As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 115 Under the overthrow of the nest
"...Exactly right."

Leiliana laughed bitterly, "I'm really not suited to playing this kind of role. It's so embarrassing to be seen killing someone for the first time."

"You are an excellent card maker. You really shouldn't step into such a complicated vortex."

Xu Yan asked, "So, you have already joined the Black Dream Organization?"

"It's not too early."

Leiliana looked at the blood-stained black armor of the Nightmare Champion and the obedient appearance of the Abyss Lizard, her eyes emitting a mixture of surprise and admiration.

She knew she was no match for the mysterious "gravedigger."

What's more, even if she could escape the gravedigger's punishment, the entire Rolling Stone Castle was full of patrols. Where could she escape to?
A look of exhaustion and relief crossed Leliana's face.

She knew she had no way to escape, so she said straightforwardly, "The Black Dream Organization seems to be planning a major move in Dawn City. Rolling Stone Fort is the bridgehead of Dawn City. Many wilderness bandits and bounty hunters like to settle here and then slowly find a way to infiltrate the city.

"Dr. Hyde feels it is necessary to establish an outpost at Rolling Stone Castle.

"He originally wanted to find a partner with 'Big Boss' John Carter, but after several attempts, he found that Big Boss had little interest in the Black Dream Organization. Come to think of it, Big Boss thought he had the upper hand over the big corporations and could reap astronomical profits through secret deals with card companies and pharmaceutical companies. There was no reason for him to join the madmen of the Black Dream Organization to 'stop the apocalypse and save the world.'

"The same goes for Director Monk. With a background in a large company, how could he allow himself to degenerate and become the enemy of the world?

“Finally, Dr. Hyde found me and promised to help me get rid of the big boss and Director Monk, monopolize the Rolling Stone Club and the underground laboratory, and take my destiny into my own hands.

“We hit it off immediately.

"Twenty experimental subjects are both our deal and my token of allegiance to the Black Dream Organization.

"Unexpectedly, Dr. Hyde's operation went awry. One of the test subjects, you, escaped uncontrollably, allowing the Security Bureau to follow the clues and locate the Rolling Stone Club.

“However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

"I originally wanted to get rid of the big boss, so I just went with the flow and pushed him out as a scapegoat.

"Although the underground laboratory was destroyed, the Rolling Stone Club was preserved. Coupled with the Swamp Gang's huge profit, the patrol team profited greatly. After a 'careful investigation,' they completely dispelled their suspicions about me."

"understood."

Xu Yan seemed to be thinking about something. "The Black Dream Organization doesn't need an underground laboratory. The Rolling Stone Club in public is the key. Your surrender allowed the patrol to swoop in at the critical moment, which just cleared your name."

"Even if I didn't sneak into the underground laboratory through the ventilation duct and cause a series of explosions and chaos, do you have other ways to lead Director Monk and the others to rise up in resistance, causing complete chaos and stalling the situation until the patrol arrives?"

"Yes."

Leiliana said calmly, "The big boss and Director Monk are both lackeys of the big company. It's impossible for them to be loyal to the Black Dream Organization. There's no need for them to stay.

"As for the Swamp Gang, although they were also wanted by the Alliance and defected to the Black Dream Organization, they were too greedy and unruly, completely unwilling to obey orders. They also lacked the firm belief in 'stopping the apocalypse and saving the world.' They simply used the Black Dream Organization's reputation to satisfy their own selfish desires.

"This guy, who's more trouble than help, isn't qualified to be a true member of the Black Dream Organization. It's better to use him as bait to help me gain the patrol's trust. Only then can he play a crucial role when the time comes."

"Brilliant plan."

Xu Yan exclaimed, "So, you believe in the Black Dream Organization's philosophy and want to save the world by any means necessary?"

"I know myself well enough to know that I have neither the qualifications nor the interest to play games like 'saving the world.'"

Leiliana smiled bitterly, "I just want to protect Rolling Stone Castle, my home, and my compatriots."

"Oh?"

Xu Yan was slightly stunned.

"The body you're currently inhabiting is one of the twenty experimental subjects I gave to Dr. Hyde. You should possess some fragments of your memories of the torture you endured in the underground laboratory, right?"

Leiliana's face showed pain. "Whether you believe it or not, I regard all the refugees in the wilderness as my compatriots, and I absolutely do not want any of them to suffer the inhuman torture of the big boss and Director Monk.

"However, what's worse than becoming a test subject is not even having the chance to become a test subject."

"What do you mean?"

Xu Yan frowned deeply. "Dawn City is doomed."

Leiliana said quietly, "Dr. Hyde told me that the mineral veins around Dawn City have been exhausted. The entire city is in a financial crisis, and the alliance leaders are considering abandoning it."

"If a bird's nest falls from a tree, all the eggs inside will be smashed to pieces.

“Once the authorities truly abandon Dawn City, Rolling Stone Castle will be in catastrophic calamity.

