Man on the ark, forced to become king

As Mostima said, pure fools cannot survive in Kazdel, and learning to assess situations is one of the essential conditions for ensuring one's safety.

Soon, the entire border town quieted down, and the only place where fighting was still going on was the house that the Babel Tower team had attacked first.

The world of mercenaries is relatively simple: whoever has the bigger fist is right. Now that there is a powerful figure with absolute dominance who has ordered them to stop, not many people dare to disobey for the sake of their own lives.

However, the operators of Babel Tower are different. Unlike ordinary mercenaries, they prioritize the mission and will not stop immediately even if they encounter unexpected events. Instead, they will try their best to complete the mission as quickly as possible.

Compared to scattered mercenary groups, they need a different approach: gentle contact... or more direct and violent suppression.

Lin Lu was very unhappy with what they had done, so he chose the second option.

"Don't cry, it'll be alright soon."

The Sarkaz woman, clutching her child, huddled trembling in a corner of the ruins. The little girl in her arms clung tightly to her mother, her large eyes filled with terror. Lin Lu stopped in front of them, gently patted the little girl's hair with a warm smile, took a sour plum candy she had brought from Lungmen from her pocket, placed it in the girl's hand, and stepped away from the ruins.

Mostima suddenly appeared on the spot, his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say anything.

"Didn't you hear me say stop?"

A bullet was fired from the roof of the hotel and entered the dusty, dilapidated building. Lin Lu's narrowed eyes suddenly widened, and her figure vanished instantly, appearing on the balcony of the second floor of the hotel. She stepped on the wall and leaped high, climbing to the top floor with her bare hands. The tip of her staff glowed and condensed into a sharp, translucent blade, which she then slashed down.

Ding!

The magic sword and the tactical dagger clashed, and Scout flicked his wrist to dodge, but did not launch an attack.

"Mr. Lin Lu, keeping your promises is a virtue."

"Screw the agreement."

The Azure Blade shimmered, pointing at Scout. Lin Lu's face was indifferent, and a chilling killing intent spread out, as if the surroundings were instantly stained with blood.

The overwhelming killing intent was so palpable that even the battle-hardened Scout was moved, his body tensing up.

How many people has he killed? Hundreds? Thousands? Or even... tens of thousands?

Without the tempering of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it would be impossible to possess such an astonishing aura!

“If even one child dies because of you, then you will all have to stay here today.”

A bone-chilling cold filled every inch of the space, and the indifferent voice reached Scout's ears, causing even this experienced Babel Tower operator to smile wryly.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lin Lu, but… this is the mission. If you insist on an explanation, then as the planner, I am willing to pay the price.”

Guilt and helplessness mingled in his heart, and Scout couldn't say anything more. He wanted to defend himself, but found that he had no valid reason.

Regardless, it was indeed their mistake; they were the ones who shattered the tranquility of this remote town, turning it into a battlefield, simply because 'that was the plan'.

Without a doubt, the doctor's tactics and plans have always been excellent, always achieving the greatest results at the lowest cost. He promised to bring victory, and he truly delivered.

But apart from that, he no longer cared about any other factors in the mission. Even the sacrifice of innocent people was acceptable as long as victory could be achieved. He would issue orders without hesitation, and this mission was no exception.

Scout felt guilty about it, but couldn't refuse.

He realized he was wrong, but the weight of the 'mission' outweighed his personal feelings.

"The planner? Are you really one of them?"

The magical sword blade slowly dissipated, and Lin Lu chuckled, finding it quite laughable.

"The reason you're still standing here is because you just killed the mercenaries who nearly harmed that mother and daughter. You didn't really want to hurt them, yet you still carried out such a cruel plan... Ha, let me guess, who made you do this? Was it that infamous... evil spirit from the Tower of Babel?"

“Rebuild this town, give the civilians the compensation they deserve, and you can get out of here with your mission objectives. Then, I want to see the real architects of this plan apologize to them.”

“Do as I say. You have no right to refuse. Believe me, when I want to kill someone, no one can escape, not even an emperor on the throne, or even... a god high above.”

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Colors of the World

Upon hearing Lin Lu's words, Scout's eyes widened, a profound sense of absurdity washing over him. He couldn't believe that a remote border town was worth threatening the king who occupied half of Kazdel.

No matter how you look at it, their values ​​are unequal. It's cruel, but that's the reality. Only a madman would have such a thought.

“You know this is impossible, Mr. Lin Lu. Rebuilding the town and providing compensation are not problems; we would have done those anyway. But we cannot agree to this last request.”

“You are very strong, each of you is no less capable than Babita’s elite operators, but we cannot compromise because of that.”

"That means there's nothing to talk about?"

These words were practically a direct admission that the mastermind behind the plan was the infamous evil spirit of the Tower of Babel. Lin Lu nodded slightly, understanding the meaning behind Scout's words.

"Only the last condition doesn't work. The damage to this town isn't severe, and there were no civilian casualties. Mr. Lin Lu, do you really have no reason to be hostile to us because of this place? How about we each take a step back?"

