with a brain knows that if you carry too much food, you won't be able to go far, unless you have a large family.

Chekhov's body was left on the street; it was unrecognizable as human, hacked to pieces.

Many ordinary people in Rolling Stone City hated him to the core, and having no other choice, they could only direct their anger at him.
"Pity."

Finally, Li Zhongren also left Rolling Stone City with his team.

Looking back, he felt a pang of emotion.

Currently, his hundred men have been upgraded from ragtag guns to armor and various other weapons.

But that's about it.

There were many more things he couldn't take with him.

After all, he doesn't have any space equipment yet.

He could use the only chance to ask for help on the sharing space to get one, but that would be such a waste. A life-saving trump card shouldn't be used like that.
"Nina, burn this city down."

"Ah."

Karenina nodded and used the flames to set fire to the wood that had been prepared beforehand.

Wood, combined with kerosene, instantly formed fiery dragons that stretched across the entire rolling stone formation.
"How are you feeling? Still have energy?"

Looking at Karenina, who seemed somewhat exhausted, Li Zhongren asked.

"It's alright."

Karenina took a deep breath and set a city ablaze, nearly draining the rest of the city dry despite having prepared ignition sources.
Then, she felt herself fly.
I was actually picked up by Wild Grass Bro.
"This feeling...it seems pretty good."

Leaning against Li Zhongren's cold, hard chest, Karenina couldn't help but think...
(End of this chapter)