“By then, the home that countless people have painstakingly built over half a century will turn back into a wilderness—a nightmare land ravaged by mutated beasts, out-of-control machinery, and ancient natural disasters.

"The big boss and Director Monk might be able to flee far away, escape to a safe zone and live a comfortable retirement life, or open new clubs and laboratories in other border towns.

“But what about so many residents of planned areas and refugees in the wilderness? They have lost their only safe haven and job opportunities. How should we continue to struggle in this cruel hell on earth?
"By then, even if you voluntarily sign an experimental agreement and are willing to exchange your body for a few full meals and a few days of peace, you won't have that opportunity!"

Xu Yan fell into deep thought: "Do you think the authorities will abandon Dawn City?"

"Why not?"

Leiliana shrugged, "The mines around Dawn City are exhausted, and that's a fact everyone knows.

"Rolling Stone Castle mined its last barrel of ore more than a decade ago, and it's only thanks to the dirty business of the big boss that it has survived to this day.

"After Rolling Stone Castle, seven or eight other mining towns in the surrounding area dried up and went bankrupt, becoming lifeless ruins. The original residents either became piles of bones among the rubble or became bandits in the wilderness.

"Dawn City is a heavy industrial city built on abundant mining resources. The crisscrossing mineral veins deep within the earth are our intricate veins. When these veins wither and the blood clots, the heart of the city ceases to beat. How could the high-ranking officials continue to invest funds and resources in this worthless borderland?
"In fact, even if Dr. Hyde hadn't said it, I would have already seen some clues from the operation of the underground laboratory."

Lei Lianna told Xu Yan that the boss’s biggest backer was Liming Heavy Industry, the pillar enterprise of Liming City.

More than half a century ago, a group of lucky gold diggers dug out the first bucket of crystal clear ore here, the predecessor of Liming Heavy Industry, thus opening up half a century of glory for this heavy industrial town.

At the peak of its prosperity, Liming Heavy Industry tried to break away from the disadvantageous position of simply mining ores and move into high-tech and high-profit industries such as large-scale machinery research and development and armored train manufacturing.

Unfortunately, these industries that make a lot of money have long been completely monopolized by large companies located in the core areas.

Dawn City, located in a remote area, ultimately lacks sufficient talent, capital and market, and cannot be compared with the four major card-making companies behind the Spirit Card Association, the real giants.

Liming Heavy Industry lost in the fierce market competition.

The failed transformation caused this pillar enterprise in Dawn City to lose a lot of money and the motivation to move forward.

To make matters worse, several rich mines that were estimated to be able to be mined for hundreds of years were ultimately proven to be just a thin layer of ore shell, with cavities and rocks underneath.

Seeing that the mine was on the verge of exhaustion, Liming Heavy Industry had considered transforming again.

Taking advantage of the rich population resources and species diversity of border cities, setting up underground laboratories in planned areas such as Rolling Stone Castle, extracting massive amounts of data for research on sealing cards, strengthening potions, and special medicines for spiritual erosion, and transforming from a declining mining company into a card-making company and a pharmaceutical company - this is one of Liming Heavy Industry's self-rescue measures.

It was at that time that the big boss came to Rolling Stone Castle on behalf of Dawn Heavy Industry with the mission of saving Dawn City.

In the first few years, Liming Heavy Industry's second transformation seemed to be quite smooth.

The underground laboratory in Rolling Stone Castle has been continuously expanding, and the technical team has become stronger and stronger. Although many wilderness refugees have encountered accidents during the experiments, they have indeed produced some impressive results.

At the same time, Dawn Heavy Industry was also quite happy to pay. The continuous influx of funds allowed the big boss and Leiliana to not only maintain the daily operations of the Rolling Stone Club, but also radiate to the entire Rolling Stone Castle, providing a large number of jobs for upstream and downstream industries, ensuring that this satellite town prospered, and there was still enough capacity to rescue a large number of wilderness refugees, giving everyone a chance to barely survive.

But in recent years, Liming Heavy Industry seems to have encountered more and more difficulties.

There are fewer and fewer experimental orders directly from Liming Heavy Industry. Most of the orders are subcontracted through layers of subcontracting, and the source is other card manufacturing companies and pharmaceutical companies deep in the safe zone.

Prices and settlement terms have become increasingly harsh. In the past, the small amounts of money, which were insignificant, have now become difficult for the pillar enterprises of Dawn City to pay. They will owe as much as possible and even refuse to pay with various excuses.

Although the big boss did the dirty work for Liming Heavy Industry, he would still give enough dog food even if he had a dog. He had several unpleasant arguments with the other party due to disputes over accounts receivable.

He is a person who is in a dilemma and still has expectations for Liming Heavy Industry.

Lei Lianna, as an outsider, could see very clearly that Liming Heavy Industry's second transformation had probably encountered a major setback, and there was no time, money or resources to give them a chance for a third transformation.

(End of this chapter)