"I think I know what kind of person you are now. I have to say, what you said makes a lot of sense. Perhaps most people in this world do the same thing, but..."

Lin Lu smiled mockingly and retorted, "What makes you think I'm the same as them? Reason? I've never needed that kind of thing. Your actions make me very unhappy, and someone should pay the price for it. It's just that I want to do this, and it has nothing to do with this town or its residents."

Domineering, undisguised domineering!

The Sarkaz have never lacked madmen, but Scout has never seen anyone so domineering.

Just because you want to do it?

How utterly unbridled! How utterly insane!

He's a madman, he's an absolute madman!

Scout could sense that this seemingly gentle man was not joking at all; he was serious. If they didn't agree to his conditions, this man would really find the base of the Tower of Babel and achieve his goal.

Doesn't he understand the difference in strength between the two sides?

Indeed, Scout had to admit that he and his two companions were strong enough to easily suppress the hundreds of mercenaries in the town, no less than the elite Babel operators. However, Babel was not just an organization; it represented half of Kazdel!

No matter how strong an individual's martial prowess may be, it is insignificant in the face of an organized army. Even the ruler of the royal court, even the regent, would not dare to say such a thing lightly.

If Lin Lu really dares to do that, he will definitely die, and Scout doesn't want to see that kind of ending.

Although their philosophies differ, Lin Lu is indeed a good person. He is willing to save unarmed civilians and fight for the compensation that the weak deserve. This does not conflict with the ideals of the Tower of Babel and the princess's vision; in fact, it is quite consistent with them.

There is absolutely no need for either side to escalate the conflict to the point of life or death.

Ultimately, thanks to Mostima's timely intervention, the few civilians in the town were not harmed. Their losses were fully recoverable and did not warrant taking such an extreme step.

"Mr. Lin Lu, I think..."

"I don't want you to think, I want me to think."

Lin Lu's face darkened, and a dense magical light slowly condensed at the tip of her staff, showing signs that she was about to start a fight at the slightest provocation.

"Now, take your men and your mission targets, leave with sufficient compensation, and leave this place."

"This……"

Scout felt that Lin Lu's way of doing things was too strange and hard to guess.

He can attack mercenaries without hesitation, or he can save civilians with a kind heart.

He would weigh the pros and cons, accept the Babel Tower team's deal, and then erupt when civilians were in danger, even confronting them for a reason that most people would find ridiculous.

Ruthlessness and kindness, madness and order, all combined in one person, create that kind face.

He used spells he had never seen before, traveling with messengers from all nations of Laterano, shrouded in a thick fog, making him difficult to fathom.

It's impossible to see through; it's completely impossible to see through.

Scout silently picked up his weapon, gave Lin Lu a deep look, and then jumped off the roof.

Since they couldn't reason with them and the other party had no intention of keeping them there, they had no choice but to leave first and make further plans after returning to the Babel Tower headquarters. The Babel Tower wasn't an unreasonable organization, and there was still room for maneuver in this matter.

"Aren't you curious about what their mission objective is, that they're willing to create such massive chaos to accomplish?"

Scout left, and suddenly a hand wearing a tactical glove appeared from the edge of the roof. Immediately afterwards, Fiameta jumped up from below, the gun in his hand still emitting faint heat, obviously having just been fired.

"Mostima told me not to meddle in other people's business."

Lin Lu glanced at Scout below, her expression returning to its usual gentle state, and shook her head with a smile.

"You don't seem like the kind of person who listens to others."

Upon hearing this, Fiameta couldn't help but roll her eyes, not believing a single word. And this was supposed to be minding one's own business? She'd never seen anyone so radical when it came to meddling; even the Sarkaz madmen of the civilized world weren't this crazy.

"Indeed, if you had really listened, you wouldn't have done things this way."

Mostima, who had become elusive after using magic, appeared beside them at some point, making a strange comment.

"I don't think you're as angry as you seem. What exactly are you trying to do by threatening the higher-ups of Babel in Kazdel?"

"Of course I'm angry, but not as angry as I seem. There are reasons for doing so, of course, so that I can make contact with one of the rulers of this country soon."

Lin Lu's gaze was deep, as if she could see the near future, and her tone was resolute.

"Are you sure you haven't attracted the Tower of Babel's pursuit?"

Mostima's expression became even stranger, his eyes carrying an indescribable meaning.

"I'm 80% sure it's not true. We saw their dark side today, where they're willing to do anything, but their reputation isn't built on nothing. Where there's darkness, there's light; where there's an evil spirit, there's a bright sun. That princess is the true master of the Tower of Babel."

"This world has never been a clear-cut black and white, but rather a delicate gray."

Chapter Forty-Nine: Speculations about Theresa

Walking at night in the deserted wilderness outside cities and villages is a dangerous activity. Many creatures mutated and twisted by Originium infection also like to come out at night to hunt and forage.

Therefore, unless they are traveling by vehicle, even small mercenary groups with enough members are unwilling to travel at night. They usually find a suitable place to camp before nightfall.

But Lin Lu and her companions didn't have this concern. All three of them were experienced veterans with sufficient strength, and the mere mutated creatures were not enough to pose a threat.